Rhetorical Analysis Of The Cove

The Cove is a documentary that investigates and informs about the brutal murder of dolphins that is realized in Taiji, Japan annually by showing the story of a group of activists that try to expose the “dramatic and disgusting” scenes that happen with dolphins (Haynes 27). The Cove is presented from the point of view of the activists against dolphins’ captivity, in which the ex-trainer of dolphins, Ric O'Barry, meets the producer, Louie Psihoyos, to document what happens in Japan to be able to let the public know of the brutalities that happen with these mammals. Through the descriptions and images of the brutalities practiced with dolphins in Taiji, Japan, the activist Ric O’Barry uses the rhetorical appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos to
Logos is used when the documentary shows statics of how many dolphins are killed annually and how their meat is being used. The dolphin’s meat is being sold and people consume it, but it has a high percentage of mercury, which is toxic to humans (Meisner 6). By explaining how the dolphin meat is affecting those who consume it, it convinces the people of how bad is to murder this mammal and more dangerous to eat their meat (Haynes 36). When using this rhetorical strategy, The Cove leaves some details out of the topic because the people in this documentary think that murdering dolphins is bad, but they do not consider the Japanese’s view of killing dolphins. Some Americans favor killing other animals such as cows and that can be ethnocentric to think that consuming dolphins’ meat is a bad act. According to Haynes, this brings the question of “Which animals are acceptable to eat?” (30). The documentary has to show both sides of the story and not only favoring the anti-hunting of dolphins. The use of logos in this film contributes to how the viewers will take the information and will act towards the dolphin slaughter by learning how it affects dolphins and human
This documentary is of great importance for the activists and for the people to learn about dolphin slaughter. Despite the use of images and data to show information, this documentary is not completely accurate and credible in all aspects because it is told from an ocean conservationist’s point of view, which affects the portrayal given to the Japanese. The Cove serves as propaganda against dolphin slaughter and encourages viewers to take action about this