SPCA Cat

Source: Unkown

Okay, so many of you have probably seen ads similar to this one, and it hopefully makes you stop and think, "Aww, the poor kitty." I know that it does this for me, and we all know that the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (yes, the ASPCA) wants us to think just this. After all, the real rhetoric of this advertisement not only lies in what is written, but also in what is left unsaid. Everything that they write relies upon pathos, as they use these homeless animals and their struggles to play on our emotions and tug at our hearts. After all, unless you don’t like animals you are probably going to feel bad for whatever appears in the picture or video. In this picture, it also talks about rescuing animals from the cold streets. The cold streets seem to be the exigence in this situation, and the only way to solve it is by either adopting an animal into your home or by making a donation to the SPCA. After all, who wants to have little animals wandering around in the cold without food, water or shelter? If you think about it, this one sentence is able to speak to millions. I know that when I read that, it made me a little sad.

Despite the words that are used in the advertisement, the main thing that the SPCA seems to be relying on is the image, and the things that are all said. After all, an image is worth a thousand words, right? The thing that caught me the most was the expression that the kitten gives. It just looks right through you and asks, “Please, will you take me home and love me?” There is nothing like the look on an animal’s face, because in the eyes you can see everything that has happened. This is one of the main reasons why no matter how many times I watch the SPCA commercials, I have to look away for fear of crying. It is not the sad music that they play that makes as much of an impact, but the look in the eyes of all of the animals that brings me to tears. All of the dogs or cats in the video have pleading eyes, and they seem to be filled with sadness. These images convey just as much as the words that they are paired up with, and they leave a lasting impact upon most of the people (if not all) who watch them.