Mrs. Bill Gates on AIDS

IN 2004, an article called AIDS and India was published in The Seattle Times by Melinda French Gates, the wife of billionaire Bill gates.

Ethos
There are examples of ethos on many different levels in Mrs. Gates' editorial. One is her name. It isn't clear that she is Bill Gates' wife until the end of the article. It is as if mentioning the name of her famous husband gives her some kind of credibility or that her opinions matter more than an average person's. But her hesitation to admit that her husband is a billionaire helps her in two ways. One way is that she avoids offending those who may not like Bill Gates and/or Microsoft, thus broadening her audience of readers. She develops a trust with the reader by concealing her identity until the very end. The second way her name helped her was soley dependant on how she reavealed herself and her identity to the reader. Her sentence of admittance was the following: "Bill and I started our foundation based on the firm belief that every child in our world deserves a chance at good health"(par. 18). Now, the reader understands who she is credibility is not lost, but gained because the context in which Mrs. Gates reveals herself is that of charity.

Despite her name, Mrs. Gates established herself as a "regular person" by writing in a way that
helps the reader identify her as someone normal. Her words and phrases are simple and to the point. She writes in the first-person as if it is two normal people having a regular conversation, yet she maintains the air of knowing a little more on the issue at hand, the problem of AIDS in India, than you do.

She establishes her credibility of knowledge on the issue because she traveled to India with her husband and saw firsthand the problems with the AIDS epidemic in India. Also, her use of statistics and quotes of experts with whom she spoke give her argument substantial credibility and believability.

Pathos
The expression of Pathos in this article was ultimately through word choice. In India, the AIDS epidemic has a lot to do with the "sex trade." Mrs. Gates refers to the women who sell themselves to men as "sex workers" rather than "prostitutes." The word "sex worker" gives the impression that the women were forced to make a living this way, while the word "prostitute" arouses very negative feelings and presumptions. She appeals to the reader's ability to pity.

Mrs. Gates also used the word "empower" in the context of educating these sex workers on AIDS and HIV. If women have to be empowered, that means they are powerless. The idea of women being helpless and powerless definitely induces certain emotions that wouldn't be there if she had said "educate prostitutes."

The last major word choice was the implementation of "we" and "us." Mrs. Gates made it seem like we were on a team, that we were all in this together, and that each of us not only has a responsibility to feel sorry for these AIDS victims, but also act to help them.

Logos
Mrs. Gates through logos connects chains of opinions, thoughts, and arguments in order to help us see implications in her argument.

In the very first paragraph, she says, "India's emergence as one of the world's fastest-growing economies, with a highly skilled workforce and climbing literacy rates, has fueled optimism that the country could one day overcome its crippling poverty. But as I recently saw firsthand, India is on the brink of an AIDS catastrophe that could undermine the country's potential for progress"(par. 1).

This is the main connection she wants the reader to make. India is a growing, improving country which can potentially help with the problem of poverty. However, progress towards solving the poverty problem is stunted by the "AIDS catastrophe."

Mrs. Gates does very well in providing evidence for the terrible effects of AIDS, but she does not have sufficient facts, statistics, etc. to support her claim in India being an up-and-coming economic power. Had she provided information on rates of growth in annual income per capita or any other economic measures, it would have been more convincing that India is becoming stronger. That would have provided a great contrast which would facilitate our understanding that AIDS is indeed threatening a growing nation and something must be done.

Though she fails to connect well her primary argument, Mrs. Gates does succeed in helping us make other connections. For example, we know that Microsoft and Bill Gates are rich, powerful entities. However, without evidence, no one would make the assumption that Bill Gates is charitable. Mrs. Gates' mentioning that the Bill Gates foundation has donated $200 M to fight AIDS in India link these two idea for the reader: Bill Gates, though rich, is a philanthropist.

She also helps us understand the "sex workers." The ideas that seemingly have no link are 1)women in developing countries are not educated, 2) in such countries there is bound to be prostitution, which we sometimes see as the woman's own choice, and 3) rate of AIDS infections can be decreased significantly. What Mrs. Gates does is help us see that lack of education forces women into the sex trade. That ignorance carries over into the sex trade itself and as a result,"shockingly, 70 percent of Indian women have never even heard of AIDS." But, once the women are educated, there is a drastic increase in HIV-prevention.

The most powerful connection that she makes is related to how the reader can make a difference. The bad effects of AIDS in India caused by poverty and lack of education can be combatted by the efforts of outsiders. Mrs. Gates proves this by stating, "Individuals can make a difference, too — there are things that each of us can do to help stop AIDS around the world. For example, you can educate your friends and family about the disease, volunteer for a local AIDS organization, or ask your lawmakers to increase funding for global AIDS programs. You can also donate to organizations such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, which supports AIDS programs in the hardest-hit countries throughout the world"(par. 20).
Citation
Melinda French Gates, "AIDS and India," The Seattle Times, April 11,2004.