Project 5

Sara Dieckman

Samantha Mudd

English 151

November 9, 2010

PETA: Crock or Crucial?

Could one even imagine enduring the dismay of a deer in a field full of hunters? Imagine being able to outrun a human being alone but not the consequences of the speeding bullet heading your way. One minute your enjoying the crisp winter breeze, gnawing on the bark of a tree, and the next your dead because man thought you would be of better use as his main entrée at dinner. It does not matter if you object to being killed because man does not care and you have no rights or say in what happens to you. Many might call it “survival of the fittest”, but many other animal rights extremists might call these people “power thirsty killers”. The problem with man is that we tend to feel pity for our own species while we forget about all of the other struggling species each one of us affects every day. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, strongly believes that man has the power to change the world and give animals the right to prosper, and why shouldn’t they? They are the largest animal rights organization in the world with over 2 million advocates and members (About PETA).

PETA has been around for about thirty years and is based in Norfolk, Virginia (About PETA). According to PETA, animals are not supposed to be eaten, experimented with, worn as clothing, or used for human entertainment (About PETA). PETA strongly believes that animals feel suffering and have desire to lead their own lives and experience natural things. However, many people believe this organization to be useless. They believe it is amplified into being this extraordinary organization that really does not keep their word when it comes to saving animals and protecting their rights. For many others, however, this organization is changing the world and saving helpless animals who do not have a choice to be used as experiments, abused, eaten, or worn as a new fur or leather jacket. What gives human beings the right to flourish and advance in the world and other species no right to do the same? Should mankind have the authority to take down everything in their path to be the strongest and most prospering species just because they are at the top of the food chain?

There are several different groups of people against PETA, an organization that seems so fair and amenable. Some of these groups include hunters, others concerned with animal rights, and people who just do not believe that animals should have any rights at all. Some believe that animals are supposed to be used for human pleasure. These people decide that they’d rather enjoy eating a piece of meat then the beauty and company of nature and tranquility. Others, who are animal extremists just as PETA, believe that this organization is not reliable and that they have a number of members who are more likely to kill animals then help them. Many do not bring their attention to all of the positive things that PETA does for these animals and our society. By analyzing the issues animals face because their refusal of rights, discussing and discrediting why people have rejected PETA, and examining the action PETA has been taking to save animals all over the world, it can be inferred that PETA is a credible and genuine organization.

There are a number of obstacles that all types of animals face everyday due to the cruelty of man. One of these obstacles is hunting. Hunting occurs so that humans can obtain certain types of meat, animal skin and fur, and for their own entertainment. According to PETA, “Hunting has contributed to the extinction of animal species all over the world, including the Tasmanian tiger and the great auk” (Why Sport Hunting). This is a serious issue because who is to say that more species will not die off because of this cruel sport? But many people will argue that animals such as deer are overpopulated and if man did not hunt them there would be way too many of them. However, PETA argues that, “Even when unusual natural occurrences cause overpopulation, natural processes work to stabilize the group. Starvation and disease can be tragic, but they are nature’s ways of ensuring that healthy, strong animals survive and maintain the strength level of the rest of their herd or group. Shooting an animal because he or she might starve or become sick is arbitrary and destructive” (Why sport Hunting). PETA believes that nature should be in control of the death of animals’ rather then unnatural human activities such as hunting.

Animals also struggle with the serious worldwide issue known as animal cruelty. Animal cruelty can be defined as “cruel unwarranted treatment of animals” according to Roy D’Silva (Animal Cruelty). PETA mostly concentrates on animals that are abused at home, in factories and farms, and animals that are trained for circuses. This is because they are the most popular and serious of all the cases of animal cruelty. This is not to say that PETA doesn’t fight against other cases but these are just the most common. In 2010, pet-abuse.com recorded 625 cases of reported abuse of animals (State Ranking). This includes cases that deal with neglect, beating, bestiality, burning, suffocation, drowning, hording, hanging, kicking, torture, and animal fighting (State Ranking). When looking at pictures it is extremely hard to believe that one cannot help but feeling sorry and remorseful for any animal that has been abused. What difference does it make if it is a man or animal being abused? Each would feel pain and no case of abuse is morally correct no matter what the circumstance. If one cannot handle the responsibilities of a pet, one should not be able to take on the responsibility of owning one.

