Rhetorical Strategies and Situation in "Print Thyself"
Rhetorical Situations
Rhetorical Strategies
Cultural Values/Ideologies
Author/speaker: Jerome Groopman
Audience: Anyone with an interest in the topic
Context
Appeals to credibility/character
Appeals to Emotion
Appeals to Logic
Chair of Medicine at Harvard University
Researches AIDS and cancer
Staff writer for The New Yorker since 1998
Served on scientific editorial boards
Defines all scientific terms
Publishes material related to science and biology
Focus on case studies
Language and content
Nov. 24, 2014
Published in The New Yorker
Focus on recent developments in 3-D printing
Commentary on topics of public interest
Can be biased
Directly relates to recent debates
Personal stories
References to credible sources
Word choice
Author's public image
Information about author's expertise
Appeals to values/beliefs shared by the audience
Impact of this strategy
Authority is persuasive
Increases credibility of author
Strengthens overall message
"In my lab, for example, I study endothelial cells, which line the insides of our veins, arteries, and capillaries" (para. 14)
Jennifer Lewis: materials scientist at Harvard
See author in "Rhetorical Situations"
"Sickle-cell anemia is caused by a single, shape-altering gene mutation" (para. 15)
Desire for treatment and progress
See case studies in article
Personal stories or other emotionally compelling narratives
Repetition of key words
"an unusual operation on a three-month-old boy" (para. 1)
"Challenge," "achievement"
Historical records
Impact of this strategy
Tries to create emotional response to sway audience's opinion
Not as effective for this audience
Decrease credibility?
Interviews and expert opinions
Effective organization of sentences, paragraphs, ideas, images, etc.
Clear transitions between sections of text
"The first microscopes were invented in the sixteenth century, around the time of the invention of the telescope."
Jennifer Lewis: Material scientist at Harvard
Impact of this strategy
Trying to appeal to rationality
Mostly effective except no statistics
Logic of case studies?
Scientific progress/innovation
Text supports these indirectly by mentioning ideals of progress, challenge, achievement, and success.
Cultural keywords: Challenge, success, achievement
Message
Express an idea or opinion
Inform the reader about misunderstood topic
Persuade the audience
Basic thesis: 3-D printing is a challenging yet rewarding field of study that is revolutionizing the field of medicine and taking the entire field into a new age of scientific progress.