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Essay Analysis AssignmentENG4U0Michael Mohamed
Should Animal Be Used in Medical Research – The Pros and Cons
Ronald G. Calhoun and Anne Doncaster 
Type:
This is an argumentative essay because it offers both the pros and the cons to animal medical research. It isalso more scientific in its basis of argument, using many statistics and examples at times.
Purpose:
The purpose of this essay as a whole is to show the varying sides of whether or not animal research should be done. On a more individual basis, the first part tries to show why animal medical research has been one of themost useful means for scientists to study human sickness and develop medicines; the second part attempts to useethics and morality to attempt to make the audience feel as if animal testing should not be done, sometimesexplaining examples of how it is done.
Audience:
Anyone who is interested in animal testing, most likely with some scientific background, or possiblywith some activist activity or interest in activism in the past. For people who are neither, it could also just be written by those who like to see two opposing sides of an issue and compare them. More likely than not the reader willalready have an opinion developed on animal medical research, the essay may be designed to show them theopposing view in an attempt to convince them of it.
Tone:
For the first essay, the tone begins aggressively by making animal activists out as being hypocrites, jeopardizing the medical industry and directly attacking them at times for the purpose of fulfilling their ownmisguided morals. The tone then changes to being less aggressive and more rhetoric, explaining many examples of how animals have been able to help medical research (pigs being used for burn treatment, rodents being used tostudy aging, etc). The second part of the essay begins by stating bluntly the cruelty of the scientific community inanimal testing; it aggressively attacks the scientific community as being unethical and follows with a few examplesof how animals are mistreated (electrocution, drug addiction, genetic manipulation etc). This side of the argumentmay not sound convincing because of the lack of statistics or examples of actual laws/research explained it itsargument against the Canadian Council on Animal Care, but the same can be said of the previous argument in termsof explaining the actual conditions and laws practiced. I would say the second side of the argument sounds far lessrational than the first and highly dependent on philosophical and scientifically irrelevant opinions.
Language:
The language used in this essay uses some scientific terms, however these are mainly in reference to thediseases that animal testing has helped to cure, many of them well known. The vocabulary used is appropriate for those in high school or post-secondary education.
Mood:
In both cases, I would say the authors sound very argumentative and didactic. On the science side, the arguer explains several diseases and statistics that they believe could not have been made possible without animal testing, acertain times sounding as if they are preaching at the reader and completely outraged by the behaviour of animalactivists. The ethical side of the argument seems to constantly use morality and ethics as an argumentative point,seemingly attempting to 'guilt trip' the reader into believing their side of the argument as being superior; virtuallyevery argument is based on the idea that human lives and animal lives are equally important, making any other  belief seem unethical.
Voice:
I would say in both cases, the authors seem to be angry and with one another's sides, showing a moredissenting perspective when talking about the opposing side. The scientific side seems to think that activists takeadvantage of the benefits that have been wrought for them thanks to the breakthroughs that animal testing brought,as a result they seem very condescending when talking about them. The ethical side of the argument likewise seemsto take scientists as being liars and manipulators of both people's opinions and the lives of animals, opposing themwholeheartedly as being immoral killers.
Literary Devices:
 
 
 – 
A
metaphor
used in this essay would be the comparison of animals used for research to prisoners in WWIIwho were incarcerated and used for testing by German and Japanese scientists. This can be considered avery high exaggeration on the part of the writer; as most people would not take caged animals to beconsidered this way. The animals are not being discriminated against either; it simply makes sense to usethem for testing when human testing would endanger their lives.
 – 
Both arguers can appear to be using
hyperbole
; in one example the scientific side of the argument statesthat animal activists have place the same value of life on a rodent as they would a human, in an examplefrom the ethical side the author states that 'the unavoidable conclusion' is that inflicting damage upon ananimal is as ethically incorrect as it would be to inflict damage onto a human.
 – 
I would say that both of the sides of the argument in this essay show an extremely high
bias
towards their own sides, the pro-scientific side seems to demonize the activists as taking advantage of all the gifts thathave been granted to them thanks to medical research, thinking that they are insane for equating the lives of animals with those of humans; the arguer seems to sardonically wonder whether or not the activists wouldhope that animal-research based medicines could help them if it was their lives on the line. To compare, thearguer from the anti-animal testing sides seems to think that the scientists completely lack ethics in terms of the way that they treat animals, believing that they are trying to fool people by making them think that ahuman life is any more valuable than an animal's, also claiming that the way that animals are treated inresearch centers are extremely inhumane.
What TV Does to Kids
Harry Waters
Type:
This essay would appear to be rhetorical based on the decided one sidedness of its arguments backed up byteaching some of the effects that television has on youth; it seems to be designed specifically for the purpose of convincing someone of something.
Purpose:
To show to readers through behavioural evidence in children and likewise through examples of  possibilities of entertainment besides television. The author appears to be strictly opposed to the way that broadcasting has somewhat destroyed the imaginations of children everywhere.
