Walker points out that humanity is perhaps not so different than animals, which is indicated in the actual title of her piece "Am I Blue?" This title, which on the surface can be interpreted as "Am I Sad?", becomes much clearer as one reads the piece. "Blue" is the name of the lonely horse that she interacts with everyday
Walker's comparison to the former mistreatment of Africans or Native Americans also calls to light a remarkable similarity. In essence, these tragedies were the embodiment of misguided power and the destruction of innocence and purity which is also the case for Blue. Walker noted that his eyes began to say something different, something tragic to watch, "…a new look, more painful than the look of despair: the look of disgust with human beings, with life…It gave him, for the first time, the look of a beast" (382). In the piece, it is remarked that a white horse is the "very image of freedom", which is quite ironic. Walker remarks that "…the animals are forced to become for us merely 'images' of what they once so beautifully expressed." With the use of compare/contrast techniques, Walker points out the irony in humanity's view of animals. Walker is trying to show that humanity never looks any deeper than the surface and that things are much more complicated than most individuals are prepared to accept. As in the case of slavery, Walker points out that our treatment of animals is what makes them "beasts".
Walker's intended audience is a broad one. This piece seems to be directed towards those who do not take animal suffering as a significantly tragic event. Walker is no doubt an animal enthusiast, but instead of taking an angry or even accusing approach, she attempts to instead evoke a sense of