Publicidade|Remover

A questão toma como base o conto "Um Espinho de Marfim".


Leia o fragmento para responder à questão.

“Um dia, indo o rei de manhã cedo visitar a filha em seus aposentos, viu o unicórnio na moita de lírios. Quero esse animal para mim. E imediatamente ordenou a caçada.”.

COLASANTI, Marina. Uma ideia toda azul. São Paulo: Global, 2005.

Em relação às características do rei, recorrendo-se às leis da natureza que se conhecem, de imediato, é sugerida ideia de

This text refers to question

How to Stop Eating Sugar

By David Leonhardt

If you’re like most Americans, you eat more sugar than is good for you. But it’s entirely possible to eat less sugar without sacrificing much — if any — of the pleasures of eating. Surprising as it may sound, many people who have cut back on sugar say they find their new eating habits more pleasurable than their old ones. This guide will walk you through why sugar matters, how you can make smart food choices to reduce sugar consumption, and how you can keep your life sweet, even without so many sweets.

Here's why you eat more sugar than you realize, and why it's a problem. The first thing to know: Added sugars, of one kind or another, are almost everywhere in the modern diet. They’re in sandwich bread, chicken stock, pickles, salad dressing, crackers, yogurt and cereal, as well as in the obvious foods and drinks, like soda and desserts.

The biggest problem with added sweeteners is that they make it easy to overeat. They’re tasty and highly caloric but they often don’t make you feel full. Instead, they can trick you into wanting even more food. Because we’re surrounded by added sweeteners — in our kitchens, in restaurants, at schools and offices — most of us will eat too much of them unless we consciously set out to do otherwise.

It’s not an accident. The sugar industry has conducted an aggressive, decades-long campaign to blame the obesity epidemic on fats, not sugars. Fats, after all, seem as if they should cause obesity. Thanks partly to that campaign, sugar consumption soared in the United States even as people were trying to lose weight. But research increasingly indicates that an overabundance of simple carbohydrates, and sugar in particular, is the No. 1 problem in modern diets. Sugar is the driving force behind the diabetes and obesity epidemics. Fortunately, more people are realizing the harms of sugar and cutting back.

[...]

Changing your diet is hard. If your strategy involves thinking about sugar all the time — whenever you’re shopping or eating — you’ll likely fail. You’ll also be miserable in the process. It’s much more effective to come up with a few simple rules and habits that then become second nature. (One strategy to consider: Eliminate all added sugars for one month, and then add back only the ones you miss. It’s easier than it sounds.)

Above all, most people’s goal should be to find a few simple, lasting ways to cut back on sugar. Once you’re done reading this guide, we suggest you choose two or three of our ideas and try them for a few weeks.

https://www.nytimes.com/guides/smarterliving/how-to-stop-eating-sugar (text adapted)

In the long run, eating too much sugar has become one of the biggest problems for people. In the text we can find points and counterpoints related to added sweeteners. In this question, the option in which there are one positive and one negative aspect in consuming sugar is
Macunaíma, o herói sem nenhum caráter, é um ser que alegoricamente traz em si ambiguidades, ironias e diversas marcas como um mosaico da cultura original do Brasil.
Há correspondência entre o fragmento do texto e o sentimento expresso pela palavra dos parênteses em:
TEXT I

What Is Organic Anyway?

When you think of organic food, what words come to mind? Natural, local, ethical? In fact, the classification of organic food is a tricky business.

