Anna Quindlen's The C Word In The Hallway

The stigma of mental illness is an influential negative attribute in all social relations especially with teenagers. In her article, “The C Word in the Hallway”, Anna Quindlen urges parents, educators and politicians to end their ignorance of mental health and calls for action. Through her use of appeals to pathos and logos, a unique progression of ideas and devices, Quindlen builds an effective argument that conveys the importance of recognizing the signs of mental illness and providing proper treatment in order to save lives. Quindlen begins her argument through the usage of appeal to pathos by first defining the phrase “psychological autopsy”. She does so by describing a vivid scene where “…a kid kills himself and they go back over the plowed ground of his short life…” This creates a tone of remorse and allows for Quindlen to remind …show more content…
In the beginning, she states that the doctors “…discover[ed] all the hidden markers that led to the rope, the blade, the gun.” The use of asyndeton in this statement leads the reader to believe that there are more items on this list and that as the numbers of suicides and homicides have grown, so has the methods. Furthermore, in the conclusion, Quindlen offers alternative lives that Kip Kinkel, Sam Manzie and others might have led if there were changes. The allusion of the word “…if only…if only…” emphasizes that things might have been very different for the lives ruined if there had been “…long term intervention and medication.” This also gives an optimistic, yet regretful tone. Lastly, Quindlen concludes her article with an epistrophe. She suggests that “Mental-health care is health care, too, and mental ill is an illness not a character flaw.” She follows that with the repetition of the phrase “act like it”. This repetition is asking for the hospitals, schools and parents to take action so that the kids will start believing that their conditions are not