Essay On Seaworld

Blackfish does a great job at using all three rhetorical appeals in defending their argument for the abolishment of orca captivity. First, ethos is widely used throughout the documentary. Almost every speaker in the documentary had a first hand experience with Tilikum or other captive orcas, giving the document major credibility. Actual SeaWorld trainers who worked the shows gave their personal first hand stories in working with the orcas. They themselves explained how they saw Tilikum’s behavior and health deteriorate. Former amusement park managers who were either worked with Tilikum or dealt with the business in capturing and trading orcas also gave their first hand accounts of what had happened with Tilikum and other orcas. An OSHA expert witness was also included in the documentary speaking about the horrible conditions that SeaWorld had put the orcas in. All of these experts in their respective field talking about the dangers of orcas in captivity is a great use of ethos in Blackfish’s argument against orca 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.

Any little child is able to connect the name Shamu to the massive black and white creatures that dwell in the ocean waters, termed orcas or killer whales. However, the recent release of the film “Blackfish” has aimed to revise the common opinion of killer whales who are known by the title Shamu. As the film strikes marine life parks such as SeaWorld with apparent reasons as to why these orcas should not be in captivity, the question of “Blackfish”’s validity arises. How truthful can a film be that was created to persuade its viewers to ceases visiting attractions such as the killer whale shows? Since the release of “Blackfish,” animal rights activist, writers, and amusement park aficionados have been expressing their speculations on the “Blackfish”

In 2013 Gabriela Cowperthwaite produced and directed the documentary “Blackfish”. This documentary mainly focused on the issues behind killer whales being held in captivity such as at the famous amusement park Sea World, instead of the open ocean. Some negative outcomes of these animals being confined to such small spaces is, many accounts have been documented of the whales being agitated and having an aggressive tone with other whales and the trainers as well that work with them. A handful of these are human deaths caused by the orca whales. Throughout the documentary the director uses the Rhetorical strategies ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade the audience and try to convince them that her argument has a valid point and can be

While Blackfish does not touch upon any of the good that SeaWorld does. Again, this does not mean that the film is unreliable in and of itself. However, it again casts reasonable doubt over the film’s veracity, an issue that the director of a compelling film should strive to avoid. If Cowperthwaite aimed simply to get people thinking, she would have given viewers a positive perspective as well, so as to enable viewers to conduct their own robust cost-benefit analyses of SeaWorld’s business

          The website for SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment is speaking towards anyone that has seen the documentary BlackFish, or anyone who thinks that SeaWorld is abusing or mistreating the orcas or other animals by keeping them in captivity. They also attract the corporate side of SeaWorld as a business. The website gives information about what the business does to give back to the community, how their animals are treated and shows their credibility to draw in customers.  The tab titled “The truth about Blackfish” states multiple points about how the producers of the documentary were lying about their facts or over exaggerating to appeal to multiple viewers. The purpose is to fight back against

In Blackfish, the use of ethos, pathos, and logos are used to condemn SeaWorld’s mistreatment and irresponsibility of taking orca whales into captivity. The use of the rhetorical device ethos, which refers to the credibility of a source to persuade an audience, is used repeatedly through the use of interviews with SeaWorld trainers. During the documentary, former SeaWorld trainers talk about their time at

If you have ever been to Seaworld you would have had to go see the Killer whales in fact its one of the top attractions there. Through the eyes of a child, these gentle giants seem to be happy, healthy, and enjoying a playful game with their trainers. The question is are they really happy, do they get treated the right way, and why have there been deaths and injuries. Many people wonder about these things and after the movie Blackfish came out more and more people began to question how well Seaworld treats their animals. “The truth is that Sea World keeps its animals for entertainment and money and helps no one but themselves.”- Animal Legal Defense Fund

David Kirby’s book describes the complex issues of whales in captivity. The death of a SeaWorld trainer brought up many objective reasons of the training practices of this business were not effective at keeping trainers safe in the water. Currently this debate is still being tested in a court of law. OSHA claims that even with the precautions that SeaWorld tries to use, it still cannot guarantee the safety of trainers in the water. This cultural topic has been gaining ground, and recently prompted a movie based off this book titled, Blackfish. The audience of this book includes animal activists, followers of David Kirby, and people that are interested in the topic of killer whales in captivity. Rob Grom was contracted to create a book

The film mainly targets the general public, but more specifically focuses on the customers of SeaWorld. The filmmakers of Blackfish put forth the persuasive and effective argument that a dark reality lies beneath the popular attraction known as SeaWorld.

Due to SeaWorld’s failure to cover up open drains, a sea lion passed away from falling into the drain and becoming trapped. The USDA also found several other things wrong such as the use of expired surgical materials, the orcas tanks in disrepair, displayed cracked concrete and rusty beams. Which is plainly not safe for neither the trainers nor the whales at SeaWorld (Peta 1). ”This is a multibillion-dollar corporation that makes its money through the exploitation of orcas.” (Ventre) SeaWorld will do whatever it takes to make money.

Gabriela Cowperthwaite‘s use of the accounts of retired SeaWorld trainers exposes the harsh reality of captured animals in her documentary Blackfish. In creating a piece focused on the life of one individual orca, Cowperthwaite allowed viewers to catch a glimpse of the lives of captive Orcas at SeaWorld, and the similar effects on other captured animals under this umbrella of issues. Even when the topic is centered, researchers on this matter have drawn inspiration and gathered evidence through the large following of SeaWorld's accumulating issues. This has nevertheless shown the greater social issue of animal rights, and the treatment of animals for research and the need for actions taken against these certain industries and

The documentary Blackfish was made so that the whole public could be made aware of the inhumane way animals were treated. The movie was as a response to the incident

Without doing some deep research, many people in the public may be swayed to believing that Blackfish was overdramatized and there really are no issues that need to be solved. SeaWorld is attempting to persuade the general public who would be buying tickets to the park, as their attendance dropped drastically after the release of the documentary. Time magazine reports that SeaWorld had an “84% drop in net second-quarter income" (Rhodan 1). They also lost some celebrity performers and endorsers who didn’t want to damage their own reputations. The main goal of the letter was to tell park goers that it is okay to buy tickets and to continue going to their

“The new killer whale homes and related research initiatives have a bold vision,” says SeaWorld, “to advance global understanding of these animals, to educate, and to inspire conservation efforts focused on protecting killer whales in the wild.”