Many people are against PETA and believe that it is an organization that does not keep its word when it comes to helping animals. According to Bob Butz, “In February, the trial concluded for two PETA employees charged with 21 counts of animal cruelty and the illegal dumping of more than 80 dogs and cats they had collected (only to later euthanize) from shelters and veterinarian offices in and around Ahoskie, N.C. Wrapped in black garbage bags, the dead animals were found inside a dumpster behind the Piggly Wiggly supermarket over a three-month period in 2005” (PETA Files). This is an extremely interesting argument against PETA but PETA is the largest animal rights organization in the world. They have over two million members and employees. Out of two million people, what are the odds that none of them will be corrupt people? Some of the members could be people trying to work against everything that PETA is working towards. All one has to do to become a member of PETA is make a donation. Maybe PETA should be more selecting on who they let in on their organization but it would be way more complicated to help animals across the country without having advocates and members everywhere in the country. According to petakillsanimals.com, in 2009 PETA only found homes for 8 out of 2,366 animals (Exclusive: PETA’s Pet Killing). Yet again an interesting argument, however, PETA has worked to save millions of animals all over the world. This website also has no credibility. It contains no author to site and is a dot com website which makes one wonder if it really is a website one can rely on.

PETA explains, “we aren't afraid to make the difficult comparisons, say the unpopular thing, or point out the uncomfortable truth, if it means that animals will benefit” (Uncompromising Stands). One cannot deny the millions of ads and campaigns that PETA has done to help species all over the world. They are radicals that have taken so much action to protect animals and their rights. Being the largest animal rights organization in the world, there is going to be controversy and scandals within the organization. It would be incredibly difficult to find 2 million advocates and employees who are one hundred percent genuine and uncorrupted. When people make accusations towards PETA they do not think clearly about everything positive they do and do not take everything into consideration when one has such a large organization as this.

It is important to understand all that PETA has done to help the animals that live among us in order to understand all that this organization stands for. PETA explains, “The very heart of all of PETA's actions is the idea that it is the right of all beings—human and nonhuman alike—to be free from harm. Our world is plagued with many serious problems, all of which deserve our attention. Cruelty to animals is one of them” (About PETA). PETA has taken so much to prove this quote true. One of the most recent victories PETA has experienced was at Gardner-Webb University (Gardner-Webb). A student had called PETA’s laboratory investigations department (LID) bothered about a barbarous project the students had to partake in (Gardner-Webb) Apparently the students were supposed to catch, kill, and skin dozens of animals who had been taken out of their familiar habitat (Gardner-Webb). “LID immediately contacted the school to urge its administrators to end the cruel procedures and filed complaints with state wildlife authorities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In response to PETA’s efforts, the school no longer offers this inhumane classroom assignment,” according to PETA (Garner-Webb).

But this is not all that PETA has done; one of PETA’s most popular campaigns was The “Naked” Campaign, mostly because it was so controversial. In this campaign, men and women walked behind a giant banner saying they would “rather go naked then wear fur” (FAQ). Many celebrities made offers to participate, such as Pamela Anderson and Todd Oldham (FAQ). This campaign inspired magazines and television shows such as Entertainment Tonight, Us, and People to do anti- fur movement stories. PETA also helped save 4.5 million animals from being tested on in Europe in 2009. PETA states, “After learning that a massive animal testing program in Europe was going to cause even more animal suffering as a result of duplicative testing, PETA initiated a joint letter to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), which oversees the program, asking it to intervene. Now, in a huge victory for animals, ECHA has announced a process that will spare as many as 4,410,000 animals from cruel tests” (PETA helps).

PETA is a group of animal extremists. They do not take animal cruelty, experimentation, or hunting lightly. They will do anything in their power to make sure that animals are treated fairly. PETA has been fighting for animals for 30 years and this organization will not stop until they are fully satisfied with the way that human beings treat other living species. Because they are radicals, they take extreme action in everything that they do and I believe that it helps their cause. It is extremely hard to get

mankind to understand and believe in one’s concepts or ideas if one does not take extreme action to get them to understand. If PETA were to do less daring campaigns, sure it would be less controversial and PETA would have a better name, but they would not be helping the cause of animals as much as they would want to and would not be getting people to understand why they care so much. Mankind needs extreme action taken to help them understand that animal cruelty and hunting is not morally correct and that animals feel just as much pain as human beings do. PETA states “We have the power to spare animals excruciating pain by making better choices about the food we eat, the things we buy, and the activities we support” (About PETA). So why ignore the fact that PETA has such a positive effect on our environment? We should not think of PETA as a scandal or a menace but rather and advocate for a positive change in our world.

