Steve - Visual Rhetoric Assignment

Steven Demaras

January 26, 2009

Visual Rhetoric in an Animal Shelter Commercial

Rhetoric and other acts of persuasion play a huge role in modern day society, especially with the ever-growing capitalistic attitude to which Americans have come to ad heed. Every organization is attempting to show their product or service in a favorable way. Television commercials are an extremely effective way of using rhetoric to try to persuade the viewer to purchase or consume a product. A commercial can show any kind of rhetoric that the creator chooses. They can invoke real human emotions, or pathos, in the audience by showing real, live people or animals in life-like situations. A commercial which does use pathos to try to get its message across is an advertisement for a homeless shelter for animals, as several human emotions are invoked by the sight of abandoned and unfortunate animals in life-like situations.

The commercial begins by showing a dog with its family. The advertisement makes it obvious that the dog is loved and is extremely happy in its current situation, as it receives much attention from its human companions. The family and dog are outside and it is a bright sunny day (the colors are bright, showing happiness). Subsequently, another similar-looking dog appears on the screen in what appears to be a cage. The dog is alone in a dark, gloomy-looking room (dark/gloomy colors, showing sadness and bleakness) and looks miserable and depressed. A voice proceeds to tell the audience that the only difference between these two animals is a home. The commercial is invoking a sense of sadness and sympathy in the audience in the hopes of persuading them to go out and save an abandoned animal. The viewer feels sadness for the animal and proceeds to feel guilt for not doing anything for the animal. This is a terrific example of pathos, as a human emotion is aroused by this particular section in the commercial.

Following this part of the commercial is the section in which other unfortunate animals are shown looking miserable and sad. There are dogs and cats that are very healthy looking, but lonely and sluggish. Again, the commercial is playing on the human emotion of sympathy, a powerful emotion which causes people to not think clearly in certain situations. The guilt emotion is further enhanced later when the commercial shows a little girl walking out of the shelter with a new kitten. The audience sees the little girl with her new pet, and feels guilt for not taking similar action. Sympathy and guilt are two emotions which are extremely effective when an author wants to use rhetoric to persuade an audience because they are two emotions that every human being in the world has felt. Anyone who sees this commercial will feel these two emotions, though the level to which someone will act on them differs. One person may feel very little sympathy or guilt, while another person may be so moved that he or she will go to the shelter and adopt an animal as soon as possible. The goal of the author of the commercial is to put the viewer in a situation to do the latter.

The commercial concludes by attempting to raise awareness for the mistreatment of household animals such as dogs and cats. Visual images of abused cats and dogs with missing paws or eyes or entire legs are presented. The audience is intended to have a feeling of disgust and anger towards anyone who would do such a thing to a helpless animal. At this point in the commercial the author is trying to persuade the audience to contribute to a charity sponsored by the actual shelter. It was mentioned before that rhetoric is used for economic advancement in this capitalistic society in America, and this is a perfect example. The author is using human emotions felt by the audience to try to make money (perhaps for a good cause, but make money nevertheless). This is what most rhetoric found in commercials is trying to do, and though seemingly sad and depressing, it is what makes America’s economy run.

All arguments (rhetoric) that are presented in the commercial seem to be for a great cause; however, upon further investigation it is found that the organization is actually trying to squeeze money out of people. The commercial tries to cover up this grim fact with its presentation of pathos rhetoric. These days, it seems that most pathos rhetoric is used in similar situations. Authors are using rhetoric to cover up their capitalistic intentions. This animal homeless shelter commercial is a good example, as it plays on several human emotions that invoke powerful feelings for some people subjected to it.