

The circus. An extraordinary and magical event that people love to go to. Where they make the impossible, possible. The circus gives magnificent shows with dangerous and exotic animals jumping through hoops of fire and dancing. Let’s not forget about the traditional and always comical clowns, jumping around everywhere and always making the audience laugh. The audience never sees anything wrong when watching the performances. However, an advertisement by ACCAO and LPDA say otherwise. Their advertisement depicts a monkey behind rusty, dirty bars, as though the monkey is imprisoned. The monkey itself is covered in face makeup, portraying the face of a circus clown. The audience can see nothing behind the monkey, only the bars and the monkeys’ face. The monkey is staring at the audience, drawing the audiences’ attention to the monkey and to the face paint. Off to the side are words that read “Animals Are Not Clowns” (ACCAO, LPDA). This advertisement is trying to appeal to those who do not know the sad truth behind circuses.

Looking closely at the monkeys’ face the audience can see that this is a traditional clown face, with a small tear to complete the look. However, this tear is much more than just art. This tear is the tear of a monkey who wants nothing more than to be free from its cage. When the audience considers the monkeys’ eyes; they see sadness; it even looks as though the monkey has given up hope on trying to be free. Looking at the monkey, the audience can see the resemblance between human and animal. This similarity is what makes this advertisement emotional. It is hard not to picture a human behind those bars, crying, wanting to be free. This advertisement is using pathos to connect emotionally to the audience. It wants the audience to feel what the monkey is feeling. The Ad while using pathos, also uses moral values. It makes the audience think of what is right and wrong. The advertisement is trying to portray the fact that it is wrong to have an innocent animal locked up and made into entertainment for others.

This advertisement, although it’s focus being on the monkey and what it symbolizes also has words printed off to the side. This text catches the audiences eye because the words are white, in front of a black background. This brings the audiences’ attention to the phrase that reads, “Roll up, roll up, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls for the crack of a whip against the animal’s stinging wounds. A big round of applause for the flaming hoops, the injuries and the electric shocks. Come and see the famed number of cages and tightly binding chains allowing no escape from endless training sessions. Laugh, applaud and join in the repetitive choreographed routines typical of depressed animals under great stress. All the fun of the circus traveling from city to city exhibiting as human caricatures. Clowning around that’s no fun at all” (ACCAO, LPDA). This quote from the advertisement is using logos. By listing what the audience assumes are facts about the circus the advertisement is being logistical. However, the audience does not know the credibility of the authors of this advertisement, so it is hard to say if the information given is true or not. This quote is telling the reader everything that happens behind the scenes of the circus. The circus audience may see the whip, but they do not know the sad truth behind all of the well rehearsed performances.

Although this advertisement is not a complex Ad, with many different meaning behind it, it does tell a sad story. Everyone knows of the sad truth about animal abuse. That it happens a lot and sometimes people even witness it, but do not do anything to stop it. People all around the world go to the circuses to witness the amazing performances that go on within the tent. The sad truth however, is that no one knows what the animals are put through. Going off of this advertisement by ACCAO and LPDA, the audience finally finds out the truth about what really happens to the animals after the curtains close. Looking at this advertisement it again makes the audience think emotionally. At the bottom of the advertisement it reads, “Animal circuses, don’t be part of the show” (ACCAO, LPDA). This quote makes the reader think about if they were actually in the show, as animals. Working long hours, being chained and forced to dance and jump; and if you do not perform you are whipped and shocked into submission. This advertisement makes the audience question, “would you want these things done to you”. This quote is again using pathos. The advertisement is assuming that the sad truth behind these quotes will make the audience want to do something about animal circuses. The goal of this Ad is to play on people emotions so that maybe people will realize that circuses who use animals, are most likely abusing them. This advertisement is trying to ban all circuses from using animals for any type of performance.

The image of the advertisement is portraying what the audience assumes is a circus monkey, inside of its cage. The monkey has on face paint, like a clown would. This appeals to the purpose of the advertisement because, many people think clowns are funny; especially the ones in the circus. However, when the audience looks at the monkey they do not see a clown, all they see is a sad and depressed monkey wearing makeup; which is not at all funny like the traditional clown should be. The advertisements purpose was to bring awareness to the cruelty that is inflicted on animals who are in the circus. This advertisement is appealing to those who have been to a circus, but do not know the truth about what happens to the animals.
