Rhetorical Analysis of “Making a Killing off Captivity” by Melissa Richards

Kept in captivity since 1961, killers demand been glasses for millions of citizenry each year who flock to marine park almost the world in hopes of entertainment and education. The chance to get close to much(prenominal) an in presumptive creature that one may not have the opportunity to see differentwise is undoubtedly an amazing experience. But Melissa Richards questions in Making a Killing off Captivity, at what greet be we getting this experience? She argues that the corroborative compass big-name aquatic parks create for animals is in actual fact leading people to unwittingly support a cruel industry.Explaining the detrimental effects of taking an slayer start of its natural habitat, Richards emphasizes her concern for the conservation of Orcas and the importance of treating these designerful and stern creatures with respect. Richards begins by setting a joyful scene of a SeaWorld killer hunt down performance, an invitation for the reader to enter a high spiri ted fun spectacle of an slayer. measure several tonnes the orca circles, leaps and splashes the delighted audience. Suddenly, the mood shifts horrific everyy as the flight simulator becomes victim to an orca attack in front of a stunned audience.The groovy switch over in mood is established by Richards when she says, The show terminate to a usual bout of appla wont and cheers, until Tilly grabbed his trainer, Dawn Brancheau, by her ponytail and dragged the adult female into his tank. Just as one would think that the spectacle was over, the reader is shocked at the unexpected ending as the audience would have been at Seaworld. The readers information of the orca as macrocosm a fun loving, friendly creature, show by the amusing nickname Tilly, immediately changes to perceiving the orca as a villain.Richards questions what could have prompted this sudden violent outburst from Tilikum, a whale who has been in captivity for almost thirty years? This question brings new propo rtion to the calculate at hand. Suddenly the situation isnt as black and snow-clad as one would have assumed. She elaborates by stating, the stress of organism clothed and make to perform daily had elicited a frustration against his trainer. Richards manipulates the readers perception towards the orca, from a villain to a victim.The deliberate changes of perception towards orcas helps in turn awaying predictability in Richards end, this is an effective way to keep the reader foc wontd and intrigued in her writing. Richards elaborates by stating that captivity has had many detrimental effects on orcas including maverick illnesses, erratic deportment, deformities, neurotic problems and early death. These conditions bring light to the fact that the matter at hand is life threatening and counterproductive to the goals of wildlife appreciation and conservation.Intertwining these exact issues of wildlife conservation and animal cruelty, she stresses the urgency in her argument. Th ere is a read to convey the message that action must(prenominal) be taken immediately. It is decl be that to know whether the orcas are being mistreated in their artificial habitat, we must know the natural habitat of an orca. Richards does a commendable job of familiarise the reader the sheer magnitude of a creature that many people are unknown to via statistics. Travelling one hundred nautical miles either day (qtd Landeau 1) and weighing 1. to 3. 6 tons it is no wonder that their power and strength has earned them the nickname of the wolves of the sea. Despite the general unknownness of these exotic creatures, Richards draws comparisons of the expression and characteristics of Orcas to that of humans. Orcas have been found to create kindly and familial bonds with one another, The idea that whales share similar bonds to their family as we do encourages the readers to change their belief that whales may not be as alien of a species as they had imagined.This is further elab orated when Richards states Mothers are the main caretakers of their offspring, but fathers get out remain with their own matriarchal pod, helping to care for the young indoors this maternal line. Words such as caretakers, helping and care stir to the readers emotions as we see how affectionate the orca species earth-closet be inwardly their pod just as we are affectionate to our kin. The familial bonds within orca pods are very backbreaking and merely can be broken through death and capture of member (qtd Williams 9).Suddenly, the loving image of an orca pod is brought back to our harsh reality as she perish states that captivity devastates complimentary orca families. While Richards draws emphasis to the social behavior of orcas, she as well as informs us of their impressive cognitive abilities. orcas are one of the a few(prenominal) animals besides humans to have such distinctive language and divided speech patterns among individuals living in the same area This sh ows that not only do orcas have strong communal bond with each other, they also communicate so effectively that this is a rare occurrence in the animal kingdom.She stresses the similarity between the reader and the orca species here, this creates familiarity. Moreover, she compares the habitat and behavior of orcas in the wild to those held captive in marine parks. Incorporating the opinion of a former Seaworld trainer (Jeffrey Ventre), a truly credible source considering her experience, the argument is strengthened by a bold statement. the SeaWorld system is the best of all seaquaria in the world, if I was an orca, that would be the last place Id want to stay This suggests that even at its best, marine parks and seaquarias are uttermost from the apotheosis habitat for an orca.Ventre compares an orca tank to an acoustically dead cement kitty