http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/31/60minutes/main4560940.shtml?tag=currentVideoInfo;segmentUtilities
The 60 Minutes report covers the tragic, yet inspiring, tale of people battling ALS a.k.a. Lou Gehrig's Disease. ALS tragically paralyzes the physical body while leaving the brain in a fully functional state. Reporter Scott Pelley poignantly tells the story of Cathy Hutchinson and Scott Mackler, victims of ALS, battling back against their illness. By working with scientists, these two are some of the first ALS patients to connect their brains to computers, enabling them to communicate with loved ones and even control computers and wheelchairs through brain power.
Aristotle would have loved this 60 Minutes episode as it had many of the same characteristics that he deemed important in creating quality literature (and what other plans would he have had on a Sunday night at 6pm?). First, Aristotle writes in his essay Poetics that “When a tragic incident occurs between those who are near or dear to one another…these are the situations to be looked for by a poet” (5). The article’s main characters are more than just random people. They are loved ones to many. Second, Aristotle writes that a story should be written about “a man… whose misfortune is brought about not by vice… but by error or frailty” (4). He also writes “It is probable that a thing may happen contrary to probability” (6). These two things are exactly what Pelley uses to tell the story of regular people who were unlucky and do something that previously seemed impossible and overcome the odds brought upon them.
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