Monsanto Research Paper

Despite the introduction of the first commercially available genetically modified crop in the United States in 1994, the Flavr Savr tomato (Panse 1), there still exists a controversial debate concerning the health safety of genetically modified organisms. Genetically modified organisms, commonly referred to as GMOs, are crops that contain single or multiple genes from other organisms (Monsanto). For example, the Flavr Savr tomato was modified by adding an antisense gene, which slowed down the ripening process within the tomato (Panse 1). After several studies in the past decade showed the development of tumors or cancer among lab rats, questions as to the safety of GMOs arose and continue to circulate among consumers concerning benefits and

They create both GMO seeds and seeds created by traditional breeding and herbicides (Monsanto). Their goal is to meet the needs of growing populations in a manner that enables these populations to be selfsustaining and ensures nutritional diets. In response to consumer concerns about GMOs,
Monsanto effectively utilizes the rhetorical devices pathos, logos, and ethos in their advertisements to challenge viewers’ conceptions about genetically modified organisms. Without
Fulle 2 mentioning the contentious word GMO, Monsanto silently points out benefits genetically modified foods have over foods that have not been created by means of plant biotechnology.
In order to challenge the audience’s conceptions about GMOs, Monsanto must first give them accountability that the information they provide is factual. In the two chosen advertisements, Monsanto offers evidence of ethos, the rhetorical device that is used to persuade the audience of a message by means of one’s experience and authority on the subject of the message (My Reviewers 16), through the placement of their logo at the bottom right hand corner of both advertisements. By placing their logo on the advertisements, Monsanto is informing

Pathos is the emotional response a writer or artist seeks to elicit from his audience in order to further persuade them of his perspective of an argument or to buy a product
(My Reviewers 19). Companies use pathos to emotionally connect the audience to a particular product or view point through various methods such as anecdotes, images, direct quotations, and humor (My Reviewers 20). Through still-images, Monsanto is able to portray the benefits of
GMO crops in the first image and give a face to populations that are unable nutritionally sustain themselves in the second image. The first image depicts a thin man in a brown and somewhat barren field holding a picture of a thriving field. The man is smiling, which suggests that the message of the advertisement is positive and cheerful. He is wearing a simple shirt which connotes a sense of commonality or even poverty. Even the skinniness of the man is a connotation of starvation or hunger. If the image, however, had depicted an obese man, then it would be more difficult for the audience to imagine or sympathize that he is unable to