Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic is the most acute topic at the moment, as it has had a massive impact not only on the health of the population but also on social, economic, and political aspects. The quarantine measures undertaken by the US government have met with both criticism and approval from the public. The greatest disapproval was caused by the Trump administration’s lack of attention to the problem, as well as the provision of inaccurate information. The article “COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States” describes the opposing opinions which have shaped public perception. Rhetorically, the author uses logos and ethos to build a coherent and credible paper. Claims and support are also effectively used to discuss events and ideas. Although the article is descriptive in nature, rhetoric techniques are applied to convey implicit claims which the reader can easily identify.
Text and Context
The text of the article is academic writing in which the author uses formal constructions and logical reasoning. The structure is presented in such a way as to support the main thesis of the work. First, an overview of the situation is provided, including a brief description of COVID-19, its symptoms, and spread patterns. The author then goes from general information to specific figures for the United States. The last paragraph of the introduction is devoted to describing not only the threat to public health from the pandemic but also the social, economic, and political difficulties associated with it. It is noteworthy that the author further lists the main ideas of the article using bullet points, which makes it more structured.
The background section includes information on the origin and history of the spread of COVID-19, as well as the government’s response to the US pandemic. The author also provides opinions in support and criticism of the decisions made by the administration. The next section provides information on restrictive measures and their social, economic, and political consequences. The last section focuses on the public image of the pandemic. In particular, it discusses the perception of President Donald Trump and the influence of his decisions on popularity among the population. Controversial information in the media, as well as politically motivated messages, are also considered in this part of the article.
The author seeks to provide the most comprehensive information regarding various aspects of the impact of COVID-19 and the subtle difficulties which the public and the US administration had to face. This article is intended for a wide audience of readers who are interested in a more profound analysis of political and social processes. Since the text was written in 2020 and covers all the main measures taken against the pandemic in the US, its goal is to holistically analyze opposing opinions about government actions. Additionally, it examines the influence of the strategy of the administration on the political processes of the country and their perception by the public.
Appeal
Since the article is of an academic nature, the main appeal tools used by the author are logos and ethos. First of all, the information presented appeals to reputable organizations such as the World Health Organization. Reinforcing data with such an authoritative source helps the author to establish the reliability of the described facts and processes. The position is also supported by evidence in the form of specific figures, which is an example of the logos. The author uses them to illustrate the rapidity of the disease spread, noting that “the United States had reported more than 16.5 million cases of COVID-19, contributing to more than 300,000 deaths” (“COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States”). The article also mentions specific months associated with various events to build a logical narrative. This technique helps the author to describe a clear chronology, as well as to shape the reader’s deeper understanding of the picture. The emphasis on rationale also allows for the construction of claims and support chains, which provide the clearest articulation of the position.
Claims and Support
First of all, the author underlines that the pandemic has an impact not only on public health but also on the political and social aspects of life. The claim is represented by the assertion that “the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic extend beyond the immediate threat to human health posed by the virus itself” (“COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States”). Further, the author provides support for this idea through a description of quarantine measures’ effects on business and public spheres, as well as the emerging political criticism. In subsequent sections, the author provides a more detailed description of each of the supporting positions. Thus, the claim about the multiple impact of COVID-19 on many areas of life is central to the article.
In the process of augmenting the main claim, minor claims are also stated, which also serve to justify the overall idea. For example, the author claims that some Americans supported the government’s measures, and some were against them. The article further provides several facts to support these assumptions. It includes specific figures, the opinion of the scientific community, and references to the reports of official structures. Thus, claim, and support chains serve to validate ideas and develop them. A more detailed proven statement seems to the reader the most understandable and credible.
It is noteworthy how the author develops the reasoning regarding the impact of the pandemic and the measures associated with it on the political perception of Trump and Biden. In this case, the reader can identify the implicit claim, as there is extensive criticism of the Trump administration’s strategy for solving the problem. The author emphasizes that the government did not attach due importance to COVID-19 and provided inaccurate information (“COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States”). These facts support the implicit claim that the pandemic and the measures taken caused widespread public discontent with the President. At the end of the article, it is noted that the Joe Biden administration took the opposite approach and paid increased attention to solving the problem. In this case, the direct idea is also not stated, but the reader can easily guess about the existing connection.
Conclusion
In this article, the author uses logical, rhetorical techniques to describe events and convey ideas. The choice of tools such as logos, ethos, claims, and support is determined by the purely academic nature of the work. The author identifies the central claim, which further in the article is supported by a number of minor ones. Appeals to authoritative sources and organizations, as well as specific figures and facts, also serve as evidence in favor of the assumptions made. It is noteworthy that the author also uses implicit claims in the last part of the article so as not to deviate from the descriptive nature of the work. However, due to the skillful use of rhetorical techniques and tools, the reader can easily identify the connection and draw a conclusion.
Reference
“COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States.”Gale, 2020. Web.