Running Head: A Wifes Perspective of PTSD

Rhetorical Analysis: A Wifes Perspective of PTSD Madeline Lambert University of Texas at El Paso 21 October, 2013

2 Rhetorical Analysis: A Wifes Perspective of PTSD It is often easy to persuade an individual through the use of rhetoric. Rhetoric is not only used for persuasion but also to educate and inform an audience about an issue. Virginia Lloyd uses her piece in TIME US to inform, persuade, and educate her readers about the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) on her husband, as well as the emotional toll it takes on her. Virginia Lloyd is the wife of Maurice Lloyd a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, who suffers from severe PTSD. Virginia presents her story beginning first with the facts of her husbands case. Maurice was honorably discharged from the Air Force and seen by the VA, also known as the Department of Veteran Affairs. They recognized signs of PTSD in Maurice but did not make a fuss over it. Maurice is one of the many soldiers that when presented with the news of PTSD was in denial. Many soldiers ignore the signs of PTSD because they are uneducated about the disease, and often times do not admit to their illness because they believe it is cowardly to admit. Virginia and Lloyd like many others were more than uneducated, and definitely not prepared. Both believed that Maurices flashbacks, nightmares, and depression would simply disappear. Needless to say they did not, and Maurice was put in a jail due to a crime he committed while having an episode. Virginia presents her ethos as the experience she has had with her husband. She herself has seen several doctors and therapists to find out more about her husbands disorder. She presents her information from the first hand view of a wife and caregiver to Maurice. Virginia experiences many of the same things her husband also experiences, and derives her knowledge from her own experiences. Virginia uses logos to present that her husband was not properly taken care of or

Running Head: A Wifes Perspective of PTSD even acknowledged as having a disorder that significantly affects his day-to-day life. After Maurices arrest the courts claimed that he was in complete control of his actions, when in reality it was his PTSD that caused his outburst. Virginia goes on to say that her husband is looking at a 25 to life sentence for a crime that her husband cannot even

remember committing. She tries to persuade her readers through logic that her husband is not a violent man or even an individual who would consciously harm another innocent human being. Virginia Lloyd uses her logos in saying Without help from medications, counseling, and rehab, Maurices disabilities will worsen, and the odds of a future dissociative incident occurring will increase. (Lloyd, 2013) It is the affects of the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that drove him into a flashback automatic response and caused a situation. Virginias opinion of logic can be seen as biased for several reasons. Virginia is first and for most Maurices wife, she of course does not want to believe that her husband is a dangerous man. She understands Maurices situation more than an average civilians wife would understand the situation and therefore sees his condition from a different angle. Her opinion of what really should happen for Maurice is based off the logic of research and psychiatrists, as well as her own thoughts of her husband. Her argument that her husband should receive help instead of jail time is most definitely questionable, due to her status as his wife. The pathos presented in the article by Virginia is evident throughout the entire piece. She mostly uses pathos to persuade her readers as opposed to logos. She writes her article in first person and discusses her own emotions during the difficult times she has had with her husband. Due to his depression Maurice was in a severe depression and

4 would turn to drinking. It is easy for Virginias readers to understand her pain when she quotes, This put a huge strain on our marriage (Lloyd, 2013). As their marriage begins to fall apart due to Maurices excessive drinking, and his leaving the house at random hours Virginia easily express her own stress and worry. Pathos is also evident in that Virginia is ready to defend Maurice right away regardless of his crime. She is persistent in trying to get Maurice help and her readers can tell that she is still very much in love with her husband, simply by the fact that she has stood by him in these times. Virginia is a very good emotional writer however her article does not have very much credibility. She relies on her own emotions as Maurices wife to prove his innocence rather than actual logic. There is no question that Virginia loves her husband but the article misses logic in order to persuade her readers that her husband needs psychiatric help. She does not cite the sources that she gathers her information from and therefore her article lacks credibility. Although it is well written and interesting Virginia uses her own persuasion as a concerned wife to make her readers feel badly for Maurice.

Running Head: A Wifes Perspective of PTSD Resources Lloyd, V. (2013, May 31). A Military Spouses Tale: Criminalizing PTSD | TIME.com. U.S. | News, Headlines, Stories, Video from Around the Nation | TIME.com. Retrieved September 23, 2013, from http://nation.time.com/2013/05/31/amilitary-spouses-tale-criminalizing-ptsd/