"On a Monument to the Pigeon"

In Aldo Leopold's essay "On a Monument to the Pigeon" he effectively uses pathos to pull at the readers hearts and make them realize that the extinction of the passenger pigeon was because of mankind. He does this by reminiscing in the past and vividly describing, in a poetic way, how these pigeons moved about. He ultimately coerces the reader into understanding how mankind is responsible for the passenger pigeons extinction. He further emphasizes this by explaining how “man is only a fellow-voyager with other creatures in the Odyssey of evolution, and that his captaincy of the adventuring ship conveys the power, but not necessarily the right, to discard at will among the crew.”  This quote shows how mankind could coexist with other species but instead chooses take advantage of everything around them just to further benefit themselves. After reading this essay, I personally feel guilt towards the extinction of these birds and believe that we, as humans, have a responsibility to care and protect the environment and do everything in our power to ensure that no plant or animal species will ever go extinct.