Persuasive Essay On Global Citizenship

Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s activist documentary, Blackfish, spurred a significant public dialogue following its 2013 premier. The film centers on the role of Tilikum, an orca whale at SeaWorld, in the deaths of three SeaWorld trainers, including, most recently, Dawn Brancheau. Cowperthwaite follows a suit brought against Sea World by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), weaving together testimony of scientists, former trainers, and family members of the deceased, among others, to make a compelling case against SeaWorld’s practice of holding and performing alongside orcas. Nevertheless, after its release, the film drew criticism from some of its participants as well as Sea World itself. Cowperthwaite claims not to have tried to vilify SeaWorld. However, this claim seems dubious given the film’s fairly evident anti-SeaWorld bias.

Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite in the documentary, Blackfish (2013), argues that captivity triggers aggression in killer whales. Cowperthwaite supports her argument by demonstrating shocking footage and emotional interviews to present a convincing case against keeping these animals in captivity and for human entertainment. The author’s purpose is to show the problems that are caused by captivity in order to aware the audience that keeping killer whales in captivity affects their behavior mentally and physically. The author writes in resentful tone to Sea World, the people who visited Sea World, and those who were present during the killer whale incident. Gabriela Cowperthwaite argues that keeping killer whales in captivity at SeaWorld affects their mentality due to how they are being treated. She makes this argument by applying pathos, ethos, and logos.

"People always wonder whether I believe SeaWorld should be closed down. I always say no. They have tremendous financial resources and could play a key role in creating sea sanctuaries which could be a profit-making endeavor. I believe people would flock to a site where a killer whale is being a killer whale for the first time -- something infinitely more satisfying than seeing a killer whale dance the Macarena." - Gabriela Cowperthwaite. Cowperthwaite, the director of the documentary film Balckfish, is one of many that urges for change at the infamous marine park SeaWorld. For years on end SeaWorld has been a place of family fun and amazement; using one animal in particular as their spokesman and main attraction, Killer Whales. However, in recent years that image has gotten more than just a meager makeover. Over the past six years, following the tragic death of Dawn Brancheau, SeaWorld and the captivity of Killer Whales has been under serious scrutiny. There have been several findings of how captivity negatively affects these great creatures and the conversation of keeping Killer whales has only been gaining momentum. It is clear that the death of Dawn Brancheau is what sparked societies ideological shift, yet another key part in the start of this discourse is, without a doubt, the release of Gabriela Cowperthwaite 's documentary film Blackfish.

Blackfish (2013), a mesmerizing, psychological documentary with 7 film awards and 38 nominations, presents an extensive look into the negative effects captivity has on Orca whales. The director and writer Gabriela Cowperthwaite calls her audience to action, similar to documentaries such as Food, Inc., The Cove, and Super Size Me. In all of these documentaries, the director and writers reach out to an audience that is not fully knowledgeable on a certain topic, in order to persuade them into taking a stance on a certain topic. In Gabriela’s film, she illustrates the story of Tilikum, a performing Orca who killed many people while at SeaWorld, Orlando. Though at times graphic, the film investigates the harmful effects captivity has had on these wonderful creatures and their trainers. Blackfish uses credible interviewees, powerful voice-overs, and influential outside evidence to persuade those who are un-informed of the negative effects of captivity on killer whales. The ultimate goal in doing this is to urge these individuals to take a stance against aquatic captivity.

By discussing Ric’s many years of work with capturing and training dolphins, the movie gives the impression that he is an expert in his field. By giving Ric the status as an expert, the audience is given the idea that the statements Ric makes about how dolphins are self-aware and his activist work Ric does can be trusted. “Dolphins are free range and intelligent animals that belong in the ocean, not playing the clown in our human schemes” Ric says as to simplify his understanding of the creature he helps. Through this new found trust and the presentation of facts from an expert, people are inspired to change the morally incorrect industry. As a way to play off of the new desire to help, the movie presents an emotionally stimulating event that Ric experienced in his

Ensuring that the cast of a documentary are real people and not actors is also a technique that The Cove incorporates to create a sense of realism. The entire cast of The Cove are established activists who were well known prior to the film for the work they have contributed towards marine protection in organizations such as ‘The Ocean Preservation Society’ and ‘The Sea Sheppard Conservation Society’. Short clips of Ric O’Barry’s history with Flipper the dolphin, and news clips concerning his several arrests were displayed various times during the documentary. Moreover, the featuring of established politicians such as Japan’s International Whaling Commission (IWC) delegate, Joji Morishita and Japan 's Fisheries Agency Hideki Moronuki, assists in visually showing the audience that the cast and featured people are not actors, and have been working in their current field for years. These codes and conventions of naturalistic aesthetics concerning content, constructs a sense of realism due to the information and footage presented being filmed from ‘the real world’.

During this year of 1794, we have come through many tribulations and have suffered to great extent for our freedom of Britain. This country has lost fathers and sons to bring us freedom and ensure our rights are kept. It brings me displeasure to write about grievances with our own government. However we must be aware of current and past issues and let it be known that this country and government will defend its people’s rights and preserve their freedom.

