Reading Response: Reefer Madness

It seems that the author of the article is attempting to reach out to a broad audience. He or she is obviously trying to attract a newer audience by giving the article the clever yet misleading title of "reefer sadness," but is also bringing in readers who are more familiar by adding the sub-title, "Scientists will study coral in this International Year of the Reef." The feeling from the article is that the author just wants to raise people's awareness about what is going on in the world, so I would asume he or she is targeting a pretty general audience.

The author tries to engage the audience by using a combination of humor and a "shock and awe" strategy. the title of the article its self is a comical spin off of the documentary, "Refer Madness," and he or she continues by "accidentaly" calling this year the "International Year of the Reefer" insted of the proper, "International Year of the Reef." The author also tries to shock the reader by quoting the IUCN in saying, "If we don't do something about climate change, the reefs won't be with us for much longer."

I'm not 100% sure which part of the article is supposed to be the thesis statement, but I believe it is a combonation of a cited fact, "The World Conservation Union says that warming seas and increased hurricanes affected more than half of Caribbean coral reefs in 2005..." and the author's opinion, "... a devastation likely to become a regular event." The thesis is located after the "hook" or part of the article where he or she trys to draw in the reader.

The author does a good job in stating facts and giving the source of the facts, but I feel that he or she leaves out a good amount of information that would be helpful to the readers. For instance, the author states in the end of the article that, " reefs are natural storm barriers and support an estimated 25 percent of all marine life." The author would have added a stronger argument if they would have talked a little more about how the reefs create barriers or how they support 25 percent of marine life.