'Concussions' By Dr. Pawlowski Summary

In the article “‘Concussion’ doctor says kids shouldn’t play these sports until they’re 18”, the author, A. Pawlowski, interviews Dr. Bennet Omalu about the dangers of concussions in contact sports. Dr. Bennet, a forensic pathologist, uses pathos to convince his audience, particularly parents of children in sports, that concussions are more prevalent than they seem. His main audience is parents, and considering Dr. Bennet is a father himself, he is a reliable source. In the article, Pawlowski does an excellent job catering to a specific audience, using reliable sources, and eye-catching photos; nevertheless, there is only one side of the argument represented. Pawlowski clearly uses pathos in this article because her source is passionate about

Bennet when he says, “Which is more dangerous: a cigarette or a concussion of the brain? A concussion of the brain, of course. If that is not the definition of child abuse, what is it?” Again, Dr. Bennet is quite bold in his statement. This could be seen as dramatic to some parents, but Bennet says it actually makes parents emotional. Bennet says, “I’ve not met any parent who disagrees. Some parents will say, ‘Don’t put it like that; that makes me feel bad.’” Most people don’t think about comparing playing sports to smoking a cigarette or child abuse, but coming from a doctor and parent, people are more inclined to

The article is about the dangers of concussions in sports, and Pawlowski chose to interview a forensic pathologist. A forensic pathologist--commonly known as a medical examiner-- is a doctor that examines corpses to identify the cause of death. Because Dr. Bennet has this background, he is a credible source. Not only is he a doctor, but he is a parent. Other parents are more likely to relate to him because of that. Dr. Bennet said, “My son is almost 8 years old and he'll be the first to tell you that football is not good for your brain.” It is strategic for Pawlowski to include this quote because it makes the fact that Dr. Bennet is a father more real to readers. One downfall of this article is that, although Dr. Bennet is a great source, he is the only source. There is no argument against Dr. Bennet explaining why it is safe for children under 18 to play contact sports. This is a negative because it makes the author appear biased. That would turn off many people who read it and disagree. If the article is one sided, those who oppose will most likely not change their opinion, no matter how great of an argument the author