Rhetorical Comparison Draft 3

Jacob W Shuford
Appalachian State University

Cancer is a word that invokes numerous powerful emotions in many people. As so many
have lost loved ones to cancer, it stands to reason that large amounts of manpower, time, and
money are poured into researching ways to cure it. In the past few months, a new method for
curing certain kinds of brain cancer has come to light, and the cure comes from an unexpected
source: Polio. The polio virus and other viruses that are similar to it are now being modified to
mark cancer cells for destruction by the immune system. Obviously, the word of this
breakthrough spread quickly, and the media ran with the story. The question is, though, how did
the media take this information and portray it to the public? Would the source material fly over
the average persons head, or were changes unnecessary? Those questions and more are to be
answered by the analysis of two articles. The two articles in question include one article written
by Dmitriy Zamarin and Sari Pesonen, which is an academic analysis of the effectiveness of the
technique, and one article by Justin Caba, which is an informative piece.
In general, the article written by Caba is far more accessible and understandable to the
general public than the article written by Zamarin and Pesonin. Their article is intended for a
higher level discourse community, being as it was written with the intent for other scientists to
read and analyze it. This is evident if one looks at the level of language used in the two articles.
While some scientific terms, such as glioblastoma, are used in Cabas article, they are either
explained in the article or a link is given to an outside source that can help better explain the
term. The situation is much different in the professional article on the subject. Zamarin and
Pesonin use uncommon words such as immunomonitoring and oncolysis, which are both words
that the average person would have little or no knowledge about. This helps to reinforce the idea
that the two articles were written with very different discourse communities in mind. In a more
specific comparison, Caba begins his article with Brain cancer, also known as glioblastoma, are

the last two words any patient wants to hear from their doctor, (Caba, 2015), while Zamarin and
Pesonins article begins on a far more technical note with Replication-competent (oncolytic)
viruses (OV) as cancer immunotherapeutics have gained an increasing level of attention over the
last few years while the clinical evidence of virus-mediated antitumor immune responses is still
anecdotal. Multiple clinical studies are currently ongoing and more immunomonitoring results
are expected within the next five years (Zamarin & Pesonin, 2015). These drastically different
approaches to beginning the articles help to really illustrate the intended difference in discourse
communities.
In addition, the arrangement of the two articles is also markedly different, and deserves
some attention. As an actual scientific thesis many years in the making, the Zamarin and Pesonin
article is an excellent example of how a typical biology thesis or article is set up. This specific
thesis is split up into many different parts. The first part in this case is an abstract, which
describes what the thesis is, as well as the purpose. Following the abstract is an intro section,
which gives some background info to lead into the various summaries of the effectiveness of the
different viruses on the tumors, as well as to inform those who are not quite as familiar with the
topic as the authors are. This all culminates in a conclusion section that is cut and dry, which
allows the thesis to wrap up. Arranging the article in this way allows for a clear and concise
summation of the information, and it, like many other scientific articles that have come before it,
sounds detached and impersonal.
On the other hand, Cabas article is not set up in a manner that is nearly as formal as the
other article. As this is not an actual scientific report, but instead an article meant to be
accessible to the general public, it makes sense that it is not set up in the same way. Since this is
the case, it is not as rigidly structured as the thesis, and is more freeform as a result. That is not

to say that the article has no structure, its just that the article is less formal and thus more
accessible. By being structured more similarly to any other news article, Caba can keep the
article at a level that almost any discourse group can follow. In addition, the more easygoing
language aids in the less formal tone. If the article were to use more technical wording, similar
to Zamarin and Pesonins article, reading it would be a more daunting task for the average person
to read.
While the thesis does not really have any emotionally stirring language, it is still a strong
piece. What it lacks in emotional appeals, it makes up for with sound logic and facts. While this
is true, Cabas article manages to find some footing in some charged language. By beginning the
piece with a description of a form of brain cancer that is often fatal, he manages to paint a picture
of what the diagnosis of such a horrific disease may look like. As he said, Patients who have
received this diagnosis have likened it to a death sentence (Caba, 2015). By likening the
diagnosis to death, Caba gives a glimpse of the relative hopelessness that a cancer patient is
likely experiencing. However, a couple of sentences later, Caba mentions that something else
that used to be a death sentence is now the hopeful cure for modern issues. The idea that
something that used to be horrible and deadly, such as polio, can now be used to help people
gives a small glimmer of hope for those who are dealing with modern problems. Later, Caba
talks about how this treatment could theoretically be applied to other cancers, which while not an
emotionally charged statement by itself, could get an emotional response from someone who is
suffering or has a loved one that is suffering.
What it lacks in emotion, Zamarin and Pesonins article contains a great deal more
information than Cabas does. By getting in-depth with the descriptions of each and every virus
tested, including polio, reovirus, herpes, and many others, it establishes that extensive testing has

been performed with each one. This evidence helps to build the credibility of the authors by
showing how much testing is backing up their statements. Caba also builds credibility for
himself as well, albeit in a different manner. By citing and quoting the research team from Duke,
which is a very trusted institution when it comes to cancer-related research, Caba makes his
points seem more valid, as accredited researchers are backing him up.
In all, while these two articles are, at least on the surface, similar due to shared topics,
they are very different in content. Beyond just the intended discourse communities, the two
articles use different methods of conveying the information, as well as establishing authority in
different ways to create two very different pieces. While they use different strategies, the two
articles are appropriate for their individual purposes, which were very different in the first place.

Works Cited

Zamarin Dmitriy and Pesonen Sari. Human Gene Therapy. August 2015, 26(8): 538-549.
doi:10.1089/hum.2015.055.
Caba, J. (2015, March 31). Once-Deadly Polio Virus Could End Up Curing Brain Cancer
[VIDEO]. Retrieved September 2, 2015, from http://www.medicaldaily.com/polio-virusmay-cure-brain-cancer-thanks-genetic-re-engineering-327620