Celebrity Clone

To whom it may concern,

do you know who I am?
My name is Dolly, The Sheep. And I am a celebrity.
If you don't know who I am, it's fine, I guess.
It doesn't matter anymore, anyway. There are many like me these days, so it's not like I'm irreplaceable.
... although on second thought, you should know me...
after all, I symbolize a vital step in development ... at least, that's what people say.

I was born on the 5th of July, 1996 to my mom and dad.

But to tell you the truth, I sense that there's something wrong... and just between you and me, I have this feeling my dad had an affair before I was born: I don't look like my "mom" at all! I look like this other woman who everyone mistakes me with.
It's quite peculiar, actually, and terribly vexing, but I guess I learned to get used to it. 

Ever since I was born, I've already been famous.
I don't even have a clue why, but that's that... and that's a fact.
... And if there's one thing I can recall from my past then it's the huge crowds lining up to see me; always taking polaroids of me and always smiling or gasping in evident astonishment.
I mean what the hell?
I always deemed them crazy.
Oh, well. At least I'm famous.

Anyway, my life has been pretty much like that every single day.
I have never seen much of the world, for others held me captive and indoors most of the time.
I always felt neglected for some reason, because when I looked at the other sheep, they were allowed to do thousands of things I couldn't even dream about.
I have a life, but I feel dead.
Now, however, it's really coming to an end; the puppeteer pulling the strings has decided to finally cut mine.

I'm nearing my 6th birthday, and I've been told I'll die young -- due to severe arthritis and some lung disease whose name one doesn't even mention.
I guess I don't have anything against it; for my life, though known and loved, has been pretty agonizing these past few years, anyway.

Now, I'll have to face my imminent death which I'll do with gladness.
-- and yet, I still have this nagging gut feeling of mine regarding my dad's probable affair...
But still, this is it.
My last letter prior my death.
-- and I just wanted to let you know that, whatever my purpose in this life may have been, I hope no other sheep will end like me.


Yours truly,
Dolly The Sheep









It's 11:35pm here in Berlin and my head is still full of thoughts on cloning. Why? Due to the MSA ('Mittlerer Schulabschluss') presentation I still have to research for but which I have been procrastinating these few months.

My group's topic is animal cloning, and to be more specific: 'Dolly, The Sheep' and its impact on scientific developments and progressions -- and to tell you the truth, this is the first time I've gotten to know and read about the complicated procedure that is cloning.

What most people think of when they hear of 'clones' is the typical science fictional mentality sexy Scarlet Johanson showed us in the movie 'THE ISLAND'.
The fact is, though, that cloning can occur on a daily basis quite naturally as well : e.g the process which produces identical twins or also vegetative propagation (cutting a leaf of a plant and letting it grow into a new one).

So what's so controversial about it?
Cloning can be done naturally and artificially -- and as always, the artificial procedure is what everyone's making a big fuss about.

Do you know what they do?
Well, I'll explain you how cloning Dolly worked in simple words:

1) They took a specialized cell's nucleus from a specific animal.
2) They took an egg from another animal from the same species, but destroyed its nucleus as to ruin the genetic information it contained (it then becomes enucleated) .
3) A fusion of the nucleus and enucleated egg took place with help of electricity.
4) They then implanted this into Dolly's mom.
5) There goes Dolly.

To tell you the truth, I was absolutely flabbergasted once I read this procedure due to the advancement our technology undergoes continuously and the things it enables us to do.
It even lets us play God -- or act like Superman and save species and mankind.

Either way, I still have a very vague idea of how to evaluate this whole thing in an ethical point of view.
 --- And the only thing I know is that I'm sleepy and I need my beauty sleep -- AND that I'm ardently eager to know what you guys think.

Wish me luck in dreamland!

Renée M.