ipl-logo

Rhetorical Analysis: PETA Making A Social Noise

479 Words2 Pages

Many animals are abused everyday. Chickens and other farm animals are constantly being killed for food. In this article, “PETA Making a Social Noise: A Perspective on Shock Advertising,” Jonathan Matusitz and Maya Forrester focus on the fact that PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) often goes too far with their advertisements. Animal rights groups such as PETA use shock advertising as a means of getting the message that abusing animals, eating animals, or using animals in entertainment is wrong (Matusitz and Forrester). Matusitz and Forrester look to expose PETA’s indecent advertisements, but the argument relies too heavily on pathos than any other rhetorical appeal. Even though this article relies too heavily on pathos, its …show more content…

The intended audience for this article is people who either work for PETA or follow them. Matusitz and Forrester are trying to prove that while PETA’s advertisements are effective, they are often close to crossing the line. PETA was founded in 1980, and is one of the foremost organizations born out of the animal rights movement (Matusitz and Forrester). PETA is an animal rights organization who often uses risque advertisements to get their point across. They also use shock advertising. Shock advertising is essentially “a method of advertising designed to capture attention and attract the general public to a certain cause” (Matusitz and Forrester). Shock advertising is mostly used in animal rights campaigns and advertisements. PETA is most known for using this method in their advertisements. For example, in one of PETA’s campaign in 2003, they used an allusion to the Holocaust. “In 2003, the Holocaust on Your Plate campaign aimed at comparing the butchering of chickens to the killing of Jews in WWII” (Matusitz and Forrester). While Matusitz acknowledges that PETA does an exceptional job of showcasing the imagery, he also sees that the Holocaust is a very sensitive topic, and in comparing the two PETA is very close to going too far. Matusitz and Forrester showcases this by using actors/models, imagery, and

More about Rhetorical Analysis: PETA Making A Social Noise

Open Document