Animals, all of us.

I see fear in this image, I see pain. I see confusion, I see sadness. It almost looks as this eye is teared up and ready to cry. Who's eye is this? My eye? Your eye? Your mothers eye,,maybe your best friend's eye. This is your meal. This is the rack of ribs, the pork chop. I knew I would have a hard time reading the article for this assignment, but it called my interest more than anything else on the social issues list. How can I sit here, and advocate animal rights, if I too, eat meat? I'd never, in a million years, eat my cat or my dog. I love them dearly. They wait for me at the door when I come home from work, they lay by my side when I sleep, and they play together on the bathroom floor while I get ready for work. What makes an abused animal any less special than my pets? What makes my pets any less than me? I work, I bring home the kibble. But language is a barrier that separates us, and allows us to feel superior to other living things, in many ways, This included other human beings as well. We build sky scrapers, come up with cures to ailments, we have created cars, which are amazing, airplanes, computers. Can a dog do that? No. But does that mean that they don't feel pain? If I punch my cat in the face, it will hurt. He will be in pain, he may even bleed. He is a living thing, just like me. Our intelligence levels vary greatly, but why does he deserve to hurt?  This article opened my mind to the things that go on in the world. Silent victims. They can't tell us the pain they go through. I wanted to cry. I can never imagine my little ones going through what others go though. Many abusers (as in those who harm their partner or a child) started off abusing an animal. It begins in the home. Animal abuse and domestic violence go hand in hand. Someone who hurts an animal, will not hesitate to hurt a person. It is a thin line, and abuse is all about control. There are times when a child who is being abused, in turn, abuses an animal. A good example of this is child actress Judith Barsi.

  Barsi lived in a home with an abusive stepfather, and a mother who refused to leave. She was emotionally and physically abused by her father, some examples being him throwing pots and pans at her and causing a nose bleed, and threatening to cut her and her mother's throats. She then began exhibiting strange behavior such as plucking out her own eyelashes and yanking out her cat's whiskers.

Another example would be Brenda Ann Spencer, who started shooting at elementary school children, killing 2, the principal, and a custodian; she used to light cat and dog's tails on fire.

Abuse is a cycle. If we truly are the dominant species, we should be smarter than to let it continue.I will admit, I am biased. I love animals, and I don't know how anyone can not. They have a beating heart, just like any other living, breathing, feeling creature.

Genre: Abuse, Internet Articles, Domestic Violence, Animal Abuse
Topics:Domestic & Animal abuse are linked, It starts in the home, so many go unheard, silent victims
Rhetorical strategy: Use of images, use of examples, being personal.