Analysing: SHOULD CHIMPANZEES BE CONSIDERED ‘PERSONS’?

1. SHOULD CHIMPANZEES BE CONSIDERED ‘PERSONS’?
   
   
   v  Whose viewpoint is expressed?
   In this opinion article the writer is expressing their frustration for trying to help two chimpanzees which are in captivity. He is claiming the freedom to Kiko and Tommy (the chimpanzees), and what he wants is to help them, but the United States law don’t want to help because they consider animals as a thing, and laws claim for the protection of a person not a thing.
   His viewpoint is that chimpanzees are not only a “thing” they are more than that. They have all of the features that a human seem as a person has: conscious experience, emotionality, a sense of self or bonds of care or interdependence.  
   
   
   v  What does the author want us to think?
   He wants us to reflect about considering chimpanzees just as a thing. As he said, Kiko and Tommy as well as humans have are capable of communicating through language (in their case signal language), they fell, and they have emotions, and so on.
   
   
   v  What viewpoint is not expressed? Whose voice do we not hear?
   I think the author take into account the two viewpoints. At the end he did a contrast about the complexity of that issue and what he thought.
   
   
   v  What is an alternative perspective of the text?
   I think it is to reflect about the viewpoint we have about animals. According to the issue he is trying to deal, he is still trying to find a way to help those both chimpanzees.
   
   
   v  Can you think of other questions this text responds to?
   I think that chimpanzees neither are a person nor a thing. I think that being a person is only a feature of humans as well as, it is important to say that not all humans are become a person. Nevertheless, there are animals which behave very similar as humans do, it is not enough for becoming a person. Being a person required more developed skills.
   But also it is important to know that animals (chimpanzees) are not things. They feel and they are able to do many interesting things. However, not for that they become on a person. As a conclusion I think the main stuff is to reflect and learn to respect animals as well as claim for the preservation of different species.