You Want to Capture Something that Will Make People Change”: Rhetorical Persuasion in The Cove, Whale Wars and Sharkwater.

• Main Author: Stewart, Jessica
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: University of Canterbury. The School of Language, Social and Political Sciences 2014
• Subjects: dolphins; whales; sharks; activism; whaling; rhetoric; Aristotle; ethos; pathos; logos; The Cove; Whale Wars; Sharkwater; Taiji; shark-finning; International Whaling Commission; International Court of Justice; affect; environmentalism; ecofilms; mobilisation; documentary; animal rights; Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10092/10453; https://doi.org/10.26021/3979

Dolphins, whales and sharks are some of the world’s most iconic animals. Yet, many people will only ever see these animals via the media. The media, then, hold significant power in creating, modifying and/or reaffirming the imaginaries around various species which, in turn, influences how much concern is given to matters related to their welfare and conservation. Given the environmental and ecological concerns presently facing the ocean, protecting, conserving and preserving the marine ecosystem is vital, and time is of the essence. Through the work of activists, three specific marine wildlife issues have received a lot of publicity across various forms of mainstream media: the killing of dolphins in Taiji, Japan for their meat; Antarctic whaling; and the practice of shark-finning. Three activist films, namely The Cove (2009), Whale Wars (2008-) and Sharkwater (2006), are centred on these issues, and filmmakers attempt to compel viewers to support the activists’ cause. For this goal to have a chance of happening, rhetorical arguments must be carefully crafted. However, the study of rhetoric in animal-focused activist films is still an understudied research area. This project contributes to this area of research by using these three films as case studies and applying Aristotle’s rhetorical proofs of ethos, pathos and logos to analyse the rhetorical arguments. Ethos is demonstrated when the activists construct themselves as credible, moral heroes and the animals as possessors of positive traits worth protecting, and the hunters as immoral villains. The graphic, bloody imagery of animal death appeals to pathos to stir strong bodily and emotional responses such as sadness and disgust in order to mobilise audience support for the cause. Lastly, these films appeal to logos by using culturally authoritative discourses such as those of biological science, western conventional medicine, and the legal system. This thesis contends that these films work rhetorically and discursively to try to persuade audiences to feel a ...