page 60- 'Whenever humans are compared to animals, the humans come off as a tad bit inferior and slow'.... 'See? It makes us seem stupid. This paragraph degrades mankind, turning us into a pointless species'
page 80- 'Sigh. Now every time a human does anything, I can only think about how stupid they come off as in comparison to a spider.'
page 82- 'Ha! And now our stupidity is supreme!'
There's no need to list anymore annotations, the rest of the book has notes reading 'stupidity' which weave throughout the text. This is another reoccurring theme in Charlotte's Web, the repetitive, pathetic way that gullible humans go about their daily doings. When Mr. Zuckerman sees the word 'terrific' in the web, he can't help but look at Wilbur and think 'terrific'. Wilbur's no longer a runt, nope, he is now 'some pig', because a web tells him so. The people at the fair call Wilbur humble, a concept that was easily placed in their minds by Charlotte. Imagine! Being so easily manipulated by a spider! By a small animal that people bat away in disgust and fear! But spiders do have a quality that many humans lack, patience. And due to a spiders' patience, Charlotte's character found her way into the book.
E.B. White's choice of the animals he used in the book were very specific to the messages he tried to get through. For example, pigs are recognized (in reality, that is) as pork and bacon, as heads on the slaughter block. This is perfect for Wilbur's situation, the reputation of a pig helps carry the plot along. Spiders are quite creatures; they wait tirelessly by their webs for every meal. Charlotte carefully spins words into her web, she quietly lectures and easily chases away fears. The barn animals themselves are a convenience to the book. I've been to a barn before and even when cows are mooing and chickens are pecking away, the barn is somehow silent and perfectly calm, moving at its own pace. I live in the city. The mornings are filled with cars, the afternoons are filled with cars and the night is filled with cars. All times of day have honking and random hoards and the sounds of clicking heels or briefcases bumping into one another. The days are started by ringing alarm clocks and are ended by listening to traffic roaring by. We're a rushed species. The barn is a prime example of a place where time is slowed. I'm sure that many of the readers felt a pang of jealousy while reading about the countryside and its many pleasures. I'm sure that they looked at Charlotte and perhaps they were hurt by her mocking words or, maybe, they nodded their heads in solemn agreement. Either way, the message got through... slow down... haste makes waste.. stop pacing bridges when you should be building a web.
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