Essay Sample on Animal Research: A Necessary Evil

As various medical practices become known, they often find themselves coming into question by everyday people. One of the most questioned practices is the use of animal research in medicine. Everyday people and outside groups like PETA question the ethics of using animal research to make medical advancements. These groups fear that animal research is being used far too often when other alternatives could be used instead. A Pediatrician by the name of Ron Kline wrote a persuasive essay titled A Scientist: “I Am the Enemy” in an attempt to help these animal protection groups, and the common individual understand the necessary evil of animal research in medicine. Kline effectively persuades his audience using various literary devices which include the three logical appeals, his clinical tone and his perspective/experience as a doctor. 

Literary devices are strategies in which authors use conventions of the English language to help them get their point across. The three logical appeals: Ethos, Logos and Pathos; have been around for a long time as they were pioneered by the Greek philosopher Aristotle. Kline uses the three appeals to logic to his advantage to persuade his audience. Kline begins his counterargument by providing his audience with an appeal to ethos, so they are aware why he is qualified to speak upon the topic. The short passage below the title and above where the essay begins acts as a small biography. It provides his audience with back round knowledge about himself. This is where Kline’s appeal to ethos resides. He shares with his audience his various positions in the medical field. Kline projects himself to the audience as a qualified person to speak on the topic given all of his experience in the medical field. Furthermore, Kline employs the appeal to emotion (Pathos) in his essay as well. Kline states that “my love for children and desire to keep them healthy” (598) is the reason why he got into the medical field in the first place. He uses this reason to begin to justify why it is necessary to research animals closely. Kline combats the PETA protests by when he suggests how they should be confronted “waving equally sad posters of children dying of leukemia or cystic fibrosis” (Kline, 599). Kline’s general argument is that we would not have certain medical advancements or procedures if animal research did not take place. He effectively manipulates your emotions by making his audience feel like many more people would be in danger without animal research “Tragedy that will cost many lives” (Kline, 600). Lastly, Kline appeals to logic when he clearly states what the options for medical advancement are “Three choices: create an animal model . . . experiment on humans . . . accidental discoveries” (Kline, 599). When Kline uses logic and concisely describes the options the medical field has for advancements it is easy to tell the most logical option would be to use animal research. 

Upon reflection, Kline organizes and delivers a concise yet effect argument that acknowledges the necessary evil of animal research in conjunction with the medical field and its advancements. He does so by manipulating the English language using the three logical appeals, his tone and perspective as a doctor. During the time that this essay was written computer generated models simply did not suffice when it came to replicating advanced systems of the human body. Kline acknowledges that other alternatives should be explored but during that time that, animal research was the best solution. In this day in age, we live in a world of increasing technologies. Various advancements in computers since 1989 could lead us to more effectively 3d modeling advanced systems like parts of the human body and avoiding invasive and destructive animal research.