Argumentative Essay On Animal Cruelty

2061 Words5 Pages

Jacob Tompkins
Dr. Stoll
AP Language & Composition
11 March 2014
Animal Cruelty
A family drives up to the animal shelter to pick out a new furry friend for their kids to play with. When they arrive at the animal housing unit, they disregard the tightly packed cages, the lingering scent of waste, or the wailing cries coming from the poorly lit wards. Mistreatment. After locating the ideal pet, the family invites it into their home. But as the creature loses its youth, the family continues caring less and less for it. Nobody is home to let it inside when it is pouring rain, or fill its bowl when it’s nearly starving to death, or take it outside to use the bathroom. Neglect. It got so hungry it ate the decorative fruit that’s been sitting on the counter for the past week. In response, the angry father gave it a “reasonable” blow to the head. Abuse. All of these instances cause harm to animals and not a single thing is being done to make a difference. Although animal cruelty is widely frowned upon and emotionally undermining, the punishments in response to the abuse are negligible because society places minimal value on the animals that live among us.
Animal cruelty has been a recurring problem throughout the world; however, most people aren’t aware it’s happening. While some businesses claim they have every intention to treat the animal with care, it doesn’t always turn out that way. Dog pounds, kennels, and even homes can be found guilty of cruelty to animals by some degree. It’s common for the animals to inhabit unsanitary buildings that do not encompass proper living conditions for the animals stuck inside. The understanding of animal cruelty has been skewed over time. Currently, many people believe animal cruelty explicitly mean...

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...an impression. The first case to reach the Supreme Court in nearly two decades, the case decided that the sales of any media depicting animal cruelty violated the right of freedom and speech (1). While punishments for animal cruelty seem to be at an ultimate minimum, some people have stepped up and put forth as much effort as possible to guarantee the rights of animals.
Abraham Lincoln once said, “I am in favor of animal rights as well as human rights because that is the way of a whole human being.” The meaning interwoven within this quote is that humane treatment to animals defines the overall character of human beings. With mistreatment to the living creatures among us, comes the destruction of our image as a society altogether. Man must be more sensible to the other living beings we inhabit this world with because we are all the pieces that make up the puzzle.

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