Rhetorical Technique Essay – a Change of Heart About Animals

In the article, A Change of Heart about Animals, written by Jeremy Rifkin is about how animals are very similar to human beings. Some animals are capable of having emotions and the mental ability to complete tasks as humans can. Rifkin emphasizes how animals should have better treatment due to the lack of compassion and acknowledgment among animals. He uses distinctive types of rhetorical techniques to persuade his audience to agree and feel his pain for these creatures. For instance, Rifkin uses pathos in his writing to get emotional feedback from the reader; he makes the reader feel some sort of guilt or pity for the animals. He also uses examples that have a great deal of credibility; such as using animals that are almost as intelligent as humans and including studies from universities and educational references. Rifkin also makes sure to include companies that supports animal rights that one would never imagine supporting. Lastly, Rifkin uses another technique that would leave the reader questioning their own concerns relating to animal rights. Throughout the whole article Rifkin makes sure the audience will feel sympathetic towards these animals. One of the first things he stated was, “They feel pain, suffer, and experience stress, affection, excitement and even love” (2). Since these animals share the same emotions and anxiety as humans do, then the reader can relate on an expressive level with these animals. An actual example that Rifkin uses was how elephants will mourn over a death of their kin. An elephant will stand next to their dead kin for a few days and mourn over the death. This elephant will not only just stand there but would touch the dead kin and seem to be feeling lost without them. Rifkin uses this example because people tend to believe that animals don’t grieve or understand the sense of morality. Since it turns out that elephants do mourn over a dead kin, the reader can relate and have feel some sort of sympathy. Yet, the

Cited: Jeremy Rifkin. “A Change of Heart about Animals.” The Mirror Company: Los Angeles Times, Page 15.