Download Michelle Sing Prof. Drake English 207 February 15, 2011 Argument

Michelle Sing
Prof. Drake
English 207
February 15, 2011
Argument Analysis Essay
1) Intro:
Grey’s Anatomy is an ABC drama television series based around the lives of the residents,
interns, doctors and mentors in the fictional Seattle hospital Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital.
The show is generally forty to forty-five minutes long with the setting primarily in the hospital
and sometimes in the characters homes. The show is mostly based on the characters lives with
their decisions pushing the story. The doctor part of the show plays a lesser role but is still part of
the main plot. The particular episode I watched is called “Who’s Zoomin’ Who?” This is the last
episode of the first season which I chose to watch because it had such a high viewer rating. This
episode is about one several of the residents dealing with secrets including STDs. The secrets are
mostly involved with keeping information from partners in relationships.
2) Thesis:
2a) The main claim of the show seems to be that doctors have very active personal sex lives
and maintaining normal and healthy relationships is astronomically difficult. This particular
episode seems to claim that communication between partners in a relationship is very difficult
and everyone keeps secrets.
2b) The source is decently persuasive with the characters it uses and the setting. The choice of
young, good looking people as working doctors gives them credentials as being normal and
reliable people. However, the scripted problems of the characters and how they respond to their
problems are actually immature and easily avoidable with normal common sense possessed by
real adults.
2c) Since I am personally not a doctor or a resident it is hard to judge if the claim is valid. But I
have however lived life and experienced relationships. Given their problems I feel a normal
response would actually be quite different. And since they are doctors and some of their secrets
were medical problems, they should have no problem disclosing those types of secrets.
2d) The methods this show uses to persuade its viewers to care for the charterers and become
hooked on the show are ethical. The methods used are not particularly hard to spot and they
aren’t cleverly hidden or even hidden at all. For this reason, I don’t find an ethical issue with its
modes of persuasion. The actual ideas the show is trying to persuade I don’t find particularly
unethical, but they certainly not desirable traits.
3) Main Body: Analyze the lines of argument:
a)Ethos: Appeals To Character: Grey’s Anatomy establishes ethos primarily through the
types of people that are casted and the roles they play. All the characters are good looking, young
and nice. They are the average type of person most people would trust and like. The role of being
residents and the hospital setting give a professional feeling and also a trusting feeling for the
characters. The audience sees them as doctors who most people see as trustworthy, ethical, and
smart. This is a simply manipulation of our perceptions and stereotypes of people. Not all young,
attractive doctors are necessarily good, smart, and ethical people.
b) Appeals to Values: This particular episode depicts a very disagreeable daughter from
one of the patients. She is blatantly rude to her mother is ignores her pleas to be respectful to her
father. The attending residents are clearly horrified by her behavior because they make faces at
the daughter’s behavior. While this is also an appeal to character, it is also a queue to the
audience to recognize the main characters of the show are good people. Also, even though the
daughter’s problem may be comparable to the main character’s problems, the audience
sympathizes with the main characters more because we see their reasoning (however bad) behind
their actions. We see the values they are choosing to uphold and act upon.
c) Pathos: Emotional Appeals: The show appeals mostly to feelings with relationships,
such as feeling ignored, being lied to, being betrayed, feeling lonely, etc. These feelings are
common to all people so it is easy to feel bad for the characters and be on their side. These
feelings make the audience feel invested with the characters because they see their problems, and
feel their pain vicariously. However, this does assume that the characters are just bystanders in
life and they don’t bring trouble down upon their own heads. Considering how each character
responds to their problems, many of the issues are avoidable, but the characters don’t chose the
nest choice of action.
d) Logos: Appeals to Reason: The logic used in this particular episode is full of holes.
Many of the character’s are dealing with secrets and not letting the partner of their relationship
know about them. However, their reasons for why they won’t reveal their secrets is unclear. This
may be attributed to the fact that some of these secrets start in prior episodes. On the other hand,
they make no more indications to their feelings on the subject other than they don’t want them
revealed. One character does have a secret created at the beginning of the episode and reveals it
by the end. His reason for not dealing it the first place is very inconsistent with his status as a
medical resident. He discovers he has an STD but is embarrassed to tell his girlfriend. This
shouldn’t be an issue for a doctor to discuss this matter because he (and his girlfriend) learned
about these issues in medical school. It shouldn’t be the embarrassing situation the show makes it
out to be.
4) Conclusion: In conclusion, this television series is not valid. Its reasoning is not very
convincing or even logical and its methods of persuasion are mediocre at best. Unfortunately, the
ratings of the show imply that its techniques can be convincing. Its implications, such as sexual
prowess is the most important thing, are not unethical, but they are not traits that people should
want to have either.