Jones 1

Sativa Jones
Ms. Keely Hitchings
Advanced Placement English Language and Composition
15 September 2016
Blackfish Rhetorical Analysis
Blackfish, a 2013 documentary directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite ,
investigates the transition of killer whales or orcas in captivity from peaceful and great
creatures of the sea to animals that may prove to live up to their names at the expense
human life. The general public, especially visitors to the amusement parks, namely
those of Seaworld, is pushed to become cognizant of the inhumanity and danger of
putting such intelligent and social animals in captivity. Through rhetorical components,
Blackfish, argues that life in captivity for killer whales is immoral and fosters an
environment that is perilous for the orcas and the keepers themselves.
Logos is used through reasoning and organization in the film. Blackfish shows
that researchers have found that orcas have much more developed areas of the brain
governing emotions and social behavior than humans. This supports the claim that is
made throughout the film which is separating orcas from the family environment and
plopping them into unnatural conditions results in emotional chaos from intense stress.
Chiefly, the film states the bond between mother and child within the family units would
be the deepest. A fact that is shown to be so strong that it is even agreed upon by
SeaWorld in the statement, Orcas live in cohesive long-term social units called pods,
and the strongest association bonds in a pod are the mother/calf bonds (SeaWorld).

The strength of these bonds logically supports how the suffering caused by separation
could manifest into a state of bottled rage that would be liable to erupt. Indeed the case
with Tilikum, the movie reasons the cause for Tilikum's mental instability was the
emotional stress of separation and abuse from older females and the effects of this
uneasiness were his three fatal encounters with people: a trainer at Sealand in British
Columbia, a vagabond trespassing after hours on the property of the Orlando SeaWorld
that entered Tilikums pool, and the trainer Dawn Brancheau at Orlando's SeaWorld.
Logical fallacies are not very evident in Blackfish. Furthermore, the order in which the
points are shown strengthens the argument in Blackfish. The film opens with the 911
concerning Dawns death in order to grip the viewers. Evidence of the sensuality of the
whales is shown before violence towards humans is detailed, so the newfound
information serves as a lens for the upcoming incidents, a lens that portrays the orcas
as grossly mistreated gentle giants which evoke empathy from the start. Priming as
such strengthens the viewer's reception of the focus that orcas should not be held in
captivity due to their potential for violent proclivities as a result of intense mental trauma.
The directors allowed for no evident fallacies in the film.
Documentaries are non-fiction film equating to a heavy reliance on facts to
support the thesis. In Blackfish, ethos is employed to establish the credibility of the
Blackfish. The fact that the film uses credible sources makes the audience more likely
to trust that captivity really is a dangerous for the orcas and humans involved as the film
presents its case. Cowperthwaite, the director, is an experienced filmmaker that has
played large roles in documentaries for National Geographic, Animal Planet, and
Discovery Channel, for over a decade. Her team had similar resumes. CNN is widely

trusted to report the news. Thus, the fact that it funded Blackfish carries this reliability
for viewers. Also, the movie interviewed actual Seaworld, the company in question,
trainers: Carol Ray, Jeffrey Ventre, Samantha Berg, and John Hargrove. The
background of some of the employees not only includes the fact that they worked at
SeaWorld, but they interacted with Brancheau and the orcas of SeaWorld, including
Tilikum. For example, a trainer stated that if it happened to Dawn it could happen to
anyone, regarding her death by Tilikum. Inferring that Dawn was very skilled in her
handling of the orcas is a point that is refutable when the source is a co-worker. The
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a very reputable agency that strives to
increase job safety, hearing held concerning Seaworld is used throughout the film which
increases credibility. The actual footage and official records of the whales violence at
Seaworld also serve this purpose. Credibility strengthens sources and strong sources
support the argument. The audience is more likely to be persuaded by a strong
argument. However, all of these sources antagonize Seaworld. A work that excels in
reliability typically addresses the counterargument.
Blackfish uses Pathos through their attempts to move the audience by emotion.
Early in the movie a very masculine male that had witnessed many horrid things in life is
juxtaposed with him becoming deeply emotional as he tells how capturing the orcas was
the worse thing he had ever done. Violence involving killer whales is immediately
followed by cheery clips from Seaworld promotional videos. The juxtaposition is used to
create a sharp contrast between the segments which deepens the intensity of the
darker segment. Music often darkens in tone when a particularly damning part of an
interview or video footage plays. For example, the music darkens when an orca expert

in the film states capturing orcas is like stealing a baby for their mother. Through music
tone, the film suggests this is very sad, playing to the emotions of the audience.
Likewise, imagery is used to sway the audience towards sympathy for the orcas and
scorn for Seaworld. Tilikum's open wounds dripping with blood from raking are shown
multiple times. The actual videos of killer whales endangering trainers compete with
heart-wrenching screams creates fear in the audience, so they can see how dangerous
the captive killer whale situation is.
With the warrant Seaworld is withholding information about the mutually
dangerous situation between killer whales and the humans they encounter when in
captivity Blackfish sheds light on the very topic. Rhetorical devices are used to shape
the audience's perception of the argument. This one-sided documentary may have
enraged and educated thousands, but it has not stopped the steady stream of visitors to
a place where the blood of well-meaning trainers and innocent giants has fallen,
Seaworld.

Works Cited
Blackfish. Dir. Gabriela Cowperthwaite. CNN Films, 2013.