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Kelsey Akin
Professor Collins
ENGL 1301
29 November 2016
The Spark of Death
While industrial progression within the last century has led to several societal
improvements such as economic stability and an enhanced standard of living, it has negatively
impacted the natural world. According to the Library of Congresss website, individuals in the
Progressive Era began to recognize this effect and in 1890 initiated a preservation movement that
aimed to protect Americas wildlife as well as other natural resources. Since then, industrial
advancements have been accompanied by government policies designed to combat the
destruction of planet Earth (The Evolution). As argued in ShortCircuit123s depiction of
todays environmental conditions, these policies are not effective enough. ShortCircuit123, a
Dutch digital artist named Paul, uploaded an illustration titled Preservation onto DeviantArt, a
website that allows creators to share their original work with fellow artists as well as the general
public, in May of 2015. Paul drew attention to the destructive nature of the worlds industries and
aimed to influence his audiences individual behaviors, persuading them to take action, make
changes, and conserve what is left of Earths wildlife. In the image, he depicted two hands on
opposing sides reaching towards each other. While the left hand is surrounded by a clear sky and
covered in green vegetation, the right hand is surrounded by gray smoke and covered in burning
machinery. Allusion, pathos, and logos in the Preservation image demonstrate the threat that
industrial progression poses on the natural world.

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The artist of the image employed allusion in order to underline the lethal characteristic of
human pollution and its impending destruction of the natural world. The structure of the image,
two hands reaching towards each other with extended fingers, resembles a famous painting by
Michelangelo called The Creation of Adam. This painting is found on the ceiling of the Sistine
Chapel and is a biblical illustration of a narrative from the book Genesis in which God creates
mankind, breathing life into the first man, Adam. The space between the hand of Adam and the
hand of God is widely recognized as the synapse, or gap, for which the spark of life was given to
Adam across. In ShortCircuit123s illustration, he uses a similar image in order to draw attention
to the parallel between the creation of mankind and the impending destruction of humanity. Just
as God transmitted the spark of life to Adam, spontaneously constructing existence, mankind is
transmitting the spark of death to the natural world, impulsively eliminating life. The usage of
allusion allowed ShortCircuit123 to disclose the fragility of life and underline the importance of
fast actions against impairment, motivating his audience to quickly end their destructive
operations.
The author also used pathos in order to convey his message, evoking emotions such as
fear, youthfulness, and devastation. On the left side of his painting, representing nature and the
wilderness, the artist used a light blue color to encompass the hand and a bright green to cover
the hand in order to illustrate the fresh atmosphere and vibrancy of life. These colors prompt the
viewers to associate the left, uncontaminated hand with emotions similar to fondness and
youthful joy, making them want to protect it. If the artist can make his audience see the value in
the natural world, then he can prove the importance in preserving it. Additionally, this creation of
fond feelings lead to devastation when the audience recognizes the contamination of wildlife that
has occurred, as seen by the ashy composition of the fingertips of natures hand cause by the

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right industrial hand. Similarly, the artist used dark, grimy colors to illustrate the right hand that
represents mankinds harmful effects on nature. He also uses the gestures of the hands to evoke
emotions. While the left hand is innocently reaching out to the other hand, the right hand
appeaars to be enticing the left hand in a corrupt manner. Additionally, the right hand is dripping
with oil, contaminated in a way that oozes danger and deceit. These colors evoke emotions like
disgust and resentment among the audience, causing them to reflect on their actions and want to
change them. Because the artist is able to evoke these opposing emotions from the audience, he
is able to motivate them to change their actions and improve the worlds biological status.
Because the tips of the left finger have already been affected by the right hand, as seen by the
lack of color and broken texture, the artist argues that the destruction of nature has already begun
and will only continue to spread. This creates feelings of panic and fear among the viewers and
forces them to recognize the significance of the situation. Through pathos, ShortCircuit123 is
able to convey his message and motivate his audience to act as a response to his arguments.
Logos, or an appeal to logic, was used by the artist in order to add credibility to his
implied arguments. By illustrating the left hand and the right hand in realistic manners, the
artists points appear more agreeable and tangible. If ShortCircuit123s audience can admit that
his depictions of the industrial characteristic of the world are accurate, then they can agree that
the death of the natural world is nearing. By providing images of factories, smokestacks, ember,
and oil, the artist adds a level of relatability to the image and allows the viewers to better
understand the illustration, its message, and it purpose. By creating a representational visual, the
artist is able to solidify his arguments through logic and reasoning.
By using allusion, pathos, and logos, ShortCircuit123 was able to reveal the severity of
Earths environmental conditions, provoke emotions such as fright, and prove his arguments to

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be viable and authentic. The artists message was successfully communicated because it
persuaded audience members to alter their actions in order to defend and protect the natural
world.

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Works Cited
The Evolution of the Conservation Movement. U.S. History, Library of Congress,
www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/connections/conservation/history.html.
Accessed 29 Nov. 2016.
ShortCircuit123. Preservation. DeviantArt, 29 May 2015,
www.deviantart.com/art/Preservation-536188510. Accessed 29 Nov. 2016.