Genre Analysis Final Draft

Sergio Sanchez
RWS 1302
University of Texas at El Paso

The catastrophic effects of global warming are already beginning to manifest, in the form
of melting Polar ice caps and the destruction of animals natural habitat. This is a problem that
has been at the forefront of the global consciousness for quite some time now and it is an issue
that must be solved as soon as possible. Ive seen images and read articles on the topic that have
had a profound effect on the way I look at these issues. These images and essays have the
incredible ability of affecting our perception on controversial topics such as these; they appeal to
our humanity while allowing us to analyze the issue critically. The image of a lone polar bear
drifting on ice into the ocean or an essay that details the dangers that melting ice caps pose to our
ecosystem can help an individual recognize and empathize with the issue of global warming
through the use of ethos, pathos, and logos.
The picture of the polar bear does not particularly evoke a sense of ethos in the audience
at first glance. One might think that the image is completely lacking in its ability to appeal to our
sense of ethos and thus the image could be considered a cheap shot at the audiences emotional
center with no other form of substance. At closer inspection, the image reveals itself to be
effective in portraying ethos in cunning manner. Allowing oneself to meditate on the significance
of the image is crucial in uncovering the ethical subtext of the image. The viewer begins to glean
more and more information through introspection; the audience begins to realize the conditions
in which this image was captured. The photographer must have been on a boat, making his way
across the Arctic when he stumbled upon the lone polar bear, unable to aid the animal but
capable of recording and showing the world the disastrous effects that global warming is having
on the planets wildlife. The image is also clear, exuding a sense of realism, as if the audience was
there and able to see this issue firsthand, this lends credibility and an ethical resonance to the

image. The essay is also effective in conveying ethos, through words instead of images, the essay
is able address its audience in a much more streamlined and literal manner. The essay is
structured in an odd but effective way. A question and answer method that takes what would be
some of peoples most frequently asked questions about the relationship between the Arctic and
global warming. The essay proceeds to answer said questions through verified statistics and
proven field research conducted by the fields top specialists. It presents the audience with the
notion that we as a species are the biggest contributors to the issue of global warming and the
melting of the polar ice caps. The essay gives the reader credible and reliable information and at
the end of the essay it poses the question to the audience of what we as a species could do to
revert and hopefully fix the problem we have caused. This lends the essay a solid ethical
foundation on which to stand and it presents the audience with the sense that the author compiled
the most reliable information on the issue of global warming for this essay.
The image of a lonely polar bear drifting on a small chunk of ice into the vast expanse of
the Arctic Ocean and an essay exploring the repercussions of global warming are both bound to
impact the viewer on an emotional level. The picture does a great job of evoking a sense of
pathos and sadness for the lone polar bear. From looking at the image and pondering it for a
moment the viewer comes to the sad truth of both the personal issue of the doomed polar bear
and the grander issue of the effects that global warming is having on our ecosystem. The picture
is incredibly effective in conveying pathos from the way that the image is composed. First off,
the image is comprised mostly of blue and white, cold colors that evoke a sense of loneliness and
nothingness in the audience. The bear is alone, nothing but water and sky can be seen in the
image behind the bear, they expand into the horizon giving the audience a feeling that there is no
remaining solid ice or refugee from the bear. The devastating effects of global warming have

taken their toll on the polar ice caps as can be seen in the picture. This aspect of the image, the
idea that we as a species are the root cause of this destruction is bound to have a resonant effect
on the viewer. Audiences will come to realize that the polar ice caps are melting away and with
that the natural inhabitants of that region will more than likely die off. As for the essay, providing
the audience with a sense of pathos is not its main objective but it does effectively drive home
some important points that affect the audience emotionally. The essay talks about the effect that
the melting of the Polar ice caps is having on the worlds ecosystem, the reader cannot help but
feel empathy for the countless of animal lives that will be lost due to this issue. It implores the
audience to take action by making the audience feel the repercussions of their actions. Even if
the essay lacks in making complete use of pathos to address its audience, whatever pathos it does
convey is hugely affecting. By appealing to our humanity and presenting the audience with the
idea of a world where we no longer have Polar ice caps.
When looking at the image one would erroneously note that the image fails at appealing
to reason and that the essay would be the most effective in conveying logos to its audience.
While the image does lack the gravitas that an essay would have in appealing to an audiences
sense of reason the image is not completely barren in that aspect. When the viewer experiences
the picture, logos would not be at the forefront of the pictures message but if given a bit more
thought the logic of the image would become clear. The image is powerful, when the viewer
ponders it and begins to uncover its reasoning the logos can take full effect. For example, the
picture of the lone polar bear appeals to the audience by showing them the effects of global
warming. As a viewer, we see the catastrophic effects we are perpetuating and it reasons that if
we continue on this path we will leave no refugee on this earth. The essay appeals to the
audiences logic in a far more clear and direct manner. Through its use of statistics and facts the

reader will come to understand the issue at hand. The statistics it provides are clear; it asks the
audience to see past hubris and really reason with themselves. The audience will soon realize that
humanity cannot continue on this path, we are destroying the world, a punch to the gut that
leaves the audience really considering the effects of global warming. It gives statistics about how
rising sea levels would severely impact nations around the world and how the loss of the Arctic
ecosystem would have dangerous repercussions on other ecosystems around the world. For
example, scientists are expecting the sea level to rise up to 3 feet by the year 2100 from the
melting arctic ice leaving more than 22,400 miles of American coastal terrain under water. It
presents the audience with the fact that a warmer Arctic climate will subsequently have a huge
impact on food production around the world. The essay also provides the statistic that a warmer
climate would lead to a 10% moisture decrease in Kansas farm soil leading to the drying out of
crops and reduced food production. Lifestyles for us and the animals would be affected all
around the world and the audience will reason with this and begin to ponder a solution. The
essay masterfully appeals to the audiences sense of logos, the image not so much, but both are
effective in conveying the idea that we as a species are destroying other species and both genres
leave the audience really thinking about the effects of global warming is having on the Polar ice
caps and what we can do to stop it.
Both the image and the essay are powerful in their message, although they are more
effective in some aspects and seem to lack substance in others. The image is most effective in
evoking a sense of pathos while the essay is most effective when dealing with the audiences
sense of ethos and logos. Regardless, both are important in the presentation of the main idea that
is the catastrophic effects of global warming and how the audience is affected by these two truly
different but effective genres.

Reference Page
Global Warming Puts the Arctic on Thin Ice. (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2016, from
http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/qthinice.asp

The last Polar Bear. (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2016, from
http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photos-last-polar-bear-image3020003