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Kaylin Cohen

A Voice for the Unspoken Ones: a rhetorical analysis of helping animals escape their
undeniable struggles

Many people throughout the world have, at least one time in their lives,
supported or unknowingly participated in something that involved animal cruelty.
Whether that includes spending money to purchase a ticket to attend the circus, or even
buying a pair of ugg" boots, they both may be viewed as some form of participation in
animal cruelty. In order to discourage these types of actions, organizations will present
PSAs, or advertisements to the public. These PSAs are generally extremely effective
when displayed to the correct audience. However, it has to be in combination with just
the right amount of pathos and ethos. Rhetoric devices seen within animal cruelty PSAs
prove that viewers need to end participation in activities that involve animal abuse. Both
PSAs capture the audience with pathos when viewing the animals sad expressions. In
addition to the pathos that is viewed in the picture, the audience is once again
impassioned by solely the text. Lastly, the ethos shown in both campaigns makes it
easy for viewers to reach out and make a difference. When analyzing both posters, the
drive to make a difference truly begins. Since animals are incapable of speaking for
themselves, they have unforgettable and compelling ads to do the work for them.
Both campaigns do a great job at capturing the emotions of the audience through
image alone. In the campaign Animals are Not Clowns, the audience is first captured

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through the satirical clown makeup and the juxtaposition of the animals concealed,
suffering expression hiding underneath. Clown makeup, usually amusing, is going
against the animals expression, the black bars, and the black cage. This shows the
contrast between the animals faulty happiness in the circus performances, shown
through the makeup, and the caged lifestyle of the animals, represented by the animals
expression. As a viewer, you realize the animals have no freedom and are not properly
taken care of; although, circus animals have the right to be protected and treated
humanely under the Animal Welfare Act (11 Facts About Circus Animal Abuse). People
begin to realize that the treatment of circus animals is completely inhumane.
Emotionally, this sends a message to the viewers moral values by increasing the
realness of the animals hopelessness. Its apparent that an image can tear apart a
persons emotions.
In the campaign If you wouldnt wear your dog please dont wear any fur, the
audience is first drawn to the desperate eyes of the human being and the pug. The
human being is being portrayed as if he is submerged in his own tears; one can truly
see the pain in his eyes. The reader can easily tell this dog is the mans best friend by
both of their expressions and the mans arm propped on the dog. He has a genuine and
authentic love for his dog, as many owners do. Additionally, you can see the
vulnerability in the dogs eyes. Seeing the expression in the dogs eyes immediately
attacks the readers conscience. The reader now wants to be the one to save the
animals from the harm they experience. Through the image on the advertisement,
viewers will unknowingly replace the domesticated dog with undomesticated animals

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constantly used for fur, that are not as lucky. When thinking of animals most widely used
for their fur, surely mink are in the top. Mink, which in the wild are very active animals,
are raised in tiny cages, each about the length of the animal's own body. The typical
mink farm is comprised of units, each with dozens of rows of individual cages with open
sides that expose the animals to harsh weather (Fur Trade Facts). After experiencing
this abusive lifestyle, the minks are killed, all by slow grueling deaths. If a mink replaced
the pug, viewers would most definitely want to save the mink. Clearly, this campaign,
along with the campaign for circus animals, are both promoting protecting animal rights
solely from their images.
Although analyzing the picture is powerful, analyzing the text says a great deal
about the importance of supporting animal rights. The pathos-filled text for Animals are
Not Clowns campaign, is really effective in engulfing the audiences moral values. Just
the small text on the left side brings humans to experience what the circus animals do.
Their perspective of the circus includes abuse, pain, lack of freedom, exhaustion, and
lack of proper care. When analyzing the text as a whole, it is apparent that this should
be read by the ringmaster. Since the ringmaster is always loud and enthusiastic, reading
this in the same tone really puts this issue into perspective. The now sarcastic tone
mixed with the text allows people to see what the circus is truly about. The animals, that
make up the circus, are portrayed as entertainment rather than living creatures. The
circus evidently has no care for the animals, as long as they bring in the revenue. This
really hits on peoples moral values; what they have spent money on maybe even just
once or twice in their lives indirectly supports animal abuse. In the larger text on the left,