Works Cited

"About PETA." People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): The Animal Rights

Organization | PETA.org. Web. 20 Nov. 2010. .

"All About PETA." People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): The Animal

Rights Organization | PETA.org. Web. 20 Nov. 2010. .

Butz, Bob. "Catching up with the Animal-rights Extremists and Their Latest Lunacy."

PETA Files 214.9 (2007). Print.

D'Silva, Roy. "Animal Cruelty: Animal Abuse Facts and Statistics." Buzzle Web Portal:

Intelligent Life on the Web. Web. 20 Nov. 2010. .

"Exclusive: PETA’s Pet Killing Program Set a New Record in 2009." PETA Kills

Animals | PetaKillsAnimals.com. Web. 20 Nov. 2010. .

"Gardner-Webb University Ends Cruel Classroom Exercises." People for the Ethical

Treatment of Animals (PETA): The Animal Rights Organization | PETA.org.

Web. 20 Nov. 2010. .

"PETA Helps Save 4.5 Million Animals." People for the Ethical Treatment of

Animals (PETA): The Animal Rights Organization | PETA.org. Web. 20 Nov. 2010. .

"State Ranking." Pet-Abuse.Com - Home. Web. 20 Nov. 2010.

abuse.com/pages/cruelty_database/statistics/state_ranking.php?year=2010&search=go>.

"Uncompromising Stands on Animal Rights” People for the Ethical Treatment of

Animals (PETA): The Animal Rights Organization | PETA.org. Web. 20 Nov. 2010. .

"Why Sport Hunting Is Cruel and Unnecessary” People for the Ethical Treatment of

Animals (PETA): The Animal Rights Organization | PETA.org. Web. 20 Nov. 2010. http://www.peta.org/issues/Wildlife/why-sport-hunting-is-cruel-and-unnecessary.aspx

An Inconvenient Truth

Imagine, the homes of millions of people all around the world destroyed because of flooding. Imagine having no more glaciers or icy mountains because they have melted, flooded several different countries on the ocean border, and killed millions of people. This rapidly growing dilemma is confronted in An Inconvenient Truth, a movie that opened my eyes to the seriousness of climate change. This movie brought many valid points to my attention, including the overall effect climate change will have on the human race if we do not change the way we live. I have heard many arguments about this immensely growing issue, but I never knew how serious it really was therefore, I never really worried too much about it. I also never exactly knew what I could ever do or change about my life style to change the devastating outcome of our quickly rising climate. However, I believe that by analyzing the movie inside and out, maybe we can all better understand how to fix this issue. This can be possible by analyzing the content of the movie, dissecting Gore’s use of ethos and pathos, and using outside sources to prove and disprove Al Gore’s points from the movie.

This movie is incredibly effective in the way it is constructed. Throughout the movie, it shows Al Gore narrating a power point that he created to present to his audience. He presents this power point for a small live audience but in reality, this presentation was intended for the world to see. Gore talks about how the atmosphere is the most vulnerable part of the Earth and that it is being thickened by pollution. This is trapping in heat and causing the overall temperature of the earth to rise. This process is described as global warming or climate change, a growing issue happening all over the world. He discusses how global warming creates more natural disasters that are devastating to people’s homes and killing our people. For example, when water temperatures rise due to heat trapped in the atmosphere, it creates higher winds and stronger storms. This is how hurricanes are created.

Gore then goes back and talks about how he became interested in his attempt to improve global warming. He showed clips of his son and talked about how he was hit by a car when he was only six years old. Gore’s son nearly died in this terrible accident and this event changed his priorities completely. He realized that nothing else in the world could be more important then his family. He wanted nothing more then his children to live a long and satisfying life. This is where his interest in environmental issues came into play. He began researching all aspects of global warming including how it would eventually affect our world. The future generations were the ones who were going to have to bear the consequences of this growing epidemic, that meant his children, the ones he cared about more then anything in the world. He did not want this to be the downfall of the human race. Gore wanted people to become interested and knowledgeable about this issue, for this is the only way that we can improve and change the way we live to better our planet.

