Genre Analysis on Assisted Suicide
Ashley N. Berta
University of Cincinnati Blue Ash
Abstract
Euthanasia is a hot topic all around the world. In the following essay, I will analyze the professional and non-professional genres. They pose some similar aspects, but also many differences. Furthermore, I will look more in depth when it comes to the two genre’s audience, rhetorical appeals, and structure. These factors will impact the purpose the two genres are trying to convey, as well as how effective the factors are on an audience.
Euthanasia also known as assisted suicide is the practice of terminating a life due to fatal illness, pain, and or coma. Although euthanasia can be defined in this way, it does not always mean it is used in these circumstances. Switzerland has been known to exercise this procedure on those who are not physically sick in any way (McLaughlin). In addition, assisted suicide is an ongoing debate not just in the United States, but all over the world. It is not legal in most of the U.S., but there are a few states where it is legal, such as Oregon (McLaughlin). In other parts of the world, Switzerland is the most famous when it comes to euthanasia. It has a long history dating back to 1941. Granted, this topic has a substantial past, but it still strikes the same cord. Undoubtedly, emotions and opinions run high when it comes to this because it deals with peoples’ morals, values, and ethics. This is what makes it so controversial. Lastly, I have chosen five articles that discuss this topic. There are three articles that are classified under the non-professional genre. The first is “A More Perfect Death” by Ross Douthat. In this article, Douthat explains that healthcare spending is a major factor when it comes to euthanasia. Americans watch the government spend trillions of dollars, so why would it be any different to go to extreme extenuations to save lives? The second article is, “Surgery Rate Late in Life Surprise Researchers” by Gina Kolata. She views the aspect of surgery and it’s relationship to assisted suicide. She unfolds that many surgeries are taking place in the elderly population. She believes that doctors are doing all these procedures and surgeries to avoid the end-of-life discussion with their patients. The third and last article for this genre is “Zurich rejects the ban on assisted suicide, ‘suicide tourism’ by Eliott McLaughlin. McLaughlin talks about the history of assisted suicide and where it is legal. The next two articles represent the professional genre. The first is “Special issue: Ethical concerns involving end-of-life issues in the United States introduction: Ethics and end-of-life issues” by George Dickinson. He describes the doctor’s view on assisted suicide. And lastly, “Hospice and assisted suicide: The structure and process of an inherent dilemma” by Mark Mesler. This article talks about the history of hospice and how it relates to euthanasia.
First, these websites and journals all have a purpose and a particular audience in mind when they create them. They take into account what kind of audience, what the audience knows about the topic, and what they want to know. The purpose will outline the way the content is presented and written. In both genres the main focus is to inform while some of the language is persuasive in nature. If in a blog, people will present their opinions to persuade others. Nevertheless, common perceptions can be found in pretty much any article, but the non-professional genre uses these the most. For example, the New York Times presents popular ideas on topics of assisted suicide, like in Douthat’s article. He writes about how our economic culture has impacted assisted suicide and the way we perceive it. This is his reasoning for why assisted suicide occurs (Douthat). In this situation, these websites are directed toward general public as its audience, but it does not disregard the professionals. This is where it gets a little sticky because the general public is made up of professionals. Furthermore, these sites do not want to write about euthanasia with alot of medical jargon because not everyone will understand it. Assisted suicide is a popular and well known topic, but you cannot assume that everyone knows what it is. In addition, the public will want to know the history, current laws, and present court cases about euthanasia. However, the professional journals offer more detail and information. It is written in higher educational terms including a larger vocabulary. Certainly, anyone can read these journals, but the language can be difficult to read let alone understand. The particular audiences they are projecting to will be those professionals who are probably college educated. Also, those in this audience will bear critical thinking skills. Nevertheless, this audience will already know what this topic entails and will have more insight into it. For example, many already know what hospice care is, but Mesler includes “The hospice philosophy involves making terminal patients as comfortable as possible, empowering them with control of the time they have left, but neither hastening nor postponing death” (Mesler). Lastly, depending on what the audiences are using these resources for, the time spent may be limited. Certainly, if being used for research, more time and effort will be spent on these resources.
