Animal Captivity Rhetorical Analysis

The keys idea of this was animal captivity which is at peak publicity with many individuals and group revolting against the treatment of animals in zoos who belong in the wild. People often visits zoos and just enjoy the animals without giving much thought to where they came from and who they belong to. Some animals are taken from their natural habitat and put in environments that are different to their previous surroundings. Although zoos do their best to provide for the animals, I wanted to write from the point of view of the giraffe as he moves from his home and loses part of his family. In modern day, money is often the main consideration in animals, therefore their wellbeing is often ignored if money can be generated at their expense.

The audience is children who will enjoy the narrative and characters and adults who will understand underlying theme of animal captivity. Those with a passion for ending animal captivity will enjoy the issues this piece raises. Additionally, those capture these wild animals should read this piece in order for them to understand their impact. The motivation of this piece was to raise awareness of the impact captivity can have on animals. Its purpose was to raise awareness and to change individual's mind of supporting animal being taken from their safe home just to be put in an enclosure to be looked at.

The piece is written in first person from the point of view from a male giraffe. This was chosen to allow the readers to understand his thoughts and emotions as events took place. It also provides a unique perspective as we all wonder what animals are thinking.

The main theme of this piece is animal captivity and family. I chose these themes as most of the audience would have a family and can relate to those instinctual feelings you may have towards your loved ones. The underlying theme of this piece which becomes clearer towards the end is animal captivity. The title is “The Loved One” which is what the giraffe named his child. I chose this to convey the level of love present between the characters and to foreshadow the main twist of the story which is their “loved one” being taken away from them.

The text is based on the theme of anthropomorphism which is the act of animals behaving and portraying human characteristics. The use of this, widens its appeal to the audience, allowing children to enjoy the story, whilst still conveying the strong message of animal captivity to those who are able to understand the underlying theme. Zoomorphism is also present which is when animal attributes are imposed upon humans which is present in the line “these weird little ants”.

The piece includes a variety of techniques to further convey and explore the themes.

One of the main techniques used was rhetorical questions. I included this to emphasize the confusion the giraffe is feeling and to get the audience thinking more comprehensively about animal captivity. Some examples of this is “Where the heck am I?” and “But how do I do that?” Most people simply admire the animals without giving much thought to what those seemingly happy animals are going through. Especially a species such as the giraffe, which has such a graceful and peaceful presence.

Another technique used was imagery to allow the audience to feel like they really understood what the giraffe and his family were facing. One of the main lines that illustrated this was “There’s jagged, ridged and charcoal fences surrounding me and chubby and flushed faces attached to short necks gawking at me.” The detail of this sentence allows the audience to create a vivid picture in their mind and possible see what it is like on the other side of the

fence.

Irony is present throughout the piece mainly in the form of dramatic irony as the audience is aware of information that the character doesn’t know. This is present in the line “I’m starving and those short, weird, giraffes on the other side of the fence aren’t sharing their food.” The audience is able to understand that those “giraffes” as the main character sees them are actually humans. There is also irony in the fact that the giraffes get married as the readers are well aware that giraffes are incapable of marrying. This allows the audience to feel more involved and further enhances the comic effect of the story.

Onomatopoeia was present in the line “There were rhinos, cheetahs and hyenas who cackled even after the sun went down”. This makes the line more expressive and interesting. Another technique used was similes. For example, the line “It’s like expecting a whale to fit into a rock pool” and “The sun was a fireball”. This was used as it sparks the audience's imagination and further conveys the giraffe point of view.

Emotive language was used throughout, especially in the paragraph after Kipenzi was born. There were lines such as “I knew, from that day on that my sole purpose in life was to be this child's protector, carer, motivator and most importantly, her friend.” Anyone who has ever loved someone can connect to this language as they know what it’s like to do whatever you could for another individual.

Hyperbole is a technique that was used consistently throughout the piece. For example in the line “but in that split second I knew.” This exaggeration of how quick he was overcome with those emotions is unlikely. This further conveys the his adoration for his child and adds a comic effect to the piece.

Direct address pronoun was used in this piece in the form of ‘you’.

For example in the line “I mean, have you seen how tall I am!”. This makes the piece more inclusive and makes the audience feel as if they are in the story. It also helps to engage the reader and gives it a more friendly and inviting tone.

Metaphors are also present in the line “That was a very long dry season” which refers to the wife's pregnancy. This compares the dry season of Africa to the lack of intimacy between the couple and the emotional implications it has on the husband. Another metaphor was in the line “flooded our hearts” which emphasis the happiness the giraffe is feeling. This is further supported by the oxymoron “brisk blush” which follows the metaphor. An oxymoron is combination of two contradictory terms. This increases the complexity of the narrative and adds intensity as it doesn’t state the obvious.

Idioms which are phrases that have a hidden meaning different to the literal meaning of the phrase were another technique used in the piece. It was used specifically in the line “batten down the hatches”. This means to prepare yourself for danger of harm as if you were a ship preparing for a storm. This expresses how the giraffe is feeling a quicker and more engaging

way,

The conclusion of the narrative alludes to a panic attacks to provide the animal with human characteristics in order to inform the audience about how animals may be feeling. This is another example of anthropomorphism. The short sentences also change the pattern of reading and further build suspense.

I also placed a cliffhanger at the end where it’s revealed that the giraffe and his wife were separated from their daughter. This creates more suspense and leaves the readers thinking about the story after they have read it. It also highlights that just as the audience will never know what happened to Kipenzi, as will her parents.