Ed Caesar, in his New York Times article “It’s More Like a Suicide Than a Sport”, implies that the sport of base jumping is so dangerous it’s more like committing suicide than performing an athletic activity. Caesar supports his implication by focusing the article on base jumper Hervé le Gallou, who died participating in the sport he loved. Caesar’s apparent purpose is to make readers aware of the danger in this up and coming (and very often deadly) sport in order to pay tribute to le Gallou and raise awareness about the dangers of base jumping. The article is written in a very personal and biographical way to establish a sense of loss in all readers, though it’s highly unlikely that any personally knew him.
Jay Caspian Kang, in his article “Crowd Sourcing a Smear”, suggests that the differences between old and new media are both helpful and harmful in identifying possible crime suspects. Kang backs this suggestion by showcasing examples of social media theories after the Boston Marathon bombing. Kang’s purpose is to exemplify the contrast between media before the creation of social networking and after in order to explain why civilian-driven crime theories can actually be harmful, as in the case of Sunil Tripathi, who was wrongfully accused as the second bombing suspect. Kang develops a tone made to create a general feeling of sympathy towards the Tripathi family so the audience can better understand the dangers of viral social media theories, especially in the aftermath of tragedies.
Michael Pollan, in his article “Some of My Best Friends are Bacteria”, asserts that while medicine used to be obsessed with ridding the world of small, supposedly illness-causing bacteria, modern medicine is beginning to understand the need for these miniature bugs. Pollan backs this assertion by explaining the body’s need for microbial species to stay healthy. Michael Pollan’s purpose in writing this article is to raise awareness about medicine’s obsession with eradicating bacteria that may be necessary to sustain life in order to help his audience understand why ridding the world of these bacterias is harmful. Pollan creates a personal backstory to make the audience better understand and relate to his theories.
Michael Moss, in his article “Salt+Fat₂ /Satisfying Crunch x Pleasing Mouth Feel=A