Check out this Article HERE! This article intrigued me because of its title. When it comes to mass shootings, It almost always seems like the perpetrator is put into the spotlight and is focused on more than the victims. Although this can give insight on how despicable people like Stephen Paddock work and decide to do these horrible acts, it is equally-and if not that, more important- to shine the light on the victims in remembrance, vigilance, and awareness of how they were affected. This article by S.E. Smith seemed like it would be focusing on the survivors of this horrific event rather than the one who caused it, which I appreciated. Right off the bat, S.E. Smith uses formal diction when discussing the matter of the effects the survivors of the Las Vegas shooting face. He states, "We know from examining the aftermaths of other mass shootings that these hundreds of injured have a long and difficult journey ahead of them..." (Smith). By including this diction that is formal, it creates a straight forward message and tone that makes the article and the issue seem important which will ultimately affect the reader. The author conveys his emotions towards the issue by adding negative diction and quotes that expressed this as well. For example: "Reed tells Rolling Stone people have expressed to her, "I don't want to speak with her – she was only injured. I want to speak with someone who was really affected." (Smith). Writing this adds to Smith's view of how this treatment of survivors during the aftermath is unfair and unjust. These phrases and words show his tone as being candid as he gives facts and opinions of those in a straight forward fashion. He also conveys a critical tone as he scrutinizes how victims are treated and their disadvantages they may face with medical care as well. He expresses this through his writing when he introduces, defines, and criticizes high velocity weapons and follows after with " And that's not the only problem." Following this statement, he launches straight into another drawback of these weapons. This is an example of his scrutinizing manner and candid tone as he moves on in an orderly fashion to explain things clearly. Besides diction, the author provides account of logos. S.E. Smith includes "...[Paddock] killed 58 people... [along with] the 489 individuals he injured." Adding appeals to logos by inserting facts of the number of those affected shows the audience how serious this mass shooting was and provides initial required information to understand the impact and the rest of the article. S.E. Smith also appeals to pathos as well. This is shown when he writes, "For her, every new mass shooting reminds her of how society focuses on killers and fatalities, but tends to forget those who live through such tragedies with injuries or disabilities" (S.E. Smith). By adding this, it makes the audience feel guilt and sadness for how society and people choose to view these mass shooting situations, rather than how he wishes they would. The author's purpose was to inform people about the different effects-physical, mental, and financial- that victims of mass shootings face, including those of the recent Las Vegas shooting. His overall goal is to ultimately inform others how of the unfair repercussions these people unwillingly have to face, sometimes for the rest of their lives. This is shown directly in the text when he added "while many people may think of post-traumatic stress disorder in the aftermath of shootings, Berkowitz says other mental health conditions can come into play as well". By adding statements such as these and expanding off of them, he contributes to furthering the readers' knowledge and understanding of the lives of mass shooting victims. This purpose is wonderful because it shows a side of the story the public does not necessarily get to see. The news posts about the killer for weeks, updating everyone on his life and saying things like "How could someone like him/her even be a cold blooded killer?" Instead of focusing around the murderer, this article does something more refreshing and personally what I consider, more correct, as it focuses on victims. In addition, it tells about the aftermath of the shooting and how it will possibly affect them for the rest of their lives; this is another thing not everyone considers or thinks of. By writing this article, it adds a crucial point of view on how people should be treated in these situations.
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