Introduction:

The introduction needs to start off on a strong note in order to set the premise of what you will say and garner the attention of the audience for the entire length of the speech. Specifically, for my speech, I will open with a strong connection to the people and relate it back to the artifact. This connection to the audience will be through the idea of being global citizens:

• We all inhabit the same place. I don’t mean the dorms of Penn State. I don’t mean the houses and apartments across the United States. I am discussing the land of the world, and how our inhabitation is spread throughout all areas of the world. Not only are we simply living here, but we employ the multitude of resources that surround us into our daily practices. It has become a norm to expect these resources, but did you ever take a second to think of what would happen if we weren’t surrounded by everything; if it were all taken away by one force, Mother Nature.

From this, I aim to bring it back to my artifact and address how it has made mention of this power Mother Nature holds over the human civilization. This is a recurring theme throughout the PSA, and due to its prominence in the video, it holds great significance in addressing the video. This is only one element the creators use to portray the message. At this point I will be able to build to a thesis: Conservation International successfully employs rhetorical elements of pathos, imagery, tones of solemnity, and many more to emphasize the issue of climate change at hand in hopes of increasing the understanding the audience holds on this topic.

Analysis:

Moving into my analysis, I will aim to address the general background information of the issue of climate change and transition to how this video aims to inform the audience of the topic and what it calls upon them to do. This will allow me to address who the speaker is, who the audience is, and how they will see the message.

• Speaker: Literally, an organization, Conservation International, has created the video with the recruitment of Julia Roberts as narrator. However, in order to serve as a more effective delivery, Julia Roberts portrays the role of Mother Nature in addressing the audience.
• The audience can be broadly be applied to all citizens of the world, but it can be narrowed to those with particular beliefs on the issue. At first, it could illustrate (through the rhetorical devices) how the issue will soon overcome us to those in disbelief on climate change. It could also motivate those who hold a belief in the issue, but have not been advocators for it.
• This is a video that is available to anyone with online access. Upon seeing it, they will be met with beautiful imagery of the Earth while also being met with a solemn tone.

To build my argument more, I will address the civics of the PSA. This proves to be civic because of how it has

• Call to Attention: The PSA calls upon the audience to consider the true dynamics of nature and humans. It calls upon reflection of self and society.
• Shared Enterprise: There is also an emphasis on how we are all connected to this issue because we all inhabit the Earth. It is clear that when “[Mother Nature] thrives, you thrive.” This connection to all of us a civilization is the shared enterprise.

These, particularly the last one, leads to addressing the commonplaces. I have touched upon this before. I will aim to talk about how we want to provide a place of comfort and security to our future generations. We also share the Earth in common as we are all global citizens.

From here, I will discuss the specific elements that are used in the video to portray the civic duty mentioned above and the message as a whole. Most heavily prevalent in the video are:

• Pathos: There is an appeal to fear in the way the tone of the voice is. It is very demanding and impactful which many may consider to invoke high alert and sense of fear.
• Tone: The voice of the video employs a solemn, serious tone which contributes to the overall tone of the video in that climate change is a serious, truly occurring issue.
• Imagery: The video is able to incorporate clips of serene environments and end with the global picture of the Earth. This works along with other elements in that it makes the audience feels a connection to this Earth.

The Kairos of this ad is clearly able to understood as this is a relevant topic that is being discussed by several sources daily. Furthermore, the timing and relevancy of this ad will continue for a long period of time in the future as well. Countries are currently suffering from the consequences of climate change, and countries are not acting to combat these consequences either. As a result of these two actions, the kairos will present itself as important to the message of the video.

Conclusion:

I will conclude by summarizing each of my main points. This will be:

• Message, elements, and how the elements worked to portray the message.

Furthermore, it will be the best opportunity to leave the audience with an impactful, lasting effect. To do so, it is best to relate the elements and message back upon the audience. Stay tuned.

In a fast paced world, there are a lot of moving elements, and maintaining relevancy in modern society can be difficult to achieve. Nonetheless, our environment holds a long-lasting presence that stretches to eras before humans. There are rapid changes in our environment that are being highlighted everyday, thus showing the strength the message holds now and possibly in the future.

Published in 2014, I believe the relevancy of this video will remain for a long period. The power of the message is currently at its strongest in our modern lives, now. The world is enduring changes in multiple elements, but Mother Nature’s strength is not dwindling; our strength is. With continual, devastating effects in the environmental world upon which we have no action, this psa will have always have a perfect opportunity to portray its message in warning and alerting people of what’s to come. This idea that the video will hold a presence for a long time demonstrates the effectiveness it has. There is already a strong following to the video and its message now, and since the topic of climate change will foreseeably be relevant in the future, the video can increase its following as time builds.

