Consider The Lobster Rhetorical Analysis

The controversial documentary Blackfish, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite rose to popularity four years ago in 2013, when it was released. Blackfish tells the stories of killer whales, or orcas, that were caught and kept in captivity, and the effects that arose due to their capture. The documentary focuses on Tilikum, an orca caught in 1983, who was kept in captivity in SeaWorld Orlando since his capture for 34 years. Blackfish does an excellent job in using all three rhetorical appeals, providing many real life examples and statistics, to defend their argument that orcas should never be captured or held in captivity.

Blackfish is a documentary centered around the treatment of killer whales held in captivity, most notably that of Tilikum, an orca that was held by SeaWorld at its facility in Orlando, Florida. The documentary begins in 1983 with the capture of Tilikum and sheds light on the deaths involved with the infamous killer whale. Moreover, it features interviews with former SeaWorld employees who interacted with Tilikum and witnesses who were present for some of Tilikum’s reported attacks. Jeff Ventre, a board-certified medical doctor and former SeaWorld Trainer, and John Jett, a marine mammal scientist are also brought onto the documentary to analyze the scientific facts presented and to describe it in a way that is easily understood by the viewer. In the documentary, there are many examples of rhetorical devices used to provoke the viewer to stand against the captivity of killer whales.

In his essay titled “Climate of Denial”, Al Gore, a well known environmental advocate and former vice president, verifies the reality of climate change and global warming. The piece is an attack on corrupt companies and news outlets that attempt to persuade the public that global warming is not a critical issue. Gore also earnestly conveys our environment’s current state and offers possible solutions that would increase awareness about global warming and begin to revert the planet back to a healthier, more sustainable state. The overarching purpose of Gore’s work is to call attention to the widespread climate change that is occurring. However, he also focuses on the corruption and bias within the media, and their attempts to conceal the truth about global warming. Writing to those who are conflicted about who to believe, he makes a valid argument that defends the beliefs of he and his fellow activists and encourages others to become more active in the climate change issue.

In “Bring Back Flogging”, Jeff Jacoby addresses the problems within America 's criminal justice system. He gives many reasons why imprisonment simply does not work, and suggests that corporal punishment should be used as an alternative. Published in the Boston Globe, a newspaper well known for being liberal, Jacoby provides a conservative view and directs his argument towards those who strongly support imprisonment and view corporal punishment to be highly barbaric and inhumane. However, in order to shed light on our current situation, Jacoby discusses the dangers that we face though our criminal justice system a nd shows concern that imprisonment is doing more harm than good. In effect, Jacoby looks to the past for solutions, and

In Consider The Lobster, David Foster Wallace raises an ethical question: “Is it right to boil a sentient creature alive just for our gustatory pleasure?” However, this essay is not to provide a definite answer to this question but lets the readers come up with their own answers. Wallace uses rhetorical strategies such as comparison, imagery, and questions to make the audiences think deep about the moral lens of consuming lobsters.

Amy Tan in the story, Fish Cheeks, implies that even though America is a country of immigrants, few of their traditions are acceptable in our culture. Tan supports her suggestion by describing christmas of the year she turned 14. The author’s purpose is to point out the irony of a country of immigrants with only one set of traditions in order to make us think about what traditions we suppress. The author writes in an earnest tone for Americans of all descents.

When you see a solider in his or her uniform, you are proud that they are serving this country to protect our freedom, securing our country, and defending democracy worldwide. The solider can come from different branches of the Military. The one you might be familiar with is the U.S. Army. These soldiers are well respected and prepared to serve our country whenever and wherever needed, combat-ready at all times, and trained to counter any threat, anywhere. In 2007, the United States Army department published a recruitment ad for U.S.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollen utilizes elements of ethos and metaphors in the passage on pages 116 and 117 in order to persuade readers to believe that humans have become a “race of corn.” Ethos is one of the most notable forms of persuasion Pollen uses. He gets credibility by asking “Todd Dawson, a biologist at Berkeley, to run a McDonald's meal through his mass spectrometer and calculate how much of the carbon in it came originally from a corn plant...in the various McDonald’s menu items” (Pollen 116). Including a study written by a certified professional lends more support to his argument of the presence of corn. In addition, he also mentions that the research mentions menu items from McDonalds, a well-known, unhealthy company,

In the documentary “Blackfish,” there are rhetorical devices that are used to send off different thoughts about orca whales being held in captivity in such a limited space. Many of these devices try to give off certain feelings to the emotions and the mind through different people’s opinions. A device that is most used throughout this documentary is logos, meaning more facts are included and convincing the audience to pick more of one side than another. Shown through the documentary, many points from different people are told and give off plenty of emotions for the viewers that watch the documentary. Many facts are given off throughout this whole documentary, however the way that the people say it gives it more of two aspects that

On May 30th of 2012, judge Ken Welsch issued a ruling on OSHA vs. SeaWorld: During the shows, SeaWorld trainers must now remain behind barriers, separated from the orcas. The ruling on this case is necessary to keep trainers, audiences and as well as the orca safe. In the documentary “Blackfish” clarifies the incidents of SeaWorld, specifically with Tilikum a male orca, utilizing various rhetorical devices. The documentary declares the intelligence orcas have, the controversy with keeping them in captivity and how poorly informed the trainers are of previous incidents.

Novelist David Foster Wallace, in his Gourmet magazine essay, “Consider the Lobster,” explains to his readers that they should consider the lobster’s point of view. In his essay, Wallace does not want to persuade his readers, but instead present both sides of the argument. Wallace’s purpose is to raise awareness and to question the concept of the Maine Lobster Festival, which is one of the “best food festivals in the world,” according to CNN. Also, there is the need to discuss its relevance to the potential number of violations from animal rights groups, like PETA. The discussion of animal rights is a very controversial topic, since humans are on the top of the food chain as the major carnivores of the world. Throughout the essay, Wallace develops

Could You Do This? Could you create a flower? Could you create a tree? Could you create a vegetable Without planting any seeds? Could you create a person,

In “An Inconvenient Truth”, Al Gore begins to express his goal towards his audience on the topic of global warming. This issue was Al Gore’s main focus throughout the entirety of the video, and was explained thoroughly while ethos and pathos was used as a tool to connect with the audience. Gore uses ethos as a tool to concern global warming as more of an ethical and moral motivation rather than a political one. Throughout the video, Gore uses great amounts of information based on the issues of global warming and its great disadvantages. Issuing this, Gore uses pathos in order to get his point across on how the Earth and life on it might be affected. Due to Gore’s audience being younger minded non-scientists, Gore stated his arguments on global warming by creating a humorous cartoon video which gave more of an easier explanation on the serious matter. Gore continues to give explanations by also relating back into his past life experiences.

Energy production waste is one of the leading causes of ocean pollution. Marine life extinction has been very prevalent in the public eye in recent years. One of the animals most in danger of extinction is the sea turtle. Images of a baby sea turtle walking into the ocean near a power plant would have been seen as a death sentence in the past. This ad use of pathos appeals to people sense of emotion by showing them images of cute baby sea turtles, and successfully encourages them to believe that nuclear waste is a cleaner alternative than traditional coal energy.

Environmental issues such as climate change affect life on Earth every day. As Leonardo DiCaprio discusses in his speech during the Paris Agreement for Climate Change Signing at the United Nations, the only way to diminish global warming, one of the most critical issues of this generation, is to take unprecedented action. By informing the audience with an effective strategy, DiCaprio persuades the delegates to make the right decision that will mold the future. His evidence compliments the coherent use of ethos, logos, and pathos. Climate change is a universal matter that can either persist, or be put to an end.