11. A simple image can speak a thousand words. It may invoke thought, reasoning, memories, and even emotion. Emotion so powerful that it draws
tears from the viewer. An image has the ability to draw tears of grief, to the other spectrum of human emotion; tears of joy. Pictures bring to light
injustices and crimes that the viewer would otherwise never encounter. Reform is made possible through these moving photos such as that in the
meat packaging industry by the journalist Upton Sinclair. This is why a PowerPoint has been chosen as the mode of visual presentation for this
research paper. Using a PowerPoint as the digital medium of choice allows for a broad spectrum of images to be displayed chronologically so a
desired message may be adequately delivered. Like the student’s essay, the PowerPoint allows for tone to be controlled. The changing of slides
resembles the switching of paragraphs in an essay and each segment delivers a specific thought. A PowerPoint knows no age. It may be used to
entertain elementary aged children while still being sophisticated enough to retain the attention of graduate students. The original essay was indeed
a persuasive essay. When attempting to persuade, one of the main goals is to always try to sway as many minds as possible. This mode of
presentation allows for the student to effectively display their ideology to the mass that could number in the hundreds, or hypothetically thousands.
A PowerPoint without a doubt was wise method of presenting this student’s data.
When persuading some would say there is a formula to making a moving and lasting impression on the chosen audience. The formula
is a triangle. Not a geometric triangle, but the Rhetorical Triangle. It’s composed of three key elements; ethos, pathos, and logos. The student
effectively incorporated each key element by integrating each into his/her slides.
12. The first slide of the student’s presentation makes a strong appeal to Logos, or what is simply know
today as logistics. Logos relies on common knowledge or what may seem logical to a certain member of
the audience. The intro begins with “Let’s face it, Americans eat meat”. It draws on the common
knowledge that most Americans acknowledge meat is part of their daily lives. The images of the
backyard barbeque and hotdog at the ball park really hit home with the viewers accepting reality. To
further what the intended audience feels is personally logical, choices are given to the alternative of
eating meat in slides 8-9. The viewer may choose hunting or abstaining from meat completely. A satire
of the way the public commonly thinks is even included in slide 4. Images of “happy farms” are shown
with a farmer hugging his livestock to exemplify how wrong the average person is when they picture
where their meat comes from.
This student used adequate support to strengthen their credibility with the information and
statements included in their PowerPoint. This is the appeal to Ethos. The multimedia component is
derived originally from a research paper. He/she cited all work and ideas from the sites and literature
where it was pulled from or justified by. They integrated quotations from like-minded animal rights
activists throughout their written paper. Slide 9 states that meat can be easily substituted in one’s diet
numerous ways. Ethos is displayed in paragraph 2 of the student’s written paper; this is where they
integrated a quote that backs what was stated in slide 9. The quote was from an established and
notable writer from Green Lifestyle Magazine. Even the photos are from real life farms such as those
managed by the commercial farm powerhouse Tyson’s chicken.
What really moves viewers and many believe to be the top-tier of the
Rhetorical triangle is the appeal to pathos. Pathos is raw emotion. It moves viewers for or against a
cause and when used effectively, as in this presentation, it is the single most powerful tool in a writer’s
arsenal. The student effectively wields this force from the intro of the PowerPoint where they have
images of a ballpark, barbeque, and tasty burger. This invokes the viewer to feel warm with the
comforting emotions that accompany the memories associated with them. Once the trust of the viewer
is captured and the audience is at ease, the following slide is, at best, comical with Obama scratching his
head. It was included likely to induce laughter or the emotion of happiness in the form a simple smile.
Slide 5 is where the thesis of the PowerPoint is made. It shocks the viewers with pictures of tortured
and sick animals. It is what really drives home the intended message of the horrors found in today’s
commercial farming. Sorrow and guilt for the poor creatures is a prime example of how powerful an
appeal to Pathos can be.
