Appeal to Pity

3). Pick one concept, idea or exercise from the assigned reading, that we have no already discussed, that you found useful or interesting, and discuss it.
 Another kind of appeal I found interesting and often used in commercial is the one that makes an audience feel sad or guilty from something that is happening and that they could do stop.
Epstein definition of an appeal to pity is "for example if you feel sorry for poor kids, you should give money to any organization that says it will help them." And according to Epstein this is a bad argument because "it is implausible, since some drug cartels help kids too."
Commercials that have made me feel quite sad recently are the commercials for the ASPCA. The commercial is basically a montage of videos of incredibly cute and sad dogs and cats starring at the camera through the steel bars of the cages while a very melancholic song by Sarah McLachlan plays in the background. Just by looking into their eyes and listening to the slow piano notes of "In the Arms of an Angel" you know immediately that this cannot be ending well for these helpless creatures who have been abandoned and abused by their owners. At the end of the commercial Sarah McLachlan talks to the audience and asks for a small donation to help the ASPCA rescue these animals and help them find permanent homes.
This kind of commercial is guaranteed to stir some kind of emotion in  the minds of all pet owners and animal lovers. It can also bring nostalgia because most of us have grown up with a pet we have loved and seeing all of these different animals we can be reminded of the happy times we have had growing thanks to them. And it will make us want to help in any possible way we can.