Da Vinci

A. The text is trying to influence readers by making them think differently about Leonardo da Vinci and several of his inventions. As a result of interacting with the text, the columnist seems to want his readers to look beyond the preconceptions of famous historical figures.

B. The text is effective because along with entertainment and humor, the writer incorporates historically accurate evidence and details, reinforcing his credibility and making his article all the more believable.

C. It seems that the older a subject becomes, the more interesting it becomes to people. Conspiracy theories are always popular, and ever since Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, the public's interest in Leonardo da Vinci has increased.

D. Overstatement: The main humor of the article comes from the fact that the columnists writes as though every statement is staggering and utterly outrageous, cursing in the middle of otherwise eloquent sentences to accentuate his point, such as when he describes “an eight-legged, two-wheeled monstrosity that would have unleashed a f**king war crime on any Renaissance battlefield”. The overstatement serves to capture and maintain the reader's attention, as well as to entertain him.

Tone: The article is written in a way that presents formal, researched material effectively to casual internet surfers. The tone is therefore convivial and laid-back; the article opens with the casual statement that “Sure, Leonardo da Vinci created some great art or whatever, and some cool inventions that make life easier”. This type of language ensures that no one will be intimidated away from reading the article.

Allusion: The article relies heavily on allusion, such as when the claim is made that “Your fleet would have been as feared as Poseidon himself”. This works primarily to clarify parallels being drawn between two objects.

Examples: The text feature various excerpts and sketches from da Vinci's journal, including passages such as his confiding that “I also have plans for making a cannon, very convenient and easy of transport, with which to hurl small stones in the manner almost of hail, causing great terror to the enemy from their smoke, and great loss and confusion.” These examples provide credibility to the article and prove that such inventions and their intended purposes were real.

E. Interaction: The article breaks the fourth wall by speaking to the reader directly, often referring to the reader as “you”, and even making assumptions about the reader from time to time. There is even a comment section where anyone can leave their thoughts on the article, such as one question that asked “I'm sure this has been asked before, but why didn't he actually build any of this stuff? Was no one willing to fund it cuz it sounded too crazy? - boradis”.

Hypertextuality: The article contains a good deal of hypertext links that take the reader to related subjects that often elaborate on a point made in the article itself. In claiming that several of da Vinci's written plans were deliberately sabotaged, the word “sabotaged” is a link that takes the reader to a theage.com article titled “Da Vince War Machine 'Designed to Fail'”.