ENG 1010 Intro To Writing: Statement of Goals and Choices

Professor Marlena Stanford

Melissa Chandler

April 24, 2017

My final English 1010 Intro to Writing assignment is a writing in action piece. My

chosen purpose is to shed light on why it is imperative you choose to spay or neuter your cat(s).

Volunteering with local non-profit animal foundations and shelters has made me passionate

about this cause. The goal is to persuade you, as a reader, by delivering information in a visual

and textual manner, through the use of an infographic. This will be effectively done by using

several rhetorical writing devices and strategies.

The main three strategies I employ are processed analysis, pathos, and inductive

reasoning. Everything I have done in this written piece is deliberate as I crafted it from a blank

screen. Elaborating on the devices and strategies, I will start with my use of process analysis.

Using a graph which illustrates the outcome of one unspayed or unneutered cat presents an

overpopulation issue, the natural course of events if we do not intervene. You get the

overpopulation facts with very real statistics, such as the number of cats that enter shelters or

cats euthanized per year. My goal is to equip you with the knowledge needed to make the right

decision on your own, without pushing. I provide a simple solution, just spay or neuter. With the

solution, I give helpful sites where you can find options to get started. I have provided additional

sites at the bottom of the infographic, offering you the opportunity to continue researching the

topic. Analyze the information I provide and you will see the problem and agree that

overpopulation is indeed a real issue which needs to be addressed.

 The inductive reasoning was employed in my use of facts to help persuade the reader. I

have deliberately set and sequence of formatted cells to help deliver information in a

reader-friendly order. The cell flow I chose is as follows: Statement of purpose (title), why you

should (benefits), issue at hand (issues), outcome from issues (statistics), how you can help

(solutions), options to help you be part of the solution (procedures), and information to help

guide you to available services (help is here). Providing you with shocking statistics such as

ratio of human births to cats born will help put the situation in perspective. My hope is that by

the time you get to the statistics page you are aware of the reason why it is imperative that you

become part of the solution. You have all the facts which indicate that the current issues lead to

overpopulation, more cats than homes, and the unfortunate deaths of thousands of adoptable

cats. This overpopulation is easily fixed by simply spaying or neutering and you are on the front

line and is your job to help fix this problem.

Pulling on your heartstrings is important in my persuasion by using pathos devices. The

happy smiling kitten in the benefits section helps make you smile while accepting and positives

your cat can gain if you get them spayed or neutered. I was selective in my choice of statics

listed because I want to shock you. You need to leave this infographic with a new understanding

of the overpopulation issues the United States is facing. The fact that thousands of cats end up

in cages that stacked and lined along any available space at shelters until they are adopted or

meet their fate and end up euthanized. These are conditions no empathetic human would

bestow on any living creature. Pulling on your heartstrings is done deliberately and easily as the

information is all fact.

In conclusion, I want you to pick up the infographic and walk away understanding the

importance of spaying or neutering your pet. You are remembering the facts I have presented

gaining a lasting impression that no cat should end up like this is my goal. You can spread the
knowledge you have gained with other cat owners you know, thereby causing a chain reaction.

While revising this assignment, I asked a few of the shelter and animal rescue personnel I work

closely with to review my work. They have asked if they may display my final infographic in their

locations. It is amazing to have the opportunity to be part of a writing in action piece which will

have a practical application when done.