The article, Severe Drought Has U.S. West Fearing Worst, is about how the drought occurring in the West is affecting the amount of water there is and the lives of the people living there. The authors want to inform readers about how serious this matter is. In about 2-4 months, tens of thousands of people could be without water, which is necessary for survival. This drought is also affecting the environment in harmful ways. “Without rain to scrub the air, pollution in the Los Angeles basin, which has declined over the past decade, has returned to dangerous levels, as evident from the brown-tinged air. Homeowners have been instructed to stop burning wood in their fireplaces.” In other words, the drought in the West is causing more pollution. Lastly, the drought is preventing plants and crops from being grown by farmers since there isn’t any rain. Farmers live off of the crops they grow, but without water, there aren’t any crops; there is nothing to live off of.
I believe that the authors, Adam Nagourney and Ian Lovett, wanted the mood of the article to be concerning. They wanted the readers to see how extreme and dreadful the situation in the West truly is. One of the craft moves used to show the mood is the quotes used throughout the article. One of the quotes was from a professor at the University of California, Berkeley who stated, “‘We are on track for having the worst drought in 500 years,’”. This shows readers that this is not an insignificant drought that won’t have much of an effect on the West; it’s quite extreme and dangerous. People have to see the severity of the drought. Also, a meteorologist named Dar Mims that “‘When we don’t have rainfall in our biggest two months, you really are starting off bad,’” The quote symbolizes the concern wanted by the authors of the readers.
Although I had heard about the drought on the news, it didn’t really bother me much. It wasn’t occurring any place near me, so I felt like I didn’t need to bother about it. Sometimes, people (including myself) don’t see the importance and extremity of things unless it’s happening around them. By reading the article, I can see that even though that the drought is in the West, it can affect me and other people in the East. As the amount of water decreases in the West, so do the crops and the fish that live in western waters. That means that prices on fish and planted foods might increase. Prices that are already high becoming higher are a real concern for me, and I know I’m not the only one who feels this way.
I want to know if and how others are helping the West. In the article, the authors wrote, “President Obama called him [California’s governor] last week to check on the drought situation and express his concern.” The article doesn’t say exactly how Obama is helping the situation; it just says that he was trying to “express his concern.” I think that the only way that the conditions in the West can improve is if someone helps them by providing water. Assessing the situation won’t help anyone. People need help now before it gets any worse.
Nagourney, Adam, and Ian Lovett. "Severe Drought Has U.S. West Fearing Worst." The New York Times 1 Feb. 2014: n. pag. Print.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/02/us/severe-drought-has-us-west-fearing-worst.html?_r=0
I believe that the authors, Adam Nagourney and Ian Lovett, wanted the mood of the article to be concerning. They wanted the readers to see how extreme and dreadful the situation in the West truly is. One of the craft moves used to show the mood is the quotes used throughout the article. One of the quotes was from a professor at the University of California, Berkeley who stated, “‘We are on track for having the worst drought in 500 years,’”. This shows readers that this is not an insignificant drought that won’t have much of an effect on the West; it’s quite extreme and dangerous. People have to see the severity of the drought. Also, a meteorologist named Dar Mims that “‘When we don’t have rainfall in our biggest two months, you really are starting off bad,’” The quote symbolizes the concern wanted by the authors of the readers.
Although I had heard about the drought on the news, it didn’t really bother me much. It wasn’t occurring any place near me, so I felt like I didn’t need to bother about it. Sometimes, people (including myself) don’t see the importance and extremity of things unless it’s happening around them. By reading the article, I can see that even though that the drought is in the West, it can affect me and other people in the East. As the amount of water decreases in the West, so do the crops and the fish that live in western waters. That means that prices on fish and planted foods might increase. Prices that are already high becoming higher are a real concern for me, and I know I’m not the only one who feels this way.
I want to know if and how others are helping the West. In the article, the authors wrote, “President Obama called him [California’s governor] last week to check on the drought situation and express his concern.” The article doesn’t say exactly how Obama is helping the situation; it just says that he was trying to “express his concern.” I think that the only way that the conditions in the West can improve is if someone helps them by providing water. Assessing the situation won’t help anyone. People need help now before it gets any worse.
Nagourney, Adam, and Ian Lovett. "Severe Drought Has U.S. West Fearing Worst." The New York Times 1 Feb. 2014: n. pag. Print.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/02/us/severe-drought-has-us-west-fearing-worst.html?_r=0
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