Until the 19th century, nobody would have considered farming as anything other than organic. Crops were fertilized using animal manure and compost. In the 18th and 19th centuries, however, chemists were discovering more about chemicals. The work of German chemist Justus von Liebig, in particular, led to the development of cheap nitrogen fertilizers. The agricultural revolution that followed, especially in Great Britain, brought about a huge increase in crop production. This helped feed the country’s rapidly growing urban population and reduce famine. However, not everybody was convinced of the benefits of the new technologies.
Sir Albert Howard’s experiences in India convinced him that correct animal and crop management in a local area produced strong pest-resistant plants that were superior to those grown with chemical fertilizers. He saw chemical fertilizers as expensive, unnecessary, and unsustainable and studied ways to farm productively but naturally.
Howard himself never used the word organic. It was British agriculturalist Lord Northbourne who first referred to a farm as a single “organic whole,” describing a more balanced, sustainable style of farming. Northbourne’s ideas, however, were not widely accepted. The following years saw an increase in the use of fertilizers and pesticides, which allowed farmers to plant large quantities of single crops. Most farms became industrialized single-crop producers that depended on pesticides and fertilizers. Then in the 1970s, some people began to express their concerns about the negative effects of these methods on soil quality and the environment. These green activists began to call for a return to more traditional styles of farming.
At the same time, in other parts of the world modern methods were replacing traditional farming. In Mexico, Pakistan, and India, Nobel Prize-winning agriculturalist Norman Borlaug pioneered the use of new crops and technologies and greatly increased food production. Environmentalists criticized Borlaug’s work, which they claimed led to reliance on a single crop, inequality, malnutrition, and the loss of natural wildlife. While Borlaug recognized some of these claims, he argued that his principle aim was an end to hunger, something, he pointed out, that most of his critics had never experienced.
Meanwhile in the USA and the UK, many smaller farms were trying to return to natural methods, growing many different crops and keeping animals to fertilize the soil. Throughout the 1970s, activists continued to promote a return to more traditional ways of living, and some people were encouraged to try to provide their own food, both out in the countryside and using smaller urban gardens.
However, as the idea of organic food became more popular, big business began to move in. The 1980s and 1990s saw the growth of large organic farms and supermarkets, and the importation of organic produce from abroad. At the same time, new legislation in places such as the USA and Europe has made it extremely expensive and complicated for small producers to obtain organic certification. Ironically, many natural local farms are not classed as organic, while much of the organic food supermarkets sell often comes from foreign countries. This has led to criticism from environmentalists who feel that the term organic no longer represents the ideals of organic farming.
As we move into the 21st century with a world population of seven billion people, the debate on how we should feed ourselves shows no sign of coming to an end.

SHACKLETON, Caroline & TURNER, Nathan Paul. Money Tree: the business of organics. Cambridge University Press, 2014.
Many animal and crop management procedures took place across the centuries. The option which highlights the one taken as an organic procedure is
Sabeis quem traz as pragas à terra? Cativeiros injustos. Quem trouxe ao Maranhão a praga dos Holandeses? Quem trouxe a praga das bexigas? Quem trouxe a fome e a esterilidade? Estes cativeiros. [...] Todo o homem que deve serviço ou liberdade alheia, e podendo-a restituir, não restitui, é certo que se condena: todos, ou quase todos os homens do Maranhão devem serviços e liberdades alheias, e podendo restituir, não restituem; logo, todos os quase todos se condenam.
Cleonice Berardinellí. Pretos, Índios e Judeus nos Sermões de Vieira. In. João Adolfo Hansen, Adma Muhana, Hélder Garm (Orgs). Estudos sobre Vieira - São Paulo: Ateliê Editorial. 2011.
Este Sermão do Pe. Antônio Vieira (1608-1697) faz uma crítica à escravização dos indígenas e expõe a grande demanda por essa mão de obra no Estado Colonial do Maranhão até meados do século XVIII. A assertiva que explica o cativeiro dos indígenas no Maranhão colonial é a seguinte:

O (não) lugar do “pardo”

Lá no fim do século XIX e no começo do XX, o Brasil passava pelo dilema que todas as nações modernas enfrentaram (e, de certa maneira, ainda enfrentam): como criar uma identidade nacional que justifique e mantenha o Estado?

