Analysis Of The Ocean's Glory And Horror By Brian Skerry

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“The Ocean’s Glory – and Horror” is a speech given by Brian Skerry that depicts the impact humans can have on the ocean and the species within it. Brian Skerry is an underwater photographer and decided that people didn’t completely understand what was occurring underneath the surface of that sparkly blue ocean that they love so much. Skerry emphasizes how the audience needs to explore these different perspectives to get a new understanding of how life beneath the ocean’s surface really works. This lecture also grabbed my attention due to the fact that it goes along with my major in marine biology. The entire speech focuses on giving the audience a new point of view of the ocean and key factors in preserving the beauty of the deep blue. This …show more content…

Skerry says, “The ocean is, indeed, resilient and tolerant to a point, but we must be good custodians.” These words shape the foundation of Skerry’s message to preserve the beautiful ocean we have. The intended audience the speaker is trying to reach are all those who know little to nothing about the ocean and the challenges it is facing. The speaker states, “more and more frequently these days I 'm seeing terrible things underwater as well, things that I don 't think most people realize.” Skerry believes that many people are not well informed about what occurs in the depths of the ocean and decides to focus on them throughout his …show more content…

The first story that the speaker refers to is a story on the harp seals in Canada that get mercilessly killed by the natives every year just after they have been born. Skerry says, “It actually is the largest marine mammal slaughter on the planet, with hundreds of thousands of these seals being killed every year.” This use of pathos resonates with all the parents in the room who have children who are helpless when they are first born. They are just sweet and innocent animals and do not deserve to be treated in such a ruthless way. One example of logos in this speech is when the speaker discusses the effect humans have had on the big fish population over the last half century or so. Skerry articulates that, “I read a scientific paper that stated that 90 percent of the big fish in the ocean have disappeared in the last 50 or 60 years.” This is a use of logos because it uses factual information to give truth to Skerry’s point about how humans are harming the fish population. Brian Skerry is an underwater photographer which gives him a special connection with his speech. Skerry tells, “I would like to share with you this morning some stories about the ocean through my work as a still photographer for National Geographic magazine.” This job as an underwater photographer and photojournalist makes Brian Skerry an extremely credible source with a special point of view, most

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