Rhetorical Analysis: Dogara, By Kieron Monks

The purpose of this essay is to analyze the rhetorical strategies, ethos, logos, and pathos, from a literary stance. Both articles are built around the terrible epidemic which is illegal. Unreported, and Unregulated(IUU) fishing. The two authors are Kieron Monks and STOP ILLEGAL FISHING. Monks’ article “The great fish robbery that costs Africa billions” uses an emotional platform to produce his article while “West Africa loses $1.3bn to Illegal fishing activities yearly – Dogara” written by STOP ILLEGAL FISHING uses a logical basis to create their article. Both articles are current and stress the importance of fixing this issue.

The Best Catch
Fishing has been around for centuries, it has been a tool for survival as well as a competitive sport that people love. In the present day, fishing is still loved and practiced as a favorite activity and a pastime across the globe. Unfortunately, fish species are being threatened by the amount of illegal, unreported, and

unregulated (IUU) fishing that occurs across the world. One of the most notorious places for IUU fishing is West Africa. The articles “The great fish robbery that costs Africa billions” by Kieron Monks (2018) and “West Africa loses $1.3bn to illegal fishing activities yearly- ” by STOP ILLEGAL FISHING (n.d.), analyze the issue and have possible solutions to help lessen the problem. Monks’ article is presented in a more emotional way by talking about struggling families and malnourished children. STOP ILLEGAL FISHING uses the power of a credentious politician to help form their article. In terms of success, Monks will likely have a better outcome due to his ability to appeal to people’s emotions rather than ethological appeal. Kieron Monks’ article “The great fish robbery that costs Africa billions” displays a better appeal to human emotions while STOP ILLEGAL FISHING article “West Africa loses 1.3bn to illegal fishing activities yearly” approaches the subject with an appeal to ethos.
When attempting to persuade and connect the reader with credible sources and information, an author/ journalist will include high quality sources. Monks uses roughly four sources in his article to back up his stance on the issue. Having a limited amount of sources in his article was very advantageous because it was not overpowered with authoritative figures, it had enough credibility to confirm his stance, but not to many to make the reading monotonous. Furthermore, all of the sources quotes that were used were spread out nicely through the article to give it balance and not be flooding with quotes at the beginning and be a drought at the end, or vice versa. Overall, his article had just enough ethological appeal to strengthen his writing while not making it a dry read.
The article STOP ILLEGAL FISHING is quite unique in terms of ethos, they chose to write the entirety of their article around a speech given by Yakubu Nagara, the current Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives. They included a surplus of quotes from the Speaker throughout the writing which provide a full understanding of the speech. Although, yes, Dogara is an extremely qualified and educated individual about IUU fishing and how it’s hurting the economy as well as marine life, it just may not have been that great of choice. STOP ILLEGAL FISHING (n.d.) quotes,
He added, We as a parliament have been at the forefront of legislation on maritime issues in the past and are currently, actively involved in processing legislations in the maritime sector. The House of Representatives of Nigeria only last week passed the National Transport Commission Bill which it is hoped would have a huge impact on the maritime sector especially with respect to economic regulation of activities of operators and agencies in our maritime sector(para. 4).
While reading through the article, it is filled to the brim with political terms, terms that may not be understood by a vast majority of possible readers which may invoke many to discontinue reading. This issue makes it difficult to connect to and comprehend what is going on which in turn makes this article uninteresting and quite simply, mundane.
In terms of logos, Monks’ article is not the greatest representation of high quality research. He has three instances in his writing that refer to statistical information and facts. Most readers like the reassurance and confirmation of statistics to know that the article they are reading is well developed and knowledgeable. It is safe to say that Monks’ missed the mark a bit on his insertion of numerical data. Monks’ (2018) writes,
The crisis in Joal is indicative of a wider problem. West Africa has become a global hub of illegal fishing, losing an estimated $1.3 billion a year to the trade, according to a report from the Africa Progress Panel, with Senegal accounting for $300 million -- around 2% of its GDP (para. 6).
This is an excellent and important statistic to his article, it correlates with the other information found in the article and is meaningful. If only he would have included a couple more different statistics that reinforced his article even more, would have set his writing apart from his other competitors.
Although it was very unlikely, STOP ILLEGAL FISHINGs article presented the reader with less numerical data than Monks’ article, they relied entirely upon Nagara’s speech to deliver a very minimal amount of statistical information. Nagara (n.d.) claimed,
Speaking while delivering a goodwill message at the annual conference of the Association of African Maritime Administrators in Abuja, the Speaker said, “Statistics has it that Illegal Unreported and Unregulated ( IUU ) fishing leads to a loss of over 1.3 billion dollars in West Africa alone, yearly (para. 2).
This is an excellent statistic that was included, it gave the reader a general understanding of the amount of money that this drains from West Africa yearly. Including some other varying facts would have been a vital action for STOP ILLEGAL FISHING to take.
When considering a pathological appeal, this is where Monks’ article shines.

He develops an emotional connection to the reader by mentioning struggling families and malnourished children. By describing some of the hardships that other fellow humans are trudging through, it hits home with people who are willing to lend a helping hand to make a difference in someone’s life. Monks’ (2018) quotes, “"Ten years ago a fisherman could support a big family," says Ahmed Diame, a Greenpeace ocean campaigner based in the region. "Now they cannot eat"”(para. 2). He also includes, “"People rely on fish for protein," says Diame. "A lot of the boys are very weak with malnutrition"”(para. 5). Both of these powerful quotes connect with the reader on an emotional level which will make them more intrigued in the article. The quotes share some insight on how this is hurting West Africa more than just the fish population, it is affecting the fragile communities that depend on marine life to keep them moving

forward.
Taking a look at STOP ILLEGAL FISHINGs article, they included one of Dogara’s (n.d.) most powerful and inspiring quotes.
Developed countries have done a better job of exploiting these resources. We in Africa need to do much more to use these God given resources to feed our people, fight poverty and develop efficient ports and effectively administer the waters of the Seas. We can create high paying jobs for our teeming youths, develop an efficient transportation system, exploit efficiently the oil and gas resources and other minerals contained in the deep seas and oceans of Africa (para. 11).
When speaking of feeding the people, fighting poverty, and developing helpful ports in a currently struggling country, it calls in people from all places to come and lend a helping hand to those who need it most. Furthermore, creating jobs for the next generation is a vital role keeping a country economically sound and prosperous. All of these heartwarming aspects of Dogara’s speech most definitely inspired many to do good for someone else’s life.
Kieron Monks’ article “The great fish robbery that costs Africa billions” appeals to audiences with a pathos appeal while STOP ILLEGAL FISHING article “West Africa loses 1.3bn to illegal fishing activities yearly” heads in more of a ethos appeal. After analyzing the two articles thoroughly, it is clear to see that Monks’ article is victorious over the article by STOP ILLEGAL FISHING. Monks’ article had a better appeal to pathos and a comprehensible ethological use. The writing from STOP ILLEGAL FISHING became difficult to understand and stay interested in due to the significant amount of political terms and meanings. Overall, Monks’ produced a better article that will inspire many to take action on the problem at hand in West Africa.