Diagnosis: Igniting a Sense of Action
Of the six parts of speech, I believe the exordium is the most important since it is the introduction. It should grab the attention of the audience with a personal story or startling statistic and leave them wanting to learn more or take action.
As a biology major, I have always enjoyed watching documentaries about science and medicine so I was excited to learn about Netflix’s new documentary titled “Diagnosis”. This documentary series has seven episodes and is based on the New York Times Column of Dr. Lisa Sanders, a physician who helps patients find diagnoses and treatments for their rare symptoms. Upon watching the first episode this past week, I noticed it had a very strong exordium.
The scene opens with a patient lying in an emergency room and Dr. Sanders saying, “When a patient comes to a doctor, their lives are in your hands. They have a problem and they come to the doctor to figure out what’s causing it and figure out how to fix it.” This strong opening sentence appeals to the ethos of the audience when they realize the responsibility that lies in the hands of physicians. She then says, “When I went to medical school, I thought I understood what a doctor was. I thought diagnosis was like the multiplication tables. Four times six, it’s always twenty-four. What I didn’t know was there is not one answer, but a dozen answers and I thought, “This is not the multiplication tables, this is Sherlock Holmes.” These sentences made me think of how complicated some cases are and how difficult it must be for physicians to not be able to find diagnoses. She then explained, “Right now, there are thousands of cases out in the world that remain undiagnosed. Using the internet, we have the ability to harness all the intelligence, all the wisdom of doctors and regular people around the planet, to help people who don’t have a diagnosis finally be able to get some answers. And that can save people’s lives.” These sentences appeal to an audience because it explains the urgency in finding diagnoses for patients who experience rare symptoms. It also explains the magnitude of this issue and appeals to pathos by explaining that it isn’t just one person that is unable to find answers, but thousands across the world. By explaining that “regular people” can help, more viewers are likely to continue watching knowing that their unique life experience may be able to make a difference in someone’s life.
I believe the exordium of “Diagnosis” is very strong because it provoked emotion in the audience, as well as gave the audience an opportunity to help others. Perhaps the exordium of the documentary appealed to me because it made me think of a personal experience last year when I had excruciating leg pain and the doctors could not determine what was causing it. Luckily, one physician finally found a diagnosis. As I watched the opening scene of this documentary I began to think about the patients that had gone for years without a diagnosis and imagined how terrible and stressful that would be. It ignited a sense of action in me and I am sure it did the same for others. I looked up Dr. Sanders’ column and even researched her specialty thinking that this is a field that I may be interested in pursuing since I enjoy problem solving. The best exordiums should evoke emotion, make the audience want to keep watching/listening, and take action. “Diagnosis” does all of this in an effortless way.
