She uses colloquial language, “But hang on a minute…running around…in our backyards,” this is used to convey ideas to the reader through an easier way, the effect is, that of an friend having an conversation with you, it is used to put us at ease to seem that she can be trusted, and the language involves everyone, especially using the possessive adjective “our” and “We’re“ this effect in context with colloquial language is that the piece becomes avuncular and inclusive and it invites us to contribute, this makes the writer identify herself with the readers, this encourages the readers to agree with her view and to make us sympathetic to her views. She also uses a rhetorical question, “Whatever is…in this day and age?” to lead on to her arguments, this question makes us feel involved, as it seems as if she cares about our own opinions, it also adds emphasis and stresses the point that we can not allow an animal in a cage, they have the same effect as the use of directives-they make you think that the writer is talking to you personally. The exaggerated tone of the question makes us think about the point of the question and agree with her.
This paragraph has a certain amount of sarcasm and Aunt Sally in it, the exaggeration in, “the tiger is living it up like nobody’s business.” Makes the zoo director sound bad, and the section of, “saved from having to earn…it doesn’t even have to walk anywhere.” In it one can detect the sarcasm of her writing, on quoting the zoo director. The quote in itself makes the animals sounds quite like prisoners really, with their “meals handed to it on a plate,” and “it doesn’t even have to walk anywhere,” the effect of that compared with the fact she hints to us about the, “zoo director’s office” is that of the zoos using the animals as exhibits to make themselves rich. Also the tone of, “with his tongue only half way in his cheek,” brings out the bad habits of the person that she has interviewed the effect of that is to present to us negative opinion of him and also the sentence has a literal meaning as well, of not meaning what you say so that the effect is she doesn’t want us to take his views seriously. Also an Aunt Sally was used in describing the zoos as an, “Welfare state,” this suggests to us that she does not agree with the views of the zoo director and it is an irony that the zoos are described as an, “welfare state.”
Another Aunt Sally is used to great effect in describing her feelings to the reasons “trotted” out by the zoo whenever their existence is challenged. Also the words in quotations, “an ambassador for the wild” is there because it reinforces her opinions of zoos and their well-used phrases, as she doesn’t believe them.
She uses her title of, “as an anthropologist…” this gives credibility to her article and research as we think she would give an unbiased opinion, but in fact this is a trick so that we think she is not biased, but rather using the title, she hides herself and still, gives us the biased opinions under the pretence of being a scientist, “having spent hours…” She repeats herself once more as she says, ”watching people watching animals,” this merely emphasis the point that her subject is on humans and repeating the point in the sub-headings, this is also an anecdote so that we believe in her because she has experience. She then goes on to say her conclusions after giving us her title of an anthropologist and make her sound more reliable, she goes on to say about her opinions of zoos, it is almost a directive/imperative language as she says, “no zoo can fulfil… no zoo can bring about…presents a distorted picture…” this almost commands us to believe in her research and her conclusion. Also another important is the use of 3 words grouped together, “good, bad, best in the world” the “good, bad, best,” bit emphasises the point, it somehow strengthens and stresses the point she is making.
Another good persuasive trick used by her is to mingle fact with opinion and make it sound all like fact, in this next paragraph we see her doing just that, “many of the main European zoos were founded at the beginning of the last century…” this is all fact and now she astutely and subtly adds her opinions on that, “ hand in hand with the spirit of adventure…conquest and acquisition…it is no coincidence that the zoo as we know it sprang up in the colonial era…” this makes us understand the real reasons for displaying the animals while it is still only her opinion. This affects us on whether we believe and trust the text, she gives a lot of facts but she has hidden her opinions in the form of fact among the facts, so we would tend to believe her, she uses opinions based on facts while giving facts as examples to illustrate her point.
