Ethos Pathos Logos In Crazy

Improved Essays
In the book, Crazy: A Father’s Search through America’s Mental Health Madness, by Pete Earley, the author tells two stories. One of which is of his son who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and the second describing the investigations inside Miami County Jail. Throughout his book, he effectively uses Aristotle’s triad with the principles of ethos, pathos, and logos to show how corrupted our mental health system is from his own personal experiences.
Earley establishes ethos in the beginning of the book when he mentions his son having trouble receiving treatment due to the poor quality care. He struggles to give his son treatment because according to the hospital, “it was not illegal for someone to be mentally ill in Virginia, but it was illegal
…show more content…
He vividly describes how the police deal with mentally ill individuals who are having psychotic episodes. The moment a police officer sees the possibility of danger within the individual, he immediately shoots to kill. A clear example of this is of Robbie’s situation. “Robbie had taken off his skates and lain down on the lawn to rest when the first two officers arrived. They told him that he was trespassing and ordered him to leave. Robbie began arguing with them. Without warning, he grabbed one of his Rollerblades and threw it at a window of his ex-girlfriend’s house. The skate crashed through the glass. Robbie grabbed a jagged seven-inch-long shard. The police drew their guns and fired. Robbie was hit three times and died on the front lawn” (119). Robbie’s shooting appeals to pathos as unfortunate and tragic. It is clear that the police did not know how to properly deal with a mentally ill person, and killing someone is definitely not the right decision. Earley also describes another situation in which a Vietnam War veteran named Beatty was shot 14 times for fleeing after waving a pocketknife in front of a manager at a cafeteria. Beatty had often thought he was still fighting the North Vietnamese and wasn’t mentally stable. Because the police were not given adequate training, many mentally ill individuals such as Robbie and Beatty were innocently …show more content…
CIT is a program where police are specially trained to deal with psychotic persons. He also includes proof of the success of the CIT program by stating that there has been a major decline in suicide rates and deaths caused by police. “By the end of its first year, the Memphis CIT had transported 1,533 people to local mental health facilities-instead of jail. Even better, they had not killed a single suspect” (114). He uses an appeal to logos by using statistics to prove the effectiveness of the program.
Earley efficaciously uses the principles of ethos, pathos and logos to convince the reader that people should not fear the mentally unstable, rather help them. Treatment should be administered to mental patients, and mental wards should be replaced with small rehabilitation centers. A change must ensue, and the public must be educated on mental

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Cale Winwood Professor Ed Luter English 1301-81033 2 November 2016 A Rhetorical Analysis of “I am Adam Lanza’s Mother” by Liza Long In “I am Adam Lanza 's Mother,” the author, Liza Long’s purpose is to shift the nation’s attention away from other topics to mental health in the wake of a national tragedy because there are many potentially dangerous people suffering from undiagnosed mental illnesses in our society. She does this by sharing her experiences of raising a mentally ill child to the reader and by using rhetorical techniques such as appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos.…

    • 1375 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Bryan Stevenson, an established lawyer with a degree from Harvard Law School and an author of his own personal memoir titled Just Mercy, constantly battles the problems within the criminal justice system. In Stevenson’s memoir, he makes multiple arguments about the unfairness and the need for change within the criminal justice system. One such argument is that of individuals with mental health problems not being properly diagnosed during their trials, therefore receiving lengthy prison sentences such as life in prison. In order to convey his message about the neglect of the mentally ill in American prisons, Stevenson uses numbers, as well as stories that pull at the heartstrings of his readers. Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson’s memoir was written…

    • 1241 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It is an example of law enforcement–based specialized response model. Until the CIT was developed, most basic law enforcement training referred to mentally ill individuals as emotionally disturbed people (EDP for short) and gave very basic instruction on the dangers officer’s would face encountering such individuals. This further training has actually led to a decrease in injuries to either party, and dropping rates of incarceration compared to the past. “Across the country, probation and parole officials are working with jail and prison admin¬istrators, judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and community based treatment providers to develop strategies that maintain public safety while improving outcomes for people with mental illnesses under community corrections supervision. But all too often, these responses are not backed by research or data, and as a result, may be less sustainable, and successful than those that incorporates interventions”.…

    • 1118 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Pete Earley Crazy Summary

    • 895 Words
    • 4 Pages

    I chose the book Crazy: A Father’s Search through America’s Mental Health Madness by Pete Earley. Earley had been an award-winning journalist for thirty years and written about America’s criminal justice system but always from the “outside looking in” (p. 1). That all changed, however, when his son Mike was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The central theme of Crazy is chronicling Earley’s year-long investigation into the de-institutionalization and ensuing criminalization of the mentally ill in America along with his son’s and others’ stories weaved throughout. Starting with Mike’s first psychotic breakdown, it is his story that becomes the genesis and nexus for this book.…

    • 895 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    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”.…

