Rhetorical Analysis Of The Sixth Extinction Jeff Corwin

One of the emerging values recognized by human beings is the concern for our environments and the living creatures that we share them with, but what would happen if human beings stopped caring for their planet and completely disregarded any other living creature outside of the human race? Expert biologist, Jeff Corwin, discusses this idea in his article “The Sixth Extinction,” published by the Los Angeles Times. He argues in his article that while there have been preventative programs put into place, human beings are actively destroying our planet and slowly killing off hundreds of species with every deforestation project, landfill, and black-market trade. For his article, Corwin uses real life experiences to strengthen his credibility. In addition to his easy-to-understand writing style, Corwin also pulls his audience into the root of his essay by providing shocking facts that give readers an insight as to what could happen if they continue to disregard their planet and the other living species that reside there. In his article, Corwin begins his argument by relating the extinction of several current day species to that of the Holocaust. He vividly describes a situation in which nearly fifty percent of all living species …show more content…
In his second paragraph Corwin states, “Every 20 minutes we lose an animal species. If this rate continues, by century’s end, 50% of all living species will be gone” (472). While the numbers themselves are very alarming, Corwin states the facts so bluntly that readers have no choice but to absorb the information. He leaves very little room in his article for interpretation and provides information in a very clear-as-day manner. By providing figures this way, Corwin is able to keep his audience’s attention as well as hand-feed them the information that he finds most important without making his article seem