Subject by Subject Comparison
In the New York Times interview of Richard Preston, the well renowned author of The Hot Zone, is conducted in order to shed some light on the recent Ebola outbreak and the peaked re-interest in his novel. The Hot Zone is articulated as “thriller like” and “horrifying.” Preston uses similar diction and style choices corresponding with his novel. By choosing to use these specific methods he is advertising and promoting The Hot Zone to the audience members that are interested in reading, and reaching out to those who read and enjoyed his novel. He continuously grabs and keeps the reader’s attention by characterizing and personifying Ebola as the “enemy [and] the invisible monster without a face” in order to give the spectators something to grasp and understand the Ebola virus. Along with characterization, Preston uses descriptions with laminate
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terms for the purpose to create deeper understanding with the effect of creating himself as an expert with an expert tone. Although Preston is directly confronted by his “inaccurate” and “hyperbolic” descriptions, he diverts the interview to his desire to “update” his novel and away from the mistake. By redirecting the question Preston saves his credibility and keeps readers interested in his novel and future works. In contrast to Preston’s self-promotion and characteristic language, another author is interviewed to speak on the recent Ebola crisis to give another perspective. David Quammen, the scientific writer, is interviewed for his analysis of Ebola along with “harsh” words for Preston’s The Hot Zone.
Quammen takes a more clinical and realistic tone in regard to the Ebola crisis of 2014. By speaking in a more clinical tone he his is increasing his credibility to the audience. Quammen takes time to point out the overall dramatic moments in Preston’s novel. In comparison to Preston, Quammen takes time in the interview to promote his own novel Ebola: The Natural and human history of a deadly virus to the audience. He points this out with the intent to correct the panic and fear that Preston created. He mainly addresses the skeptics of The Hot Zone along with terrified population. Quammen states, and believes, that Ebola is the “dress rehearsal” of dieses yet to come. He doesn’t romanticize the Ebola viruses, he simple states that it needs to be “controlled and stopped”, he does not create Ebola into a disease that needs to be feared. He believes that through Preston’s novel Ebola is miscocepted and interrupted. He is attempting to change the fear into
motivation. Both authors attempted to explain Ebola to the general public. Preston uses fear by characterization to peak interest in the disease, while promoting his novel and himself. Quammen takes a more clinical and scientific approach to enhance his credibility in order to discuss his thoughts on Ebola being a precursor to a bigger pandemic. Together the authors are expressing their interest in Ebola while raising awareness through educating the public on the intensity of diseases.
In Kroll’s Unquiet Death of Robert Harris, the author appeals to the readers’ emotional feelings and makes each audience a participant by addressing the whole process of Robert Harris being put in a gas chamber and describing
The book jumps to a distressing story about Peter Los in 1970 in West Germany who became ill due to smallpox. After ten days he was hospitalized but medical staff did not realize he had smallpox, which is highly contagious. Preston gives vivid descriptions of the disease and how it ravages the body. Los survived his illness, but caused an epidemic that killed many others that had become exposed to him. “Today, the people who plan for a smallpox emergency can’t get the image of the Meschede hospital out of their minds.
O'Brien's writing style is so vivid, the reader frequently finds himself accepting the events and details of this novel as absolute fact. To contrast truth and fiction, the author inserts reminders that the stories are not fact, but are mere representations of human emotion incommunicable as fact.
Preston goes further into the errors made by the people at Yambuku hospital, with Nurse Mayinga. Preston writes “She knew she was becoming sick, but she did not want to admit to herself what it was” (100). Mayinga had contracted the virus when she had gotten in contact with Sister M.E.. Instead of going into the hospital that Nurse Mayinga worked at, she decided to head into the city and seek aid from other hospitals.
