04.02 Rhetoric in Action Worksheet, 80 pts
A construction company is on trial for continuing construction on a shopping mall after failing to protect and relocate gopher tortoises. Below is the closing argument of the attorney for the wildlife protection organization that is suing the construction company for ignoring state law and endangering a threatened species. Read the passage and then complete the activity that follows.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, thank you for serving your civic duty. We are gathered on this final day of the trial to make sense of Careless Construction’s utter disregard for wildlife. In Florida, gopher tortoises have been listed as a protected species for decades. There have been policies and procedures put into place that companies have abided by, so it is highly unlikely that Careless Construction was unaware of the state’s guidelines.
Imagine you are a lone tortoise, nestled deep in the peace and comfort of your burrow, surviving off the land you have happily and contentedly lived on for years. Then, one day, the roar of a bulldozer, like a lion, disrupts your habitat and throws your life into chaos. You scramble to make sense of the madness and mayhem, misguidedly making your way to what you believe is safety. Then, the darkness hugs you tightly in its arms, and you are gone. How is this fair? How is this right?
Plain and simple—it's not. Careless Construction will tell you they acted responsibly. Oh yes—they were very responsible. They were responsible for the loss of over a dozen gopher turtles who called Open Prairie their home. They were responsible for ignoring the Florida Wildlife Commission’s Rule 68A-27.003, which states that “no person shall take, attempt to take, pursue, hunt, harass, capture, possess, sell, or transport any gopher tortoise or parts thereof or their eggs, or damage, or destroy gopher tortoise burrows.”
In the last 100 years, the gopher tortoise population has declined by 70%, leaving only 700,000 tortoises in the wild. Before you know it, the species will disappear faster than a Houdini magic trick, though there is nothing entertaining about this act. And yet Careless Construction made the choice to snub the law. There were millions of other acres—probably billions or trillions of other acres—they could have chosen for another useless shopping mall, but they chose the precise spot that housed a threatened and helpless creature. What a great choice considering the main reason for the gopher turtles’ predicament is habitat loss.
It is up to you, the jury, to make the right call. The Tortoise Shell Foundation has been protecting this species since 1961. They have relentlessly battled corporations who show no interest in land loss, much less the loss of one or two turtles. Rest assured—with your help, we will fight to grow the gopher tortoise population. With your decision in favor of wildlife, gopher tortoises will rise from the ashes like a mythological phoenix. Fight with us, fight for the turtles, and fight against habitat loss.
Directions: Read the passage. Each bolded excerpt represents a rhetorical device or example of figurative language from the chart below. Paste the sentence that uses the technique, then explain why the technique was used. Be sure to answer in a complete sentence and use your best writing skills. An example has been filled in for you. Please note: some techniques are used more than once in the excerpt.
Rhetorical Device, Appeal or Figurative Language Paste the sentence from the closing arguments that is an example of the rhetorical device, appeal, or figurative language In one sentence, explain why the rhetorical appeal, device, or figurative language was used. What is the effect? How does it serve the purpose?
pathos
We are gathered on this final day of the trial to make sense of Careless Construction’s utter disregard for wildlife. This example would make the jury feel angry about the construction company’s carelessness.
logos
pathos
ethos
irony
rhetorical question
alliteration
allusion
hyperbole
personification
simile
