The Letter to the Editor, by Carlie Towns, published in ‘The Hobart Mercury’, on July 18, 2015, argues very strongly against ‘Puppy Farming’, whilst also questioning the source of pets in many pet shops. This is an issue that has been much discussed in the media recently and Towns is tapping into the general concern about the treatment of breeding dogs, simply to provide puppies for sale to an unsuspecting public. In a bitterly-attacking and assertive tone, Towns directs her piece to parents, pet lovers, pet shop owners and the general public, challenging them to question the mistreated and exploited. She also argues that the general public is often unaware of the source of the animals they later purchase and that making money from the sale …show more content…
Phrases like ‘total disgust’ and ‘complete mistreatment’ confront the reader and demand our complete attention. These are strongly emphasised via her use of hyperbole, seen here in the form of two condemning adjectives, coupled together in the one sentence – both of them acting as intensifiers and emotive triggers. The words, ‘total’ and ‘complete’ are words representing the very extreme of something – its apex, or furthest point. In this way, Towns exaggerates what she considers to be the general situation and she does this to confront and challenge her readers, aiming to leave the reader in no doubt as to her assertive point of view. She doesn’t want readers to escape from feeling the same indignation that she does about this issue. This is designed to lead in to her detailed, exploration - of this point of view and its related arguments and reasons - in her later paragraphs. In the next paragraph, Towns picks up this theme by detailing the situation, as she sees it, in terms of puppy farms. Towns describes the living conditions of the puppies as ‘filthy’ and further names the dogs as ‘half-starved’, she does this to illustrate a picture for the audience, creating a clear mental image of the environment the dogs are placed in. She further supports this with the image shown above the article, of the living conditions of …show more content…
She begins by uses the phrase ‘cute’, in a sarcastic tone, to describe local pet shops, in her intention to patronise the reader in an attempt to make them feel belittled and naïve. This is designed to position the reader to want to take action and to avoid being cheated by pet shops. Towns adds to this feeling of immaturity by suggesting that they should take their kids and give the puppies a ‘little pat’, however she then switches to a much more stern tone and attempts to evoke a need for action from the audience by telling them to ask the pet shop owners some ‘serious questions’ about the puppies origins and breeding conditions. Towns then further suggests that they need to ask repeatedly, this is emphasised with the use of an exclamation mark, if they wish to get an honest answer. She does this to illustrate to the reader the significance of the issue of puppy farms and the need to take care when planning to buy a pet. The implied meaning of the phrase may be to appeal to the need of common sense and self-intelligence from the reader. Towns enhances this by explaining how asking questions can save the reader ‘a lot of money’, In case the puppy is sick and passes away. She does this to try and appeal to the reader’s hip pocket and self-interest. This is designed to lead in to her conclusion of the letter, by creating a feeling of betrayal from the reader towards pet shop owners.