A Rhetorical Analysis Essay On Zoos

The White Rhino—extinct in the wild, existing in captivity (O’Connor). Despite existing only in zoos, critics wonder if this situation is truly acceptable. Those in favor of zoos would argue that absolutely, the species lives and can work towards re-establishment and conservation. On the other hand, critics say it prolongs an inevitable death, forcing the animal to spend the rest of its life depressed and alone. This argument has loomed over zoos’ existence from the dawn of their creation. So how does someone decide which side is correct? Each side effectively uses different rhetorical strategies that best present their point, such as ethos, logos, pathos, and diction. Many of the pro-zoo advocates use appeals to ethos and logos to validate …show more content…
Appealing to ethos, authors of the articles often mention their education status to boost their credibility, usually taking place in the form of a doctorate degree. For example, James Borrell, a conservation biologist, has his doctorate, and he researches the conservation of rare animals for a living. His credentials make his arguments about using zoos as tools of conservation more convincing, demonstrating extensive knowledge on the subject. Another example of educational credentials is Dr. Robin Ganzert, the CEO of the American Humane Association. Similar to Borrell, Ganzert’s PhD exemplifies her knowledge on the topic of animals and zoos. Furthermore, Ganzert works as the CEO of an organization dealing specifically with humane treatment of animals, bolstering the argument that even activists for the humane treatment of animals believe in zoos. In addition to appeals to ethos, pro-zoo arguments often appeal to ethos using statistics and other data to …show more content…
Appeals to pathos in these arguments, often illustrated through imagery, evoke sorrowful and sympathetic emotions. For instance, the group, PETA, describes zoos as cages made of steel and cement, creating depressed animals. They use baby animals as an example of how cruel zoos are, describing the cute baby chimpanzee, ripped from its family. This evokes feelings of sympathy and sadness that anti-zoo proponents aim to create. In addition to appeals to pathos, anti-zoo advocates use strong devices of diction such as alliteration and powerful connotations to emphasize her points. PETA uses alliteration in their title, “Pitiful Prisons,” which uses a harsh starting sound to drill this point into readers’ minds. This leads into the use of strong connotation, such as the word “prison.” Prisons create a negative connotation, comparing the lives of animals meant to be free, to criminals stuck behind bars forever. The prison analogy exhibits itself in almost every anti-zoo article; therefore, the repetition of the word engraves it into readers’ minds, creating an immediate association of zoos and prisons. By using strong diction, they effectively create the sorrowful feelings mentioned