Cannibalism in literature - Essay Example

Cannibalism in Literature Cannibalism is the practice of eating fellow creature’s flesh. Titus Andronicus inthe play Shakespeare defines cannibalism as an act of revenging against the enemy. In this statement was giving her view of how she understood the subject of cannibalism. According to her today cannibalism, today is a social platform in a deteriorating civilization whereby characters grieve and try to revenge but not a measure that can be used to determine civility. Andronicus is simply challenging those who are still held in the past and still pass judgments to those who engage in cannibalism without considering the interior motives and reasons why they do so.

The society no longer have a right to discriminate against “cannibals” must consider their positions and do more research instead of simply being superficial in passing judgments. For example, Louise Noble in the article “And make Two Pasties of Your Shameful Heads: Medicinal Cannibalism and Healing the Body, “ concurs that in the past cannibalism was used to demarcate cultural boundaries thus discriminating between barbaric and civilized (Noble p. 678). However, modern medical discourse gives a complex understanding of what it means for humans to eat each other.

Noble also considers cannibalism as a desirable practice terming it as the healer of the body. The recent cases of cannibalism especially in non-European nations have been largely attributed to European colonialism, but Andronicus and Noble tend to differ. Proponents of this argue that it is a European imagination aimed at reinforcing cultural identity. Noble asked, "if cannibalism is a colonial myth then how can we sustain binary when Europeans eat human flesh?” (Noble p.680). Therefore, those who engage in cannibalism seems to seek some satisfaction and contend.

It is neither a colonialist ideology nor a civility measure. Works CitedNoble, Louise.  "And Make Two Pasties of Your Shameful Heads": Medicinal Cannibalism and Healing the Body. The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003.