Project 2: Rhetorical Analysis

Rhetoric is a constant occurrence in the daily life of every person.  Many of these encounters we do not even realize are actually rhetoric.  Past experiences cause us to make assumptions and perceive individuals, objects, events and ideas in certain ways.  Laura Bolin Carrol, an English instructor, studies this idea and defines the parts of rhetoric in her article “Briefcases versus Backpacks.”  Carrol explains to us, all advertisements are rhetoric no matter the purpose it has or who creates the piece, and each of these ads contains exigence, rhetors, audience(s), and constraints.  Exigence is the problem or situation that causes a reaction.  The rhetors are those whom create the ad and direct it at an audience.  The most complicated part of rhetoric is constraints, which Carrol declares, “can be beliefs, attitudes, documents, facts, traditions, images, interests, [and] motives.  Constraints limit the way the discourse is delivered or communicated” (49).  The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) creates many advertisements to try to bring awareness to people of the world about what is happening to nature.

            The credibility, or rather, ethos, of the WWF is absolute.   Work is done in over 100 countries and there are around 5 million supporters.  This organization focuses on conserving nature and reducing urgent dangers, which threaten all types of life on Earth.  Many advertisements focus on particular endangered animals , but some of them concentrate on larger problems.  One particular poster is a metaphor of the earth and an ice cream cone.   The exigence of this ad is it was created in hopes of helping people to understand the earth is going through a temperate cycle of global warming.  The caption under the picture reads,

The first signs of global warming are visible.  We urgently need to limit greenhouse gas emissions.  Nothing and no one will be spared from climate change.  This warning is therefore to all people, all countries, and, in particular, to the Belgium Council of Ministers, who on the weekends of March 20 and 25, will have to decide what action to take regarding essential measures linked to the Kyoto Protocol. (3)

            While the caption is small, the rhetor, the WWF, words very well the situation all peoples are in.  Every single person on this planet is the audience, for many people contribute so much carbon dioxide being placed in the atmosphere.  The Belgium Council of Ministers passed the Kyoto Protocol, which is directed at fighting global warming, and “since the start of negotiations…the Belgian authorities have always taken favourable position towards an ambitious climate change regime, both at the international and European level…The Belgian position also results from the clear awareness that a global threat calls for a global solution” (Van Hecke 3).  What actions taken within this protocol are of great importance.  For an organization focused on issues such as global warming, it comes as no surprise this article would be directed at the Council.

            The caption and ad, in general, do not appeal to the logos, intellectual reason, of the audience.  No statistics are stated along with the warning, but there are so many details, which are important, that it would be too much to write on the ad.  One could argue the ad does at least invite the audience to learn more by posting the WWF logo on the bottom right so audiences could visit the website to gain knowledge on the issue.              The poster certainly appeals more to the pathos of the viewers, the pathetic appeals. The black background creates a sullen picture ensuring audiences despair and darkness for the earth is coming.  The surrounding glow creates a sense of worth of its power and beauty.    The world is melting, and anyone who has had an ice cream cone understands the ice cream is going to continue melting at an exponential pace unless refrozen.  So the earth will continue to warm unless we find ways to “refreeze” the world.  This has a very real chance of creating a sense of sadness.  This world is the only one people have.   Space programs are searching for other habitable planets, but these can be light years away and setting up communities at these places will take decades upon decades to happen, if it ever does in the first place.  So, the WWF evokes sadness and urgency to peoples’ perceptions.

            Constraints of the advertisement include a limited audience, doubt, and answers.   The WWF is a fairly well known organization.  Shirts baring the panda logo can be seen and there is much support by followers, but a problem from them is so many daily rhetoric encounters are due to television.  WWF has very few commercials, and of those that are, they are aired in other countries such as Australia and Canada.  The main ways of gaining support for this institute in America is by Youtube videos and by gaining support and partnerships with companies like Nike, Coca-Cola, and Johnson & Johnson.

            The beliefs of people play a large part the constraints of the article.  Some people do not think our emissions of greenhouse gases are the cause of this problem.  If they believe there is even a change at all, they feel this just the natural cycle of Earth.  Then there are other people who look to their general location and construct an opinion from this.  For example, a handful of people in the state of Ohio feel the weather is just as cold as always in the winter and will make comments showing disbelief in the theory of global warming. 

            What the WWF wants all people to know is global warming is a very real issue that all countries have to face. There are many facts of which people may not be aware.  Global warming is caused by an increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and potentially by an orbital shift at this time.  The earth has always gone through warm and cold cycles, but those cycles took place over several hundreds of years.  This warming is over a period of less than a century.   The average temperature has raised about 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit above the normal average, and this is the highest average in the last four hundred years or so.  Carbon dioxide is being produced by deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels.  The plants and ocean cannot absorb this at the same rate it is produced.  Not all scientists agree with the notion this change is happening, but global warming is accepted by the national science academics and also by all key industrialized countries. 

 Other very real facts about changes occurring are the Arctic ice is disappearing, coral reefs are bleaching due to stress, there is an increase in extreme weather episodes, and glaciers and mountain snows are melting.  WWF partner National Geographic observes, “Montana’s Glacier National Park now has only 27 glaciers, versus 150 in 1910.  In the Northern Hemisphere, thaws also come a week earlier in spring and freezes begin a week later” (Global 1).  These glaciers have decreased at a rapid speed of 82 percent in a century.  These two extra weeks of warmness are not exactly going to be noticed by the average person.  WWF puts out articles like the melting ice cream earth to let people know they really need to educate themselves.

The last constraint is the lack of answers. People are scared of facing a large-scale problem like this, so naturally some are in denial they individually can cause this or contribute enough to make any kind of difference both positively and negatively.  The best way to help them deal with it is to give them answers.  WWF tells us to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, but sometimes people do not understand how to do this.  There are many small ways to contribute to cleaner air.  One can reduce the amount of electricity used, pack the refrigerator tightly, use less water, use energy efficient light bulbs, and carpool to work.  The advertisement is not the right placement for so many options like this and the many other options out there.  The ad is really constrained to only informing and bringing awareness about the problem of global warming.  A label “To learn more about global warming and how to make a difference go to:” along with a web address to educate people would have been a good addition to the advertisement.  People are not as open when they are only told they have to start making a change.  They become much more receptive when also given an option and/or better solution. 

Overall, the advertisement has purpose and credibility.  It really is a beautiful and thought provoking piece of art.  The metaphor of ice cream and the world was very genius for it fits the response WWF wants to get from the audience: the realization our world is literally melting and we have to make a change to prevent any further damage.