In John M. Barry’s account of the 1918 flu epidemic, The Great Influenza, he thoroughly set an optimistic tone as he established his willingness to confront the unknown. His rhetorical strategies such as repetition, metaphors, strong word choice and telegraphic sentences made it clear he wrote this to an audience of educated readers. Barry described that uncertainty of the unknown must be used as a tool against one's convictions. He utilized rhetorical strategies throughout the text to characterize scientific research.
Barry begins the excerpt by conceptualizing certainty in the minds of scientists. He began the passage with a telegraphic sentence, “Uncertainty creates strength.”, not only does this add emphasis to the text but he's also stating