Animal rights activists have been around for decades, and while their efforts have made some measurable changes, there is still more that needs to be done. One of the most influential factors of Blackfish was it’s convenient timing because “the size of the movement … w[as] less important than … the responses of the targeted groups [that were] shaped in part by the timing of the campaign in the life of the entire animal rights movement” (Jasper 655-656). Blackfish was created after the death of SeaWorld trainer, Dawn Brancheau, made national news back in 2010. It did not matter how big the documentary was, the fact that it came out shortly after Dawn’s death and was centered around her and the orca that took her life, automatically captured the nations’ attentions.

The student organization, CHANGE, hosted a rally on Thursday to educate the public and support the undocumented community here at Central Connecticut State University and around the United States.

In the documentary, Blackfish, the director, Gabriela Cowperthwaite demonstrates through three times of appeals, ethos (emotional), logos (logical), and pathos (emotional) about the unethical practices and treatment of killer whales while in captivity at SeaWorld. She informs the viewing audience through interviews with experienced SeaWorld trainers, marine experts, seasoned whale hunters, and eye witnesses of the unethical treatment and environment of these majestic, highly intelligent mammals. These facts are presented in well placed order allowing the audience to draw their own conclusions about what goes on behind the scenes at SeaWorld from the capture of Orcas in the wild, to the covering up of evidence of accidents and deaths and placing blame on the experienced trainer themselves, or by inhumane treatment of the animals themselves. Through advertising footage, graphs, and interviews she emphasizes that SeaWorld is focused on the well-being of the staff or animals but merely the reputation of the park along with ticket and merchandising sales.

The outcome of the upcoming election will pull our country into two drastically different direction depending on who takes office. This election, has been anything but normal. Representing the republicans is Donald Trump, who is a businessman who doesn’t even portray the traditional republican views. On the opposite side there is Hillary Clinton, an insider who is saying what she needs to say to get the votes. With Trump’s unpredictability and Hillary’s lies, it is clear that the country is in for a major change.

Despite the name given to these intelligent animals, killer whales don 't seem to be killer... in the wild anyways. Yet, places like SeaWorld seem to have shown people unintentionally that keeping whales in captivity and such small areas leads them to be aggressive, and essentially living up to their name. SeaWorld is an attraction that has been in the United States for many years, and although it provides great entertainment for individuals and their families, it also is a place where whales are treated poorly and held in captivity. While people enjoy the tricks the intelligent mammals are commanded to do, they don 't realize the poor conditions that they have once the show is over. Between whale fighting, poor feeding, and small areas; it is clear that keeping whales in captivity provides is both physically and mentally harmful to these animals. Many debates and arguments revolve around keeping whales in captivity, but keeping them in such small areas seems to cause them to lash out and hurt others. However, after learning about whales both in captivity as well as the wild, the realization that they should not be captive is starting to become noted by animal activists, the media and even the public. As the recent controversy of the poor conditions of killer whales in captivity is becoming more publicly noticed, animals activists are working towards the rights of killer whales.

Ever since the entertainment industry began to capture animals for the enjoyment of others, activists who believe animals can only subsist in the wild have been protesting against this monstrous act, using powerful propaganda to entice others to join their cause. The critically acclaimed film Blackfish, which highlights SeaWorld’s treatment of killer whales, apparently reveals shocking and appalling insight on accidental deaths caused by captive killer whales. One of the highest grossing documentaries of all time, as stated on director Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s website, Blackfish has captivated millions of viewers, causing them to reevaluate their values and advocating against SeaWorld. Although Cowperthwaite has stated in an interview that the “film is not at all advocating for anything,” and that she attempted to take a “journalistic approach” to documenting these phenomena, it is clear that the events depicted in the film reflect opposition to SeaWorld and its captivity of whales. Although Blackfish extensively applies human emotion and concepts to the animal kingdom to solicit sympathy from the viewers and provides misleading information to add to the sense of credibility, further research contradicts the points made in the film, rendering the conveyance of the film’s admonition against the captivity of killer whales ineffective.

When in Rome! I chose to pick a study abroad program because I want to explore the world. I think it is a perfect idea to get a chance to travel to another country and earn college credits. I chose Rome because that is where I think I will be more comfortable to visit while in college. It is full of culture, fashion, great cuisines, art, and many more! It has always been on my bucket list to go to Italy. It is the perfect opportunity to visit the country especially while I am in college. I remember watching Lizzie McGuire as a child and she went to Rome and impersonated an Italian pop star, Isabella. She met this handsome man who took her to tour the city. Everyone eventually realized he was using her to ruin Isabella, but it was still a happy ending for Lizzie McGuire. I wanted that happy ending it looked like so much fun running around Rome. The expenses are outstanding for the trip, but at least I have an agenda all laid out by the program.

For many, the United States is more than nation of freedom. By September of 2016, 84,995 refugees had been admitted to country, the largest amount since 2002. All of which are fleeing persecution and harm from their country of origin. However, hundreds are denied entry to the U.S., not for suspicion of being a terrorist, or for criminal charges, but because a judge doesn’t deem a threat serious enough. Should the criteria for asylum be altered to allow immigrants who suffer from other forms of maltreatment to gain asylum?