In We Should Retain the Disease Concept of Alcoholism, George E. Vaillant asserts that alcoholism should be treated as a disease. I think the author has done an effective job in proving his case by using his own personal experience that gives him authority to make an argument in this issue and his use of rhetoric. In his argument essay, he sets himself up as the authority by discrediting most academics and scholars who have been considered to be the best and the brightest in discussing this issue.
He claims they lacked personal xperience, the one qualification that was the most important in explaining why alcoholism is not a disease. The effectiveness of using personal experience is it gives the author merit while at the same time discrediting the scholars that oppose his claim. It lets the reader know that Vaillant knows what he is talking about and is able to give a valid argument. In the writers reasoning, Vaillant gives support to his thesis by giving refutations for each of the five objections that oppose his claim.
He uses many different rhetorical devices to prove alcoholism is a disease, such as omparisons, figures of speech, rhetorical questions and an anecdote, as well. Throughout the essay, the author effectively proves his point by using comparisons. For example, in the authors first refutation, he compares high blood pressure, coronary heart disease and alcohol abuse. He explains that the causes for alcoholics are similar to those diseases in that both are differently weighted for different people and include culture, habits, and genes.
By making this comparison, it immediately makes the reader see the similarities between alcoholism and other diseases. He also uses repetition in the diseases he uses for comparison. An example of this is the use of coronary heart disease and hypertension more than once in the essay. The purpose of this is to help the reader understand these diseases more. It also serves as a reminder to the reader on how these diseases play a major role in alcoholism. In one point, Vaillant tries to prove if alcoholics are labeled with a disease, they will become more willing to take responsibility for self-care.
To prove this, he uses a rhetorical question of leprosy. He asks the reader, Should a doctor who knows that a person who has leprosy keep the fact secret lest the patient be labeled a leper? The obvious answer is no. It is important for patients to acknowledge that they have a disease so they can take responsibility for themselves. The same goes for alcoholics. He puts in the example of Alcoholics Anonymous, placing alcoholism as a disease to support his argument. The author also uses figure of speech to his advantage.
In his argument, he tries to point out that alcohol abuse causes depression, anxiety and poverty, ot the other way around. He states that Fingarette reverses the position of cart and horse. It is this particular phrase that catches the readers attention. He first refers to Fingarette as one of the academics and then discredits her by his figure of speech that she reverses the position of cart and horse. She obviously views psychological problems as a cause for alcoholism, when it should be the other way around. Her idea of alcoholism is wrong, therefore she cannot be viewed as an authoritative figure in this issue.
Vaillant ends his essay with an anecdote that shows a contradiction between ideas of his associate. In the anecdote, he shows how personal experience is the most important factor in discussing this issue. His associate first believed that alcoholism was a behavioral disorder and not a disease but after thinking about the tortured lives she had been studying, she realized that she had been wrong all along. It leaves the reader knowing that if you have worked in a clinic for about two years that you would come to the conclusion that alcoholism has to be viewed as a disease.
In conclusion to my analysis essay, I discovered that the author is a very intelligent person that cares for this subject. Before reading the paper, my opinion on this subject was impartial. After reading, I became convinced by the writer that alcohol is a disease. I thought his uses of authoritative language throughout his essay helps lure the reader into agreeing with him. Right from the beginning of his essay, he approaches his topic with authority. He tells the reader that he has the qualifications to present a good and intelligent argument.