It’s Time to End Pet Misery Year 11 Draft Essay

In the opinion piece Lets End Pet Misery, featured in the Herald Sun on the 21st of July 2009, writer Susie OBrien responds to the issue of animal cruelty in Victoria. In an outraged tone, the writer pleads with pet lovers and everyone else as closely to deliver a new bill that aims to make animal desexing compulsory, reducing the rates of unwanted offspring and acts of animal cruelty committed against these animals. The writer begins her controversy with the use of alliteration paired with a cliche. A single stroke of the pen can save pets from a short life of misery. The alliteration of the deuce words single and stroke draws more focus to the cliche a single stroke of a pen. This emphasises how easily the problem could be solved, angering the lector due to the little that has been done to solve the problem. This technique also works to instil guilt within the reader, making it more likely for them to dramatize sue in assisting the cause, thereby supporting the writers cont ention to support the compulsory desexing of pets. One technique the writer uses is a frightening statistic that has been juxtaposed in a larger text. In Victoria alone, 300 dogs are put down every day.Thats more than 100,000 a year. This unbelievably imposing statistic is a perfect technique to support the writers contention. It is able to appeal to the fear and concern of pet lovers and all other citizens alike. This statistic works very well to draw the readers attention, due to its intelligent position just below the heading, and works to recruit more people to the cause, as most would be unable to stop reading after being confronted with such a statistic. Additionally, it would inspire more people to support the writers contention and charter action to stop all this death.One of the writers strongest persuasive technique is the use of a widely known anecdote paired with strong, affectional language. In a devastating attack, someone hacked off his ears and tail and then le ft him to die in paroxysm. Through the use of the well-known story nigh Buckley, an eight week old Victorian puppy, the writers argument is strengthened in the eyes of many readers, as a majority of them would make believe heard of the story, and resented the horrific act of animal cruelty. Her argument is again reinforced by several instances of colourful language.Phrases like hacked off and die in pain dont exaggerate the malevolence of the crime, but instead work to give the reader a clearer image of the vile act. This then makes the reader smell out more strongly about the issue, making it more likely they do something about it. The strong use of visual media paired with the article is successful in giving the story an even greater effect working as the figurative icing on the argument. The largest image that revealing the extent of Buckleys shocking injuries, is a perfect accompaniment to the text, giving the reader a true idea of the result of his terrible wounds.Addition ally, the images of pets behind bars, with their innocent eyes, and somewhat fearful style makes the reader compare them to prisoners whom have been wrongly accused forced to live a life of confinement for anothers crimes. These elements make readers wish to take action ending the injustice, and is effective in supporting the writers contention. The opinion piece, Lets End Pet Misery, is effective in persuading readers to support the authors pledge to introduce a law making the desexing of pets compulsory.Whilst using a highly angered tone, the writer uses alliteration in join with a cliche to give readers a greater idea of how appalling the governments inaction is. The writer also shocks her readers through the use of an appall statistic, revealing the true magnitude of the deaths of unwanted animals. Furthermore, the use of a terrifying anecdote used together with colourful language, as well as the images in the piece alert readers to the severity of the situation and appeal to ones empathy, ultimately encouraging us to share an equally outraged view.