Saturday, December 1, 2012

18. Why Can't We Have a 300-MPH Floating Train Like Japan?



On November 30, Will Oremus posted an article comparing Japanese railroad technology with American railroad technology. The author starts by describing Japan’s newest train technology and gives some statistics (cost/price, speed, average time to reach certain places.) He also gives information about their past as well as their future plans. After this, Oremus starts describing American railroads and says how they are much slower. He also gives information about past plans and future plans, but only with the purpose of emphasizing their failures. Next, he gives reasons for the delay in American railroad technology and ends by saying that in the future America will be way behind other countries’ regarding infrastructure.

The author’s purpose in writing this article was to inform his readers that the U.S.’s railroad technology is outdated compared to Japan and to tell them the reasons for this antiquated state. He uses hypophoras to attract readers’ attention and cause them to reflect on the questions. He also uses comparison to say how American trains are not up to date. The tone and language are informal because of some of the words and sentence structures he uses as well as contractions. In his article, Oremus seems to include some of his own thoughts and feelings regarding this subject making it slightly biased. 

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