The Lives of Animals

John and Norma discuss Elizabeth’s lectures after Elizabeth goes to bed. John does not expect many people will attend the second lecture, which will be in a seminar room in the English Department. Norma disagrees with Elizabeth’s views on reasoning, calling her “shallow” and “naïve.” She argues using science that other animals have narrow worldviews. John questions whether human minds are just as narrow, and Norma is annoyed, citing humans’ vast technological advancements as proof of reason’s superiority.

The next morning, Abraham Stern leaves a note for Elizabeth in John’s mailbox. He was offended by Elizabeth’s comparison of Jewish people to animals. John gets stuck in a long meeting then goes to Elizabeth’s second lecture, which is almost over when he arrives. Elizabeth is taking questions from the audience. She has handed out poems—“The Panther” by Rilke and “The Jaguar” and “Second Glance at a Jaguar” by Hughes—to accompany her lecture. She explains that the perspective presented by Rilke is limited and that Hughes wrote his poems as a response to “The Panther.” While the panther cannot see beyond the bars of its enclosure, Hughes’s jaguar is able to imagine things beyond its surroundings.