Sarah Danielson

Dr. Wielgos

College Writing II

2/16/14

Leukemia

One day in March, a five-year-old boy named Tommy came home from school not feeling well. His mother and father took him to the doctors thinking that it was just a cold. However, when the doctor heard the symptoms, he decided to do a blood test to make sure it was not anything more than a cold. A week later, Tommy went back to the doctor to get the results of the blood test.  The doctor told Tommy’s parents that Tommy had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. They knew it was bad, but the doctor could only tell them so much. When learning about a disease, people tend to ask their doctors for information or they research online. The sites are set up for people to learn about diseases and sometimes to donate money to the organization to help people that have that disease.  People go to the websites to get comfort in understanding what they or their loved ones will be going through. These websites also bring information to those who want to help. I am going to analyze the effectiveness of the ethos, logos, pathos, and the visual/text that is on the website http://www.lls.org/.

                      Leukemia is a type of disease that effects the blood and bone marrow. It develops when blood cells grow uncontrollably in the spongy part of the bone. There are many types of Leukemia, which are named by the type of cells that are being effected throughout the body. The Leukemia that starts with Acute, is normally the most dangerous out of the different Leukemia’s. Four of the most common Leukemia’s are:  Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. People with all kinds of Leukemia are treated every day; but also every day, many are diagnosed with a type of Leukemia.

           
            Throughout the website logos is a big factor. In the website, you can easily reach an area that will tell you all about your disease. When talking about Leukemia, the website tells you how Leukemia starts and some of the different types of Leukemia. The website tells the reader the signs and symptoms of the different types of Leukemia and how they effect the body. However, for some types of Leukemia they do not know as much about. The website explanations are short and to the point, with not as much detail as some readers might like. In the website you can find out how some doctors treat the Leukemia itself and some of the medicines and symptoms that you might experience while trying to get better. It shows phone numbers, chat groups and email addresses that you can contact to get even more help if needed and to get more information about the disease. The website shows the reader how well the doctors have been treating the diseases and how all the new technology is making it easier on the patients that are being treated.  It also shows the negative side effects.  For instance, some diseases that affect children under the age of two, will not have a great chance for survival. This can be hard for some to read if their child is under the age of two, but it can also be refreshing that they are being honest with the reader when showing all of the facts about the disease.

Ethos is used throughout the website. When opening up the website, areas are shown where you can contact doctors with any questions. Showing that they have full doctor support throughout the website, helps the reader know that it is credible. When clicking on a side bar you can find information about the website itself and who is in control of the foundation all together. This assures the reader that they can trust the website when making donations and anything else that they might need. Ethos is also used when the webpage says that they have people to talk to on the phone or on the web chat, to get more information that you might need about the sickness that you or someone you know has.

In the website, pathos can be seen everywhere. Throughout the website, the reader can always see the donate button. The donate button is not as big as the information button, but it is still noticeable. When clicking on the donations button, the website will explain why to donate as well as the other ways you can donate your money toward the people with these blood diseases. When you click on the donate button you can also look at pictures of some of the people you will be helping. In this picture, you see a 22-month-old girl named Madalyn, who has acute lymphoblastic leukemia. At the bottom of her story, there is a button to click if you choose to donate money to help her. There are many other people that you can donate money to on the website, age ranging from babies to grandparents. Showing that at any age, people can get Leukemia and anyone can help. Using pathos really helps the audience in that way.  By showing them the picture of the baby girl, it touches people’s emotions because it is a sick child. When showing that it is an older person, the audience feels emotions when realizing that it could affect their parents, siblings, or friends.

The visual and text aspect of the website brings the reader wanting to know more. When you first open the page, you see nothing but pictures throughout the opening page. All of the words are in red, white, or yellow which stand out to a black background. The readers notice two visuals right away. One of the biggest visual is a red blood drop on a black background, with the words “Donate now, you can change the world”. Using pathos, when telling the reader that they can change the world with just donating blood. The second visual that catches the eye of the reader is a picture with a girl on it with her hand up facing the audience. One the side of the picture you see another hand that is completely red, with white words saying, “Cancer Ends With Me”. This also makes the audience feel emotion when trying to make them feel better, by saying that you will get over your cancer and survive. The clear writing of the words makes them eye popping so there is no reason that the reader could not see them. Visual and text make a big difference when it comes to getting the audience’s attention.

In conclusion, when analyzing the website it showed:  logos, ethos and pathos. It uses visual and text to make an impact when getting the audience to stay and trust the website. When looking at the information about the different types of Leukemia, the author uses logos to make sure that everyone who reads the website’s information, knows that it is true. The website also uses ethos when it allows you to contact different doctors and people who have had the disease. They give enough information about the professionals so that you are always cared for throughout your time in need. When showing the donation buttons and the pictures of the sick children and elderly, the website uses a lot of pathos. This is in hopes that when you see the pictures and get to know the people and their stories, then you will want to donate to the organization. The visual and text really help the audience want to know more about how they can help and how they can get help. I think that the website shows Leukemia how it is.  It is a very scary disease to have and I believe that this website is trying to help those patients out. Tommy’s parents were very happy that they were able to get information online to help better understand what Tommy would be going through. Throughout his treatment, they always knew to be aware of symptoms and anything that could affect his treatment. Once Tommy was healthy again, he grew up to be a healthy young man.