Gores use of pathos throughout the film is extremely effective. He uses video clips and music that pull at the emotions of the audience. The one way he does this is through his son’s accident in which I had described before. Another way in which Gore does this is by talking about his sister. Al Gore grew up on a farm with his family. His father grew many different crops, one being tobacco. Gore’s sister began smoking at an early age and as she grew older she developed lung cancer. After this terrible disease had taken away her life, his father blamed himself because the whole time he was growing and selling tobacco to the tobacco companies, he believed he was contributing to his daughter’s death. He compares this to how we all are contributing to our own death. He explains that if we don’t change our lifestyles, we will all eventually die due to global warming. Gore also shows scenes of himself staring out the window and him narrating about devastating issues in the world. In the background there would be sad music, the kind of music you hear in movies where one of the main characters experience a saddening death of a friend or loved one. We all know how effective this can be when you walk out of the movie theatres in tears and used tissues are falling out of your pockets. If it’s the death of a character’s mom you feel like calling up your very own mother and telling her how much you love her and appreciate her. The method Gore uses is exactly like this. He pulls at the audience’s emotions and makes them want to change the way they live to save the fate our earth and our future generations. Throughout this entire movie he uses ethos to make the audience feel guilt and suggests through his discouraging music and background stories that this rapid climate change is going to be the destruction of our world.

Although Gore’s use of pathos is extremely effective, many argue that his credibility is not satisfactory enough for his argument to be completely valid. When one thinks about Al Gore they think of a politician, not an environmentalist. How much does Gore actually know about climate change? After all, Gore is not technically an environmental scientist. However, the evidence is clear that something strange and unnatural is going on in our environment. In the movie Gore discusses how burning fuels like coal, gas, and oil and tearing down our forests we are causing an extreme rise in our carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Logically, it makes so much perfect sense that we are contributing to climate change. Maybe if we suggest using alternative resources other then oil, gas, and coal we can stop global warming and save our planet.

There are many different anti-Gore sources on the Internet. The first source I came across was a movie review done by Kevin Carr. Kevin described Gore’s movie as a “100 minute campaign commercial” and his main concern at that time was Gore putting himself out there for the 2008 presidential election. However, it is now 2010 and Gore did not run for the 2008 presidential election so obviously this was not his reasoning behind the video. If found another article; in my research written by Tom Harris. In this article he quotes Professor Bob Carter, of the Marine Geophysical Laboratory at James Cook University, who says, “Gore's circumstantial arguments are so weak that they are pathetic. It is simply incredible that they, and his film, are commanding public attention”. This quote really baffled me because I really do believe that Al Gore did a great job in all of his arguments. He made valid points and he had evidence to back up all of his statements.

There are also many pro-Gore sources that agree that Global warming is a very serious issue. “Sea levels rose as much as 20 centimeters, or 7.8 inches, over the course of the 20th century, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates a rise of 18 to 59 centimeters by 2099” according to Kate Ross in an article she wrote for The New York Times. With these facts and statistics that not only Gore states, but also other outside sources, it is extremely hard for me to believe that global warming is not a serious issue. In an article written by Ronald Bailey he stated, “I reviewed former vice-president Al Gore's movie An Inconvenient Truth for Reason. I agreed that Gore has "won the climate debate" and that "on balance Gore gets it more right than wrong on the science” though I argued he exaggerates just how bad future global warming is likely to be”.

So that brings me to the question, is global warming as serious of an issue as Al Gore made it out to be? Can this issue lead to the end of the human race and eventually destroy our world? From everything I have researched I think it’s quite fair to say that Al Gore made a very valid argument and if we ignore everything he discussed in An Inconvenient Truth, it can have a serious effect on mankind in the future. Global warming is not an issue that can be disregarded and put off as unimportant. The more we ignore it, the worse it will get and as Thomas Friedman wrote in his article from The New York Times, “…take your socks off yourself. It’s going to get hot around here”.