    • 712 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Discuss the ways in which Pete Earley utilizes logical, ethical, or emotional appeals in Crazy. Quote from the book to support your position. The bestselling book Crazy by Pete Earley showcases the mental health crisis in America. Earley discovered the crisis when his college-aged son, Mike, suffered a breakdown.…

    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis: Inappropriate rhetoric demonstrated During the three video presentations the appeals such as pathos, ethos and logos were present to demonstrate, suggest and emphasize persuasion in what they were trying to illustrate. To better understand, Pathos is the way we express emotion while speaking, writing or while we present our selves. (Video: Introduction to Pathos) Ethos is the author's credibility about the topic spoke, written or experienced shared, for example if I would talk about how to cure a disease and I'm not a doctor my words wouldn't be as credible as if a doctor was speaking.…

    • 712 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The treatment of people with mental illnesses and handicaps has been a long lasting problem because of the misunderstandings of police, mental hospitals, and society. Many documentaries and movies have been made to show the lives lead in mental hospitals and institutions. News reports have talked about police shooting suspects who have been mentally ill. Most of these events could have been avoided if people could try and learn about mental illnesses, instead of hiding them away from the rest of the world. Just because they are physically or mentally different from the norm, society expects them to be maintained at an institution like dogs in a dog pound.…

    • 2391 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Ethos Pathos Logos

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The trademark of logos, mascots and names of collegiate sports are on a different level than professional organizations. In professional sports, this situation is where it has hit its all time high. For decades professional sports organizations like the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Indians have been faced with a tremendous amount of trademark controversy over their name or logo. There are many more professional teams facing this adversity but these two have been dealing with the USPTO for years to try to patent their trademark. With that said, because USPTO uses the Lanham Act of 1946, they have denied registration.…

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    1.07 Parenting Skills

    • 574 Words
    • 3 Pages

    1. In my opinion, I don’t believe that babies who leaned sign language as infants have a higher overall IQ. I believe this myth is not true because babies who learned sign language as infants may help them to having a better sense to communicate with other and self-esteem, but doesn’t mean that those babies higher overall IQ. To me, babies who leaned sigh language as infants don’t seem to have a higher overall IQ as people claims.…

    • 574 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Ethos Pathos Logos

    • 490 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Ethos, Pathos, And Logos Walk into a bar… - James an ordinary man went to Albert’s bar just for a few drinks to ease off the horrible day he was having. When he got to the bar he sat down and asked for a Grape Escape. A Grape Escape is made out of UV Grape Vodka, sour mix, and a slash of raspberry berry liqueur served over ice in a low ball glass. After James got his Grape Escape he noticed a drunk woman close by where he was sitting. She was crying and looked unhappy.…

    • 490 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Introduction Have you ever wondered how many individuals suffer from a mental illness? In Andy Warhol is a Hoarder : Inside the Minds of History, C. Kalb gives readers an exclusive insight on famous individuals mental illness secrets, and defines the interesting elements of every illness. The novel helps individuals understand the scary, challenging, and emotional aspects of handling a mental illness. Mental illnesses have been stigmatized as “crazy” but in this novel C. Kalb gives educational criteria from the DSM-IV that ques readers to understand the history and manifestations of a certain mental disorder and the key factors needed to control the illness. The histories of famous actors, scientists, and political figures allows individuals…

    • 1041 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Throughout time mental illness has been looked upon in numerous ways from people. The time period in history can tell us a lot about the ways people were living and how they believed behavior affected certain mental illnesses. In my writing I will describe a man who is mentally ill during the early 1700’s. I will also describe an African American in a Georgia asylum and also a middle-class woman in a water treatment spa in upstate New York. I will detail what each of these individuals does on a daily basis such as their hygiene, what kind of clothing they wear and also how the person may interact with others.…

    • 1566 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The article on A Crime of Insanity (Frontline, 2002), describes the whole process of determining the causes of action for individuals who have a mental illness at the time of committing heinous crimes. This article, in particular, covers the story of Ralph Tortorici, who has a history of mental disorder from as early as his adolescent years. Moreover, Ralph suffers from regular acute paranoid delusions and psychotic behavior, which prompted him to seek help from the University health facility and also from a New York state trooper. On both occasions, he complains of a government conspiracy which he feels is responsible for implanting a computer microchip on him. Having failed to secure any help from anyone, he takes matters into his own hands…

    • 882 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Criminal Minds Reflection

    • 644 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Portrayal seems to be the biggest issue when it comes to the notion of mental health stigmatization. Mental illness is widely covered in the media, and especially on television. For this reflection paper, I watched multiple episodes from a crime show: Criminal Minds. Criminal Minds has a lot of episodes that tend to build fear around people with mental health challenges. Worst, Criminal Minds, each episode, continues to perpetuate the idea that all violent offenders are mentally ill.…

    • 644 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays