Purpose, Tone, and Vagueness/Ambiguity - Guided Analysis
This essay analyzes the article “Congress Should Allocate Money to Fight Zika” published in the New York Times editorials. The purpose of the article is to persuade the government to allocate emergency funding to fight the Zika virus. The article provides reasons why this should be done and concludes: “that’s why Congress needs to allocate dedicated funds for Zika now” (The New York Times 1).
In addition, the article also aims to persuade readers that this virus is very dangerous and immediate actions should be taken: “mosquitoes and people will increasingly bring the virus to the mainland, especially to humid states like Florida and Texas” (The New York Times 1).The tone of the article creates a certain attitude (Center for Academic Excellence 1). The tone of the article aims to tap into the reader's emotions. The article refers to Ebola disease which is a big issue for the American society and states that slow response to Zika may lead to the same consequences: “a delay could put many thousands of people at risk” (The New York Times 1). This is done to raise concern among readers. Emotional response of people to the article would ensure higher chances that the government will address the issue (Lehman et al, 2013). In my opinion, the tone may vary depending upon the reader position on the issue.
For instance, if the reader opposes the view of fund allocation, the article would have an angrier tone, pushing readers to act. Ambiguity refers to confusion in text (Wrinkler 70). Reading the article, I have faced a moment of ambiguity. The article argues for the necessity to fight the Zika virus and refers to the example of Ebola which has seriously affected the USA. At the same time, the article is against money reallocation from the Ebola to Zika case. “Transfer money that was previously budgeted for the response to Ebola.
This is a senseless and dangerous idea” (The New York Times 1). Neither the article supports a diversion of resources from other diseases, like dengue fever. This is regardless the call for immediate actions.
Works Cited
Center for Academic Excellence. 2009. Language, Tone and Audience, Saint Joseph College.
Lehman, C, Roberts, K. et al. 2013. Falling in Love With Close Reading, Heinemann: London.
The New York Times editorials. 2016. Congress Should Allocate Money to Fight Zika. [Online] Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/15/opinion/congress-should-allocate-money-to-fight-zika.html?ref=topics&_r=0. Accessed on 18 March 2016.
Wrinkler, S. 2015. Ambiguity: Language and Communication, Walter de Gruyter: …
