Romero 1

Braulio Romero

Professor Collins

ENGL 1301

28 April 2017

Preservation

In the visual argument Preservation two arms are shown reaching towards each other, one

of them is filled with lush greenery and life and the other appears to be charred by the fire of

industrialization. Both arms are reaching towards each other alluring to the painting Creation of

Adam. The green arm appears to be completely unharmed but it can be seen that the fire of

industrialization has begun to spread. The industrialized arm has chemical plants on its palm and

it appears to also have oil dripping from its fingers. Preservation is the action of preserving

something, the title of this image conveys the message that Earths natural resources need to be

preserved. Industrialization is an issue that has an impact on society as a whole because of its

destructive nature. Industrialization has numerous negative consequences on the environment.

Pollution is one of the main effects of industrialization, the waste created often finds its way into

the air, water, and soil. According to dosomething.org, people who live on higher air polluted

areas have a 20 % higher chance of death due to lung cancer. This image is targeted towards

people who do nothing to try to help the environment. The creator of this image looks to

persuade people who can do something but choose not to, anything as small as recycling would

help the bigger cause. Pathos, logos, and allusions in Preservation communicate that

industrialization has a destructive nature that will lead to the eradication of nature.
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Pathos is used in Preservation to convey that industrialization causes pollution. The image

uses the dark smoke clouds and the charred arm of industrialization to instill feelings of fear and

utter hopelessness. The author successfully creates this feeling is because it portrays

industrialization as a dark force that has already begun to take over. The audience feels fear

because they associate the darkness with evil. The audience also feels hopelessness because the

image shows industrialization to have already spread to creation or nature. It gives a feeling that

perhaps it is now too late. In a more literal sense, the smoke just represents smoke, it is a known

fact that air pollution causes many harmful effects on the environment and the population of

earth. According to the American Lung Association, in the United States millions of Americans

live in areas where the air pollution often reaches dangerously high levels. It is a known fact that

breathing in polluted air leads to health problems and the growing industry is only making

matters worse. ( http://www.lung.org/our-initiatives/healthy-air/outdoor/fighting-for-healthy-air )

Pathos is important in communicating to the public that industrialization is contributing to the air

pollution problem that affects everyone.

Logos is used in the visual to communicate that industrialization is destroying mother

Earth. Along with industrialization comes expansion and with expansion comes the destruction

of natural areas. Preservation conveys this message by showing how the industry is spreading

and starting to destroy nature. The continuous need for more space to accommodate the growing

industry is not the only problem. In order for the industry to be successful, a great amount of

workers are needed. Workers move closer to these industrial towns and natural spaces are plowed

down and cleared to accommodate the growing population. According to the Food and

Agriculture Organization, an organization under the United Nations, an estimated eighteen

million acres of forest are lost to deforestation each year. Deforestation occurs for one of two
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reasons, to create more spaces for expansion, or to utilize the natural resources such as wood.

This is an issue that if not addressed in time could lead to permanent damage to Earth. Logos is

crucial in conveying that industrialization is contributing to the loss of the Earths forest and

natural spaces.

Allusion is used in the visual argument to stimulate the audience ideas by giving a well-

known reference. In Preservation, the author allures to the Creation of Adam, the most

famous painting at the Sistine chapel by Michelangelo. In the Creation of Adam it can be seen

that God is reaching to Adam. ( http://www.italianrenaissance.org/michelangelo-creation-of-

adam ) The Allusion of Preservation to the Creation of Adam is used to capture the attention

of the audience and inspire ideas. In Michelangelos masterpiece Adam reaching to God shows

God giving life to Adam and ultimately creating mankind. In Preservation the image is

showing the destruction of earth, it makes the statement that Gods creation, mankind, is

destroying the rest of Gods creation. This causes the audience think about the effect that

mankind is having on earth. Industrialization is a creation of man and if no action is taken it will

become the end of earth. Allusion is beneficial in providing the audience with a way to look at

the problem of industrialization in a different way giving it deeper meaning.

In Preservation pathos, logos, and allusion play an important role in persuading the

audience to make better choices that will help preserve the earth. In past years the number of

people who recycle has increased, but there is more to preserving earth than just recycling. Every

year industrial plants continue to pollute the air, water, and land making the environment not

suitable for life. The goal of the author of Preservation is to make the audience aware of the

issues caused by industrialization and to persuade the audience to make a beneficial change.
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Preservation is not very successful because not only the industry but people continue to pollute

and harm the environment. Despite reforestation efforts and other preservation efforts

industrialization continues to destroy more and more. Each year industrialization and expansion

continues to destroy thousands of acres of forest and continues to create pollutants that continue

to harm the environment. It may sound harsh but there might be just no hope left for earth,

because humans will continue to contribute to the creation of industrialization and consequently

the destruction of Gods creation.

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Works Cited
"Fighting for Healthy Air." American Lung Association. N.p., n.d. Web.

Accessed 20 Apr. 2017.

"Michelangelo's Creation of Adam." ItalianRenaissance.org. N.p., 13 Dec. 2016. Web.

Accessed 20 Apr. 2017.

"ShortCircuit123 on DeviantArt." :iconshortcircuit123:. N.p., n.d. Web.

Accessed 20 Apr. 2017.