Notem que eu ouso criar, porque é bem isso mesmo, inventar uma história que servisse aos interesses da elite dominante e homogeneizasse a população brasileira. Ora, essa população era formada, principalmente, por pretos escravos ou ex-escravos, indígenas perseguidos e uma parcela de gente branca. No centro da discussão estava: quem seria o cidadão brasileiro.

Houve quem defendesse a educação para o trabalho: ensinar os pretos amolecidos e degenerados pela escravidão (faz me rir) a trabalhar resignado. Teve aqueles que achavam que a inferioridade dos pretos era tão grande que não adiantava educar nem nada, era melhor expulsar ou deixar morrer. O Brasil, em seus debates sobre a nação e seus cidadãos, bebeu muito das teorias racialistas que estavam em voga na Europa e sendo amplamente utilizadas para justificar a colonização na África depois de séculos e séculos de saque humano. [...]

Daí surge o pardo como a gente conhece hoje. O pardo não é raça, não é povo, não é cidadão brasileiro. Ele é o estágio transitório entre a base da pirâmide (os negros) e o topo (os brancos). Não é branco, ainda não chegou no estágio sublime de branquitude que garante o direito à vida, oportunidades e cidadania, mas é prova viva da boa vontade e do esforço de se embranquecer tão valorizado por uma elite branca que, desde sempre, morre de medo dos pretos fazerem daqui o Haiti.

Como fala Foucault, o poder, no estado moderno, não é negativo, ele é normatizador. Ou seja, estabelece normas de conduta, estéticas, discursivas, e beneficia aqueles que fazem o jogo. No caso do Brasil, o jogo da branquitude. Quanto mais branco você tentar ser, seja usando intervenções estéticas ou compartilhando o discurso político e social, mais “tolerável” você vai ser. Nisso, nós que somos claros, temos uma vantagem: o branqueamento estético é mais alcançável para nós. Mas nada disso garante que você vai passar de boa em uma sociedade racialmente hierarquizada, o embranquecimento é, sobretudo, uma mutilação. E pra quem ainda tem dúvidas, mutilação é sempre ruim ok? Não tem gradação de violência e mutilação. [...]


https://medium.com/@isabelapsena/o-n%C3%A3o-lugar-do-pardo

Considerando o contexto de circulação de um artigo de opinião e o propósito discursivo do produtor do texto acima, os recursos argumentativos utilizados têm a função de

Leia o poema a seguir para responder à questão.

Se um poeta falar num gato


Se o poeta falar num gato, numa flor,

num vento que anda por descampados e desvios

e nunca chegou à cidade...

se falar numa esquina mal e mal iluminada...

numa antiga sacada... num jogo de dominó...

se falar naqueles obedientes soldadinhos de chumbo que morriam de verdade...

se falar na mão decepada no meio de uma escada

de caracol...

Se não falar em nada

e disser simplesmente tralalá... Que importa?

Todos os poemas são de amor!


QUINTANA, M. Esconderijos do tempo. Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, 2013.

No poema, nota-se a presença reiterada da preposição "em", que se liga ao verbo falar, acrescentando-lhe um termo nominal dependente. Em alguns versos, seu emprego dá-se em contração com artigos definidos e indefinidos e com pronome demonstrativo.
Considerando o sentido contextual que essa preposição apresenta no poema, a relação semântica que se estabelece entre os termos que ela liga é de

