Written Pathetic Appeal FINAL

In my written pathetic appeal, I describe the dynamics that face students with psychological disabilities (specifically bipolar disorder), especially due to the stigma associated with them among professors and peers. I work off of knowledge I have gained regarding these issues both from personal experience and advocacy work I have done with Student Government at UT. I make the argument that these students struggle immensely as it is in order to succeed but even more so since professors frequently are unwilling to help them or give them the accommodations they deserve and because of the persecution the receive by the doubts of their professors and peers. I use enargeia to describe the struggle of the disabled student, illustrating the apprehension and fear he faces, in order to invoke mercy, and then turn this to produce indignation by using analogies, metaphors and describing the struggle these students face and the part professors and peers play in it. My goal is for professors and students to consider the needs of their fellow human beings more than they do currently on the basis of human decency. The basic interpretation is that because of their struggle, these individuals are well deserving of aid rather than scrutiny or persecution; as humans we should feel empathy for them rather than complacency and we should adjust our treatment, as we are able to, accordingly. For more, click here.