To further the readability of her article, colloquial language is used to simplify the language barrier between the grammatically correct English and her colloquialism so that it is easier to read and to digest the information, “these days…gawp” a rhetorical question is used, “so what do the zoos do?” this is colloquial language with rhetorical question working at the same time. The answer has sarcasm built in, she hypes what the zoos say they do, “serious scientific research…total commitment to conservation…vital role as educators…” then she dashes it all to pieces with 2 sharp points, “they go to see the animals-and to be entertained.” The effect of that is to drag down the zoos lofty ideals so that she can now put her argument to use with the subject now, of why we need zoos, this is divide and conqueror, she uses a linked process of arguments and then one by one she moves on to another stage and to convince us in the end to her beliefs.
Another rhetorical question, “Just what do people see when they look at an animal in a zoo?” this time it is all in a paragraph of its own, this is so, so that we would have time to reflect on the question before she goes on to one of her main arguments.
We then see the use of inclusive language, “we’re…most of us…we…tell us” this language includes us and therefore more closer to the author’s thoughts and we would believe it more as the argument appeals to us as the reader.
In the next paragraph, we see emotive language been used, “harmful…stripped…torn away…reduced it to be an object to be observed,” the emotive language used appeals to our heartstrings and it arouses strong feelings within us, to do something to stop the suffering.
Colloquial language is also present in this piece, “humans are always on top.” And exaggeration (hyperbole) are used, “humans are at the centre of the universe,” this is so because she is using it to stress a particular point and emphasise it, to us it would seem that it is important and more real than it is.
The quotes in quotation marks are there because of a special reason, she has compiled them through her watching and she is using Aunt Sally to shame the opposition and bring mild ridicule to the people involved, with some parodying, “lazy…snobbish…come here and say hello then…he’s looking at you.”
Anecdote is used to show that it is humans who have set up barriers between the animals and us, “the time I spent outside the cages…” also emotive language is also employed, “cages…robbed of all its natural dignity,” this makes us more sensitive to the animal’s pains and sufferings. We can see a classic example of fact with opinion mixing and brings out the worst of the facts, “enclosed in a space…designed and controlled by humans…zoos are the masters of illusions.”
In the next paragraph, use of Aunt Sally and a rhetorical question is mixed together by the quote of, “How disgusting? How could they?” she put it in quotes because she doesn’t believe in it and it presents a mild ridicule to the public, she is parodying it.
She uses exaggeration, “a plastic tree,” so that the rest of her offers of e.g. a space of appropriate size doesn’t seem too harsh and over the top, she does this because it would make the zoos sound worse than they really are.
In the next paragraph we can see the that she uses anecdotes and facts and examples on how we should behave, she, by giving us examples and demonstrating the benefits of it, persuades us to be nicer to animals and respect them, this including with examples makes us more receptive to the idea and we would through the sheer logic of it be persuaded to behave ourselves in zoos.
In her conclusion repetition is used via, “good, bad, best” this merely emphasises the point and with 3 words it makes the argument more fuller and more persuasive. Also she uses 2 rhetorical questions, “How much longer is the tiger going to have to lie on its slab of concrete? How much longer are we to drag children past this 3-D version of their storybook character and urge them to wave at its tail?” In the first question we see the exaggeration of “slab” which can be a repetition as well. She has repeated the shortcomings of the zoos to emphasise her point. Also she in the end kept the readers in deep thoughts at the end through her last rhetorical question.
In conclusion, we see that she uses various techniques to persuade us, she repeats points to emphasise her points, she puts anecdotes in for real experiences, she keeps the reader feeling important by the use of questions asking for their opinions, put comparisons between objects e.g. her scientific views and immediately after the Aunt Sallies, exaggeration (hyperbole), selective descriptions of the zoo e.g. slabs of concrete, including informal speeches in so to make the reader feel at ease, she doesn't exaggerate too mush to make it sound like a campaign or an advert, she kept it informative, she included a lot of passion and emotive languages, she kept entertainment as a secondary purpose, she has made scapegoats e.g. the zoo directors, she has invoked sympathy from the readers over the conditions of the animals, she has reiterated the quotes so that it is out of context and makes the visitors look bad, she has in it a lot of short sharp point, she appealed to people’s consciences by including a lot of emotive languages and she has kept the readers in deep thoughts at the end of it.