Faithful Elephants Reading Response by Mohammed Abed

     The short story "Faithful Elephants" by Yukio Tsuchiya is a heartbreaking and drepressing story. The author wants the reader to know that war does not just effect only the soldiers in the battlefield but aslo animals and people who aren't on the battlefield. In the story the author uses the animals and trainers in the Ueno Zoo during World War Two. 

      War effected the animals in the Ueno Zoo. For example, the author states in the story that " Therefore, by command of the army, all of the lions, tigers, leopards, bears, and big snakes were poisoned to death." That shows the reader how animals were effected by the war. In some cases like John, Tonky, and Wanly three elephants in the Ueno Zoo were also effected by the war. In the story the author states that the trainers were suppose to put the poison in the elephants food but the elephants were to smart. Then they tried to kill them by enjecting them with a syringe and that also didn't work. They were forced to starve them to death. 

       War also effected the trainers in the "Ueno Zoo." In the story, the author utilized that the trainers disobeyed orders and gave Tonky and Wonky food and water. They author also pointed out that he gave them the food and water while sobbing to the elephants. That shows how the trainers were effected by the war. 

     "Faithful Elephants" by Yukio Tsuchiya challenges the reader to try pervent the best you can so people and animals won't be effected by war. The author really wants the reader to know that war doesn't just effect the soldiers on the battlefield but also the trainers and animals in the Ueno Zoo.