Trajetória política e econômica
(...) com a morte de Mão Tse-tung, em 1976, a China inaugurou uma nova fase de relações com o mundo. As rédeas do regime ficaram nas mãos de Deng Xiaoping, líder da corrente moderada do Partido Comunista do país, com o Programa das Quatro Modernizações, que, entre outras ações, extinguiu comunas populares, criou mercados livres para produtos agrícolas e, ao mesmo tempo, estimulou os investimentos estrangeiros, com a implantação das Zonas Econômicas Especiais (ZEEs) e os intercâmbios com Hong Kong e Taiwan. Desde então, o regime chinês vem procurando fazer a combinação de abertura econômica com centralização política (socialismo de mercado), o que tem promovido um crescimento econômico sem paralelo no mundo atual.
SILVA, A. C; OLIC, N.B. e LOZANO, R. Geografia: Contextos e redes. São Paulo: Moderna, 2013.
As três unidades econômicas regionais em que o território chinês pode ser dividido são as seguintes:
Num comício com 1.800 apoiadores a uma candidatura a prefeito de uma cidade do interior brasileiro, foram identificadas todas as pessoas que estavam com COVID-19 e as gripadas.
Ao final da identificação, constatou-se que 6% estavam com COVID-19; 3% estavam gripadas; 92% das pessoas não estavam com nenhuma das duas doenças.
Ao escolher um apoiador desse comício ao acaso e, sabendo que ele não está com COVID-19, qual a probabilidade de que esse apoiador esteja somente gripado?
A alcova estava mobiliada com as famosas redes brancas do Maranhão. Bem no centro havia uma mesa de jacarandá esculpido arranjada com louça branco-encarnada de Breves e cerâmica de Belém, dispostas sobre uma toalha de rendas tecidas com fibra de bananeiras.
Andrade, M. Macunaíma. Porto Alegre: L&PM, 2018.
O fragmento exemplifica que, em Macunaíma, de Mário de Andrade, há
TEXT II

Veggies You Can Regrow From Discarded Roots

Patrick Phillips

When it comes to cooking with healthy, fresh ingredients, we always end up facing the same issue: what to do with all of the roots we chop off of our veggies? Instead of tossing them in the trash, there’s actually something quite useful you can do with them, and it’ll save you a good chunk of change.
Regrowing green onions has become quite popular, and it’s easy to understand why: it’s very simple and fun to check on its growth progress on a daily basis. It’s also a great way to help avoid food waste. However, there are plenty of vegetables you can regrow for yourself at home using scraps.
Green Onion
Let’s start with the basics: green onions. These are the fastest plants to regrow and also the easiest. To do so, put the root and 1 inch of the white part in a bowl or jar, then fill it with enough water to cover up to halfway up the white part of the onion. Change out the water every 2 to 3 days. You’ll notice it growing within a day and after a week, you’ll have greens that you can use!
Romaine Lettuce
You can regrow romaine lettuce and also other lettuces by placing the roots of it in a jar filled with at least 1 inch of water. Leave for a few days until it begins to grow, then transfer the roots into soil to continue growing the thriving plant.
Cabbage
You can regrow cabbage in the same way that you regrow lettuce. Simply save a stump of the cabbage with its roots and place it in 1 inch of water. Then transfer the sprouting leaves into soil.
Leeks
Since leeks are actually directly related to green onions, they can be regrown using the same method. Place the root and about 2 inches of the white part in a jar with water that reaches about halfway up the white part. These will take a bit longer to regrow, but don’t give up! Make sure to keep changing out the water every 2 or 3 days.
Carrot Tops
Cut a carrot at the top (the root) and place the piece, cut side-down, in a bowl of water. The leaves of the carrots will grow as opposed to the carrot itself, however, these leaves can be used in salads, be used as a garnish, or can even be put into a pesto. Simply change the water every few days.
Celery
Celery can be regrown in the same way as the cabbage and romaine. Place the root end of the stalk in 1 inch of water. When the leaves will begin to sprout, wait about a week in order for the celery to become stronger. Make sure you change the water every few days. Once this process is done, you can replant the celery in soil. Celery leaves can also be used in salads.

https://www.sizzlfy.com/healthy/veggies-regrow. Slighted modified. Accessed on September the 30th
The veggies which have the same way of regrowing are
A questão a seguir embasam-se na obra de Viriato Corrêa. Escrita na década de 1930, essa obra literária contém as memórias de infância do menino Cazuza, vivida no interior do Maranhão no final do século XIX.

