Project 2-Draft 2

“In Month of Giving, a Healthy Reward” is an article published in the Health section of the New York Times on November 30, 2009. The article was written by Tara Parker-Pope who claims that alternative medicine can be used to reduce or even eliminate the need for conventional medicine. Overall, this article educates the reader about alternative medicine and argues its benefits. Alternative medicine is a controversial issue so Parker-Pope aims persuade readers by to describing a case where alternative medicine was effective and providing statistics to prove a trend of effectiveness. The target audience for this article is readers of the New York Times specifically the Health section where this article appears. This means that the audience would be educated adult readers, most likely over thirty who are interested in health topics. Through this article Parker-Pope aims at persuading her audience to give alternative medicine a try because she argues that it can be very beneficial.

Dictionary.com defines alternative medicine as, “healthcare and treatment practices, including traditional Chinese medicine, chiropractic, folk medicine, and naturopathy, that minimize or eschew the use of surgery and drugs” (Alternative Medicine). This is a broad definition of alternative medicine and the specific type examined in this article is the use of gift giving as alternative medicine. The definition given is helpful because it relates closely with the argument that Parker-Pope makes. Currently alternative medicine is very controversial; some believe that it is not effective or even harmful to the user while others, like Parker-Pope, argue that alternative medicine is beneficial.

Throughout the article, word choice is used as an emotional appeal. In general, the topic evokes a lot of emotion because this is a controversial topic and alternative medicine is often recommended for sufferers of severe illnesses. Cami Walker is the main subject of the article and words like “pain”, “preoccupation”, and “plummeted” are used in the beginning of the article to describe her struggle with multiple sclerosis. These words evoke sadness and sometimes even fear. The author then goes on to describe how a 29 day project of gift giving has turned Walker’s outlook and symptoms around. In the latter part of the article words like “positive”, “greater meaning”, and “antidote” are used to convey a change for the better within Cami. These words are used as pathos to make the reader feel good about what has happened to Cami. The transition from negative words to positive words is very effective. This triggers a correlation in the readers mind between the positive words and the effectiveness of alternative medicine. Readers will relate the happy, positive emotions with the use of alternative medicine.

While Parker-Pope uses pathos effectively she adds depth to her argument with logos. After she has made the appeal to the reader’s emotions, Parker-Pope proceeds to make various logical appeals. She calls to reference many studies that have been done showing the effectiveness of alternative medicine on improving morale and lessening symptoms. One such study used volunteering as the alternate form of medicine. This study showed that during the span of examination, those involved in the study were 44% less likely to die. A correlation was also found in a study mentioned in this article between self-centeredness and heart disease severity. Subjects who talked about themselves more performed worse on treadmill test and showed more severe heart symptoms (Parker-Pope). By pointing these studies out, the author is showing the reader that others believe her point of view as well. She is giving her audience the solid evidence on which her argument is based. Readers will see these statistics and want to experience that favorable outcome seen in the studies. 

While the content of the studies was convincing they can be backed up with credibility as well. Many of the studies were performed at recognizable, highly acclaimed universities. A study was conducted at Boston College which is seen as a credible conductor of studies and a widely known university. Other studies referenced in this article appeared in various academic journals like Psychology Today and Psychosomatic Medicine. Studies published in academic journals like these have to be convincing to be published. The fact that all of the studies referenced in this article come from credible sources show that there is trustworthy, factual basis for the argument and it is not just an appeal to the emotions. Not only do the articles come from reliable sources but all of the sources are linked within the article. While reading this article, one can click on the links within the text to see for themselves the facts that are presented. This shows that the author is not trying to skew any of the studies or statistics presented in the article.

While the author develops the ethos, pathos, and logos of the argument well, she lacks reference to the opposition. There are a lot of people who believe alternative medicine is not useful and even harmful and it would have made a more convincing argument to refute the opposition. A rebuttal to the opposition is not wholly lacking, however. There is a quote from Walker that addresses the opposition, “My first reaction was that I thought it was an insane idea. But it has given me a more positive outlook on life. It’s about stepping outside of your own story long enough to make a connection with someone else” (Parker-Pope). By having Walker admit that the idea of alternative medicine was “an insane idea,” Parker-Pope is addressing the fact that there are many skeptics of non-conventional medicine. There are many opposing view to alternative medicine so for a negation of the opposition to be nearly nonexistent is inexcusable.  

Overall, ethos, pathos, and logos are present in good proportion in this article. The author does a great job of backing up the emotional appeals she makes with solid facts from trustworthy sources. All of the studies presented in this article are from credible and even impressive sources. While the author lacks a refute to the opposition, she still managed to craft a well balanced argument that is very convincing and shows many benefits to alternative medicine. In the end, many readers will be convinced that alternative medicine can reduce or eliminate the need for conventional medicine.

Works Cited

Alternative Medicine. Dictionary.com, 2010. Web. 19 Oct. 2010.

Parker-Pope, Tara “In Month of Giving, a Healthy Reward.” New York Times. New York Times, 30 Nov. 2009. Web. 6 Oct. 2010.