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The CDC and Rhetorical Appeals
Emerson Lamansky
Grand Canyon University
ENG-105 English Composition 1
Jim Higuera
August 9, 2023
The CDC and Rhetorical Appeals
It is hard enough to stay focused in the modern world of distractions. We live in an ever
changing society that puts emphasis on short term validation and attention spans only last for a
minute at a time. Now picture having a neurodevelopmental disease that causes even more
problems with paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors, or being overly active. This is
what it would be like to suffer from the disease ADHD. When learning about a disease, there is
one organization that is most commonly referenced: the Center for Disease Control (CDC). The
CDC strives to fight disease, whether these be contagious or genetic, curable or preventable, or
impact a small population, while also providing information and supporting communities to do
the same. The CDC has become widely known as the most trust-worthy organization for diseases
for their use of ethos, logos, and pathos. Looking into the website published by the CDC on the
disease of ADHD, there are numerous examples of these rhetorical appeals.
Ethos establishes the credibility of a source and how the writer should be perceived by an
audience (Oeppen Hill, J. H. 2020). Started in 1946, the CDC is considered one of the major
components of the Department of Health and is recognized as the nation’s premiere disease
prevention and information agency (cdc.gov, 2023) Furthermore, they also fund the National
Resource Center on ADHD and help families that may have someone diagnosed with this
diseases. As the website is largely factual, the CDC greatly targets the rhetorical appeal of ethos
by consistently ;inking their facts to outside sources. Following each section of information:
signs and symptoms, types, causes, diagnosis, and treatments, the CDC links other websites to
back up this knowledge. FOr example, in the “Causes” section, they cite research and then link
the NAtional Resource Center on ADHD. By citing these sources and establishing a background
in disease control, they have credibility to guide people along with the disease of ADHD.
As any disease can negatively impact a person, it is important for an agency to appeal to
logic. When learning about a disease, it is critical to get all the correct information and signs of a
possible diagnosis. This is where the CDC really excels in the use of logos on their website. Not
only do they provide facts for a diagnosis, they also provide examples to back them up. For
example, 9.4 percent of children in the United States have been diagnosed with the disease.
Furthermore, between 3 and 5 percent of adults may also have ADHD (Block et al., 2022) As the
disease impacts such a large population of people, it is important to have a website where
information can be trusted to be correct and this is where the CDC’s website does a very
effective job of conveying information. Furthermore, towards the end of the webpage, the CDC
offers a “get help” section and a call section for those that have more questions.
As ADHD causes children and adults to suffer from hyperactivity, impulsive decisions,
inattentiveness, it comes at no surprise that there is often a negative connotation(Block et al.,
2022). This is where the CDC directly targets pathos or a reader's emotions. Pathos is an attempt
to evoke sympathy. This is the most common rhetorical appeal used on the CDC website. With
the symptoms that might pose severe problems in a person's life, ADHD has a number of severe
symptoms that can cause difficulty at school, at home, or with friends. By presenting a multitude
of facts, information, and resources to parents or family members of someone with this disease,
the CDC is offering the ability to take the diseases under control. Typically, people like to be in
control and therefore the CDC directly targets pathos and the readers emotions.
By effectively using the three rhetorical appeals of ethos, logos, and pathos, the The
Center for Disease Control quickly gained a reputation as the most-trustworthy agency when it
comes to informing the country about different diseases. The website on the disease of ADHD is
no different in its effectiveness to convey information. When all three rhetorical appeals are used
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effectively, an audience trusts their sources and will continue to go back for more information.
The CDC uses its well-known background as leverage for any information shared. Furthermore,
they provide facts and examples to back up the information that is shared. In the final sections of
the website, they offer people the ability to take control and reach out to resources if need be.
The CDC has been around for decades and will continue to effectively spread information about
diseases that can impact any single person.
References
Block, R. W., MD, Macdonald, N. E., PhD, & Piotrowski, N. A., PhD. (2022). Attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Magill’s Medical Guide (Online Edition)
.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, August 9).
What is ADHD?
. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/facts.html
Oeppen Hill, J. H. (2020). Logos, ethos, pathos and the marketing of higher education. Journal
of Marketing for Higher Education, 30(1), 87–104.
https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/08841241.2019.1683120