The exemplary rhetorical work “Internet Health and the 21st-Century Patient”, by Judy Z. Segal, analyzes the different issues involved with the health of people who use the Internet—touching on other rhetorical work from other rhetors as well. Segal begins her introduction by setting the problem and rhetorical situation. According to Segal, “Internet health is a complex rhetorical situation, and its effect is likewise complex” (Segal 352). The complexity of this rhetorical situation allows for a deeper understanding on how Segal constructs an ethos. The argument from the character of Segal shows tremendous effort to make the point that fear and emotion make up the key element in the variety and direction of Internet health sites. More importantly, Segal informs her audience by explaining all three of Aristotle’s division of appeals (logos, pathos, and ethos). The way she strategizes ethos into her piece is woven throughout her piece; in which, she explains the meaning of ethos near the end to inform her readers of the relevant meaning to ensure that her audience can connect to her writing the way she had intended them to. Within Segal’s rhetorical situation, three major dimensions are demonstrated within her piece: interpersonal, attitudinal, and situational. The interpersonal dimension has three characteristics: liking, power, and distance. Liking has to do with how well her audience is engaging in this particular rhetorical situation and if they like or dislike her point of view. Power is focused towards the competence to apply interpersonal persuasion in relation to the Internet and personal health. Lastly, depending on social status or situations, distance examines how far apart participants are from one another in a rhetorical situation. For example, someone living in the Midwest as a farmer would have a much harder time relating to this rhetorical situation opposed to someone living on the West coast or East coast near a city—where Internet use is a part of daily life. The use of these major dimensions in her argument, Segal sets the rhetorical situation for her audience that enables them to learn the situated ethos at work. This particular use of ethos is effective for Segal’s audience because of the credibility she gains from them. But how does Segal gain this credibility from her audience? This is where the use of Aristotle’s situated and invented ethos comes to play in her text. Ethical proof can become complicated because it is hard to know the people to whom she would speak or write to in regards to personal heath and the Internet. Considering that Segal attracts one of the largest audiences because of the expansive topics, personal health and the Internet—she relies strongly upon invented ethos. This was a lengthy article that I found on EBSCOhost.com (search resource within the University of Arizona Library Website for students and teachers only), but I was able to gain some knowledge some additional information and examples other than the required readings for class. Finding articles online can be frustrating and time consuming if you don’t know exactly what you are looking for, but it is nice to read up on additional reading to get a variety of different perspectives.
Works Cited
Segal, Judy Z. "Internet Health and the 21st-Century Patient: A Rhetorical View." Written
Communication 26.4 (2009): 351-369. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 15 Oct. 2009.
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