Download PDFContents
Introduction: Framing Racism through Healthcare Rhetoric
Theoretical and Methodological Framework: Analyzing Healthcare Rhetoric
Analysis: Rhetorical Strategies in Holmes’s Healthcare Discourse
Theoretical and Methodological Framework: Analyzing Healthcare Rhetoric
The analysis I present heavily references Joyce Kinkead’s Researching Writing (pp. 204–253) as the foundation for examining Holmes’s rhetoric. This chapter, titled “Analyzing Text and Discourse,” discusses the importance of analyzing both the content and structure of language to uncover cultural and societal influences, providing a framework for understanding Holmes’s discourse. Baseline understanding of rhetoric allows readers to elucidate both the basis of each statement and to understand how it is applied to a broader conversation. This method allows for a more thorough examination of Holmes's rhetorical devices and how they support her goal of promoting health equity. In reference to healthcare, rhetorical analysis involves examining how language creates a sense of responsibility and care within healthcare reports.
In healthcare rhetoric, systemic critique is the analysis of how health disparities are produced by structural factors rather than individual behaviors, shifting focus from personal responsibility to institutional accountability. This method emphasizes how policies and access to care influence health disparities rather than attributing results to individual choices (Braveman et al.). Expanding upon this concept, the framework of structural transformation highlights the necessity of changing these fundamental systems by means of legislative reform. Researchers suggest that in order to effectively address the social determinants of health, coordinated public health and policy initiatives must actively reshape these structural influences in addition to identifying them (Hansen and Metzl; Karatekin et al.). This framework supports the use of language in healthcare and public health rhetoric to both describe injustices and promote systemic change, since discourse can affect institutional action as well as public perception (Melino et al.).
By examining Holmes’s article through the Kinkead’s lens, readers are allowed to understand how rhetorical choices influence broader conversations about racial health inequities. At its core, this analysis addresses two primary questions: How does Holmes use language to communicate the urgency of racism as a health crisis? What rhetorical strategies she utilizes to advocate for systemic healthcare reform? This analysis examines Holmes’s use of urgency, empathy, and systemic critique to persuade readers. Kinkead’s model emphasizes the importance of analyzing both the content and structure of language to uncover cultural and societal influences, providing a framework for understanding Holmes’s discourse. This method allows a more thorough examination of Holmes' rhetorical devices and how they support her goal of promoting health equity. Holmes uses evocative words, such as "public health emergency," to create urgency and inspire empathy, which is vital to create a sense of public responsibility to advocate for change. Holmes highlights institutional responsibility by employing Kinkead's idea of systemic critique rather than personal accountability, which strengthens her case in the framework of structural transformation.