Rhetorical Analysis Of Suicide In America By Christopher Wager

“A sense of hope and something to live for is what teens need. They also need a way to raise their self-esteem. When they look at this world and see it through a hopeless window, there is nothing that will make them want to stay in it,” said Dan Snarr, a Skyline High science teacher. Suicide among teens is a recurring issue in today's world. The article “Suicide - Killing the teens & young people in America” written by Christopher Wager discusses the hopelessness that teens feel that leads them to commit suicide. Wager also gives warning signs in order to identify those that might see suicide as their only way out. Wager uses the rhetorical elements of pathos, ethos, and logos to inform his readers about the severity of suicide and the affect it has on young teens. Christopher Wager starts his article with a story about a young boy named Neil who has reported thoughts of suicide and hurting his step-father. Wager describes the history behind Neil’s depression and invites the readers to feel

Signs such as, “feelings of sadness, or hopelessness, declining school performance, loss of pleasure/interest in social and sports activities, sleeping too little or too much, changes in weight or appetite, nervousness, agitation or irritability, and substance abuse.” Wager warns parents of teens that are expressing these types of behaviors to notify a doctor or therapist before the situation gets worse.

Teens with a sense of hopelessness tend to believe that suicide is the only way out. Wager states, “America’s young people with thoughts of suicide all having their own unique circumstances leading them all to the same conclusion: Suicide being in their mind a sane decision to what they feel to be an insane situation.” These teen’s darkened viewpoints on life make it to where they are not able to see the help that other people are trying to provide