SWA #5

Virginia Tech

In an article by Adam Gopnik entitled, “Shootings,” he discussed the emotionally disturbing school shooting at Virginia Tech and suggested how to prevent another brutal massacre. Since his article was published in the New Yorker Magazine, he gave many Americans the opportunity to rethink their stand on gun policies.
Gopnik wrote this piece for all audiences, and rightfully did so. Though a horrific tragedy, everyone should be aware of the effects on society and on safety that the shooting at Virginia Tech caused and continues to cause. Not only were the students and the loved ones of the victims distraught, but everyone who attended an average college in the United States was also affected. Although Gopnik may not have known any of the victims personally or had any experience handling or purchasing a gun, he was sensitive and very passionate about the subject in his text. His logos was reasonable and clear when he stated that the number of guns that are killing people must be reduced in order to “reduce the number of people killed by guns.” Writing this text, Gopnik was neither exceedingly forceful nor overly passive, but was proactively persuasive of stricter gun ownership in America and, in addition, sensitive to his constraints.
Since it is such an emotionally traumatic subject that provokes strong emotions from and for all people, whether directly involved or not, the constraints on this rhetorical situation were obvious. Especially because it was posted in the New Yorker Magazine the vocabulary of the article had to be delicate. Due to its renown nature, everyone including friends and families of the victims were likely to read it. And details of the crime were thankfully omitted since they are so brutally graphic. He was , therefore, compelled to focus more toward the agenda of gun control in hopes to direct the anger and frustration of Americans towards a greater goal of limiting and eliminating guns to the American public.
The exigency here was and still is unmistakable. Unless something is done to limit or eliminate guns, especially semiautomatic weapons whose only purpose is to use in combat against other humans, guns will continue to kill. Due to the reoccurring trend of brutal school shootings in America the necessity for change is urgent. How many will die next time and will it be me?