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Malcolm A. Jeter

Professor Creaney

English 11000

20 September 2019

Global Warming and Its Inordinate Impact on Earth

Global warming is a “hot button” issue in current times.  With many facts and rumors to decipher between the topic at hand may be difficult for many people to understand.  For those who are not well rounded about climate change developing a firm stance on the matter is hard. The quick solution for people to build their opinion on global warming would be for them to turn to articles that give information about it.  Everyone who writes articles has their own natural preferences so it’s essential to understand that articles are written with a particular bigotry in mind. The author’s background, audience, tone, purpose, genre, medium, stance, and language are all factors that need to be considered when reading any article or website.

When determining the credibility of an article, the author’s background is something that people should consider.  The item “Climate Change: How Do We Know?” is written by the Earth Science Communications Team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.  NASA is an agency of the United States Federal Government that specializes in aeronautics and aerospace research. Being that NASA is a government agency, it’s generally regarded as a credible resource, and since they’re scientists, an informed source as well.  

The magazine “This Weather Is What Global Warming Looks Like” is written by Noreen Malone.  Not much public information is given about her, but she is the feature editor at New York magazine.  As for the newspaper “How Has Climate Change Affected Hurricane Dorian?”, it’s written by John Schwartz. He is a science writer for The New York Times who focuses on the topic of climate change.  John Schwartz’s background shows that although he may be well educated about global warming, his bias on the subject is in the articles that he writes about it. Lastly, the scholarly source titled, “Get Ready For More Heat Waves!” is written by Lina Zeldovich.  She grew up in a family of Russian scientists and currently specializes in writing about how people interact with the environment. The author’s target audience is a huge factor in determining how an article is written. All of the materials mentioned above have a general audience that ranges from teens to seniors.  Anyone who can understand global warming as a whole is a target audience for the authors.

The tone and language of an article show precisely what the author is trying to portray to the reader.  All of the articles use a confident and convincing tone to describe what they believe is right about Global Warming.  The item “This Weather Is What Global Warming Looks Like” uses an assertive tone/language when saying “the extra heat increases the odds of worse heat waves, droughts, storms and wildfire”, (Malone 1).  The statement affirmatively makes its point, leaving little doubt about whether or not it’s incorrect. Being assertive in your writing gives the reader confidence that you know what you’re talking about, and that’s precisely what all of the articles achieved.

The purpose and stance of an article entirely determine what the main emphasis will be on.  In the case of “Climate Change: How Do We Know?”, it’s evident that it takes the stance of Global Warming is a real thing, and it has a considerable effect on the environment.  The entire article is dedicated to giving information on what global warming is, what its effects are, and how to combat it. The item “This Weather Is What Global Warming Looks Like” takes a more reserved stance by saying “Scientists won’t come out and say that this is global warming, because scientists are cautious types and it’s way too early to make that call on whether this is correlation or causation that’s making the collective backs of our sweaty thighs stick to our chairs, but it’s not great that 3,215 daily temperature records were set in June alone” (Malone 1).  

For the article “How Has Climate Change Affected Hurricane Dorian?” has a stance that is best summed up by its first sentence.  Essentially it says that although the links between hurricanes and climate change are complicated, some aspects are becoming more evident.  Lastly, the scholarly source “Get Ready For More Heat Waves!” has the intent of informing the reader that the temperatures will continue to rise as global warming is the main factor for it.  Each article may pertain to the same topic but separately address the details of it and emphasize particular aspects of it.

One of the last major parts of a rhetorical analysis is the genre of the article and the medium used to portray it.  For all of the sources mentioned earlier, they’re nonfiction and use websites as a way to broadcast their information.  Writing a nonfiction article is especially important when discussing the topic of global warming. This is because if the material is fiction, then none of the articles about global warming would give facts regarding the matter.  Having articles online help people access them quickly.

Global warming is very evident, as proven by many scientists worldwide. There is an apparent steady rise in temperatures, a considerable loss in ice mass; particularly in Antarctica, glacial retreats, decreases in snow cover, and ocean acidification. By reading articles on the topic of climate change, people can better learn exactly what global warming can lead to worldwide.  Although it’s a common saying that reading is fundamental, it’s essential to understand precisely what the author is trying to persuade you to believe. Rhetorically analyzing the articles you read can help you separate the author’s own biases and determine whether or not you think the author is even credible.  

Similar to rhetorical analysis, objectivity is the assessment of the document’s biases, including those of its author, owner, and research advocate. As humans, we all have natural prejudices. In research, it is critical for writers to justify their bias through the rational introduction of facts and debates, and through the acceptance of various points of view on matters of opinion. 

When evaluating the article, be sure to consider how it shows and copes with issues of prejudice as well as how much prejudice might affect the research, if applied.  The credibility of an article on the internet may differ depending on the intent and quality of the data required by the reader. As stated by a former Harvard University student, “Keeping track of good and bad news requires us, as readers, to do a little legwork” (Nagler 1).  When reading an article online be sure to determine its credibility first.

 

 

Works Cited

“Climate Change Evidence: How Do We Know?” NASA, NASA, 9 July 2019, https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/.

Malone, Noreen. “This Weather Is What Global Warming Looks Like.” Intelligencer, Intelligencer, 3 July 2012, http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2012/07/this-weather-is-what-global-warming-looks-like.html.

Schwartz, John. “How Has Climate Change Affected Hurricane Dorian?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 3 Sept. 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/03/climate/hurricane-dorian-climate-change.html?rref=collection/sectioncollection/climate.

Zeldovich, Lina. “Get Ready For More Heat Waves!” Jstor Daily, Jstor Daily, 28 Aug. 2018, https://daily.jstor.org/get-ready-for-more-heat-waves/.

Nagler, Christina. “4 Tips for Spotting a Fake News Story.” Harvard Summer School, Harvard University, 1 Nov. 2018, https://www.summer.harvard.edu/inside-summer/4-tips-spotting-fake-news-story.