Rhetorical Analysis Of Adrian Owen's The Guardian

Throughout our lifetime, we all experience a loved one barely holding onto life in a hospital bed. Scott’s family can relate. 26 year old, Scott, was involved in a serious car accident. An accident leaving him speechless, and motionless in a hospital bed. Scott is not able to move his body, doctors considering him a vegetable, and a coma patient. Adrian Owen, a British neuroscientist, informs his readers in a “The Guardian” post, that scientists have figured out how to communicate directly with coma patients. He informs the readers how the study of science can relate to the communication of ill patients and informs the readers by the use of ethos and logos. Owen’s strong use of logos throughout this article, informs the reader about Scott’s incident and health state. After Scott’s accident he was admitted into the hospital, after doctors running tests, they came to a conclusion. “Scott was admitted...a neurological scale that measures a person’s conscious state...Scott was already a four” (Owen). The lowest score

Such as holding their hand, and feeling their gentle squeeze, knowing that you are right beside them. This is all what Scott’s family was doing, right beside his hospital bed. Clinging to every response Scott gives them, every cue that he is able to respond to. The doctors believed that Scott’s family saw something in him that was not presented in the tests. As Scott lays in the MRI machine, the doctors are trying to test whether Scott is conscious or not. The doctors give the patients actions to attempt. For example, they will tell the patient to imagine playing tennis, and if they respond to this action, then the doctors know the patient is conscious. Scott was able to respond to the commands that he was being told, therefore Scott was conscious. Scott was able to respond with his brain, and was fully aware of what was going on around