Humane Housing for the Mentally Ill

Scrolling down the list of editorials on the New York Times website, an article about the conditions in which mentally ill people live caught my eye. Remembering that our school has several superb classes that help integrate the Special Ed students in with the general population, I was curious about the conditions of the mentally ill in other states and in different situations. What I read appalled me. The mentally ill were forced into nursing homes, whether or not the could care for themselves. They rarely ever went out, and were barred from the outside world in nearly every other aspect. The fact that people are treated like this, under any circumstances, surprises and saddens me.

The author's opinion about such treatment of human beings was clear from the first sentence. He called the conditions "shameful," "unneccesary," and "mistreatment." He goes on to say "It is long past time to move these people into more humane, intergrated settings." He uses negative diction, comparing the homes to prison, and detailing boring, lonely lives for the inhabitants. I think this author did a good job. He got his point of view across early, gave evidence (ethos) as to why he felt that way, and finished by revealing how the state of New York is planning on changing the situation. I agree with this author, and think the way he chose to write this article had the persuasion to make his readers see his perspective.

Humane Housing for the Mentally Ill
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/16/opinion/humane-housing-for-the-mentally-ill.html?scp=1&sq=humane%20&st=Search