Similar to the way a child
loves their favorite toy to the point of destruction, humans put their body
through much abuse. By the end of a lifetime, the body has been through so much
that it simply falls apart. Atul Gawande, renowned author and surgeon, exploits
this lifelong wear-and-tear in his short story, “The Way We Age Now.” Gawande
suddenly piqued interest in the geriatrics clinic in his hospital and sought
permission to observe some patients’ visits. He went on to form relationships
with both geriatricians Juergen Bludau and Felix Silverstone. Through his
writing, Gawande expressed his desire for the reader to pay more attention to
his or her own aging process. This idea relates to a universal audience, for
everyone prefers not to think about their demise while Gawande insists that a
person must do exactly that. The use of rhetorical devices such as anecdotes,
description, and generalization was to help that universal audience understand,
and maybe even relate to, the concepts in Gawande’s writing. His use of
metaphors was especially compelling. For example, by comparing the human body
to a power plant, Gawande was able to reinforce the idea that the human body is
comprised of systems and backup systems such as the kidney. Throughout the
text, Gawande appealed to logic by citing facts, statistics, and research from
various credible medical and statistical sources, such as James Vaupel of the
Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research. He applied this information in a
way that highlighted his purpose in writing: to convince the reader that good
medical care can influence the direction a person’s old age will take. By
sharing his own credibility as a medical professional, applying relevant
statistics, and identifying with the audience’s emotions, Gawande utilized
Aristotle’s triangle of rhetoric. This allowed the reader to recognize the
purpose and the message of his essay: just as it is inevitable for that toy to
break, it is certain that the body will do the same but with proper care, the
quality of life can be enhanced.
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Evolution
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