Rhetorical Strategies By Jeremy Rifkin, The Writer Of A Change Of Heart About Animals

Anytime a discussion emerges regarding inhumane treatment, there is usually a rise of controversial problems about whether animals should be treated like human beings and be given rights. Many people feel that only human beings should have rights, while other counters this statement to argue animals should also enjoy privileges the same as human beings. Jeremy Rifkin, the writer of “A Change of Heart about Animals,” asserted that we should treat animals better than we are doing currently. In this article, the author rhetorically alters an individual’s views regarding this subject without their consent. Rifkin started the article by demonstrating the existing human qualities possessed by animals, and then processed it to offer the reader a counter statement to various common objections and ends with utilizing a hostile language to show how inhumane animals are currently being treated. This argument is significant since it shed light on a sensitive topic that challenges our minds to think about how animals should be treated. This essay will discuss how Rifkin employs various rhetorical strategies to pass a message on how animals are being treated in an inhumane manner and their effectiveness.

The first strategy employed by Rifkin is the use of Animal names. Rifkin uses this strategy in building an argument about how animals should receive equal treatment as human beings his subtle of using animal names while introducing data. During the presentation of data regarding the new research related to the abilities to solve problems of New Caledonian Crowns, For instance, Rifkin, in a creative manner, described the way “Abel, the more dominant male…stole Betty’s hook” to acquire an improved feeding instrument (Rifkin, np). In such a case, Rifkin had the option of ignoring the subject –assessment name of that bird, which the technicians gave and had no significant impact on that experiment conclusion. However, Rifkin presents a human feature to animals above what was suggested by the generated data. The data presented argued that animals could have human qualities like solving problems, learning, and communicating. Hence offering their test names, Rifkin invites us to think of animals in ways that are only reserved for use by human beings. The strategy is effective since it creates a relationship about the similarity between animals mentioned and human beings. Therefore, it helps Rifkin in building his assertion about how we ought to “expand and deepen our empathy to include the broader community of creatures with whom we share the earth” (Rifkin, np).

Another strategy employed by Rifkin is the use of negative language. Rifkin led the audience in believing that they must improve the way they treat animals by employing negative language to demonstrate how people are currently treating animals. Towards the end of the article, Rifkin has asked many questions wherein every question he uses negative words like where he asserted that “animals are subjected each year to painful laboratory experiments” as well as “raised under the most inhumane conditions” (Rifkin, np). Besides, Rifkin claimed that animals mostly are being used “for slaughter and human consumption.” Most of his words were negative such as inhumane, subjected, as well as slaughtered were employed to mean human beings treat animals (Rifkin, np). If something is being subjected, it means one is powerlessly controlling it to do something pleasing and thinking about inhumane; it means what is being done is very wrong. This strategy is effective since it makes us believe that the way animals are treated is not acceptable and should be changed. The use of negative words has made people see this from another perspective and start changing the way we treat animals currently.

Conclusively, the author of this article has used various rhetorical strategies to pass a critical issue regarding how we are currently treating animals. Through the use of strategies such as using negative words and giving animals names, the author can influence his audience to agree with his perspective regarding animals. Rifkin believes that animals have the same abilities as human beings, such as communicating, learning, and finding solutions to numerous problems. Therefore, Rifkin asserted that human beings should evaluate their ways and start treating animals with dignity and giving them equal rights.