Lauren Painter Mehler / ENC3021.01 SPCA VS.

RHETORIC The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is a well-known organization that seeks to help innocent animals that have been hurt or injured as a result of abuse. They became more recognized after airing a commercial that sent viewers crying to the telephones, dialing to donate money to the society. What the audience does not know, however, is that persuasion through pathos in rhetoric played a large part in their urge to give money to the SPCA. Pathos (emotion) works in unification with logos (logic) and ethos (credibility) to help form a solid argument (Oring). But not every argument utilizes all three rhetorical devices. A speaker can choose which combination of rhetorical devices will fit best for their writing and the particular focus. When used correctly and ethically, pathos can make a flat argument come alive for the audience. Pathos evokes an emotional response from a reader by appealing to empathy, fear, humor, or some other emotion. This rhetorical device offers a way for the viewers to relate to the subject through commonalities: it is more likely to be considered true if it imitates the cognitive, moral, and emotional of its audience. Still, it is important to determine when pathos will be advantageous and when it will only complicate the issue further. This is why there is a negative relationship between rhetoric, persuasion, and emotion. Aristotle, Plato, and Kenneth Burke all argue against pathos, stating it can be manipulative, and prefer the use of logos and fact-based arguments in rhetoric. The SPCA commercial, airing around 2006, began with singer/songwriter Sarah McLachlans song, Angel. The song itself is rather upsetting and can incite different stages of sad

emotions. The commercial runs through various video snippets played over the song, interrupted by depressing narrative text slides that state, in this exact order: Every single hour, an animal is violently abused, 3,000 animals were rescued last year, and for hundreds of others, help came too late. The song continues with the videos of terrified kittens and injured dogs before the camera goes to McLachlan, her explaining how thousands of animals are abused and neglected each day, and that by donating you can save their lives. The commercial lists the phone number and website as she states, Right now, theres an animal who needs you. Your call says Im here to help. Aristotles idea of pathos ability to be manipulative stands true towards the SPCA commercial, as they lack logic and use emotion to persuade the audience. Aristotle preferred logic and fact-based presentations in order to provide the audience with a clear understanding of the speech or argument. He considered logos to be more ethical and morally sound. Pathos sways the minds of the audience based on feelings (Poulakos). In his text, Aristotle also states that pathos can use the emotions of anger and mildness; friendship and enmity; fear and boldness; shame and shamelessness; gratitude; pity and indignation; envy and emulation. The commercial plays on the viewers emotional state in order to get what they wantmoney. As the video shows clips of desperate animals, McLachlan narrates: Every day, innocent animals are abused, beaten and neglected. By stating this, the makers understand that human beings have a weakness for innocent creatures that are hurt. They are trying to make the audience upset, whether that be angry or sad. The music in the background also contributes to the emotional toying. Angel, in essence, is a naturally sad song, but directly correlates with the message of the commercialanimals need help, and you can be their angel. This causes the audience to become more heartfelt and sympathetic, leading to them giving a monthly giftan eighteen-

dollar donation to the society per month. The SPCA understands that viewers are more likely to donate after feeling bad and sorry for the animals. While this is a depressing subject matter, logic is not present in the commercial. They do not have conducted research on how many animals are abused, they simply display an estimated statistic and generalize it further by stating animals are abused every day. Aristotles theories directly relate to this commercial, emphasizing how our feelings get in the way of logical decision-making. In addition to Aristotles preference towards logos, Plato disagrees with pathos and the play on emotions when trying to be persuasive. Plato makes the argument that there are two types of persuasion: one aimed at belief and one aimed at knowledge, and that the superior is the one centered on logic and knowledge, as it provides something substantial to argue (Cain). In Platos Gorgias, the character of Gorgias acknowledges that those who are ignorant are inferior and can be persuaded simply through impressive language. Through the character of Socrates, Plato says that this would allow a rhetorician to trick his students into using rhetoric for unjust matters so that they get what they want. Plato criticizes persuasion through pathos because rhetoricians exploit the naivety of others to their advantage in order to win the argument (Cain). In the commercial, the language and words that are presented make the viewer feel sad and incite an emotional response. McLachlans tone through delivery seems passionate and sensitive, as she states: Right now, theres an animal who needs you, and the video clips played over her desperate tone manipulate the viewers through emotion by using images to make them feel sorry for the animals. Using this to their advantage, the organization gets more viewers to donate money to their society. They are consciously choosing to build from an emotional response rather than factsthere are no studies or research being displayed, only imagery of terrified and