Audience:
There seems to be a strong parental bent in the writing here as much of it is directed at the parents of children; the author seems to believe that many parents of children have simply given up on disallowing their children from watching television, using it as a second parent at times. I think that the author may also want childrenthemselves to read this article as it may encourage them to watch less television. Another possible audience would be behavioural psychologists who may use the essay as a resource on citing information about the effects of television on children.
Tone:
The tone used in this essay seems to be one of a slightly humorous persuasion given the numerous referencesto television clichés (example: “And now a word from our sponsors”) as well as the beginning which creates afictional story of a child who has been exposed to television seemingly all his life. I would say the voice used overallis mostly humorous with some sarcasm, although there is an overtone of concern for the future of children. There isa somewhat didactic tone used in terms of the way that the author is simply teaching the audience certain facts aboutthe behavioural research performed on children.
Language:
The language used here is not particularly difficult, everything used is within the understanding of middle to high-school students I would say. Even when referencing scientific research, most of the vocabulary isdefined immediately after the usage.
Mood:
The mood is surprisingly humorous for an article which seems to be discussing an 'epidemic in education'taking place in terms of the things that children are/aren't learning. I would say that at times the author seems to beupset with the current results of what is happening to children, at other points such as the example of a familywithout television at the end the author seems to be more hopeful that a better future can be achieved for children inthe long run if they do have parents that attempt to distance them from television itself.
Voice:
The voice used in this essay seems to switch between being humorous to being more seriously concernedwith the kind of education that children are exposed to over time. At some points he makes jokes at the expense of actual television shows such as the Brady Bunch, at other points he seems to be pointing out a lot of scientific
 
evidence of cases where exposure to television reduced creativity in children. I would say that at times the author sounds preachy about his point that television is not a good influence on children, although he does give it credit as being able to help develop vocabulary in children. I think that through the author's writing though the theme that hegenuinely cares about the future of children does show through his explanation of one family that completely stopswatching television.
Literary Devices:
 – 
At one point in the essay the author 
personifies
television as being a 'shining blue parent' in terms of theinfluence that it can have on children who in many cases do not have a parental figure with them at alltimes (it could be said that the role of being a parent is at times relinquished to the television); this seems toimply that parents are not just being irresponsible parents but forfeiting their parental duties onto aninanimate object.
 – 
An example of 
hyperbole
used would be the author saying that the “link between TV violence andaggressive behaviour in society has had a longer run than 'Gunsmoke'”, which results in being both a playon the subject matter at hand and a slight exaggeration of either the length of Gunsmoke's run or the lengthof the study of violent behaviour in society linked to television, depending on how you look at (or which isactually longer).
 – 
Another example of 
hyperbole
might be the introduction to a child at the beginning of the essay, whoreputedly learnt to spell “Sugar Smacks” before his own name and whose first polysyllabic utterance was“Brady Bunch”, and who has also tried to karate-chop his sister for breaking his Six Million-Dollar Manaction figure.
 – 
A form of 
bias
is used in the way in which the author explains the influence of commercials on television,the descriptions show some signs of 
figurative language
in the way that Saturday and Sunday morningadvertisements 'peddle sugar-coated cereal, candy, and chewing gum, hooking children on poor eatinghabits before they have the mental defences to resist.” This is immediately followed by a citation fromattorney Sid Wolinsky who claims that such ads are “the most massive educational program to eat junk food in history.”, and while I believe that such accusations might in certain cases be correct, one can't denythe overall economic benefit to businesses and the television industry itself through advertisement; thehealth detriments should be the concern of the parents.
The People Within
Edward Dolnick 
Type:
This essay is expository in the sense that it explains the events surrounding the life of a woman named 'Julie';Julie is a patient with a severe case of multiple personality disorder.
Purpose:
The essay is explanatory in that it tries to show several facets of the life of a person with multiple personality disorders using various interviews with psychologists and neurologists throughout the essay. I believethat it might be an analysis of MPD as well as serving as an introduction to those who are new to it. This essay couldeasily be used as a reference on the subject given the amount of scientific information used. The impression is giventhat this is in many ways scientific literature with a case study on 'Julie', a sufferer of MPD; because of the intimacywith the patient exposed in Julie's case the essay may also be designed to build sympathy for Julie.
Audience:
I would say that the audience would be anyone who is interested in psychological and neurologicalsciences given the subject matter of multiple personality disorder, however this is not a string audience. Most likelya person who is also interested in any kind of interesting or horrific story would find the story interesting given thesometimes frightening effects of Julie's syndrome. Someone who is interested in the forensic style case studies of ashow like CSI, or a mystery novel might enjoy reading this essay given that it is a case study of subject matter that ishorrific and bizarre at the same time.
Tone:
The tone used in this essay seems to be one of rather morose disposition, however there is an undertone of caution in discussing the subject matter; this is probably given the precaution in giving such an in-depth report on acase that could be as humiliating to the subject as Julie's. The tone used in the essay at other times sounds similar tothat of a documentary one might watch discussing social sciences and humanities; at times impartial whilesometimes using phrases that would direct people to think of the issue at hand in a certain way.
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