WP3

I chose to translate Crystal Greens, An International SOS (Save Our Sharks): How The

International Legal Framework Should Be Used To Save Our Sharks into an informational

brochure. Greens piece is an academic journal in which she uses her experience as a legal

professional to shed light on the issues and effects of shark finning in order to call for a change

in the legal framework that protects their populations. I chose to utilize the introductory portion

of her journal that focuses on describing shark finning and the detriments it causes on the

ecosystem as a basis for my brochure. Through my translation, I aim to transform Greens

explanation of finning into a more digestible piece that is open to the public. In doing so, I hope

that my audience will be more informed, intrigued, and inspired to care about the topic of shark

finning.

While Greens audience includes a myriad of readers such as lawyers, judges, juries,

legislators, environmental conventions, and protection agencies, my brochure calls upon a much

more particular audience. My informational brochure would most likely be found in zoos or

aquariums near marine exhibits. This locational factor limits my audience to the casual

zoo/aquarium goer. However, since individuals who are inclined to go to the zoo are most likely

draw there by some sort of interest in wildlife, an informational brochure acts as a convenient

and effective mechanism to not only learn more about wildlife as a reader but to also

communicate information as a writer.

To begin my writing process, I followed Mike Bunns guidelines on reading like a writer.

I read Greens journal as a writer by first locating what I believed were the most important

writerly choices represented in the text (Bunn 72). By doing so, I concluded that Greens main
goal as a writer was to use heavy statistical facts, emotionally charged vocabulary, and

statements of compromise in order to persuade the reader to believe that shark finning is an

important and dire issue that can be resolved through her proposals.

In order to translate Greens purpose to persuade the audience to care about shark

finning, I included the same statistical evidence and language in my brochure. For example, I

open each page with an intense title such as Shark Finning: A Devastating Practice and then

follow with a shocking statistic such as It is estimated that various shark populations have

declined by 99% in the last 50 years (IUCN). However, unlike Greens journal I broke up and

presented these modes of evidence in a way that is attention grabbing and easily digestible. This

way, I am able to draw the attention of the casual reader and make them want to continue

reading.

One thing I did not include from Greens journal however was her statements of

compromise. Green made sure to include both sides of the shark finning argument and then

re-adjusted the attention to her point of view by suggesting compromise. In my brochure on the

other hand, I only wrote from a one sided, biased point of view. I chose to do this after reading

Laura Carrolls Backpacks vs. Briefcases in which she explains how constraints are used to

limit the way the discourse is delivered or communicated (49). The constraints of my brochure

were set by the the use of persuasive language to express the strict belief that shark finning is

wrong along with the facts to prove it. Through statement such as Due to the increasingly scarce

abundance of sharks and the inhumane procedure in which they are harvested, severe changes

must be made in order to prevent irreversible devastation, I attempt to use these constraints to

tell the audience what to believe about shark finning through argumentation and a limited view.
Green on the other hand, while still executing the same task, chose to do so by subtly requesting

compromise by appealing to both sides of the argument.

In addition to writing techniques, I also attempted to translate the types of argumentation

that Green utilized. As Carroll explains in Backpacks vs. Briefcases, three different approaches

can be used to form an argument. Green includes all of them; logos, pathos, and ethos, to support

her claim. I translated logos, argumentation by reason, by including various statistics in my

brochure such as Out of the 100 million sharks killed each year, 73% are harvested for shark fin

soup, an Asian delicacy. I also included pathos, argumentation by appealing to emotion, by

using emotionally charged words such as devastating along with graphic pictures of finning to

create a feeling of horror among the readers. My translation of ethos, argumentation through

credibility of the author, however, was much more weak than the others. Green establishes her

credibility and ethos argumentation through her experience as a legal professional and familiarity

with environmental law. I on the other hand, do not have that experience and therefore

represented ethos by using a professional and informational tone in order to establish credibility.

As a whole, I wanted to be certain to incorporate all aspects and motives of Greens

journal into my brochure. Greens overall purpose was to appeal to various environmental

agencies by suggesting ways in which they should change their framework in order to help

preserve the delicate marine ecosystem. I translated this message by including a section in my

brochure in which I call on the public, instead of the legal agencies, to be proactive in raising

awareness and sparking change in the industry of shark finning. In this section I suggest that the

reader Say NO to shark fin soup and Donate to Anti-Finning organizations. Therefore, as a

student studying marine/aquatic biology, I took this writing assignment as an opportunity to

expand and share my knowledge on the topic of shark finning through the translation of Greens

journal into an informational brochure.

 Works Cited

Bunn, Mike. "How to Read Like a Writer." Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing 2 (2011):

71-86. Print.

Carrol, Laura B. "Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps toward Rhetorical Analysis." Writing Spaces:

Readings on Writing 1 (2010): 45-58. Print.

Green, Crystal. "AN INTERNATIONAL SOS (SAVE OUR SHARKS): HOW THE

INTERNATIONAL LEGAL FRAMEWORK SHOULD BE USED TO SAVE OUR

SHARKS.." Pace International Law Review 27.2 (2015): 701-28. Academic Search

Complete [EBSCO]. Web. 6 June 2017.

"International Union for Conservation of Nature." IUCN. International Union for Conservation

of Nature, 2017. Web. 6 June 2017.