Breaking Boundaries By Adam Mckay

Michael Pollan's article, “Why Bother”, was written to raise awareness on the controversial issue of Global Warming while also calling for change amongst individuals, on a global scale. The article is a great example of rhetorical writing as Pollan focuses on targeting the audience by invoking emotion through his personal anecdotes as well as scientific evidence and expert analysis. The articles takes the audience on a journey where we begin not truly understanding the point of it all and ending with what hopefully is a strong need to act. Michael Pollan begins his article off with a story about his overwhelming feeling of shock after watching Al Gore’s, “An Inconvenient Truth.” He describes the most emotional aspect of the entire documentary

This film can hit anyone's heart and help them to believe if we don't stop global warming, global warming will take over our

Have you ever ran a stop sign on purpose? Have you ever ran a red light when no one was around? People break society's rules all the time on purpose, but why do they break them?

This paper will reflect on the readings that we have done thus far, as well as ask the important question of how our daily lives, the things that we buy, use, and throw away, are all intertwined and built to impact climate change. Readings such as: Poverty, the environment, and the market, Tangled routes, the story of stuff, and This Changes everything gave us a glimpse into how humans are the primary contributors to climate change. Also, the movie; These changes everything, builds upon the image that humans are the primary contributors to climate change.

I live in an older neighborhood where many of the tall oaks are between 80 to 90 years old. A number of the smaller much younger trees are leaning to one side, reaching towards the sun that streams through the branches of older towing oaks.

In the series “Years of Living Dangerously”, Showtime uses famous celebrities to star on a climate change documentary; the cable network, uses these celebrities ethos to gain the mainstream attention on a serious matter as climate change is. We can see celebrities such as Harrison Ford and Don Cheadle traveling around the world and U.S respectively to thoroughly understand the real factor that affect the climate and people’s believe in its drastic change. Harrison Ford begins by establish himself more than just a celebrity, but as someone who have been interested in climate change and seeks for more answers. Showtime, uses Ford’s ethos to imply not only that the audience should pay attention to him as a celebrity, but as a man who is worried about climate change and searches to understand what scientists say about it and what is the take of governments on all of it. Ford does not claim himself as an authority, nonetheless, he is exploring the matter as one interested person would. However, his heroic tone gives the audience an emotional connection with the documentary piece because it strikes people memory that he is the “guy”, an “adventurous man”, based on his movies characters. Although, the documentary usage of pathos to connect with the audience, the piece also have scientists presenting hard evidence to Ford about rapid changes in the climate. Harrison Ford meets with NASA scientists, who are certainly authorities in the

In panels thirteen and fourteen, the narrator states that global sea levels have “risen” about 17 centimeters in the last “century”, and that this “rate” of increase has “doubled” in the last “decade”. By using diction of time and measurement such as “rate”, a word that connotes a specific measurement, juxtaposed with “decade”, a measurement for 10 years, the author brings to light the rapid rise of global sea levels in the modern times, therefore persuading the audience of human impact to this global, rapid and modern climate change. By persuading them of climate change’s global impact, they are persuaded that it is an issue of global interest and must be acted upon. In David A. Scott’s letter to the editor in TD, he mentions “burning Canada’s tar sands oil” and that it would eventually cause an “irreversible” climate “catastrophe”. By using diction of fear such as “irreversible”, a word that connotes something that cannot be fixed, and “catastrophe”, a word that connotes chaos and doom, David Scott makes the audience afraid of the predictions Dr Hansen has made about climate change in order to persuade them to agree to Dr Hansen’s claims and proposed solutions.

In his video “What They Haven’t Told You about Climate Change” for conservative media organization Prager University, environmentalist and former President of Greenpeace Canada Patrick Moore expresses his skepticism of humans being a major cause of climate change. While it is true that humans have not been the sole contributors to climate change, Moore significantly downplays the impact that humans have had on the climate. The overwhelming, international, peer reviewed scientific consensus is that recent human activity has caused an unprecedented increase in global warming (“Climate Change: How do we know?”). Moore’s characterization of humanity’s impact on climate change omits important data and research to spin a misleading narrative on climate change.

To underscore the imminent calamity of global warming, Gore appeals to his audience’s sadness and distress. He wants to reveal the bleakness of a world which becomes increasingly warmer. Emotions often overpower intellect. Gore knows this well. He evokes a sense of sadness in order to convince his audience of the urgency of global warming. The documentary’s opening scenes depict idyllic

In the news report “Climate of Doubt”, PBS FRONTLINE investigates the reasoning behind the relationship climate change and politics has been fluctuating over the past few decades. In 2006, An Inconvenient Truth, a film that called for action against climate change, gained mass attention from the American Public. However, this rally for environmental sustainability created some undesirable consequences. There is a growing movement for anti-climate change by various CEOS, scientists, politicians, etc. that have been marketing against green movements. They claim that climate change was developed out of scientific malpractice, has no scientific backing, and the bad weather we experience is no more abnormal than it was a century ago.

Klein’s chapter sends a message of urgency, and offers a solution for climate activists and politicians to transform the response to climate change. Klein uses personal anecdotes and stories to portray that humans never prioritize climate change, even though the “International Energy Agency issued a report projecting that we are on track for a 6 degrees Celsius of warming” (Klein 14). She blames the lack of action on our tendency to be “hyper rational” in denying climate change” (3). Though she highlights the flaw in humanity’s response to climate change, Klein maintains a positive tone when she urges for action. She states, “climate change could form the basis of a powerful mass movement to protect humanity” (7).

Horton, Benjamin P. “Commentary: Climate Change Needs Better Storytelling to Address Severe Threats Read More at Https://Www.channelnewsasia.com/News/Singapore/Climate-Change-Global-Warming-Communication-Better-Storytelling-10028864.” Channel NewsAsia, 11 Mar. 2018,

Everything considered, Cohen and Shenk’s trailer for “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power”, grabs the attention of the American public, especially politicians, and persuades them to go see the movie. This is accomplished by the trailer’s graphic videos of the damaging effects of climate change along with powerful people working to prevent

Many believe there’s a controversy among scientists over the cause of the climate crisis we’ve been undergoing for the last 50 years, but that’s not actually the case. In the film An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore sets out to inform individuals that the increase in greenhouse gas emission, in which causes global warming, is a direct result of the habits we possess as individuals, nations, and planet as a whole. Throughout the film, viewers are introduced to a variety of characters who possess motivations relative to the issue, along with many tropes, images, and schemes impacting the way in which the information is presented. We’re also going to analyze mode of audience and the theme relative to characters, events, and setting.

As debates surrounding climate change have grown in recent times, especially with Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, many environmentalists have evidently viewed his deed as a call to action. In today’s world, environmental change has been glossed over simply for the fact that some disagree upon its existence. In turn, other well known figures have taken matters into their own hands; as a strong believer in climate change himself, famous actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio gave a powerful speech in front of the United Nations (UN) Climate summit. Through use of the rhetorical triangle, the three appeals, the patterns of development, and SOAPSTone, DiCaprio presents his speech effectively to his audience.