After reading The Panic Virus, it became evident that this book can in fact be extremely useful. Perhaps people prefer not to educate themselves about vaccination on the grounds that medical language can be dry, confusing, and uninteresting. Perhaps they don’t wish to listen to medical professionals due to the fact that they feel that they have an agenda to protect themselves. Whatever the reason, the need for Mnookin’s The Panic Virus is to provide a strong argument for pro-vaccination that is given by a member of the reader’s peers. Mnookin is not a medical professional, and has no personal gain from defending the medical field; therefore, his argument is ‘by the people, for the people’. Mnookin’s tone throughout the novel also makes The Panic Virus a page-turner. Mnookin uses a tone that is at times formal and factual and at other times snide and informal, engaging the reader with every
Though fictional, this novel illustrates the fear surrounding disease, viruses, and contamination and how if uncontrollable, could lead to a global spread that could jeopardize the human race. Traveling internationally, World War Z represents a zombie epidemic that brings forth infection, which can be considered an unconscious actor during this time of confusion and destruction. Scientifically, fear is defined as a natural response found in almost all organisms that revolve around the emotions and feelings induced by perceived threats and danger. Max Brooks illustrates the societal interaction with fear, “Fear of aging, fear of loneliness, fear of poverty, fear of failure. Fear is the most basic emotion we have. Fear is primal. Fear sells. That was my mantra. ‘Fear sells.’” (Brooks 55). The fear of a zombie virus spreading in fact just produces more fear into the mind of the individual. Through research and scientific advancements, fears and anxieties have been proven to put an individual more at risk of developing health issues. How ironic, right? Our fears and anxieties surrounding diseases and the spread of them cause our society to be more susceptible to obtain and contract more health related problems. The fight against the zombie metaphor within World War Z gives the reader a purpose for finding a way to hold
The main way that Preston does this is by appealing to the sense of fear and the ongoing battle of good versus evil. By making people fear the virus Preston hopes that he drives the action towards preventing the virus’ spread and destruction because people fear for their friends and family as well as themselves. Preston’s illustration of good versus evil also creates a heroic aspect to fighting the Ebola virus as no job is more revered than that who combats evil for the common good. Overall Preston does a great job convincing the readers to join the crusade to not only end the Ebola virus but the evil that is in nature
Perkins, George B., and Barbara Perkins. "The Beast in the Jungle." The American Tradition in Literature (concise). 12th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2009. 1148-1177. Print.
Not only are the descriptions of cases terrifying, but McKenna’s word choice provides the fuel for the fire. The book uses phrases that sound as if they were pulled directly out of a Contagion sequel, such as a rare subcategory of MRSA that manifests as a “flesh eating disease.” “Cloud babies,” is a name given to infected newborns that are capable of spreading MRSA throughout hospital nurseries by shedding the bacteria on microscopic particles,. These erie definitions and surreal scientific evidence work in conjunction with McKenna’s knack for storytelling to paint a picture of the next big
Wilson, M. & Clark, R. (n.d.). Analyzing the Short Story. [online] Retrieved from: https://www.limcollege.edu/Analyzing_the_Short_Story.pdf [Accessed: 12 Apr 2014].
The theme of Richard Preston's Hot Zone seems deal with man's one predator, the invisible one, the one thing that man cannot seek out and conquer, the one that lurks unseen and undetected in the shadows waiting for a warm body to make its new breeding ground in, with total disregard for person, social class, or status. We are "meat", as the biologists at the USAMRIID Institute stated, no names, no faces, no "individuality", the virus rips through our bodies with no thought, mechanical reproducers who sabotage our cells and used them as incubators until their "offspring" replicate to the point the cell wall bursts, releasing hundreds of new virus particles. Literally thousands of these "killers", as humans see them can be held on the point of an ink pen.
"The only sound is a choking in his throat as he continues to vomit while unconscious. Then comes a sound like a bed sheet being torn in half, which is the sound of his bowels opening at the sphincter and venting blood. The blood is mixed with his intestinal lining. He has sloughed off his gut. The lining of his intestines have come off and are being expelled along with huge amounts of blood" (Preston 17).
Thesis Statement: The deadly virus Ebola is killing thousands of innocent people world wide, but there are some simple steps that are being taken to prevent this coming tide of death.
One of the current major concerns in the world is the outbreak of Ebola. Ebola is a infectious disease that comes from the Ebola virus and it can cause death if the patient is left untreated. The disease can be managed with treatment of the patient, however. Ebola is a disease that is a major concern in the Subsaharan African Realm, and in the North American Realm,but it is beginning to be dealt with sufficiently in the Northern American Realm.
Burrow, Colin. "Not Quite Nasty." London Review of Books. LRB Ltd (1997-2004), Nov. 2005. Web. 1 Jan. 2014.