The Mouses Petition analysis

This way, they say that it is also beneficial to the animals themselves. Additionally, those who contend with the practice cite the fact that it is quite impossible to replace animal subjects of an experiment with human beings; this will be brutal and wouldn’t even portray any sense of humanity. Bellanca (2003) in her essay “Science, Animal Sympathy and Anna Barbauld’s The Mouse’s Petition” discusses the subject of animal testing as depicted by Anna in her poem “The Mouse’s Petition. In light of this, the paper looks to analyze Bellanca’s thoughts on the subject of animal testing. SumBellanca (2003) The essay analyzes Anna’s depiction of the subject of animal experimentation. She has, however, highlighted the fact that women were not allowed in public organizations that dealt with science till the nineteenth century.

The other aspect that Bellanca (2003) has highlighted is the fact that any efforts by the women to advance intellectually were met with critics in the public eye. Bellanca (2003) has also highlighted the conversation between Barbauld and Priestly; this conversation entails Priest comparing his knowledge to those of some philosophers of that time. Barbauld is said to have lauded the judgment of Priestly and also, question some part of it. The essay also comprises the view by Priestly that animal experimentation provided great insights at the expense of human subjects. It hints that women were not allowed in public institutions and any of their efforts were met with criticism (Bellanca 49). This even went as far as seeing them to be unworthy wives due to their intellectual ability.

This way, Barbauld can be argued to be alluding women to be caged mice. She actually tries to convey the message that the women had become caged by the societal cultures that didn’t permit them to engage in certain activities, like scientific studies (Ready 2004). It can be said that the poem was meant to push men to incorporate women in the pursuit of intellectual abilities. The poem can, therefore, be said to have been a call for the society to recognize women’s contribution too. Moreover, the essay has made me see Barbauld from the perspective that she was actually calling for the society to study more about the nature. Bellanca (2003) has hinted that her poem led to youths of both sexes diving deep into research in the field of nature.