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Those cells are not your body

Ana Laura Apodaca
RWS 1302
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Those cells are not your body

There are many controversial topics arising now a days in the United States but one of the

oldest and most talked about is your body, your choice or as it is best known abortion.

Scientist cant seem to make up their mind and get together to make a clear decision to whether a

mass of cells is a human being or not. This issue has been expressed and discussed through many

medias, one of them is scientific writings and another one is pamphlets from anti-abortion

groups. In Dianne N. Irvings Journal WHEN DO HUMAN BEINGS BEGIN? It explains step

by step the developments of human life in a very scientific tone. In the hand out created by the

Illinois right to life organization it shows step by step the creation of life. These genres will be

discussed in depth throughout the rest of the analysis.

Audience and Purpose

The first genre is a Journal by (Irving, 1999) The purpose of this journal is to inform

people of the facts of when human life begins, how it happens, and what process the cells have to

undergo before they become a human. The intended audience of the Journal are scholarly people

with an interest in science and human creation, maybe womens right activist who want to be

more educated about the subject of conception and prolife activist who would like to know how

to prove their points against prochoice folks.

The second genre is a handout by an Illinois organization with information about the

beginnings of life which includes pictures and little quotes from scientist, magazines, books,

where each states that life begins at conception. The audience for the handout are mainly women

who are planning on having an abortion or seeking information on this type of medical
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procedure. These handouts are mainly given by prolife protesters outside of abortion clinics,

Planned Parenthood offices or just randomly on the streets.

These two genres are different, because one is a journal and to find it the reader would

have to be doing some research to come across with it. To be able to fully understand the first

genre the reader has to have certain scientific knowledge, since it is written with specialized

vocabulary and with a strategic layout. There has to be interest in the subject to find and finish

this reading. The difference with the second genre is that the reader doesnt need more than basic

English to understand it. The handout is pretty self-explanatory and short. It is front and back and

has a few quotes on both sides from well-known sources. It even has pictures of an egg and

sperm coming together, of a fetus forming and at the very bottom it has a web site and phone

numbers for more information.

Both genres have as a purpose to educate the reader or their audience about the beginning

of life and try to teach them that life begins at conception. These two genres show this

information differently. In the journal the writer uses very complicated scientific terms and the

purpose isnt to persuade the reader into changing her mind about certain beliefs she might have.

The writer talks about the processes the male and female bodies go through before they become

fertile and before they start producing eggs and sperms that can create another human being. It

talks about when sperm and egg meet and the process that starts there to start forming all those

cells to create another life. The second genre uses very basic language it is just a collection of

quotes form medical professionals, form scientific magazines. It is written by a prolife

organization in different fonts and a different tone that is appealing to the audience. It has a few

pictures so the reader gets the idea and can imagine the baby forming, the baby inside them if it
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is the case. This genre has a phone number at the bottom in case you have any questions or

mainly doubts about your decision where you can call and theyll give you support.

Rhetorical Issues

Both genres have rhetorical appeals, they are different depending on the genre.

Ethos

The first genre the writer has a M.A. Ph.D. so this is something that makes her a reliable

source, also the journal has many citations and sources to support her writing. In the second

genre the Illinois right to life uses quotes from other sources which are reliable to create the

handout.

Pathos

The first genre doesnt have any emotional appeal it is just talking about a scientific

subject and nothing more. The second genre wants to make the reader feel a little emotional

towards the life of a baby mentioning abortion killing your baby several times in the reading and

showing pictures through the handout.

Logos

The first genre used logos throughout the whole reading keeping it very scientific

interesting to the readers it was meant for. The writer gave enough facts and support to all the

information within the piece and disproving myths. The second genre gives facts but without

support.

Structure and Delivery

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Both genres were different but the information in both was the same. The first genre

began with the question of when does a human being begin? And the second genre with when

does human life begin? Both of these questions where similar questions. The presentation of the

material affects the information because both genres serve a different purpose. one might help a

politician from deciding a new law, when the other might help a pregnant women make a

decision to keep her baby or not.

Conclusion

Both genres were very good at educating about the topic of the beginning of life. The first

genre was more complicated and for a more educated person, the second genre helped

understand the whole idea of the first genre with the pictures and quotes even if it was short and

simple. Each of these genres are here to teach readers that life really begins with just a clump of

cells. People who say my body, my choice should prevent that egg and that sperm from

becoming a clump of cells because then it becomes another body and another human.
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Reference

Irving, D. N. (1999). WHEN DO HUMAN BEINGS BEGIN? "SCIENTIFIC" MYTHS AND

SCIENTIFIC FACTS. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy

https://www.princeton.edu/~prolife/articles/wdhbb.html

http://illinoisrighttolife.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/When-does-life-begin-1-1.jpg

http://illinoisrighttolife.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/When-does-life-begin-2.jpg