Tone it down

I recently received an approval for my disability medical coverage from my insurance provider. I was injured during the Christmas holidays due to an accident and have been unable to return to my job. The tone is very concise and to the point and does little to invoke much of an emotional response. It uses mainly logos, stating first that my benefits have been approved from the time of the accident until the 20th of next month. Then it goes on to list the contingencies of this coverage listing: updated clinical data from future appointments, visitations to new clinical facilities, office notes, progress notes, range of motion deficits, and any other documentations pertinent to my claim.

It then goes onto listing the consequences of being "non-compliant" with these requests. It uses "you language" in doing so which goes against the logic of our textbook. It does this throughout the letter, however, so it is unlikely to be deliberately provoking. The one thing that stood out was when they said, "Please be advised that we will continue to monitor your recovery and request updated clinical data...". This sounds like a veiled warning made in a cautionary tone meant for those who might be taking advantage of disability coverage/pay. I have known people in my workplace who have been accused to doing this and subsequently fired for it. Other then that, the rest of the letter reads rather plainly and is direct in conveying simple message that any and all medical visits must be directly communicated to them in a timely manner.

The last paragraph ends stating that should the doctor feel that I'm ready for work before the coverage deadline to notify them immediately. This tone of urgency is probably to emphasize that they won't pay a penny more disability coverage then what's absolutely necessary. This makes business sense as they are a huge provider servicing millions of people and a mere day or week of unnecessary coverage results in millions of dollars in losses.

Analyzing this letter has been illuminating and thought provoking. I might compare this thrilling literature to a terms and services notifications posted on various websites or computer programs. The long drawn out legalese of such documents really invigorates the mind and energizes the spirit. I recommend such reading be done in the event of a rainy day in a mental institute when the option of banging your head against the wall has become woefully unattainable due to physical restraint.

Rhetoric

I view rhetoric as three literary techniques found in any piece of literature. Ethos involves ethical implications and one's self in an argument or standpoint. Pathos would focus on invoking empathy, sympathy, and an emotional response. Logos would concentrate on establishing credibility through logic and evidence.

In my experience rhetoric is often mentioned specifically when writing persuasive papers but it is found in all literature. Depending on the purpose of the paper different proportions of ethos, logos, and pathos should be used. A physics scientific journal would usually have more logos then pathos or ethos. It all depends though, if the physics journal involved cheap nuclear weapon manufacturing techniques then ethos could definitely be relevant. Ethos would benefit being coupled with pathos in order to elicit an emotional response in the reader and emphasize the impact nuclear proliferation might have on the world. A weather report would also likely be heavily logos centered, however, reports usually use subjective descriptions like "dismal' or "treacherous" which would be pathos and traveling advisory could involve ethos in dissuading people from endangering themselves and others if they venture out.

Isolating any of these devices is obviously problematic. Logos would have to be strictly reporting raw data which is possible, like writing an annual report about syesmic readings in a region. Pathos would be very difficult to isolate but a charity script for television might work, despite the fact that most state several statistics, some rely solely on a few heartfelt lines and the emotional impact of children with sad expressions. Ethos would be hard to distill as well, some creationist religious texts prescribe what is right and wrong without evidence or very much emotional appeal either.

Incorporating the right proportions of ethos, logos, and pathos is important when considering who is your audience and the objective you wish to achieve in your literature.


Isolating any of these three parts would be difficult. Even when you're not reading

Cellular Phone and Internet Proliferation Makes Writing the Preffered Mode of Communicating in the Modern-day World

Writing has become more prevalent in the past decade due to phone and Internet proliferation in modern society. Writing letters has been the most popular form of communication for centuries, but there were limitations on the speed and cost of these messages. The invention of the telegram boosted speed but still imposed a considerable cost and a limited number of receiving stations. The fax machine was another leap in sending written messages and while its speed was excellent, the cost remained a disincentive.
The invention of the Internet, E-mailing, texting, and Smartphones have revolutionized writing. Cell phone texting was once a seldom-used novelty but it has gained popularity to the extent of rivaling ordinary voice phone calls. Texting allows users to convey a specific message without obligating the receiver to engage in a full conversation when a mere sentence would suffice. It is also an easier and more effective way to send directions, giving the reader the ability to refer back to the message when needed, while verbal instructions could be too lengthy and detailed to commit to memory. Text messaging also enables users to engage in communications at their own leisure and pace.
Another invention further boosting written message popularity was the invention of the Smartphone. Smartphones are equipped with a keypad increasing the ease and speed that text messages are transmitted. They expand upon regular cell phones in their ability to connect to the Internet, E-mail, blogs, networking sites, and countless other conduits of written communications. This boom in popularity has spurred the increase in wifi coverage in virtually all urban areas allowing any wifi ready device the capability to engage in written exchanges.
As long as Internet and cellular communications subsist largely on written words then writing will continue a proportional rise in popularity. Emphasizing the importance of writing is important in preparing future generations to effectively keep pace with the rapidly evolving communication technologies.