Nessa poesia popular nordestina trazida por Viriato Corrêa, em "Cazuza", observa-se o intuito dos repentistas de sobrepujarem um ao outro

— José Firmino acredite,
Não gosto de me gabar,
Mas quando pego a viola,
Quando começo a cantar,
Saem da cova os defuntos,
Os peixes saem do mar,
Os anjos descem do céu,
E tudo vem me escutar.

O José Firmino quase não deixou que o
companheiro acabasse o último verso, e cantou
de viola estendida no peito:

— Eu não tenho inveja disso,
Sou valente, valentão,
Canguçu é meu cavalo,
Cascavel meu cinturão,
Eu engulo brasa viva,
Pego corisco com a mão,
Um empurrão do meu dedo
Bota dez morros no chão.

O outro acelerou os dedos nas cordas da viola e respondeu:

— Se eu for contar minhas artes
Não acabo nunca mais;
Para apagar os incêndios
Uso breu e aguarrás,
Eu ponho luneta em pulga,
E gravata em Satanás,
Eu faço gelo com brasa,
Coisa que você não faz,
Faço o carro andar na frente,
Faço o boi andar atrás.

E ergueu-se. José Firmino ergueu-se também.
Eram ambos fortes no desafio. Não haveria
vencido nem vencedor. Não valia a pena teimar.

CORRÊA, Viriato. Cazuza. 37ª ed. São Paulo: Editora Nacional, 1992

"Cazuza" é considerado pela crítica um romance memorialista, confessional. O fragmento do texto que possibilita enquadrá-lo nesse tipo de romance é

This text refers to question

How to Stop Eating Sugar

By David Leonhardt

If you’re like most Americans, you eat more sugar than is good for you. But it’s entirely possible to eat less sugar without sacrificing much — if any — of the pleasures of eating. Surprising as it may sound, many people who have cut back on sugar say they find their new eating habits more pleasurable than their old ones. This guide will walk you through why sugar matters, how you can make smart food choices to reduce sugar consumption, and how you can keep your life sweet, even without so many sweets.

Here's why you eat more sugar than you realize, and why it's a problem. The first thing to know: Added sugars, of one kind or another, are almost everywhere in the modern diet. They’re in sandwich bread, chicken stock, pickles, salad dressing, crackers, yogurt and cereal, as well as in the obvious foods and drinks, like soda and desserts.

The biggest problem with added sweeteners is that they make it easy to overeat. They’re tasty and highly caloric but they often don’t make you feel full. Instead, they can trick you into wanting even more food. Because we’re surrounded by added sweeteners — in our kitchens, in restaurants, at schools and offices — most of us will eat too much of them unless we consciously set out to do otherwise.

It’s not an accident. The sugar industry has conducted an aggressive, decades-long campaign to blame the obesity epidemic on fats, not sugars. Fats, after all, seem as if they should cause obesity. Thanks partly to that campaign, sugar consumption soared in the United States even as people were trying to lose weight. But research increasingly indicates that an overabundance of simple carbohydrates, and sugar in particular, is the No. 1 problem in modern diets. Sugar is the driving force behind the diabetes and obesity epidemics. Fortunately, more people are realizing the harms of sugar and cutting back.

[...]

Changing your diet is hard. If your strategy involves thinking about sugar all the time — whenever you’re shopping or eating — you’ll likely fail. You’ll also be miserable in the process. It’s much more effective to come up with a few simple rules and habits that then become second nature. (One strategy to consider: Eliminate all added sugars for one month, and then add back only the ones you miss. It’s easier than it sounds.)

Above all, most people’s goal should be to find a few simple, lasting ways to cut back on sugar. Once you’re done reading this guide, we suggest you choose two or three of our ideas and try them for a few weeks.

https://www.nytimes.com/guides/smarterliving/how-to-stop-eating-sugar (text adapted)

The terms “ones”, in highlighted, found in the first and fifth paragraphs, in the text How to Stop Eating Sugar, refer to

A questão toma como base o conto "Um Espinho de Marfim".


