(Left)"It was hard for my wife and kids. But I'm doing something big here, and they know that."
The tone of the article in the introductory paragraph of this article suggests that the author, Jeffrey Gettleman, finds the fact that a man from Minnesota was asked to rule a part of Somalia to be quite comical and ridiculous. He relies on the man's appearance, "oversiz[ed]", "wearing a golf cap, huge sunglasses, baggy jeans, and an iPhone on his hip", to describe him rather than his leadership skills. Gettleman even uses the phrase "mind-boggling" when describing the expectations of this man "who dresses and talks like a rapper". But, as the article goes on, it appears that Gettleman was only using this skepticism to surprise the reader, as Mr. Aden appears to have created more peace in this war-driven nation than any previous rulers. New businesses, rules, police force, and schools have been installed under his guidance. He is a strong believer in creating government from the bottom up, something Somali elders saw in his fast efforts in aiding in the recent Somali droughts, which ultimately led them to believe he would be the perfect ruler of their small providence. His only enemy are the pirates, whom Aden seems to believe he can fend off with a little help in resources.
*“We needed a man of peace and he is from a peaceful place, Minnesota,” said one elder, Mohamed Ali Farah. *
Just how Gettleman began his article out of humor, he ends it the same way. All the middle information is employed to defy the reader's assumptions, which were originally based on the use of his humor.
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