the hunt by Anna Sewell
Answers
Answer:
When he is less than two years old, Beauty observes the hunt pass by. He sees the hare's violent death and the serious injuries of two horses and one man. Some of the horses say it serves the men right, but Duchess disagrees. She claims she never understood why men hunt, for "they often hurt themselves, often spoil good horses, and tear up the fields, and all for a hare or a fox, or a stag, that they could get more easily some other way." But, she continues, "we are only horses, and don't know." They learn the injured man is Squire Gordon's only son, George Gordon, and he is very seriously hurt. The black horse that was injured has broken his leg and is shot to put him out of his misery. Beauty's mother is saddened by this death, saying the horse was one she knew, a good one named Rob Roy. Later Beauty observes the funeral for Squire Gordon's son, who also has died of his injuries.
Answer:
The long-popular Black Beauty is an engaging story told from the perspective of a horse. Black Beauty's experiences lead him through a diverse series of encounters and bring him into contact with many characters, including other horses with stories of their own to tell.
Sewell uses Black Beauty's story to explore her theme of cruelty to animals. She shows the positive results of kind treatment, while attacking the animal abuse common in her times. Sewell believed that animal cruelty was a societal problem that could not be ignored, a problem that was often caused by ignorance and fashion, as well as intentional abuse.
The lines between good and evil are clearly drawn, and this fable is intended to leave the reader with a strong moral lesson that it is better to be a good person than an evil one. The horses are mistreated through no fault of their own by uncaring or insensitive people. In Sewell's story the world is cruel because it is inhabited by corrupted people, who have the power to reform, if they wish.
