Running head: RHETORICAL ANALYSIS

Rhetorical Analysis of Mercy Ships - a Wave of Healing

Michael Juarez
University of Texas at El Paso

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Introduction
The article "Mercy Ships - a Wave of Healing," opens up with brief statements dating to
when the world's largest hospital ship was docked in Gdynia, Poland in 1990 with its vast crew
of 350 members. There will be elaboration on Elzbieta Kloda , a member to serve on board the
M/V Anastasia (Mercy Ship), and her sentimental experience during her nine years aboard the
ship, the importance of this international charity, and informative facts on the expanding growth
for the need of help in developing countries for individuals who are suffering from deadly
diseases that can be prevented. The purpose of this analysis is to expose how Elzbieta Kolda
utilizes the use of ethos, pathos, and logos in her argument.
Ethos
Ethos is used in the means of conceiving information from a certain character based on
their impression to the reader or someone who is listening. Kola's (2013) personal experience as
a" village doctor working with an international team of medical providers"( p.38) utilizes ethos
in a stable manner. The author administers a brief statement that gives credibility to the lack of
basic health care but also provides a recommendation via mercy ships."An estimated one billion
lack access to basic health care, struggling with preventable disease, untreated illnesses, and
neglected injuries. The access to good medical care, clean water and sanitation was the key focus
which was provided by the mercy ships fleet and in accordance with the world Health
Organization health strategy and recommendations"(Kola ,2013,p.38). This statement illustrates
how the author does in fact show concern toward the issue but also tends to include Mercy Ship's
Role in aiding with the issue. Kolas article is credible due to the references and her personal

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email address which applies a sense of ethos that her work is credible and that all her gathered
information is authoritative.
Pathos
Pathos is used in most literal and non-literal material weather it is in a book, journal,
movie etc...to help create a targeted quality for a point that is trying to be made to a certain
audience. The pathos in this article is used by a personal experience from the author, which
arises a quality of emotion, pity, and compassion toward an infant aboard the Mercy Ship. This
infant had a cervical teratoma, a congenital benign tumor, which was the size of the infants head.
"When the baby arrived at the mercy ship, she was very malnourished. She had such eating
difficulties they had to put her on a 30- day feed program before they could operate. It took six
hours to remove the tumor, which weighed 375 grams or 15% of the babies weight . She spent
over a month on the Africa Mercy, recovering and being fed through a tube to help her regain the
weight."(Kola,2013,p.38). This statement within the article reveals pathos because it targets the
audience to feel pity for an occurrence like this. The statement also targets the audience to feel
compassion for the recovery of the infant and allowing the chance for survival. Not only does
this create a quality of pity and grief for these struggling individuals but as for the organization
itself, pathos creates a quality of hope, grace, recognition, and also helps restore the quality in
human life expressing how even though there are developing countries without proper medical
help Mercy Ships is there in concern for this major issue. Pathos can create a variety of mixed
emotions, another way of expressing pathos could be perceived through visual images.
Logos
Logos is used in the means of persuading an individual or audience by using reasoning.
Logical claims that can be backed up to help benefit in the argumentation. The article is heavily

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supplied with logos, meaning that the article relies mostly on actual honored informational facts
about this international charity. The author provides vital information for various amounts of
concerns toward Mercy Ship. The article contributes to a collection of concerns about visited
ports such as "Guatemala, New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Mexico, Jamaica and an addition of
16 other nations. Onboard medical facilities such as three operating rooms, Intensive care units ,
laboratories, pharmacies, crew clinics etc.. all medical facilities that contribute to the aid of
medical outreach health care. All the available resources in this article all apply to logos because
that are all fact based and represent logic. The author states why Mercy Ships takes initiative in
providing medical outreach health care to the 1.2 billion people that live in absolute poverty
developing countries with no access to health care due to the extreme distances between
underdeveloped countries opposed to developed countries. The article reveals the struggle of
receiving medical attention. "She and her husband took their baby to a local hospital , but there
was no surgeon to operate" (Kloda,2013,p.38). This Indicates the need for Mercy Ships and also
elaborates on the issue of medical outreach healthcare for individuals who suffer from tragic
diseases that contribute to surgeries like maxillo-facial surgeries and various eye surgeries. All of
these diseases can be prevented with proper medical health care but in order for this to have been
a success international teams would have to be willing to work in developing countries without
receiving any financial payments.

Visual
Visuals are mainly used for pathos or to service and extract a certain quality or emotion
from an individual. A total of five visuals are used in the article. Two visuals are used to display
the image of the world's first and most up to date hospital ship. These two visuals give of an

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emotion of astonishment on the size of the massive ship and the curiosity of what's within and
what its purpose is. The final three visuals are of two separate individuals who once suffered
from a horrible life altering disease. These visuals show the before and after transformations
provided by Mercy Ships. First, the emotion of pity arises when the individuals display how bad
their disease was before the surgery and the aftermath of these surgeries creates innumerable
emotion of compassion towards the success of removing these deadly facial tumors. Logos is
also presented when using these visuals because our ability to see these pictures in our minds
help persuade an individual of reasoning that Mercy Ships is an immense organization that is
impeccable for the topic issue.
Conclusion
This article has reliable information from a source that was a part of this international
charity known as Mercy Ships. The informative information applies ethos, pathos and logos
throughout the entire article and does not fail to remain focused, and displays a knowledgeable
article information that is neatly organized and remains interesting throughout the issue. Even
though the article applied ethos, pathos, and logos in a strong manner, the author could have
involved more ethos within the reading. Due to the fact that the article is already stocked with
lots of information pertaining to pathos about personal experiences between individuals and
logos talking about the honorable facts about the international charity. The article only mentions
ethos very vaguely throughout the article. which tends to give of the intention that this
international charity is not being given sufficient ethical appeal.

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Citation
Kloda, E. (2013). Mercy ships- a wave of healing. Int Marit Health,64(1),36-40.
Retrieved from http://czasopisma.viamedica.pl/imh/article/viewFile/34254/25086