Personal Essay - Public Shootings Recently, there have been many tragedies in the world, such as shootings, bombings, and terrorist attacks. We all are affected differently by them, some more than others, but these events affect the way we live and how we act. The recent public shootings have affected my life and changed how I live it. The Sandy Hook Elementary and the Aurora movie theater shootings were a result of guns in the hands of the wrong people, and because of this, my life is different than my parents’ lives were when they were kids. Our world has become dangerous and I don’t feel safe anymore.
The essay “Shootings” fits the argumentation category when the author provides examples of fatal gun shootings that have occurred around the world in which the author is trying to convenience the reader that assault weapons lead to gun violence. In the essay, the author provides the readers with a very visual and descriptive hook, “the cell phones in the pockets of the dead students were still ringing… (pg. 674).” In addition, evidence is also another argumentative concept that the author provides. The author, Gopnik, provides factual supporting evidence on a case, “in Dunblane, Scotland, in 1996, a gunman killed sixteen children and a teacher at their school (pg.675).” However, Gopnik provides refutation in the essay by stating, “rural
Four killed, nine injured. They were simply trying to make a difference. In early 1970, following President Richard Nixon’s address regarding the American invasion of Cambodia, students across the nation decided to get involved. One protest, in particular, at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, turned into a violent protest due to the presence of guards and police, along with other figures of authority.
The author’s tone in this quote is violent and bitter. Eric saying that he “hated almost everyone “, would support the reader’s thinking towards what kind of person Eric is, and what Eric is thinking. Eric’s use of language almost immediately gives the reader a hint of what he is capable of, not in the sense that he would literally “rip is head off and eat it” but in the sense that he is capable of doing bad things. Given the fact that people throughout the United States have already heard of the mass shooting in Columbine, the reader would promptly identify Eric as the killer and they would be right. The author’s purpose could be to keep the reader thinking: who is the killer? , but also help the reader predict how will the killer’s next plans
Conspiracy theories are widely known in the society that we live in today. Webster’s definition of a conspiracy theory is a theory that explains an event or situation as the result of a secret plan by usually powerful people or groups. Conspiracy theories are accepted by many people in the world that we live in today. A recent conspiracy theory involves the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. On December 14, 2012, Adam Lanza shot and killed twenty students.
Media Portrayal of School Shootings,” “the researchers analyze 157 articles that mention Columbine and out of these 157 articles, only 33 contain detailed information on the event itself. The remaining 124 only make references to Columbine.” When a new shooting occurs, the media would often recall old case, such as “Columbine”, as their reference. Nevertheless, they would not explain the detail of the incident, they would only mention the name of the incident. Besides, the media’s purpose of doing this is they want to perpetuate the public fear.
On April 20, 1999, two disturbed teenage boys Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris began a killing rampage at Columbine High School in the suburban town of Littleton, Colorado. This was considered one of the worst school shootings to occur at that time. In the morning of April 20, before noon, the two juveniles had killed 13 people to include 12 students and 1 teacher; they also wounded another 23 people before turning the guns on themselves. This event would change the theories as to why school shootings would occur. (History)
The United States of America, a great but very flawed nation is one of the highest-ranking countries in the world—which isn’t always a good thing. From its number one rating in areas like defense spending (almost half a trillion dollars in 2015 according to data from the National Priorities Project), to its astronomical and ever rising national debt (which increases $40,000 a second (The Telegraph))—America consistently comes out on top. Although rankings like these are upsetting to hear, the most frustrating is the fact that this country outranks every other nation in the world in guns, mass shootings, and gun violence. So far, there have been nearly 1,600 mass shootings since one of the most horrific shootings in modern history at Sandy
The media makes it seem as if they praise things like this. Constantly seeing things on the level of mass school shootings can be dangerous. It can cause more shootings and bad situations. “I use to feel bad for the ones who were killed, but now Eric Harris and Seung Hui Cho became my idols” (“Aaron Ybarra” Herz). The shooter of the Seattle Pacific University shooting was inspired by other people that engaged in the same activity.
School Shootings: How We All Miss the Point... The aftermath of a school shooting is tragic, depressing, and causes hatred for the lives lost and the person who took them. Everyone, especially the media, tries to interpret why the shooter killed their victims, or why they felt the need to end others’ lives and their own. How We All Miss the Point on School Shootings, by Mark Manson, explains what and why these mass shootings happen. He starts by using examples of shootings and the murderer’s past.
It does not take long for a debate to arise after a school shooting to argue which side is to blame. However, the debate has done nothing but made it worse for the trend of school shootings as it typically results in nothing. With two opposing sides, they barely consider any reasonable solutions since they are more focused on worrying if the gun or the shooter is to blame for the death of hundreds of people. In an article written by the Gallups’ Lida Saad concluded, “According to two recent Gallup polls, from 2011 and 2013, more people believe that mass shootings result from a failure of the mental-health system than from easy access to guns.” Gun advocates are in favor of this reasoning because they believe that the system is failing to identify mental health patients in regards to gun violence.
Informative Speech Going Out with a Bang General Purpose: To inform. Specific purpose: To inform my audience about the causes of school shootings in America. Central Idea: The main causes for school shootings are easy access to guns, mental instability and trauma. INTRODUCTION I. (Attention Getter)
These acts of violence make school a place of fear rather than a place of safety. When did school become a place to worry and feel unsafe? Not only that but this event is a vicious cycle and as of right now it is unable to be contained. The news stories on the media of these events may be aimed to show people how tragic they are, but the shooters take the news stories as inspirations and school shootings continue to be on the rise.
Since the Columbine High School shooting, school shootings have become a common occurrence. People have become so accustomed to seeing them on the news, so we hardly bat an eye at them anymore. For every instance of a school shooting we see, there are hundreds of lawmakers making public that their thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. Frankly, those thoughts and prayers are simply not enough anymore. The Parkland shooting is one of many school shootings, that have brought light to the subject of gun violence in schools, and it is clear, if it hasn’t been one already, that gun regulation needs to change.
As he stares in disbelief, he slowly shakes his head and discusses the magnitude of gun-control from both sides citing how guns are the “worst inventions of all time” (Magnus). By viewing Magnus’s visceral response and his commentary about the shooting, the embodiment of death conscious is replicated in the user. In addition, the title of this reaction was “Fatal Oregon high school shooting REACTION!!! ,” creating a problematization of how online videos detailing reactions to violent content are aggressively promoted to subscribers (Magnus). As the number of subscribers increase, so does pressure on YouTubers to make videos that exploit the explicit nature of events.