Food Corporations Animal Abuse

Jazmin Valencia
University of Texas at El Paso
Professor Falcon
English 1312: Research and Critical Writing

Introduction
According to PETA, the United States kills around 7 billion chickens a year and uses
452 million hens for their eggs. (Mercy for Animals.2012, May).Unfortunately along the way to
their death the chickens are mistreated and abuse by the corporation workers. For this reason,
there has been many sources of genres created to uncover the mistreatment of the chickens to
spread awareness, but only two genres are being selected to be further analyze in the analysis.
The first genre is McDonald cruelty a website that uncovers the truth about the abuse of the
chickens, created by the organization Mercy for Animals. The second genre is an image created
by PETA (people for the ethical treatment of animals) that reveals the mistreatment of the
defenseless bird by the use of irony. At the end genres audience, purpose, structure and rhetorical
issues would be evaluated in the analysis.
Audience and Purpose
McDonald cruelty first of all is a website whose purpose is to create awareness to the Mc
Donalds consumers about the abuse of the innocent birds. Just like Mc Donald cruelty the image
created by PETA has a purpose to create guilt to the Mc Donalds consumers to stop the
purchase of McDonalds product because of its abuse to chickens. Both of the genres are there to
persuade the audience to not purchase NO McDonalds products because of the abusive actions
they are taking against chickens. The way that the authors does this is by providing pictures of

decapitated hanging chickens and a video that demonstrates the process chickens are being held
because of the products sold at McDonalds. In the video, the author shows how the chickens are
being crammed into filthy cages that are not even a sheet of paper apart , it shows how chickens
are being killed by one another because of the lack of space. Not to mention how the McDonalds
workers burn off the beaks of the baby chicks without any use of painkillers and heartlessly
thrown them in cages and slowly dye for their entire miserable life. Although McDonald Cruelty
website has a video and information for the reader to see the image presented by PETA can also
be persuasive because it uses irony and brutality by changing their slogan to Im hating it
(People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals 2014) and by the use of upside down decapitated
chickens. Both of the genres target audiences are McDonalds consumers that buy products and
consume them. The way they are trying to convince this discourse community is by presenting
the mistreatment of the chickens by using guilt if they purchase any product made by
McDonalds. The author knows that the audience should be familiar to the products such as
McChickens , McMuffins that are being sold in McDonalds so they are repetitive being
mentioned as the cause of the death to chickens. The audience will spend no more than 5 minutes
to analyze and understand the purpose of the image created by PETA. In the contrary of the
website that will take more than 20 minutes to analyze and be read. Beside of the difference in
time the genres also differ in the language. For example the website uses formal language to
deliver the information being uncovered about McDonalds. While, the image uses informal
language since it uses words like hate and hating. None of the contexts is disrespectful to the
audience rather blunt and direct about the abuse and the lack of respect that McDonalds has to
chickens.
Rhetorical Issues: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos

Besides the formal language McDonalds Cruelty website uses pathos, ethos and logos to
convey its message. Pathos is being used in the video by reveling the mistreatment of the
chickens. For example the video demonstrates how the workers burn the beaks of the chicks
without any use of painkillers, or how they cowardly swing the chickens by their legs without
any remorse. How the cages the chicken live in are filthy and full of diseases. All of the abuse
and mistreatment revealed by the video creates an emotional appeal of anger, guilt and
impotence. Why, because animals dont have the capability to defend itself especially if it is
little, animals usually are afraid of humans and go by instinct so for this reason it can be
conclude that the video uses pathos to create remorse, anger and impotence to the audience. On
the other hand ethos is being used in the website by using the credibility of a scientist such as Dr.
Sara Shields and the organization Mercy for Animals that was founded in October 1999 who
specializes in abuse of farm animals because of food and large industries.( Mercy for
Animals.2012, May)Lastly, logos are demonstrated in the website by using facts on how a
chicken would feel when put in the cages and the torment by the workers when they are being
swing by their legs, thrown, burned and suffocated till the end of their lives it simply uses
common sense by one imagining the pain the chicken encounters. The image by PETA uses
pathos logos and ethos in familiar but different ways. Pathos for example is used by the upside
down chickens that are being display in the image; this is feeling is like the one of the website
since it expresses the mistreatment to the chickens that cause anger and guilt. Ethos in the image
is used by using the credibility of PETA an organization founded in March 1980 that was
established to defend the rights of animals to stop the experiment, wear, use, and eat of any
animal. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals .(2014) Lastly the image uses logos by
using the logic appeal that reader have about McDonalds like the products it makes like the

McChickens, McMuffin , Chicken Nuggets and many more . Both of the genres use great
sources to demonstrate credibility, emotional appeal, and logic to convince the audience of the
message of animal abuse McDonalds has against chickens and to stop the purchase of such
chicken made products.
Structure and Delivery
Not only does the use of Rhetorical appeals help the genres to convey its message but
also the way it is structured. For example, the image by PETA has a structure that uses bright
bold letter that right away capture the attention of the audience, without the bright bold letters it
would be hard for the author to capture the attention. Since the image has to be straight to the
point the words that are used are short and blunt because if big paragraphs or sentences were to
be used the author will lose the attention of the readers and the image. The image not only uses
big bold letters and short phrases but also uses irony. It uses McDonalds slogan Im loving it to
Im hating it(PETA) its message makes it clear to the audience of the mistreatment of
chickens and how McDonalds hates chickens so for that reason people should not purchase its
chicken products. The website just like the image is arranged with bright colors so both of the
genres share that in common, although the text of the letters is different. The website consists of
mostly 12 font times new roman letters with complex writing. The structure both genres have
facilitate the delivery of the message the author is trying to deliver To STOP the purchase of
McDonalds products!
Conclusion/Synthesis
It can be concluded that the genre that conveys its message in the most effective manner
is the website. Website has more evidence of the mistreatment of the chickens due to chicken

products by McDonalds. The video confirms how the innocent chickens are being mistreated and
abuse by the workers without any remorse. The strong use of the wording and the video the
website contains creates more effective rhetorical appeals. Ultimately both the website and the
image want to spread awareness of the mistreatment of the chickens and at the end of the day it
is up to the community to take the next step and take action by not consuming McDonalds
products.

Reference:

Mercy for Animals.(2012, May)Mcdonald Cruelty. Retrieve from:

http://www.mcdonaldscruelty.com/
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals .(2014)McCruelty. Retrieved from:
http://planetsave.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/mccruelty.jpg