Brady Terry
Professor Debra Reece
Eng. 2010
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Rhetorical Analysis
I have chosen to do a Rhetorical
Analysis on an article titled, “Inside the ‘Doomsday Vault’ Hope for
Survival.” The article was written by
Reed Karaim and was published in the Global Researcher on November, 6,
2012. The article talks about the loss
of Biodiversity in the world’s crops and its effects on us. Karaim tells us
about a collection of seeds that are stored in vaults in various locations
around the world in case of a worldwide catastrophe. He also addresses the decline in the
biodiversity of the world’s crops due to genetic alterations for faster yield a
time and more a abundant harvest.
I believe that the author did a
great job at presenting the information. I feel this way because he was very good
at convincing me that the world is in need of change. More specifically we need to change the way
we look at farming, and need to preserve more of the different plant species. This was because of the information he
presented and the way in which it was presented.
He directed the article mainly to Farmers and
Biologists by stating, “Mooney and Worde are among the experts who say it’s
important that the seed banks, while necessary as an emergency safeguard, not
be seen as a sufficient substitute for maintaining genetic diversity on working
farms around the world. Farmers have
been the custodians of biodiversity, and they need support.”(Karaim para. 12)
From this statement we can also infer
that he is concerned with the loss of biodiversity and its possible side
effects on life as we know it. Loss of
biodiversity causes; the instability of certain types of crops due to genetic
alteration, this creates not only a national problem but also a worldwide
problem. Another major problem is that the germination to harvest period for
most of our staple food crops is too long for us to be able to rely on seeds
alone to save us from the loss of biodiversity that we are facing. These are some of the main points that were
used. These Methods used in the different sections of his article, along with
research from several individuals and groups were used to support his argument.
The following is a more detailed analysis
of some of these Methods. One of the
things that Reed states in his article is, “Genetic uniformity of major crops
leaves them more vulnerable to diseases and environmental shifts like climate
change.”(Karaim para. 7) I found this
information to be very sound. Along with
several other locations I found similar statements in “Campbell Essential
Biology 5th Edition.” In this
book it states, “When species are lost, so are their unique genes. The genetic
diversity within a population is the raw material that makes microevolution and
adaptation possible.”(Simon 426) Thus,
the author’s statement helps him convince the readers of his article that the
information they are reading is important and reliable.
Another strategy used was Pathos
when he states that this is a worldwide issue. He obviously feels very strongly
about this as makes this claim several times. One of these times is when he
states that there are now approximately 1,400 seed banks around the world
containing more than 740,000 seed samples. (Kariam) These stores are kept in an effort to
preserve what biodiversity we still have.
This point is also something I believe that he is using as a concession. He is very adamant about his argument about
biodiversity, but when he talks about the seed stores he does so in a manner as
if to say, these are really good things that we are doing to preserve our crop
biodiversity. This information comes
from the first part of his article. I
feel this is very important because the rest of the article is all about his
research and the problem at hand. By
starting his article in this manner, I feel that he reaches out first to those
who might have opposing views and tells them that he understands what they
believe and that he has at least somewhat of an understanding of their side of
the argument. This in turn makes his
argument more reliable, and helps him to ensure his readers that it is more
than just his opinion that is being presented.
He makes a counterargument by
quoting a statement by Worede that says, “They have preserved quite a bit of
diversity, but their ability to crank up and produce enough seed is very
low. They can’t really do that quickly.
The quality of the storage is also very variable.”(Worede) This statement is backed up by the fact that
it takes time for a plant to reach maturity. For example, one crop that people
around the world use is wheat. Wheat is
planted in early spring and isn’t harvested until late August. It can then be planted again for harvest in
the winter months. The time period
necessary for gestation is too long for seeds alone to be a reliable source for
saving the world from a natural disaster.
I feel that many of the statements
in the article use Pathos because they play on the emotions of people. The author uses lots of phrases such as, “We
lose everything if we lose biodiversity in the field.”(Karaim para. 12) These statements make those who are reading
start to question the way things are being done. They also help them want to do more for the
preservation of the biodiversity in the world’s crops.
In conclusion, I would like to
re-instate a few things that I observed from my analysis of this article. I believe that the author was very convincing
of his information and presented it very well. He used many of the Rhetorical
strategies that we learned in class to convey and support his argument, some of
which were; Ethos, Pathos, Logos, Concession, and Counter arguments. His information was backed by his research so
it wasn’t difficult to believe what he was saying. I enjoyed analyzing this article and I am
looking forward to reading more on the subject and others similar to it. This activity has changed the way that I will
look at papers from now on.
Works Cited
Karaim,
Reed. "Inside the 'Doomsday Vault' Hope for Survival." (2012). Print.
Simon,
Eric, Jean Dickey, and Jane Reece. "Genetic Diversity." Campbell
Essential Biology. 5th ed. Lakeview: Pearson Education, 2013. 452. Print.
Worede,
Melakuu, interview with GRAIN, April 22, 2009, www.grain.org/article/entries/709-melaku-worede-interv-interview-in-english.
