A phenomena or something that frames a cultural practice would qualify a civic artifact. Animals are symbols in society, they are a civic artifact. Humans possess a spirit animal or special connection toward an animal that is deeper than the physical aspect. The stories about the turtle and the rabbit, the elephant with wisdom, the frog who becomes a prince were always childhood bedtime stories. We all have that one animal who provided some meaning or guide in our civic life. Mine growing up was a starfish. The meaning behind the starfish for me began when my dad told me the starfish story.
One day a dad was walking with his daughter along the beach when he noticed she gently picked something up and put it back into the ocean. He asked, “Honey what are you doing?” “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.” the dad said, “Don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and thousands of starfish? What possible difference could you make?!” She then picked up another starfish, and held out her hand, and smiled at her dad, “I’ll make a big difference to this one!”
From this moment on I looked at life and realized I am here to make a difference. Starfish were a symbol for me to want to make a change in the world. For my speech idea I believe animals in general are a major influence on us; a civic artifact in society. I wanted to speak on how we use animals to inspire our decisions in civic life. Like other life artifacts; ads, music, theatre, art, the American flag, the Red Cross, they all hold true meaning and symbolism that motivate our behavior. I think animals are a prime example of an artifact we base some hidden meaning for ourselves. Whether animals are physically present to guide our emotions, or in spirit I feel they impact our daily lives.