In his novel The Demon in the Freezer, Richard Preston responds to the American public's growing concern about the threat of terrorism after the events of September 11. . As the anthrax scare began to spread across the country, people became increasingly fearful of what might happen next. This novel attempts to alert the public to the imminent threat that such a biological terrorist attack could pose. Preston uses uncertain diction and short, surprising sentences to create apprehension in the reader that makes them understand the threat of biological weapons. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Preston begins by using many words that indicate uncertainty, phrasing several of his sentences to reflect the fact that he is uncertain about certain details regarding smallpox. The choice of word directly affects the reader because Preston's uncertainty translates to uncertainty in the reader. For example, when Preston describes the smallpox safe at the CDC depot, his description is full of assumptions and conjectures: The smallpox safe…can be disguised. You could look directly into the safe and not know that your eyes are fixed on the place where half of the world's known smallpox is hidden. There may be more than one smallpox vault. There may be a decoy safe...it may be disguised to look like a janitor's closet,...it may be kept in mirror form: there may be two freezers, called freezer A and freezer B. Freezers A and B (if they exist, which is unclear) would each contain sets of identical vials. (Preston 80) The words “may,” “might,” and “might” are repeated here over and over again, emphasized over all other words and dominant in the passage to form a growing sense of uncertainty. This doubt then correlates with apprehension on the part of the reader. The author knows that he has written a book for the layman, for a non-scientist who himself has no great knowledge of diseases. Preston can therefore present himself as an expert on the subject, although he still chooses words to indicate that even he is not entirely sure of the details surrounding the CDC's smallpox vault. These specific choices of diction are therefore doubly frightening for the reader: even an expert researcher does not know exactly where and what the status of smallpox is in the United States, let alone the rest of the world. For the reader still new to biological terror, Preston's language indicates that no one in the world knows the true location of all these pathogens; the reader is considerably frightened by this realization. Even experts, as Preston puts it, worry about "the chemical and biological weapons that some countries may or may not possess" (83). Preston here takes advantage of the timing of his publication of the book, shortly after the two planes crashed into the World Trade Center. It captures the reader's fear of other countries' biological weapons, a fear born from the fear of anthrax that swept through America after 9/11. By noting (again with his words indicating uncertainty) that certain countries “may or may not” harbor these kinds of weapons, a climate of apprehension is created. The word “could” signifies to the reader the ambiguity of the situation; he or she is once again unsure of the exact nature of the deadly threat. Through such words, Preston creates a feeling of worry and is thus able to arouse a feeling of fear in the reader. Preston goes even furtherand indicates, through hesitant diction, not only doubt about man's control over smallpox, but also about the pathogen itself. For example, Preston observes that smallpox “may well have a small, unnoticed reservoir somewhere in rodents” (59). Once again, words like “could” are used, indicating a vagueness of thought. This insecurity destabilizes the reader, who would like to believe that the experts have perfect control over a disease as deadly as smallpox. Knowing that this information is unknown is worrying. The word “could” also forces the reader to think critically about the issue themselves. If the author does not take an authoritative position on a question, but uses language that suggests the answer is unknown, the reader must decide for themselves what to believe. However, since the target audience is the layman, the reader is forced to realize that he himself is not sufficiently informed to know the real answer. As such, uncertain words serve a dual function: not only generating uncertainty, but also forcing the reader to realize how little they know. These two functions allow the author to better understand the extent of the danger posed by biological weapons. Similarly, in describing the possible creations of Russian smallpox, Preston quotes a scientist who says that "our vaccines may not protect us" against a bioengineered virus. As before, the word “might” pushes the reader into discomfort and worry. Preston's overall goal in this novel is to alert the population to the possibly imminent threat of biological weapons, and fear is a powerful way to attract attention and generate interest in a subject. Therefore, one of his most powerful tools to educate people is to create a sense of fear that draws the reader in through the continued use of uncertain diction. Another powerful force that Preston uses to surprise and disconcert the reader is short, abrupt sentences. Often these fall on the last sentence of a paragraph - sometimes on the last sentence of the chapter - not only to emphasize the sentence, but also to throw off the reader because it differs so much from the words around it. An example of this tactic occurs when Lisa Hensley is working on Ebola in a laboratory and accidentally cuts her safety suit. In the middle of the description of his accident is a simple sentence at the very end: “A single particle of the Ebola virus introduced into the bloodstream is believed to be fatal” (Preston 118). By distinguishing this phrase from all others, Preston emphasizes the solemnity of the declaration. The reader is surprised by the suddenness of this deadly statement thrust upon him, one which stands in stark contrast to the preceding ordinary and tame description. Additionally, the change in sentence length fits the general idea of ​​uncertainty. Just as syntax can be varied and unpredictable, so can smallpox. This idea is further reinforced by the passive verbal configuration at the beginning: it makes the sentence not the statement of a certain fact, but rather the shadow of an idea that some scientists believe in. Thus, the short sentence first surprises the reader and then indirectly suggests ambiguity and apprehension. Similarly, after a description of Jahrling's experiment marked by long compound sentences, Preston drops a literary bombshell: "Then, out of nowhere, came a discovery that shook smallpox experts to their core." deep” (126). Placed in the last position of a chapter, this sentence represents a total change of ideas compared to the previous text. Such a short sentence, 2002.