Exercise 34: Animal testing, p. 46
Mr Adams appeals to the emotions of his audience by referring to an imagined hypothetical story of the 12-year old boy who has suffered so much from cancer that he has changed into an old man. Mr Adams encourages the audience to place themselves in the position of this 12 year old person in order to feel his pain including the loss of weight and hair. The reference to young children with cancer is likely to arouse sympathy among members of the audience.
Mr Adams refers to Professor James McCluskey who contends that cures are possible only because of testing on animals. The audience is likely to support such a cure even if it means testing on animals. Many would feel heartless if they disapprove of the tests because they would feel that they are denying children and teenagers the chance to lead a healthy life.
Jan defends the animals. Jan also appeals to emotions by listing the harmful consequences for animals. Specifically, she refers to the Draize rabbit and encourages us to sympathise with its pain. She uses emotive language to show that animals generally die as a result of testing.
The target groups:
- Jeremy Adams: parents and children as well as scientists and policy makers.
- Jan: animal lovers, scientists and policy makers.
The cartoonist reinforces Jan’s views and seeks to personalise the rabbits to show their thoughts and feelings. Rabbits are personalised, which makes us feel that they are affected by harmful treatments.
For Extension Activities: See Exercise 34, Animal testing, p. 46