My artefact is a poster from a Greenpeace campaign. It was created in an attempt to draw attention to the effects of littering and non-recyclables on the environment. Plastic bottles and other non-biodegradable containers are mass-produced, used, and often just left in landfills to rot. However, the plastics in bottles can take up to 450 years to decompose. In that time they wreak havoc on local eco-systems.

The poster very effectively draws attention to this. It shows a partially dissected bird, with plastic chunks in its digestive system, lying next to the Coca-Cola logo. Part of the reason I believe it is so forceful, is the author has very successfully utilized color. The bright unnatural colors of the plastic stand out against the grey of the bird, more than that, the red of the logo seems to mimic the color of blood. This combines to give a very clear message about who is responsible for the bird’s death. The graphic nature of this image also serves to grab the audience’s attention. If posted in a public place, the grisly photo would publicize the intended message.

The argument is based on Pathos. It relies on the audience’s emotional reaction to the explicit image. Our reaction to something so brutal is one of shock and horror; the poster uses this to garner sympathy for the bird and anger towards Coca-Cola.