Unseen Text: The Elephant Sanctuary Spring Appeal

Text Type: Charity Appeal – Advert

Guiding Question: How and to what effect do text and image work together in this appeal?

As a subcategory of advertising, charity appeals employ a similar range of methods to persuade the reader to donate money or time to a worthwhile cause. Unlike an ad for a product, a charity appeal isn’t trying to sell you something in return. Rather, they need to create the feeling that your donation is worthwhile in intangible ways – the feeling of helping someone, donating to a good cause, or joining a popular movement are all powerful motivators. The response below was written by Abby Ives from New Zealand as she prepares for her upcoming Paper 1 exam. Through careful reading and creative analysis, she’s clearly analysed how this appeal gets readers onside through creating a sense of connection with and belonging to a good cause. If you like her work, make sure to leave a comment. And if you want to try this text for yourself, remember that this is just one way of responding to the guiding question; alternative answers can be just as valid and effective:

Sample Response

The given text is a charity appeal produced by The Elephant Sanctuary and is designed to pique the interest of a wide audience of people who are interested in learning about animals and animal conservation. Their aim is to persuade readers to donate to support their elephant habitat. Visual and verbal techniques are combined to paint the sanctuary as an almost utopian safe haven for elephants, humanise the elephants so that readers can build deeper connections with them, and call the reader to take action.

Firstly, the banner presents an idyllic image of the aptly named ‘sanctuary’ to convey the safe and nurturing environment for the elephants. The image consists of a large picture of the elephant Tange in the foreground, emphasising her impressive size in a way that will draw reader’s eyes. The image is filtered so that the light appears warm, bright and comforting. The light is filtered in a way that makes the elephant almost ‘glow’, creating an angelic effect; as an object of warmth and light, readers will suppose the elephant leads a happy and comfortable life. This is supported by the body language of the elephant, which is engaged in natural behaviour. Equally, the use of specific diction in the copy compliments this effect, with words like ‘safe’, ‘care’, ‘life’ and ‘sanctuary’ all drawn from the lexical field of ‘home’ or ‘safe haven’. Overall, through the combination of image and diction, the reader receives the impression that elephants are happy and cared or in a safe, familiar and comforting environment.

By contrast, the appeal paints a much darker picture of the elephant’s lives before the sanctuary rescued them. Specifically, verbs like ‘captured’ and ‘imported’ communicate that they were stolen from their natural habitat and commodified without concern for their wellbeing. This contrasts directly with copy that suggests how well the elephants are now ‘provided for’, such as in the descriptions of the rangers’ daily activities. For example, readers learn that ‘caregivers provide food in goal-oriented ways that encourage natural foraging skills.’ The emphasis is always on letting the elephants indulge in natural behaviour, a clear contrast to their lives before coming to the sanctuary. This example is further presented in bold typography, conveying that the sanctuary is committed to this standard of care, despite the demands on the human caregivers.

Throughout the text, the technique of anthropomorphism is widely used in both copy and visuals, giving the elephants humanlike traits so that readers can better identify with the animals. Where animals (especially domesticated animals) are often referred to using the personal pronoun ‘it’, the sanctuary elephants are always referred to as ‘she’ or ‘her’, in line with how people address one another. These pronouns imply the animals are treated with respect and are not just tourist attractions, as exotic animals sometimes are. In the same vein, every animal in the campaign has its own name printed alongside its picture: ‘Billie’, ‘Minnie’, ‘Debbie’. These are all distinctly human names and is more dignified as an identifier than other methods such as ear tags, like cattle are given. Through naming, the reader might feel more like they are helping a friend in need than an animal. Additionally, at the end of the appeal, a graphic of a ‘grocery list’ for the elephants is presented, drawing a direct link between what is required to care for the elephants and an activity that humans do on a weekly basis. The appearance of familiar objects – peanut butter, fruits and veg, and vitamins – is not so different to human needs. In this way, the sanctuary sends a clear message to readers that the elephants are also creatures who deserve respect and should be treated with dignity. Hence, the support they request in order to provide an acceptable level of care is justified in readers’ minds.

Finally, the appeal uses several methods to directly address the reader in the text, making them feel personally drawn to and connected to the cause. The header of the appeal states that this organisation ‘takes a team’ approach, and the direct address is a way of extending an invitation of sorts to join the team. This is clarified and reinforced throughout as the copy insists it’s not just anyone who can join the team, but ‘you’ specifically. The repetition of ‘you’ in capitalised, bolded, and simple forms serves to focus the reading experience, narrowing the effect to just the reader and the sanctuary. The form of the appeal (as a letter signed by the sanctuary’s CEO) further supports the idea that the appeal is personally directed to the reader, as letters are traditionally written to a single recipient. Furthermore, the image of Billie the elephant supports the emotional appeal through direct gaze, making eye contact with the reader. It is as if Billie herself is imploring you to help. As beneficiaries of the donations readers give, these direct appeals from elephants are more likely to connect with readers.

Overall, The Elephant Sanctuary uses images and text to build a compelling argument that readers should support the organisation. By highlighting the sanctuary as a ‘safe haven’, building connections between humans and elephants, and extending a clear invitation for the reader to join the cause, they make it more likely that readers will feel like they can be part of something larger – ‘9000lbs’ larger, to be exact.