helpless creatures. This relates to Platos ideas because he creates a clear distinction between persuasion aimed at knowledge and persuasion aimed at belief. While both Aristotle and Plato present matters relevant to the commercial, Burkes modern theories take on a role in the commercial, as it dramatizes what is happening with animals and allows viewers to identify with them. Colin Higgins states in his article about Burke: his view that humans constantly construct and reconstruct meaning from contexts is reflected by theorists of new rhetoric, who take up the epistemological and ontological position that reality is socially constructed, language is a means by which we construct and legitimate meaning, and all facts and theories are suspect with regard to their claims to truth. Burke essentially felt that the study of rhetoric would help people understand everything that is involved when we say what people are doing and why they are doing it. He focused primarily on dramatism, but his well-known concepts are identification and terministic screens. Identification suggests that whenever someone attempts to persuade someone else, this occurs, because in order to persuade, the audience must identify with the speaker/topic. Terministic screens are the filters comprised of language and symbolsthat we apply to understanding any sort of situation; looking at circumstances from different perspectives as language and symbols direct our attention in specific ways. For instance, a speaker selects from the collection of attitudes which surround a subject or object that will arouse the pattern of experience relative to their cause. Language and imagery work to construct appeals to pathosthe emotional appeals that connect to identification. These appeals can be challenging to identify, and are often based specifically on a culture or institution (Higgins). Based on these ideas, the viewers relate to the commercial by identifying these animals as if they were their own pets. This works to persuade them because it is rooted from their emotional urge to help the animal they believe could be their own.

Terministic screens allow viewers to look at it from a different perspectiveif the audience helped by donating and therefore saving animals lives versus them not donating, thus allowing more animals to be abused, or even suffer death. By considering these two options, the viewers are left feeling remorseful and guilty, also leading them to donate money to the SPCA. Burkes concepts are essential to this commercial because if it was not relatable through identification and terministic screens, viewers would most likely cease watching, much less donate money to the SPCA. Rhetoric is how people convince others about a point of view, narrow choices amongst alternatives, and a speakers ability to bend others toward their interests. Pathos refers to the audiences feelings and how speakers tend to be persuasive by prompting emotions like happiness, sadness, satisfaction, pity, or fear (Buch). Aristotle was specific about how he felt about pathos, but mainly how he prefers logic and truth rather than toying with emotions. In the video, there are no supported facts, only one saddening image after another and somber song. Plato emphasized how pathos caters to the emotions and is simply manipulative. Between the melancholy imagery, desperate tone of voice, and sensitive language, the SPCA attempts to persuade its viewers into donating money based on their temporary emotions. Burke claimed that persuasion can be achieved through identification and terministic screens, which deals with a lot of pathos, as the persuader conveys a sense that they understand and relate to the needs, values and desires of the audience. The commercial is using identification: symbols of hurt animals and sad-looking faces of creatures in the video clips as well as upsetting language that prompts its audience to give money emotionally. The SPCA commercial is based solely on feelings and an emotional response from its viewers. By evoking a reaction based on all these feelings through all these different methods, the SPCA is more likely to get more donations overall. This may be

effective, but it is not entirely ethical. Persuasion based on pathos and influencing others through emotions to accept the discourses presented in presentations describe how this influences the way they think, act and feel in relation to them (Buch). Rhetoric should never involve only one device, as it gives a sense of immorality or manipulation. Pathos is more than evident in the SPCA commercial and should provide more ethos and logos in its presentation.

Works Cited Buch, Robert. "The resistance to pathos and the pathos of resistance: Peter Weiss." The Germanic Review. 83.3 (2008): 241+. General OneFile. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://go.galegroup.com.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA186516784&v=2.1& u=tall85761&it=r&p=ITOF&sw=w>. Cain, R. Bensen. "Shame and Ambiguity in Platos Gorgias." Philosophy and Rhetoric. 41.3 (2008): 212-237. Project MUSE. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://muse.jhu.edu.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/journals/philosophy_and_rhetoric/v041/41.3.cain. html>. Higgins, Colin, and Robyn Walker. "Ethos, Logos, Pathos: Strategies of Persuasion in Social/environmental Reports." Accounting Forum. 36.3. (2012): 194-208. ScienceDirect. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://dx.doi.org.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/10.1016/j.accfor.2012.02.003>. Oring, Elliott. "Legendry and the Rhetoric of Truth." Journal of American Folklore. 121.480 (2008): 127-166. Project MUSE. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://muse.jhu.edu.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/journals/journal_of_american_folklore/v121/121.4 80.oring.html>. Poulakos, John, and Nathan Crick. "There is Beauty Here, Too: Aristotles Rhetoric for Science." Philosophy and Rhetoric. 45.3. (2012): 295-311. Project MUSE. Web. 1 Dec. 2012. <http://muse.jhu.edu.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/journals/philosophy_and_rhetoric/v045/45.3.poula kos.html >.