Appeal to Pity

A concept that I learned about was Appeal to Emotion which according to Epstein is defined as a premise that says, roughly, you should believe or do something because you feel a certain way.  When actually breaking down the appeal to emotion into detail, we learn that are specific ways that are used to win people over with their emotions.  The particular aspect of appealing to emotion that drew my attention was Appeal to Pity.  When advertisers are trying to sell a product or trying to help a cause, they aim toward buyers' hearts; making sure that they have melted their hearts and that they feel so bad about the issue that they have to help.  These arguments are often presented through television advertisements.  An example of an advertisement using the approach of appealing to pity would be an ASPCA commerical.  In these commercials, they present pictures of abused, hurt, and battered animals who are in desperate need of help. Along with this advertisement, the song "Arms of an Angel" by Sarah mcLachlan is playing and she also speaks out for the cause.  Using this approach, animal lovers and pet owners feel so hurt and moved because of what they see; they have pity for these animals and no longer want to see domestic violence and decide to donate.