Sobre a estilística empregada pela escritora, o emprego de frases nominais, bem pertinentes ao gênero literário de “Um Espinho de Marfim”, está correto na seguinte exemplificação:
No Brasil, os direitos humanos são garantidos na Constituição Federal de 1988, o que pode ser considerado um grande avanço jurídico, já que o país conta com uma história marcada por episódios de graves desrespeitos a esses direitos, sobretudo no período do Regime Militar.
A mais recente constituição garante os direitos civis, políticos, econômicos, sociais e culturais dos nossos cidadãos. Essas garantias aparecem, por exemplo, logo no primeiro artigo, onde é estabelecido o princípio da cidadania, da dignidade da pessoa humana e os valores sociais do trabalho. Já, no artigo 5º, é estabelecido o direito à vida, à privacidade, à igualdade, à liberdade e a outros importantes direitos fundamentais, sejam eles individuais ou coletivos.
https://www.politize.com.br/direitos-humanos-no-brasil/
Ter legitimidade de direitos não significa ter ausência de conflitos sociais. Entre os regimes políticos, aquele que considera o conflito social como legítimo é conhecido como
Especialistas temem que doença erradicada volte a circular por conta de cobertura vacinal.
A proteção vacinal da poliomielite, no Brasil, está sofrendo queda brusca. De janeiro a julho de 2020, a cobertura atingiu 60% do público-alvo, muito abaixo dos 95% preconizados pela Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS). O distanciamento social e o medo causado pela pandemia da Covid-19 são listados como as causas do declínio. Os números preocupam médicos que temem um novo surto da doença já erradicada no país. A integrante do Departamento de Infectologia da Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria afirma que, atualmente, há mais de 1 milhão de crianças inadequadamente vacinadas. A poliomielite é uma doença grave que pode causar paralisia e atrofia dos membros e sua evolução pode levar à morte. Apesar de ser predominante entre as crianças com até 5 anos de idade, ela também pode afetar adultos.
https://www.metropoles.com/saude/poliomielite-volta-a-preocupar-em-cenario-de-queda-na-vacinacao
Em relação à poliomielite, é correto afirmar que se trata de uma patologia
The sentence in which contrasting ideas can be reflected by one of the linking words in it is

This text refers to question


Science confirms: Dark chocolate and red wine helps keep you looking young


NEWSNER

Chocolate and wine, and not always together, are among life’s simple pleasures, but most of us think we should only indulge in these pleasures in moderation.

Granted chocolate and wine contain a high number of calories and I don’t need to explain what happens to our bodies and minds if we drink too much wine. But now scientists may have found a reason to indulge in these delicious things more often than we think.

A recent study found a powerful antioxidant present in dark chocolate and red wine; the effect of this antioxidant on our bodies could be a reason to celebrate. Scientists say the presence of resveratrol in these food items has a positive effect on the brain, heart, and lifespan. The most naturally abundant sources of resveratrol are plants, including the skin of red grapes, red wine, raw cocoa, and dark berries, like lingonberries and blueberries.

A team led by Professor Lorna Harries at the University of Exeter discovered that by treating worn-out human cells with a formulation of resveratrol the older cells started to divide. These older cells then developed longer telomeres – the protective tips on the ends of chromosomes which shorten as we age, according to Longevity Facts. It seemed a miracle that these old cells looked young again. The experiment was repeated several times and each time the result was rejuvenated cells.

According to scientists red wine, dark chocolate and some berries also help to reduce inflammation and strengthen the heart. This powerful antioxidant was also found to help ward off certain age-related diseases.

Certain metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease, tend to occur as we age. In animal studies, severely restricting calories can help prevent some of these diseases.

Researchers found that resveratrol can mimic calorie restriction in some ways and found it to extend the lifespans of yeast, worms, flies and fish. To help avoid the excessive consumption of red wine, this antioxidant can also be found in dark chocolate, grapes, raspberries, plums, blueberries, cranberries, grape tomatoes, and pomegranate. These findings are fascinating and are a step to prolonging people’s life without affecting overall health.

