Adhd Rhetorical Analysis

Rhetorical Analysis

Many people do not know what ADHD means or what it is. ADHD is a most common disorder found in children and often lasts into adulthood. According to the Centers of Disease Control (CDC, 2017) “children are not able to sit still for a long period of time, they talk too much, and make careless mistakes or take unnecessary risks”. ADHD could be detected by a medical professional doing multiple tests. ADHD is caused by having a brain injury, low birth weight, or alcohol and tobacco during pregnancy in addition, The Center of Disease Control and Prevention has effectively introduced information on ADHD by using ethos, logos, and pathos.

Ethos is the authority or the credibility of the author. “Ethos can be developed by choosing language that is appropriate for the audience and topic (also means choosing proper level of vocabulary) (pathosethoslogos, 2015).  The way the Center of Disease control (CDC) used ethos is by informing parents what causes ADHD and the signs and symptoms for ADHD. “It is normal for children to have trouble focusing and behaving at one time or another. However, children with ADHD do not just grow out of these behaviors” (CDC, 2017). The information that the web site CDC is giving out to the audience is reliable. The web site is not stating their information as if they are right nor are they stating that their information is wrong. They are trying to persuade the reader to believe in the information that they are giving. The author is trying to bring in emotion. That’s where pathos comes in.

Pathos is a quality that shows sadness, or a positive feeling like hope, it expresses how the author wants to make the reader feel while reading the text. When it comes to the web site CDC the author wants to make the reader feel well informed on how to control ADHD, and wants the reader to feel like they are not alone. “Therapist works with the child to learn new behaviors to replace behaviors that don’t work or cause problems (CDC, 2017)”.  The pictures that the web site uses are great example that makes the reader feel like they are not alone. The picture they use is a nurse talking to the parents and children, the parents and children have a smile on their face. CDC is giving out information that will make a parent feel like they would know how to treat or care for someone that has ADHD. CDC also is referring parent to how or where they could go to get professional help. CDC also shows Logos on their web site.

Logos is a literary device that can be defined as a sentence, statement, or argument used to persuade or convince the targeted audience by engaging a reason or logic. The way CDC uses logic is by giving a reason on how and why ADHD occurs. “Research does not support the popularly held views that ADHD is caused by eating too much sugar, watching too much television, parenting, or social and environmental factors such as poverty or family chaos (CDC, 2017)”. The CDC web site informs the readers with information that could be backed up because it has a lot of informative information. The author of CDC is trying to convince the readers by getting them well informed on what ADHD is and how they could get the help to cure ADHD.