Smith and Palomino 1

Miah Smith
Kelsy Palomino

Cristin Longhurst

English 1010

04 April 2022

Rhetorical Analysis: “Modern Zoos Are Not Worth the Moral Cost”

This source is titled “Modern Zoos Are Not Worth the Moral Cost” and is by Emma

Marris. Marris is an environmental writer who has her own book titled “Wild Souls” which is

about our relationship with wildlife. Marris has also given a TED talk about wildlife. The source

is published by The New York Times which is a reliable source because The New York Times

has a great reputation and is informational with accurate facts.

In this source, Marris discusses the positives and negatives on animals in captivity. But

Marris mainly talks about the negative instead of the positives. She gives examples of how zoos

are bad for wildlife and the different effects wildlife encounters in captivity. Marris was

motivated to address this issue because she believes that wildlife deserves to live in the wild and

not in small enclosures.

Marris’ purpose of this article is to inform people about how immoral it is to hold animals

captive. She gives an example that says, “After being captive of the pandemic for more than a

year, we have begun experiencing the pleasures of simple outings: dining al fresco, shopping

with a friend, taking a stroll through the zoo” (Marris). She says “we,” which makes her intended

audience, people who care about animal welfare/people who go to zoos.

Marris has built a good argument in this source. She is clear on her side of the argument

about zoos. She used a ton of evidence and facts to get her point across. She gives examples of

the mental effects that captivity has on animals. For example, she says “But many animals
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clearly show us that they do not enjoy captivity. When confined they rock, pull their hair, and en-

gage in other tics” (Marris).  She has achieved reaching her intended audience through her writ-

ing.

Marris’ position on zoos is that they are bad for wildlife, and they deserve to be in the

wild. This source explains how captivity has a mental toll on wildlife and that small enclosures

aren’t where wildlife should be. She even gives examples of how animals are always trying to

escape their enclosures.

Marris uses ethos, logos, and pathos very well in this article. She is very logical in trying

to get her point across and reach her audience. She is very good at using facts, stats, and exam-

ples. She really connects with the audience by using pathos to make them realize how bad and

sad zoos are for animals.

Ethos
Marris uses ethos in her article by displaying how she has written a book about this and is

an environmental writer. She shows us she is reliable by showing us all sides of the topic as well

as regards all events taking place. She cites sources exactly and they are identified well. The arti-

cle is free of any errors and is very professional.

Logos
Marris uses logos in her article by connecting statistics and facts to her position. This ar-

gument is reasonable because it displays the good and bad about the argument on zoos. The the-

sis in this article is whether or not our pleasure in seeing wild animals in zoos is worth the price

of their captivity because the article goes on to prove that it’s simply not worth it. She uses stats
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and information from credible sources, like people who work in zoos and work closely with ani-

mals, supporting her position.

Pathos
Marris uses pathos by explaining how we know how the animals feel. She used a great

example during Covid-19 on how we had to stay home; basically being held captive during quar-

antine, and we all know it sucked. She explains how the animals act in captivity and all the sad

things they do to themselves because of it. For example, she says, “The researchers divided the

odd behaviors of captive animals into two categories: “impulsive/compulsive behaviors,” includ-

ing coprophagy (eating feces), regurgitation, self-biting and mutilation, exaggerated aggressive-

ness and infanticide, and “stereotypies”, which are endlessly repeated movements” (Marris). A

couple of examples of these “repeated movements” is chimps pulling out their own hair and

bears and cat’s pace.

This source is well-organized, flows well, and is easy to read. Marris’s word choice is in-

formational, which makes it professional, but also easy to read. The type of sentence variety

Marris uses is compound and she uses great grammar. Marris used a good number of examples

and evidence in her article.

The design of this document is well laid out and consistent in font and font size. The doc-

ument is easy to read and understand, it also flows very well. Marris also uses a tone of visuals in

the document. The visuals really strengthen the argument by showing how miserable the animals

are in captivity. Here is a couple example of the visuals:

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Marris did a nice job at not leaving any questions unanswered. She also addressed all

problems and didn’t leave out any information. A few strengths of her article are that she did an

exceptional job at giving information on the topic and getting her point across to the readers. She
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also uses ethos, logos, and pathos really well. A few weaknesses of her article are that she could

have possibly used headings.

Overall, Marris relayed her point against animals in captivity & zoos by giving detailed

examples, backed up with reliable resources to strengthen her argument. Her professional writing

skills prove her competency in the conversation, which allows her to defend her stance on the

topic. She does a good job at discussing opposition, and even at times appears to lean the oppo-

site way, but quickly reverts back to her thesis, backed by strong evidence.
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Works Cited

Marris, Emma. “Modern Zoos Are Not Worth the Moral Cost.” The New York Times, The New

York Times, 11 June 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/11/opinion/zoos-animal-

cruelty.html.