AOW #6- "Animals 'shrinking' due to climate change"

"Animals 'shrinking' due to climate change"
by Nick Collins for The Telegraph (Sun. October 16, 2011)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/climatechange/8830023/Animals-shrinking-due-to-climate-change.html

This is a credible source because it is a well-established world-wide news source. It has earned the respect of its audience over the years. The author works for this well-rounded company, so clearly he must be reliable.

This article is about how all different species worldwide are increasingly becoming smaller generation to generation. Scientists predict that this is due to the massive climate changes that are occurring in the present day. Because of these climate changes, species are not able to get enough food, and this causes their smaller size as well as fewer offspring and increased susceptibility to harmful disease. This is a growing issue in today's world.

The context of this piece is at a time where global warming is a major, worldwide issue that needs to be addressed immediately. The human race as a global whole is becoming more and more aware and concerned with the situation.

The purpose of this article is to inform the audience about the dangerous, lasting effects of the environmental state our world is currently in. It addresses an issue that many people may not be fully educated about (global warming) and goes more in depth to one side of the problem (shrinking animal sizes).

The audience that this is piece is written for is really the general public. It is an issue that all people should be informed of and well-educated concerning. The article is specifically directed at those who are interested in the issue of global warming and want to know what is going on with our planet.

Some rhetorical elements in this piece include:

• strong appeal to pathos- This article plays on the emotions of the audience. It makes the reader imagine these poor little animals who are dying from lack of nutrition and have no way to care for themselves. It installs a sense of pity in the reader and a need to do something to help.
• diction- Since this article revolves quite a bit around a scientific topic, some of the diction is advanced and scientific. The author does a good job of attempting to use language that the general public can easily understand, but at times it gets very scientific.
• appeal to logos- This article consists of many statistics and numerical information. At times, it is hard to follow, but it adds to the ethos of the author since he must know what he is talking about to be able to add such straight facts.

I think that the author accomplished his purpose. As the reader, I took a lot out of this article. I am not very educated about the topic of global warming, though I know it is an issue I should be concerned with. In reading this article, I was able to understand it a little bit better.