Secondly, rhetorical styles play a big part in the resources. The first of the three is ethos which deals with the credibility and authority that the genre creates. In general, the journals are going to be seen as more credible because it is written by a professional, most who are an expert in that field. For example, Dickinson is a professor at the College of Charleston. He specializes in Sociology and anthropology (Dickinson). On the other hand, resources made by those who are not experts often present more opinions than facts. Certainly, these sources still inform and persuade, but people may not be able to rely on them because they may have inconsistencies and false information. Next, pathos are the emotions that the genre can evoke. This can be accomplished through the use of emotional language such as personal stories, something that pulls at the heart. The non-professional sources use the emotional rhetoric style because it is their way of persuading. Some of the people will feel bad when reading about a person’s personal story, while some will empathize with their stories. For example, Kolata quotes Dr. Jha, “Then they did abdominal surgery. We did all of this because we were trying desperately to find something we could fix” (Kolata). Lastly, the logos are the supporting foundations to the main point. They often include evidence-based support such as facts and statistics. Unlike before, the two genres present the same use of logos. For example, both genres included the history, prominent figures, and the countries involved in at least one of their articles. Also, they both included percentages on who supports and rejects assisted suicide. For example, in one of the non-professional articles, McLauglin says, “78 percent of ballots rejected outlawing suicide tourism” (McLaughlin). In conclusion, rhetoric styles convey emotions, credibility, and evidence. All three of these contribute to the way the source is written and how it comes across to the reader.
Lastly, the structure is an important aspect to a genre. Professional articles use as much space as they want, but will have more restrictions. Most of the time theses genres are peer reviewed which can bring limitations. On the other hand, non-professional articles are written and reviewed by the author, but often do not take up as much space. They like to get to the point and not use alot of filler information because they know what it is like to be the reader. Lastly, non-professional articles have more visual interest and use interactive aspects like watching a video clip. On the other hand, the professional genre does not use this technique. Their journals are usually plain with no colors, pictures, or videos. It is usually comprised of the title and then the article.
In conclusion, the two genres are different, but they both serve a purpose of informing the public. Moreover, as long as the two genres keep informing and at times trying to persuade, they will continue to be effective. In addition, the differences between the two are quite evident. The major differences can be found in the language, structure, and audience. The professional genre uses more medical jargon and an increased vocabulary. On the other hand, the non-professional genre will use language that is commonly understood. They try not to confusion their audience with a bunch of medical vocabulary. Moreover, anyone can read these articles, but it is usually the professions that do so. Furthermore, this will cause problems when appealing to the opposite genre. The non-professional genre can be used by everyone as well, but appeals to the general population. This will also cause issues when appealing to the professionals because they are looking for more details on the topic, rather than the general background. Also, the structure of the article for the professional genre is quite different. The professional article is usually pretty lengthy. For example, some of the journals contain multiple volumes and issues. However, it is quite the opposite for the non-professional genre. To appeal to their audience, their journals are usually short and sweet. Lastly, the two overlapped the most when it comes to the use of rhetorical appeals, particularly logos. The use logos are pretty much the same. For example, they both present facts and statistics in their articles. Also, they both present the same general information on the topic, but the professional genre just takes it a step further. Nevertheless, there are many websites, journals, and articles in circulation. Keep in mind the most popular are those that are credible and relay good solid information. Also, a unique aspect is what will set an article apart from all the others.
Resources
Dickinson, G. (2005). Special issue: Ethical concerns involving end-of-life issues in the united states introduction: Ethics and end-of-life issues. Taylor and Francis, 10(1), 1-5. Retrieved from http://blackboard.uc.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_18_1
Douthat, R. (2009, September 06). A more perfect death. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/07/opinion/07douthat.html?ref=assistedsuicide
Kolata, G. (2011, October 06). Surgery rate late in life surprises researchers. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/06/health/research/06medicare.html?_r=1
McLaughlin, E. C. (2011, May 17). Zurich rejects ban on assisted suicide, 'suicide tourism' [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/17/zurich-rejects-ban-on-assisted-suicide-suicide-tourism/?iref=allsearch
Mesler, M. A., & Miller, P. J. (2000). Hospice and assisted suicide: The structure and process of an inherent dilemma. 24(2), 135-155. Retrieved from http://blackboard.uc.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_18_1
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