Speaker: Jacqueline Howard is a writer and on-air talent for CNN Health, covering the latest news in health-related topics. Howard has worked for USAToday.com, MTV Networks, and many other companies that promote the daily news broadcasts. Howard possesses the needed credentials to write on the topic and this boost her credibility, further appealing to ethos.
Occasion: The occasion that gave rise to the publishing of this article was the recent flu outbreak that has swept the continental USA and has taken many lives due to its contagiousness. The article was published on January 26, 2018, which is when this outbreak was rapidly reaching its peak and cases of the flu became ubiquitous amongst the continental USA. Audience: Howard intended this article for those living in the continental United States since they are most directly impacted by the flu due to its contagiousness and being in close proximity to others with the flu. It is specifically geared toward those who might be more susceptible to the flu, in order to encourage them to take precautionary measures to avoid getting this deadly disease. Purpose: The purpose of this article is to inform Americans about the growing flu outbreaks so that they can be well aware of it and take proper preventative care. The author explains in depth how much of an impact the flu has on America in order to show how widespread this disease is. Another purpose of this text is to encourage readers to take preventative care, by sort of scaring them with the amount cases that have been reported, in order to avoid contracting the flu. Subject: The general topic of this article is the Influenza outbreak that has swept across every state in the continental United States and reports are growing at a rapid rate on a daily basis. The article further investigates the growing flu reports and preventative measures to be taken by people in order to avoid contracting the flu. Tone/ Diction: The author's erudite tone helps demonstrate how well educated she is on the topic and adds to the formal diction exemplified throughout the text. The formal diction includes numerous amounts of polysyllabic words, free from slang, which helped contribute to an increased credibility for the author. The diction helps emphasizes the tone by captivating the audience and using descriptive, formal words in order to convey formality and professionalism. This diction was evident in the phrase, "The current pervasiveness of the flu across the country appears to be similar to what was seen during peak flu season from 2014 to 2015" Using words at a higher diction, as oppose to the regular run of the mill words, contributed to an increased professionalism and credibility for the author. Howard conveyed her erudite tone by including statistics, definitions, and speaking intellectually about the topic in order to show that she is well informed about it. This was shown in the statement, "There were 11,965 laboratory-confirmed flu-related hospitalizations reported from October 1 to January 20." This statement portrayed a very erudite tone as it included statistics that put the scope of the disease into perspective. Rhetorical Appeal: Rhetorical appeals are literary devices that contributed to understanding the underlying meaning of the article and their abundance helped demonstrate their importance in conveying the argument. The author first establishes credibility by working for CNN, which is an internationally reputable new source. In addition, due to its reputation, it is required for publishers to possess certain credentials to write on a topic. Since Howard works specifically for CNN Health and has had experience in other new programs, she has credentials needed to form a credible, informative article on the flu. Howard also lives in America, which is where the flu predominates, so she has first-hand accounts of the topic and better access to data in regards to the topic, all which boost her credibility. The author appeals to pathos by including statements such as "The deaths of seven more children were reported this week, bringing the total number of pediatric deaths for the season, which began in October, to 37." Many people feel an added sense of sympathy when it comes to deaths, especially when it comes to those of the younger population. The author uses this appeal to pull at the reader's heartstrings and add to the argument of how deadly the flu actually is. Lastly, the author appeals to logos on many accounts, through the use of statistics, facts, dates, and cause and effect relationships in order to add to the argument developed throughout the article. This appeal is seen in the statement, "At week 52 of this flu season, which was the last week of 2017, however, "we did over 5,000 respiratory viral tests," This statement illustrates the severity of the flu this year and how impactful it is on America. These appeals are key to understanding the underlying meaning of Jacqueline Howard's article and contributed to getting a deeper understanding of the purpose and subject that she portrayed. https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/26/health/weekly-flu-update-jan-26-cdc-numbers-bn/index.html
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