Tow #7 Post (Article): Shouting Ebola on a Plane?

The worldwide panic of Ebola has many people fearing and others scheming. This week, there was a dramatic scene that took place on a flight heading to the United States from the Dominican Republic. A passenger claimed to have Ebola while coughing vigorously in his seat. What could have been a practical joke turned into a two hour session of quarantine on the tarmac, or runway. Passengers were not only complaining about the annoying delay, but were frustrated with the man who's non-humorous joke landed them in that situation. He was escorted off the plane, and was in very serious trouble. In this CNN article, the author, Katia Hetter, uses diction with strong, negative connotation to inform the general public of the serious consequences that come with lying about this disease. In her opening paragraph, Hetter states, "while these agitators are finding zero tolerance for that kind of speech, people's daily lives and travels are being disrupted by the fear and panic surrounding the virus" (Hetter 1). Using the word "agitators" to describe the people orchestrating these jokes shows her sense of disgust, and annoyance. Later on, she also refers to them as "tricksters, hucksters and attention hogs", which also helps to portray her sense of annoyance. By using diction with such negative connotation, Hetter is able to illustrate her mood towards what happened on this flight, which helps to achieve her purpose. She is using her mood as a way to show that joking about such a serious topic is a disturbance that will not be tolerated. She goes on to say how the man was removed from the flight. Instead of using "asked to leave", Hetter uses removed to put emphasize on how it wasn't a choice, and to, again, use the negative connotation of the word to express the man's actions. Because of his failed attempt at being funny, he is being punished. Katia's usage of mood and diction help to really sell her purpose of not treating Ebola as a joke.