Can someone please my mark AA essay, i'm unsure where i need to work on, thanks. This is the 2017 sample exam
Following the ever-growing concerns on the increased deterioration rates of biodiversity, Professor Chris Lee performs his speech entitled “Taking stock” at the International Biodiversity Conference 2010, held in Nagoya, Japan with a tone of mild distress. Lee declares his concerns about the continuous deterioration of biodiversity. The piece further brings attention to the lack of humanitarian effort performed by national leaders in an attempt to encourage leaders of biodiversity to believe in their knowledge and take immediate action. This piece was also accompanied by a photorealistic image depicting two hands caressing the Earth which invites the audience to join and take care of the Earth.
Lee begins his speech by asserting the horrors to come as a consequence of the current negligence. Through the use of powerful imagery, the author initially utilises a pleasing tone to depict Earth as “lush” with “clear rivers” lowering the content limitations of the audience. It is due to the sudden shift to a menacing tone where the audience imagines a “scorched Earth” where lifeforms are “groping for life”. By doing this, Lee positions those who are slow getting into action to be more likely to initiate a change in behaviour. Simultaneously, Lee contends the impending “uninhabitable Earth” by referring to the audience as his “colleagues”. By doing this, Lee appeals to the listener’s group loyalty which in turn stimulates a subconscious trigger to adhere with the overall contention. Furthermore, this positions the audience to feel a magnified attachment towards the idea portrayed by Lee.
In addition to highlighting the impending dangers of negligence, Lee contends that it is due to “reckless actions” of humans that is to be held accountable for the loss of “35% of mangroves, 40% of forests and 50% of wetlands”. Through the implementation of statistics in ascending order, Lee attempts to invite the audience to take initiative by appealing to their humanitarian instincts. The leaders are thus positioned to feel a fierce desire for the need to scheme a drastic reduction in the ever-growing statistics as a result of their recklessness. Despite this, Lee continues to exploit statistics and facts to further nourish his previous argument. Lee promotes the “804” species extinct and how “38%” of wildlife are threatened as a result of maltreatment of the environment. Lee’s continuous usage of facts and statistics promotes feelings from the audience by empathising with the horror of exponential numbers of animals approaching extinction. Through this, Lee intends to position his colleagues to feel a sense of disgrace, as they are the most knowledgeable about the crisis. Moreover, Lee strengthens his argument by mocking “deniers” who refuse to accept the common literature but instead claim this mass-scale extinction is due to “natural change”. The word denier with its connotations of imbecile and ignorance seems to suggest part of the author’s attempts to exclude these individuals. By portraying deniers as a separate and foolish entity, Lee attempts to position the audience to feel comical about the denial of facts by deniers thus further strengthening his position.
The final slide is accompanied by a photorealistic image of a hand gently caressing the Earth. It is by the usage of this picture of a hand facing to the side that the speaker is attempting to convey the idea that people are encouraged to join the circle. This encourages the audience to feel obliged to unite together and take great care of this world as the image contains a baby-like figure of Earth, asserting the idea that the audience is responsible f or the prospering of the Earth. The most “educated generation” conveys the idea that there is “no excuse for inaction”. Furthermore, Lee implements the usage of repetition and inclusive language, for example “what have you and your country actually done”? By doing this, Lee is attempting to consolidate the idea that they are all part of this crisis thus positioning the audience to take responsibility for their own doings.
Concluding his speech, Lee implements that it is “time for serious action” to motivate and entice the audience in order to leave a lasting effect. It is by ending his speech like this aims to ingrain a sense of unity and desire to finally take action