Green Turtle Traditions and Birdies

For my paper, I plan to focus my arguments on the rhetorical strategies of pathos and kairos. For my research, I focused mainly on the reptilian species called the green turtle, which is what we were shown in the film, The City Dark. The film explained quite clearly on the fact that once hatched, a young green turtle depends on the light of the sun or stars to navigate itself toward the ocean, but I knew a few facts myself about green turtles that might just might be my ace in the hole.

As an active reader and animal fanatic, I have learned that green turtles are very specific on where they choose to lay their eggs. It isn't a pure random coincidence that they lay in the areas they do. They choose the place that every generation before has decided to lay their eggs. It is one of those explainable occurrences that a baby hatchling can remember exactly where it was born, but after going out into the sea, growing up, maturing and finally mating, it recalls the same shore that its own mother crawled up upon to lay her own clutch. Now this fact gives the readers a sense that the green turtles are very familiar with these areas, and they do indeed belong to them. The growing economical population and pollution are invading in these very intimate areas that are critical to the now very much endangered species of sea turtle.

Now, a reader may be unconcerned by the issue by the large clutches a single female green turtle could lay, but I will make them aware of the fact that most of those tiny little creatures don’t even reach it to the ocean. It is not only because of the light pollution, but during one of these huge hatching sprees, the little babies are a very large and opportunistic feeding spree. As they dash toward the ocean, dozens of brothers and sisters are eaten by seagulls and other birds that attack upon the hoard of hatchlings. Anyone who has watched such an occurrence would naturally cheer on the helpless underdogs. They would also feel displeased if unnatural lights such as those that emit from the city’s skyscrapers would tip the scales into the cunning seagulls favor.

One fact that I was not aware of before I had watch the film was that there was an actual problem with birds flying into cities and killing themselves by flying head on with buildings. By discussions in the class, I come to the conclusion that most people aren't aware of this problem, so I plan to inform my readers about this issue that has gone unnoticed by most. Many birds are killed by buildings, and it is not as a random occurrence as some might assume. Hundreds of birds kill themselves. They travel and become confused by the unnatural lighting, and clumsily smash their tiny skulls against a glass building, the damage sometimes fatal and irreversible.