The Curious Case of the Clark Brothers

Matthew and Michael Clark, 39 and 42 respectively, have been diagnosed with leukodystrophy, a genetic disorder similar to that described in the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. This disorder causes the deterioration of physical, mental and emotional states; they age backwards. 

Piper Weiss starts the article describing the household of the parents, both in their sixties as stated later. Weiss comments on the toys strewn in house, and the cartoons on the TV, stating that it would appear as if children of 7 inhabited the house. This introduction establishes the logos and the foundation of the story. The second paragraph then introduces the brothers, and their current age and condition. Weiss concludes this paragraph with an allusion to the movie documenting a fictional character also aging backwards. This reference creates an image that enables those unfamiliar with medical terms to envision the progression of this illness, and to spark sympathy for the boys, whereas it began sympathizing with the parents, creating pathos. The article continues with a flashback to before the disorder took its toll, where both brothers had stable jobs, and Matthew was even raising a daughter. This parallels the effects of the disease in that Weiss began with the present, and went back in time, much like then brains of the Clarks'. It continues with statistics on the disorder and a quote from a doctor, both of which establish the credibility of Weiss. She ends the article with a quote from their mother talking about the difficulties they face, and the struggle she faces in caring for them in this condition, and another from an American doctor discussing that their path is likely terminal, and how, had they been US citizens, tests could have been performed to evaluate their disorder more thoroughly, possibly leading to a cure. She does this to combine all three modes of rhetoric, ethos, pathos and logos.