Please share with all your friends and family so they know dark chocolate can finally be consumed guilt free!

https://en.stories.newsner.com/health/science-confirms-dark-chocolate-and-red-wine-helps-keep-you-looking-young/ Accessed on May, 7th. Slightly modified

Some research led by Professor Lorna Harries from the University of Exeter has discovered resveratrol present in red wine as well as in dark chocolate has an antioxidant effect in the human body. Besides this effect the option which points out another positive one is
Leia o poema para responder à questão.
Selva selvaggia
As palavras espiam como animais: umas, rajadas, sensuais, que nem panteras... outras, escuras, furtivas raposas... mas as mais belas palavras estão pousadas nas frondes mais altas, como pássaros... O poema está parado em meio da clareira.
O poema caiu na armadilha! debate-se e ora subdivide-se e entrechoca-se como esferas de vidro colorido ora é uma fórmula algébrica ora, como um sexo, palpita... Que importa que importa qual seja enfim o seu verdadeiro universo? Ele em breve será inteiramente devorado pelas palavras!
QUINTANA, M. Esconderijos do tempo. Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, 2013.
Selva selvaggia exemplifica uma das características da poética de Mário Quintana:
Read the text I to answer the question.

TEXT I

Pets and humans: the history of their relationship

Nowadays, pets are part of our everyday lives and inseparable fellow travellers. At the 7th International Congress on Animal-Human Relations, "Animals, Health and Quality of Life", Professor James A. Serpell spoke on the origins and evolution of this relationship.
In his presentation, James A. Serpell, professor at the University of Pennsylvania, emphasized the fact that although nowadays the presence of pets in our homes is overwhelming and their integration into our family lives increases day by day, this is something that would have been completely inconceivable in the recent past. Professor Serpell gave as an example the current cohabitation situation that is taking place in the United States, where in 2005, 63% of households had at least one pet, and 45% had more than one. However, as noted, the relationship between humans and animals has not always been so positive as it is nowadays; in fact, it has gone through very dark periods, as the one that took place in England about five hundred years ago.
The history of the relationship between men and pets started at the dawn of our civilization, when both discovered how beneficial their friendship could be. However, their history – as any other story – is not free from conflicts and lack of understanding. Probably the darkest period of their relationship took place in England, in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. According to Professor Serpell, during that period in that country, –which is nowadays very popular for their love of animals, – the owners of pets could run the risk of being accused of witchcraft and be executed.
As stated by the British historian Keith Thomas, witchcraft trials held in England maintained that witches were assisted by demons and ghosts in the form of animals. For that reason, the possession of cats, dogs, mice or birds, which were the typical pets of that period, was considered in many cases as irrefutable evidence to condemn a large number of people to the stake. In fact, in 1604, King James I of England approved a law that officially made it a crime «to consult, deal, invite, use, feed or reward ghosts under animal form in any way».
The worst thing about this law was that possessing pets was especially dangerous if the owner was poor, old or not well-esteemed by the community.… In these cases, the risk of being executed after being accused of witchcraft was quite high. This was life in England four hundred years ago; however, this situation was not exclusive to this nation. Art provides evidence of the way in which animals used to be related to witchcraft in other countries. In the fifteenth century, the Witches' Sabbath painted by the German artist Hans Baldung Grien showed a cat behind a witch. In Goya's art, the series of paintings devoted to witchcraft shows the devil in the form of a billy-goat escorted by two cats.… These are just two examples of how dark that period was for pets. Unfortunately, today, in the twenty-first century, there are still some countries that take very reprehensible decisions with regard to pets, such as China, for instance.

Pets and humans, the history of their relationship. | Affinity Petcare (affinity-petcare.com). Text slightly modified.
During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, in England, humans and animals had probably the hardest relationship one could conceive and those who insisted on that would be taken to trials. What penalty were people supposed to be taken for owning animals?
Página 6
Publicidade|Remover