For assignment two, I will conduct APT-analysis on the article, “How Does the Flu Actually Kill People?” by Scientific American. The article was written by Ferris Jabr and published on December 18, 2017 with a length of seven paragraphs (online article).

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Audience

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I believe the intended audience for this article is the lay audience. The author assumes the audience has a basic amount of knowledge about the human body- knowledge that is generally acquired in secondary education (high school). For example, the author uses basic immune system terminology such as, “white blood cells,” “antibodies,” and “T-cells,” The author explains advanced terms in a basic manner and does not elaborate further for a professional audience. For example, the author writes, “…even leading to septic shock: a life-threatening, body-wide, aggressive inflammatory response that damages multiple organs.” He mentions septic shock’s impact on the human body in a general sense but does not go further into detail. Based upon how the author wrote this article, I believe the education level of a reader would be secondary education (high school level). Because the article is intended for the average American, I would like to assume that the reader will have an average American income. According to the U.S Census, the per capita income (in 2016 dollars) would be $29,829. The article uses very few images, much like a newspaper. In fact, the only image that appears is a picture of the influenza virus followed by a long block of text, which is reminiscent of a newspaper. The design of the website itself is plain but elegant, which is often suited for more mature audiences. I would say that the age of an average reader would be around 40 to 50 years old.

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Education: Secondary Education (High School) | Yearly Income: $29,829 (Average American)

Age: 40 – 50 Years

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Purpose

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The purpose of this article is to explain how the flu kills people, and to persuade the reader to get a flu shot this flu season. In the article, the author describes the different ways the flu can kill an individual, and the possible complications that may arise from the flu. The author is detailed in describing what can happen when one contracts such a complication. For example, the author writes, “Sometimes Guillain–Barré leads to a period of partial or near-total paralysis, which in turn requires mechanical ventilation to keep a sufferer breathing.” The last line the author writes is, “The most effective way to prevent the flu and its many potentially lethal complications is to get vaccinated.” This leads me to believe that his detailed descriptions may be used to scare readers into getting a flu shot this season.

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Tone

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The tone of this article is serious. The article begins with a story about Alani Murrieta who caught the flu and, one day after being diagnosed, died. By telling this story, the article begins with a serious and alarming tone. The author selected a serious tone because the content of the article is serious and more importantly, he wants his call to action to be taken seriously.

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Improvements

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An important detail that the author mentions are the immune systems of children and the elderly. The author states, “Both the very young and very old may also be less able to tolerate and recover from the immune system’s self-attack.” To further persuade readers to get a flu shot, the author can explain the concept of “herd immunity.” Heard immunity is the idea that the greater the proportion of individuals in a community who are immune, the smaller the probability that those who are not immune will come into contact with an infectious individual[1]. People often care about their family members, especially their children and older family members. This concept would likely provide an emotional appeal to getting a flu shot.

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(Source: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-does-the-flu-actually-kill-people/)

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[1] Fine, P.; Eames, K.; Heymann, D. L. (1 April 2011). “”Herd immunity”: A rough guide”. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 52 (7): 911–6.