Within the video, there are multiple elements that allow for an effective delivery of the message. The video places great emphasis on its message through devices such as imagery and tone which in total leads to an appeal to fear by the creator. Through the clips of Earth’s wonders and natural habitats, the creator evokes a sense of serenity and calm. This is not necessarily the mood established through the tone of the video. There is a contradiction in the two elements, which draws the viewer to truly contemplate the meaning of the video. Listening to Julia Roberts speak as Mother Nature, you may feel a sense of aggression directed towards the viewer. This aggression is most prevalent when Mother Nature makes connections to her success and our success. She mentions “when I thrive, you thrive. When I falter, you falter, or worse” to establish the relationship we hold with Mother Nature. This reaches out to our commonplace that we wish to succeed. Drawing upon that commonplace, we as a society can begin to understand the true driver of the relationship. Furthermore, there is aggression in the periods when Mother Nature refers to her natural elements of oceans, streams, and more. The emphasis on “my” and the repetition shows again who holds the power in the relationship. Lastly in the video, there is the call to attention by phrasing a question to the audience, “Are you (ready to evolve)?’

All of these components work together and are able to draw an appeal to fear. There is a sense of fear established about what the true relationship is between us. Mother Nature is reliant upon us, and will not fix herself to better us. There is fear directed towards the audience in that this has happened before with other species, and Mother Nature will still live on, yet we may not. There is fear, not to make us scared, but to make us understand the extremes we are facing with climate change now. It is testing our knowledge and calling to us on how we are prepared for the future.

 

Perhaps the biggest change occurring in our world revolves around the climate. The true change in our weather patterns and systems we observe over many years. Conservation International is just one of many organizations that has attempted to draw attention to this issue and raise awareness on climate change. One of their methods is through this video in which they emphasize our whole planet and the importance it serves towards us.

Literally speaking, the video is created by the group Conservation International with Julia Roberts as the narrator. However, figuratively, Julia Roberts portrays the role of Mother Nature in attempt by the creator to exhibit a serious tone. With this tone, Mother Nature is addressing every citizen of the Earth in hopes of increasing the spread of her message. More specifically, the message attempts to better resonate with those who hold a disbelief in climate change. People can encounter this ad on the organization’s website and youtube, and many more videos by the same organization will also appear at these sites. This allows for more engagement with the audience who is then able to develop a clearer understanding and interpretation of the issues occupying our world at the moment. The audience may interpret this video in many manners, but the overall idea should be interpreted similarly. With the imagery and tone incorporated in the video, we are able to interpret that it is not nature that controls our future; but instead, it is us that holds this power. We can interpret that nature holds the resources for a healthy relationship with humans, and it is up to us to do what we may with it.

With these messages, the video proves to be civic. It calls our attention to the changes occurring in our climate with the imagery, and it calls our attention to the grave danger that may be ahead of us with its tone and imagery. It is able to present a shared enterprise as we, a global society, want to see future generations to continue living on this planet. The main ideology shared with many people in the world is the existence of climate change and the potential dangers of such change. Establishing this ideology, allows for people who share the belief to come forward on similar ground, and it allows for an increase in the awareness and spread of the message. It is also able to establish a commonplace of being a global citizen and that we are all human. While many will identify their citizenship to their country, they are still inhabitants of the same planet. Reaching out to this broader group allows for a high chance that someone will be able to read between the lines of the video. All of these elements of tone, imagery, and many other appeals, will strike an audience to showcase their civic duty. This accomplishes the goal of Conservation International.

Idea 1: “We Are The World”

An iconic song from the 80s sparked the world into activism. Millions and millions of people heard this song, and all of this created a wide awareness of what people could be doing to help the . There are elements in this song that is able to effectively capture an audience, and those elements are what I plan on analyzing to showcase how it is a call to be civic. While it is a lengthy song, I believe that there are strong lyrics in certain sections that showcase the strength of the message as whole. Not only the lyrics, but the delivery through music is another important element to analyze.

 

Idea 2: Conservation International

Conservation International is an organization that aims to create a more educated and sustainable community. There are a variety of changes occurring to our environment, and this organization aims to relate it back to humanity and what we can do. One powerful method of doing so was through the recruitment of celebrities and strong rhetoric to make the people aware and step into action. This video, along with others from the organization, demonstrates those strategies. This can be analyzed for its rhetoric in the language, tone, and delivery.