Peden Stadium

There are many ways to make an effective piece of rhetoric. We see rhetoric everyday, whether it is in television, magazines, brochures, flyers, or on the radio. For my particular piece of rhetoric, I promoted the history of Peden Stadium here at Ohio University. I decided to make a brochure because I feel it is the best way for people to view pictures of our beautiful stadium and see how it has changed over time. My audience, the information I used and intentionally left out, and the purpose of the brochure, all contribute to how effective it is as a piece of rhetoric.

The audience intended for this brochure would have to be Ohio University sport fans and everyday Ohio University students. Since my audience is so broad, it is difficult to find a specific part of the stadium that will appeal to everyone in those categories. I picked something that would definitely interest me as an Ohio University student and still promote the history of the place. In my brochure I discussed how the stadium has changed overtime. I did this because I know that people involved with Ohio University, and most students who attend the games, would most likely be interested in discovering more about the stadium.

I used pictures and made the brochure very appealing so that people would look at it and want to read it. I know when people look at brochure that is plain with so much writing and no pictures; they usually do not actually take the time to read it. This is why I kept my brochure short and sweet. I talked about the year it was built and went into how much it has changed over the years. I put pictures on it from when it was being built and I think it is really cool to see what the stadium started off as and how amazing it has come to be now. I intentionally did not include too much history and writing because I wanted this brochure to appeal to students as well as adults. I found that young people are more interested in looking at pictures and reading small amounts of information rather then long and boring novels about the history of the stadium.

The purpose of my brochure was to promote the history of the Peden Stadium and get Ohio University sport fans and students a better and deeper understanding of our school and its fascinating history. People go to the stadium to watch the games and do not fully appreciate how the stadium came to be and how lucky we are to have such a nice place to watch our football games. We have come a long way from 1929 and our stadium has changed tremendously. People would probably learn to appreciate our stadium so much more if they understood how it became what it is today. This is why I decided to make my brochure on how the stadium has changed throughout the years.

My main concern for the brochure was how to make it so Ohio University sport fans and students will actually pick up the brochure and want to read it. I reflected on myself as an Ohio University student and a sport fan and thought, “what would make me pick up a brochure and read it”? Brochures that are most appealing to me are colorful and not filled with a mass amount of text. I decided that the easiest way to make people read my brochure would be to make it appealing and interesting. I did not want to load up the brochure with all text and make it boring to sit and read. I picked out information that I thought was important and interesting and put it into my brochure along with many pictures to show the change of the stadium overtime. I believe that, overall, my brochure would be appealing to my audience.

An Inconvenient Truth

An Inconvenient Truth is a movie starring Al Gore, who discusses his concern with climate change and the danger we are creating for future generations, through a captivating and shocking power point. In the very beginning of his discussion, Gore presents pictures to the audience of beautiful mountains covered in ice. These pictures were taken years ago. He then compares those pictures to pictures taken up to the year the movie was produced (2006). The changes were shocking. There was little to no ice left on the mountains he showed.

Al Gore is an intriguing and convincing public speaker. He is completely convincing in all of his arguments about climate change and how it is affecting our planet. He discussed the way pollution thickens the atmosphere causing heat to become trapped within it. This heat causes the earth’s heat to increase, which can be completely and utterly destructive to our precious planet and the place that we call home. This makes the viewer feel empathetic with earth and guilty for our bad habits and refusal to change our selfish ways. I felt extremely saddened with the way we treat our planet and dissatisfied with the way I go about my everyday life. I, myself, am a contributor to pollution and after watching the movie, I feel I have made little steps to change my lifestyle and help be conducive to the solution of this rapidly growing dilemma. I feel that Al Gore used pathos extremely effectively and I believe many people have become more aware and conscious after watching it.

Al Gore was also effective in the category ethos for me. I feel the background information he gave about his personal experiences related pretty well to the points he was trying to make throughout his entire speech. He mentioned his father’s farm and how his father always would grow tobacco plants and how Gore would help him. He then mentioned his sister who had picked up the habit of smoking and eventually developed lung cancer and passed away. Gore’s father was disgusted that he had contributed to the same companies that had contributed to his own daughter’s death. He then explained that like his father contributing to tobacco companies, we all are contributing to our own demise as a human race. Eventually, if we keep living like we do, we will destroy earth, the only planet we could ever call home.

