Opposites Attract

I’m sure all of you remember the previous update on Ann Coulter’s disagreement to banning travel in Africa due to the fear of risking Ebola since the U.S. was their only cure. But now, writer Larry Copeland of USA Today has a different idea for us to think about in his recent article about Nurse Kacy Hickox, a victim of having been quarantined and isolated by the United States after getting detected of having the disease on her recent trip to help Ebola patients in Africa (Copeland). Copeland’s two strong writing tools in this article are those of comparison and contrast as well as shift in tone. Let’s take a closer look.

Shift in tone is one of the essential methods Copeland demonstrates in this article, and his main goal is to allow the reader to think about the two different sides, and make a more sufficient conclusion on what particular person in the group is right or not. Specifically when addressing Hickox’s conflict with the law, he describes that she will only win “until the moment she spikes a fever or has another ebola symptom” (Copeland). In other words, he believes that there is nothing wrong with the law, and till then Hickox will have no choice but to give in unless there’s some miracle that happens. Until then, who knows why things are as they are now? We sure don’t. In addition, Copeland also represents comparison and contrast by giving the example of a well known law of the Constitution: The Commerce Clause. And according to counsel Michael Clark, “The state police powers are similar. They have the right to protect the citizens of their state for the benefit of society” (Copeland). The back-up that he adds to his overall point provides a stronger analysis and allows people to even consider a bit more about the public safety rather than simply their self-rights. But which matters more? At this point, no one seems to know.

Compared to Coulter’s article on this mutual situation, Copeland is also pretty strong on his sources of information, often by providing examples of things such as government laws, quotes from some of the most important or popular people in this world, etc. After all, those can be the most trusted right? But perhaps the main difference between the two writers’ style is that Coulter has a stronger, persuasive tone and when viewing her articles, the reader can have this image of her being in the actual situation she is currently addressing. Therefore, if I myself had a choice of the matter on who is best, I would still recognize Coulter as being one of the top columnists on our world of writing. America sure needs to hear the words of more people just like her!

Copeland, Larry. “Experts Divided over Legal Issues in Maine Ebola Case.”USA Today. Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc., 29 Oct. 2014. Web. 10 Nov. 2014. <http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/10/29/ebola-legal-issues-in-maine/18123443/>.