A second Thought About Animals

In “A Second Thought About Animals,” Rifkin claims that animals, not only the ones close to humans, feel pain, suffer and experience stress, affection, excitement and even love. In a study about pigs performed by Purdue University, it was found that pigs crave affection and are easily depressed if isolated. As of 2012 the European Union has outlawed the use of isolated pig stalls. Another example Rifkin gives is that at the Washington National Zoo an orangutan given a mirror used it to see parts of its body it could not otherwise see. This action showed that the orangutan has a sense of self awareness which up until lately most people believed only humans contained such an ability. A third example given by Rifkin is a 300 pound gorilla named Koko from the Gorilla Foundation in Northern California was taught sign language and knows thousands of english words. This sophisticated language ability is another attribute that was thought only to be found in humans.

Rifkin uses pathos to grab the attention of the reader. He wants the reader to feel as though they need to do something about all the animal testing going on the world. Rifkin uses pathos to appeal to the reader’s imaginations and sympathies.

Rifkin’s use of pathos works because many people will sympathize for animals, as many people come to love animals.

Kristof’s views on the gun regulation laws in the United States are drawn to the negative due to the fact that they are not strict enough in his opinion. Another main point he had brought up in his paper was that politicians do not want to go up against the N.R.A. In light of the looser laws regarding to guns, children five to fourteen in the U.S. are thirteen times more likely to be killed by a gun than children the same age in other industrialized countries. He had stated that in Canada there are new gun regulation laws that have dropped the fatality by forty percent and in the past years since placing the law in effect there has been no gun massacres. After that he brought up the twenty-eight day waiting period and two person voucher agreement in Canada to buy a handgun. He then went on to compare the gun laws to automobile laws. Since the fifties car safety laws have increased greatly and now America’s death rate per mile driven has decreased by ninety percent. While the gun laws really have not gone through much change. Kristof suggests that a starting point for change would be to allow only one gun purchase a month per person, restrict the sale of high capacity magazines, universal background checks on all gun buyers, and also make serial numbers more difficult to erase. In Kristof’s paper he uses good reasons supported by evidence to persuade the reader that the gun regulatory laws are unsatisfactory and need to updated. Kristof’s paper is effective in persuading a reader to realize that the gun laws in the United States are to relaxed.  

I plan on studying business management in the future. I have used the word evidence in history class. I used the word evidence to stand in for the facts on a case. I do not partake in any writing activities outside of school. As a writer I feel as though my skills and technique are equal to my peers.