Neil Armstrong's Positive Bias In Ann Byers

The author of my biography, Ann Byers, reveals her positive bias about Neil Armstrong through the use of specific word choice. For example, she states, “[Armstrong] was far more than a dreamer... he truly believed that he could... realize his dream of... piloting planes” (p15, ¶2). In other words, the author believes that Armstrong did not just dream of flying, but was destined to become a great pilot ever since he was a child. The bias in the quote is positive, as the author complements Armstrong’s abilities by utilizing strong words such as ‘far more’ and ‘truly.’ Moreover, Byers expresses, “...[Armstrong] will be remembered by history as the man who... took one giant leap for mankind” (p101, ¶2). In this quote, the author believes that Armstrong …show more content…
For instance, the author explains, ‘Just two years out of high school, Neil Armstrong was suddenly in sole command of... the most deadly [weapon]... an F9F Panther” (p22, ¶3). This quote does not appear to represent a positive bias; instead, the author utilizes certain words that seemingly hint at negativity towards the subject. For example, I would remove the word ‘just’ to erase all doubt of Armstrong’s experience levels. Furthermore, the word ‘suddenly’ suggests a feeling of abruptness, which takes away from the certainty of Armstrong’s experience. Later in the paragraph, the author expresses how huge of a responsibility the task of flying the Panther would be for Armstrong. To create a more positive opinion towards Armstrong, I would replace the word ‘huge’ with ‘amazing’ or ‘wondrous.’ Another example of a change I would make to the text is when the author says, “...His stint at the University of Cincinnati;” to form a positive bias, I would replace the word ‘stint’ with ‘contribution’ or ‘deed.’ It is evident that many sections of the text can be altered to support my bias in the book Neil Armstrong: The First Man on the