Charles Siebert's The Elephant Crackup
An Elephantine Analysis
In Charles Siebert's article The Elephant Crackup, the author employs a nuanced and compelling rhetorical strategy that seamlessly integrates firsthand narratives, expert opinions, and emotional appeals to shed light on the profound consequences of human exploitation on elephants. Through the deliberate use of linguistic choices, comparisons to human tragedies, and a careful balance of ethos, pathos, and logos, Siebert effectively engages the reader, emphasising the urgent need for compassionate rehabilitation practices and fostering a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between human actions and elephant behaviour.
Charles Siebert establishes his credibility as a firsthand narration (Kairos) using an anecdote, …show more content…
The words “family” and “families” are used for a total of 12 instances, while “herd” and “herds” total 15 instances. The constant, near interchangeable use of “family” and “herd” to refer to elephants and their pack is a deliberate linguistic choice that Siebert makes to psychologically prime a reader to associate the humane feelings they subconsciously attach to the word “family” with the term “herd” that is used for a pack of elephants. This is the use of pathos.
Consequently, the linguistic choices help Siebert to establish a link between the reader and the subject of the article, the elephants. The link forces the readers to feel an emotional investment in the article, thereby allowing for maximum effect of the literary and psychological tool that Siebert utilises liberally, anthropomorphism. Anthropomorphism is the innate tendency of the human mind to make the subconscious decision to attribute human traits such as emotions, physical traits, human characteristics and behaviour to non-human objects or …show more content…
The more that Siebert works on diminishing the gap, the more successful he becomes in getting the audience to emotionally connect and be invested in the plight of elephants and consequently in the plight of the children. Therefore, when the readers read the atrocities committed on the elephants, they feel disgusted, enraged at such abhorrent actions. This showcases the use of
In Charles Siebert's article The Elephant Crackup, the author employs a nuanced and compelling rhetorical strategy that seamlessly integrates firsthand narratives, expert opinions, and emotional appeals to shed light on the profound consequences of human exploitation on elephants. Through the deliberate use of linguistic choices, comparisons to human tragedies, and a careful balance of ethos, pathos, and logos, Siebert effectively engages the reader, emphasising the urgent need for compassionate rehabilitation practices and fostering a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between human actions and elephant behaviour.
Charles Siebert establishes his credibility as a firsthand narration (Kairos) using an anecdote, …show more content…
The words “family” and “families” are used for a total of 12 instances, while “herd” and “herds” total 15 instances. The constant, near interchangeable use of “family” and “herd” to refer to elephants and their pack is a deliberate linguistic choice that Siebert makes to psychologically prime a reader to associate the humane feelings they subconsciously attach to the word “family” with the term “herd” that is used for a pack of elephants. This is the use of pathos.
Consequently, the linguistic choices help Siebert to establish a link between the reader and the subject of the article, the elephants. The link forces the readers to feel an emotional investment in the article, thereby allowing for maximum effect of the literary and psychological tool that Siebert utilises liberally, anthropomorphism. Anthropomorphism is the innate tendency of the human mind to make the subconscious decision to attribute human traits such as emotions, physical traits, human characteristics and behaviour to non-human objects or …show more content…
The more that Siebert works on diminishing the gap, the more successful he becomes in getting the audience to emotionally connect and be invested in the plight of elephants and consequently in the plight of the children. Therefore, when the readers read the atrocities committed on the elephants, they feel disgusted, enraged at such abhorrent actions. This showcases the use of