In conclusion, Gore ended his speech in what is called a “Call to action”. This is supposed to motivate the viewer to be motivated to make a change or follow and believe what the speaker is arguing for or against. He talked about how us, as Americans, need to work together to save our planet. The only way that this problem can come close to being solved is if we take action to make a change and decrease the rate of climate change. This was an effective way to end his speech because it leaves people feeling like they can make a difference and it most of all makes people want to make a difference.

Homey Hilliard

What could be better than a suburban area full of sports enthusiasts and friendly people? How about a community diverse in race and religion yet closely bonded and friendly? Being about ten to fifteen minutes away from any rural area, Hilliard, Ohio seems like the perfect place to live. Hilliard is a beautiful suburb full of parks, lakes, and amazing scenery. The history, geographic location, and what it’s like to live in Hilliard all play an important role in discovering if Hilliard really is the perfect place to live.

The history of Hilliard begins with John Reed Hilliard and only ten acres of farmland. This town grew around a railroad station called Hilliard station, which cut John Hilliard’s ten acres in half (www.cityofhilliard.com/history). The Village of Hilliard was established July 13^th, 1869 (www.cityofhilliard.com/history). At this time the population was only made up of 280 residents and was constantly growing in industry and population (www.cityofhilliard.com/history). Overall, Hilliard is very fond of its historical background and the city’s story is very interesting.

Another way of discovering if this little suburb is the perfect place to live is exploring its geographic location. Hilliard is about twenty minutes away from the city of Columbus and Hilliard currently has a population of about 28,797 people. One downfall with this city, just like any city in Ohio, is the weather. Ohio weather is known to be one of the worst climates in America. The rainy and off and on cold weather in the summer makes it hard to enjoy being outside. For people who are looking for a long warm summer climate, Hilliard may not be the perfect city for them.

After interviewing Kayla Miller, whom has lived in Hilliard since the 4^th grade, I discovered that this city is a very clean and a nice area to live. Kayla described how friendly and nice the people are. She also said that there is always something to do in Hilliard and her and her friends almost never get bored. She graduated from her high school with a class of about 480 students. Her high school was very big on sports, mostly football, so they always went to the games. For fun they love to go to the mall and take a walk in Homestead Park. One downfall that Kayla mentioned about living in Hilliard is all the construction that is happening on the main roads. This is causing much heavier traffic and a headache when trying to get to all the fun spots around town. Although Kayla loves her hometown, she mentioned that she felt the need to escape from Hilliard for a while.

So the question still remains but the answer all depends on one’s own living preferences. This is a beautiful city with a great reputation. Hilliard is full of fun things to do and friendly people to go hang out with. The schools are very good at all of their sports and the community is very closely bonded. This city has much diversity and if one doesn’t mind living in Ohio weather and in a suburban area, Hilliard would probably be the perfect place to live.

Medina, Ohio

I have lived in Medina for 13 years. My dad built the house we live in now and most of my friends I have known since I was 6 years old. I have made so many close friends in Medina and a lot of my family lives there. There is always something to do whether it's going to a bonfire or just hanging out at home with your close friends. The people there are extremely nice and medina is so pretty. My friends and I used to go to the regal cinema and go see the latest movies or we would go bowling at the bowling alley.

My Grandparents and cousins live right down the road from us and our family is very close. My best friend, Angela, lives right down the street from me also and her house is like my second home. We would always take walks to the creek at the end of our road or ride our bikes around town. We usually always had people over my house to hang out and had bonfires outside in my yard. When I was younger we used to go camping in my grandparents woods in their backyard. They had a creek and they had hills and trails to ride our four wheelers on. We always had so much fun and those camping trips I will never forget. The school I used to go to in medina was called Buckeye High School. I had so many close friends there. We used to go to all the football games and paint our faces orange and white or orange and brown. It was so much fun! Buckeye is one of my favorite memories from Medina because high school was an awesome part of my life.

About Me

My name is Sara Dieckman. I am 18 years old and a freshman at Ohio University. I am from Medina, OH and went to Buckeye High school. I am currently undecided but I am very interested in music and performing. At my high school I was part of an a cappella group and i've been singing and performing for 8 years. I also love to snowboard and go out with my friends. I am very easy going and friendly and i love to meet new people and make new friends.