Nick Garbayo 5 Step Critical Analysis
Description:
A new strain of the COVID virus is spreading rapidly across the United States and could cause a serious wave of illness. Referred to as B.1.1.7, this variant was originally discovered in the UK in September of 2020 and has since been detected in at least 80 countries and territories around the world. The article provides information from reputable sources such as the World Health Organization and the CDC, and focuses primarily on the situation in the United States.
Analysis:
The author takes a cautious and concerned approach throughout the article and highlights statistics that show how alarming the new variant is. They take the position that the new virus is able to “spread faster and more efficiently” (Saplakoglu, 2021) and that actions should be taken to track and prevent the flow. An evident pattern within the article is that the majority of the paragraphs contain at least one statistic that provides the reader with new information. The paragraphs are short, only a few sentences long, which allows the author to cover a lot of ground in their writing. The language used is accessible and does not appear to be catered to a certain audience.
Interpretation:
The article advocates that the new COVID variant, B.1.1.7 is spreading at an alarming rate and will likely affect the majority of the world’s population. It’s evident that the author supports this position, as they consistently include statistics that coincide with this perspective.
Evaluation:
Overall I’d say that the message of this article is fair and educational. There is a lot of reputable information provided, and the author does not appear to take a biased stance. The issue at hand is one that affects a multitude of people, making it important and necessary news.
Engagement:
This article is a good introduction to the current situation surrounding the pandemic in the United States. It encourages people to stay informed about COVID, which in turn promotes the spread of important information.
Saplakoglu, Y. (2021, February 08). Fast-spreading coronavirus variant is doubling every 10 days in the US. Retrieved February 12, 2021, from https://www.livescience.com/uk-coronavirus-variant-rapidly-spreading-us.html
Thank you Nick, nice that you focus on language among other things. Since you are "zooming into" the article in order to find patterns, it is important to provide examples of language that provides evidence of that neutrality that you claim the article has. I also appreciate your comments about how an easy read this item is despite including a well-balanced set of data. In the engagement phase, you need to express how would you take civic action to trigger awareness about the issue in hand (see video in Module 3 and assigned section from the coursebook).
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