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the authors are saying not to participate in events that promote the abuse of animals for
the sole purpose of entertainment. Along with this ad, If you wouldnt wear your dog
please dont wear any fur campaign is effective while using the same approach.
The text on this campaign makes people emotional on a more personal level.
The big letters on the campaign wear and any fur are really the first words to capture
the readers attention. However, reading the text as a whole can relate to almost
everyone. Most people have at least one dog in their household, that they care for
dearly. If anything were to happen to this dog, owners would be absolutely devastated.
However, other animals are not treated this way: One-third of all fur sold in the U.S.
comes from animals killed in steel-jaw traps, which are legal in 43 states (Nine
Shocking Fur Facts). Animals are animals, and skinning one animal for fur is the same
as skinning another. Just because dogs are more respected and domesticated, doesnt
mean they are the only ones who shouldnt be skinned. Animals breeds like mink and
sheep are skinned alive, or killed in barbarous ways in order to keep the fur looking
good. This campaign is saying that no one would want to hurt an innocent pug, so no
one should want to hurt any animal, despite the reputation of the animal.
Both campaigns also rely heavily on ethos to support their campaigns. For the
Animals are Not Clowns advertisement, it is supported by two Portuguese
organizations: Aco Animal and the Portuguese League for Animal Rights (LPDA) .
Both are very well known in the animal rights community. Their reputations are very
important because they always participate in gaining rights for the unspoken animals.
They go beyond the circus; they help to prevent animal abuse, they educate the public,

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and help animals before they become extinct. In this specific campaign, they are
discouraging circuses that involve animals and helping to promote animal-free circuses.
To provide the public with the credibility of the organization, there is a link in the bottom
left corner of the ad to click on the websites www.accaoanimal.com and www.lpda.pt.
These websites help the reader gain knowledge about getting involved in protecting
these innocent animals. They also describe all the work these organizations have done
in the past. The credentials of these organizations are faultless. The websites also
ensure that donating money for animal rights truly do go to worthy causes.
When focusing on the If you wouldnt wear your dog please dont wear any
fur campaign, one can tell it is supported by People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals (PETA). This is one of the most well-known animal rights organizations
supported in the country. They support the health and welfare of all animals. Its so easy
to participate in what PETA has to offer. Their website is at the bottom right of the page,
www.peta.org, allows you to easily report animal abuse with the click of a button,
support PETA, and read many articles. Their main page quote states, animals are not
ours to eat, wear, experiment on, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other
way (PETA). In most cases, the abuse inflicted upon the animals in order to kill them
isnt strong enough to kill them. This type of torture includes animals who were skinned
alive while still breathing air. PETA is a huge supporter in not allowing people to use
animal skins in any way. Both campaigns allow easy access to websites which will help
end participation in activities involving the abuse of animals.

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The impacts of both campaigns are undeniably effective in the discontinuance of
animal abuse. The rhetorical devices seen within the campaigns are what make people
want to change the way the animal community is governed. The PSA, Animals are Not
Clowns can be viewed from a persons perspective from two angles. The contrast of
the clown makeup and the animals somber expression mixed with the text makes
people question their own morals. The PSA, If you wouldnt wear your dog please
dont wear any fur has the ability to make the reader feel pain through the eyes of the
dog and human being, along with the text that makes the readers relate this to their own
lifestyles. Both campaigns provide much credibility to the public. The organizations
listed on the PSA and the websites are easily accessible. They do a very thorough job
capturing all types of people in all parts of the world. Even though the campaigns cant
put a stop to all animal abuse, its a promising and hopeful start. . If people stop
attending animal circuses, animals will no longer be useful in the circus, and therefore
would be no reason for the abuse behind the scenes. If people stop buying fur coats,
animals will stop being skinned, and therefore, will be left in the wild to live normal lives.
The injustices of animals will lessen as long as campaigns with this much rhetorical
analysis are presented to the public.

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Works Cited
"11 Facts About Circus Animal Abuse." 11 Facts About Circus Animal Abuse. N.p., n.d. Web. 08
Oct. 2015.
"Fur Trade Facts." Last Chance for Animals. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2015.
"Nine Shocking Fur Facts." PETA. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2015.
"People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): The Animal Rights Organization." PETA.
N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2015.

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