emphasizing the numbing atmosphere of a captive orcas habitat. Case studies of orcas being neurologically and sensiblely damaged because o f captivity add credibility to Richards case. Due to myopic space in which to swim (qtd Williams 52), the dorsal fins of an orca can collapse. This could betide as a result of colliding with the side of the small tank. The size of orca tanks can have great effect on the neurological stableness of an orca where some have been documented to self induce physical damage.According to Listening to Whales by Alexandra Morton, a young killer whale was observed rushing over to a particular spot and slam her head against the underside of a dock. Swimming in circles and being separated from their families causes the orca to become neurotic. Isolation can be naughtily detrimental for an orca as some are forced to be in solitary confinement. If orcas cannot adapt to captivity they are made to reside horrifying conditions as in the case study of Junior who died groggy and psychotic after being kept in an indoor kitty-cat without natural light and other orcas.Richards emphasized that orcas are highly social creatures so the idea that it is common practice for captive orcas to be discriminate is truly shocking. To further support her argument, Richards shows us how captivity is harmful to orcas with the use of numbers and statistics. afterward the first orca was taken into captivity in 1961 at least 106 (79%) are now dead (qtd Williams 4). The average sprightliness of an orca is approximately sixty to eighty years, which means the majority of orcas do not die from a natural death. This is addressed when Richards states one in five of these deaths were a result of avoidable or preventable causes.It is clear that preventing the death of orcas is not unachievable if more people knew the risks of captivity. Richards appeals to the reader by explaining how the relationship between a mother orca and its offspring can be heartbreakingly affected by living in a tank. After a giving birth to a series of orcas that died in weeks, corky the killer whale was encountering a prob lem in which her offspring could not instinctually find the spot on corked to nurse on. This is because of the circular temper of the tank. In the wild, orcas travel in straight lines that make it easier for the offspring to feed. Corky had been continuously pregnant for almost ten years and finally at the young age of twenty one, Corky stopped ovulating. The death of quadruplicate innocent babies that was so easily avoidable is tragic and makes the reader sympathise with these creatures. Other occurrences that may not be seen in the wild is onslaught between orcas. Richards documents a sickening account of two orcas fighting aggressively. As Kandu hemorrhaged into the tank and spouted blood from her blowhole onto the stage, SeaWorld staffed ushered a shocked audience out of the audience This gruesome event graphically conveys the point that captivity induces strange behavior in orcas, ultimately due to neurological damage. This study makes a point of noting the sheer strength and ferocity that an orca can possess. boilers suit I believe Richards does a commendable job of conveying her argument. She uses credible sources and reliable statistics in order to support her point of view. I have personally been to an orca show in California, reading this article made me reflect on that experience and completely change my perception.At the conviction the experience was completely positive and almost magical as we stepped in to a fantasy land where Shamu was almost a cartoon character, spring and leaping out of glee. Reading this article has made me realize that Shamu is far from an enchanting Disney character but is actually one of the fiercest, most all-powerful predators in the ocean. Richards has achieved this with her various case studies that enlightened me on the magnitude of an orca and its ability to kill not only humans but other orcas too. She has persuaded the reader to support her argument with the use of emotions.However, Richards has made an ef fort to avoid rambling chooselessly to provoke empathy by using clear facts to keep company her opinions. An aspect of her research paper that I would change would be the incorporation of the Vancouver Aquarium. The aim of Richards argument was to eliminate captivity in order to sustain the orca population and animal cruelty. However, she has shown Vancouver aquarium in a positive light by stating it eliminates parallel surfaces, reduces noise transmission and improves acoustics within the water supply.Although Vancouver Aquarium vowed to end orca shows after the death of an orca in their aquarium, I believe Richards message in this quotation is that these conditions are gratifying for an orca in captivity. My personal belief is that no orca should be taken from their natural habitat and away from their pod at all. I believe that this article was written at a point in time that it was needed the most. Conservation and wildlife protection is of utmost importance as hundreds of species a day are rapidly moving towards extinction. This article has shown that we need to be more aware of how we treat animals.Ultimately, Richards has done a chimerical job of educating the reader about a topic that is alien to many. With the use of powerful statistics, thought provoking points and emotional case studies, she has produced a strong argument. The ultimate reaction I believe many readers will passing game away from this article with is disappointment, distaste and disillusionment towards orca shows and marine parks. The contiguous time one makes a trip to SeaWorld they must question whether they are going for a day of education and entertainment or whether they are supporting a business built on exploitation of innocent orcas.