The Spill That Flooded Our Hearts - 906 Words

The Spill That Flooded Our Hearts On April 20, 2010, an eruption occurred in the Gulf of Mexico. The BP oil spill, or the Gulf of Mexico spill, more than 200 million gallons of crude oil were pumped into the Gulf of Mexico for a total of 87 days, making it the biggest oil spill in U.S. history. The BP pipes were leaking oil and gas on the ocean floor about 40 miles off the coast of Louisiana. The disaster killed 11 workers and injured 17. By the time the well was capped on July 15, 2010 an estimated 3.19 million barrels of oil had leaked into the gulf. As much as 20 percent of the of the spilled oil ended up on top of the sea floor . As of 2012, the Gulf was still polluted with oil. Of the 400 miles of the Louisiana coast, approximately†¦show more content†¦Petroleum runs down the eagle that symbolizes freedom as it clenches the olive branch in one talon and thirteen arrows in the other. The American flag is represented as the eagle s breast plate to show that the United States still has glory even in traged y (MacArthur n.p). However, the Newsweek magazine uses another tactic as well. The author uses a visual appeal. Above the overpowering presidential seal, cover with oil, contains bright yellow lettering that spells out â€Å"crude awakening.† The author uses these words to depict that the bp oil spill was a great eye opener. The color yellow symbolizes a cowardly act, the author uses yellow to show that the government acted as a coward during this crisis. But however Time magazine uses similar tactics to prove a different idea. The cover of Time magazine has an appeal that depicts a wild and free pelican smothered in layers upon layers of dark oil found along the surface in the Gulf of Mexico. The pelican covered in petroleum expresses that the of an overproduction of oil on offshore rigs caused a tragedy that affected marine habitat. To appeal to their audience, this magazine cover uses other tactics. The word play used in Time magazine also to appeal to the audience by forcing them to think deeper. Right in the middle of the pelican covered in oil shows the harsh truth, in big white letters, the text reads â€Å"how to clean up the mess?† The author uses of word play to depict two ideas. One idea is how can America