Culpepper 1

Kadisha Culpepper
Professor Marion Bruner
English 120 002
6 March 2015
Tsunami
The advertisement Tsunami was published by the conservation charity World Wildlife
Fund (WWF) and advertising company DDB Brazil. This main claim of the advertisement is that
nature is powerful, as shown through the severe impact and lives lost in the 2004 Asian tsunami,
and we should respect it. The ad makers were effective in putting forward this claim through the
strong appeal to emotions.
Tsunami first appeared in Brazilian press in 2008. It is directed to an audience of
Americans as it relates to 9/11, a tragic terrorist attack on the United States. It also relates to an
international audience as this attack in 2001 was highly publicized. The World Wildlife Funds
mission according to their website is to conserve nature and reduce the most pressing threats to
the diversity of life on Earth.(WWF)
The advertisement shows New York City with the Twin Towers just before 9/11 occurred.
There are a lot more planes compared to 9/11 ready to crash into the city. The atmosphere is dark
and grey to give a gloomy feel of the atmosphere which causes a great emotion to pass through
readers as they remember the tragic incident which occurred in 2001. It almost creates a sense of
shock. The following sentence appears in bold in the upper right hand corner of the ad: The
tsunami killed 100 times more people than 9/11. (Tsunami) This causes readers to wonder

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which tsunami the advertisement is talking about. It also triggers more emotion and empathy as
9/11 was seen as horrific yet this tsunami seemed to be worse. In smaller print directly below the
sentence is: The planet is brutally powerful. Respect it. Preserve it. www.wwf.org. (Tsunami)
This is a very powerful statement. It is very effective as it creates the idea that the power of the
Earth as seen in the tsunami is way greater than man power as seen through the terrorism.
Therefore it calls for us to preserve the environment and respect it by not destroying it.
The makers of this advertisement are very effective in making a strong appeal to pathos.
They urge readers to carefully consider whether their actions are hurting the environment
through the use of these vivid images. The impact is massive. Readers are forced to think about
what change they can make to support the environment. This exaggerates the power of the earth
to show that Mother Nature should not be taken for granted. Even if we feel powerful and
destroy it now, it will come back fierce.
The Asian tsunami on December 26, 2004 generated in the Indian Ocean. According to
National Geographic, the US Geological Survey stated that it was estimated to have released the
energy of 23,000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs.(National Geographic) This is a significant
factor in the creation of the ad as the tsunami is compared to 9/11 where there was bombing
attacks in the United States. According to National Geographic, by the end of the day more than
150,000 people were dead or missing and millions more were homeless in 11 countries, making
it perhaps the most destructive tsunami in history.(National Geographic)
The two sentences on the advertisement as well as the vivid imagery establish the logos
of the ad. Readers are able to understand clearly the claim of the advertisement that we should
not take the power of nature for granted but respect it through conservation. Its reasoning is

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based on the fact that the tsunami, which is a natural disaster killed 100 times more people than
9/11. (Tsunami)
The logo of the World Wildlife Fund appears in the upper right hand corner of the
advertisement. This establishes the ethos of the ad. The World Wildlife Fund is an international
non-profit organization which focuses on environmental conservation specifically with a focus
on endangered species. This organization is therefore credible as it seeks to educate the public on
environmental issues and conservation. Hence the facts that it presents about the tsunami are
credible as WWF is made of teams of scientists and researchers.
Pathos is used effectively in the advertisement through the use of the visuals which
recreate the dreadful 9/11. This forces readers to feel guilty as to whether their actions are
helping the environment making them want to support the organization. Also the logo of WWF
includes a Giant Panda. The Giant Panda is known to be an endangered species that
environmentalists are trying to save. This somehow creates a feeling of sympathy for readers
who then feel the need to help the environment.
Overall, Tsunami conveys the message that the Earth is more powerful than any act of
terrorism hence the natural elements and wonders should be preserved. This claim is presently
very clearly through the use of vivid imagery which appeals to pathos. This advertisement was
seen as a very controversial one which somehow sparked outrage with some Americans who
thought that the issue of preserving the natural environment was overrated.

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Works Cited
National Geographic News. The Deadliest Tsunami in History? Nationalgeographic.com.
National Geographic Society, 7 Jan. 2005. Web. 23 Feb. 2015.
Sweney, Mark. WWF: 9/11 Ad Should Never Have Been Made Theguardian.com. The
Guardian News and Media Limited, 3 Sept. 2009. Web. 23 Feb. 2015.
Tsunami. Advertisement.
World Wildlife Fund. World Wildlife Fund. WWF, 2015. Web. 23 Feb. 2015.

Reflection
I really enjoyed writing this paper. From the moment that I saw this ad, it seemed powerful and
controversial making it a very good one to do a rhetorical analysis on. It was rather unique with a

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deep message. I am taking CORE Environment this semester and this advertisement somehow
got me intrigued as I am learning about the many current environmental issues. On this paper, it
is safe to say that for the first time I did not suffer from writers block. I loved describing the
many details of the advertisement and drawing it back to the big picture (the real meaning).
Through drafting the paper I jotted down points under various subtopics of the different elements
of the ad (logos, pathos, ethos, visual imagery, audience). I was then able to connect them and
use them in my essay to make them flow.
I really liked the peer review session as I was able to see the minor errors on my draft. The
feedback from my professor was also very helpful as to what I should add to the draft of the
paper.
I think that my strengths of this paper are the descriptions and connections that I make with the
different elements of the advertisement. I also think that I cited very well in this paper (both in
text citations and my works cited page).
One thing which I think that was a bit challenging was finding the main source of the
advertisement and credible information reviewing it.
Overall, I am very confident in this paper.