Analyzing Jeremy Rifkin's Article 'A Change Of Heart About Animals'

Letter to the Editor Jeremy Rifkin 's article, “A Change of Heart About Animals” argues that animals are more like humans than we imagine and as a result should be treated with the care that they deserve. Rifkin develops and supports his argument using facts about the animals and these facts end up touching hearts. In order for Rifkin to get his point across he uses a smart technique by using pathos and plays with the emotions of his audience. Rifkin loves animals and his passion and love evokes emotions that the audience can feel. Animals can feel and have emotions similar to ours. in agreement with Rifkin, I argue that it is wrong and inhumane to kill or abuse animals because they feel, they deserve to have space and should be valued as much as humans are It is wrong no animal should be killed due to abuse or testing, it is wrong and inhumane. In the latest news on animal cruelty, Sea World received publicity that
was favorable. The publicity was due to the documentary by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). The documentary titled “Blackfish” displayed to the world how animals, although trained and used to being around humans, could attack and did attack and kill people. Trainers that they worked close with whom had relationships. Animals reacted to how they felt locked up in a small enclosure, as opposed to roaming free in the wild. "With people around the world speaking out against the insanity of keeping huge ocean animals inside tiny concrete tanks at SeaWorld, Virgin America 's decision to put the theme park on its 'no-fly ' list was the right call," said PETA Foundation deputy general counsel Delcianna Winders (Martin). Virgin Atlanta took a stand and let not only Sea World know they opposed their practices, but also shared that with the world. Watching the documentary and reading this article, breaks my heart because no animal deserves to be locked up in a little kennel or pool especially if the animal is used to roaming in giant spaces. Not only has Sea World taken killer whales from their home but they starved them as punishment for not preforming a task. It angers me to read about this as I picture my dogs in that situation. If someone were to treat any dogs like that, it would be a huge deal to me, however, since it 's killer whales and people don 't know much about them or can relate to killer whales like a household pet, most people don 't view the situation as a huge deal, and consequences of going to jail is not part of the solution. What will make a difference is bringing more attention to the situation and PETA is doing just that. "PETA is encouraging companies to refuse to partner with SeaWorld until it releases the orcas it holds captive into marine sanctuaries."(Martin) captivity is so wrong for such giant animals It is wrong and Inhuamne to kill or abuse animals and that is what can happen to them when products are used and tested on them.
India has banned the import of animal tested cosmetics the ban comes in the form of Rule 135-B that states, "Prohibition of import of cosmetics tested on animals. - No cosmetic that has been tested on animals after the commencement of Drugs and Cosmetics (Fifth Amendment) Rules, 2014 shall be imported into the country"(India). I don 't believe that people would want to be used for testing new products to see what type of allergies or adverse effects these new products could cause, nor would they want their family members to be tested against their will. So why is it okay for animals to be tested on? I feel animals should have rights too and do not deserve to be treated bad. One commercial I cannot watch is the one about dogs and animals in the pound that were saved. First of all the commercial starts with music that reaches my emotions and it makes me think of ways to help prevent the import of these
products. It is wrong and inhumane to kill or abuse animals because they feel, they deserve to have rights and to be treated just like us. In June, Humane Society International met with the Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, to present a petition of more than 70,000 signatures supporting an import ban(India). Rifkin believes no animal should be killed due to abuse or testing because it is wrong and inhumane and I agree wholeheartedly with him. In addition, the Blackfish documentary shows how the inhumane treatment harms animals, which can in turn harm humans.

Work Cited
Martin, Hugo. "PETA Claims a Victory over SeaWorld amid 'Blackfish ' Backlash." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.
"India Bans Import of Animal-tested Cosmetics, Animal Rights Activists Exult | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis." Dna. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.