[RWS 100] "Do We Have the Courage to Stop This"

            Kristof wants new laws and regulations on firearms. Who [besides the avid pro-gun activists] wouldn’t? Particularly in points 18 thru 20, it is implied that Kristof wants new laws, akin to the existing automobile laws, to be applied towards firearms. He believes that “some of you are alive today because of those auto safety regulations.” He’s also identified other countries with stricter gun laws and wants the United States to apply those laws here. In points 15 thru 17, he refers to Australia’s gun buyback and Canada’s 28-day waiting period as ideas for what the United States can do about gun control. In short, Kristof suggests we look to other countries and current laws [on potentially fatal possessions such as automobiles] for inspiration towards new gun control laws.

            I would suggest that Kristof uses the writing strategy of appeals to ethos, pathos and logos. He tries to get the reader to trust him, question the authority (in this case, the U.S. government), and tries to throw in a quick line to make us shed a tear or two. The title alone questions the reader’s level of courage. In point 18, he quotes the common saying, “Cars don’t kill people, drunks do,” which can both appeal to emotion and get readers to like Kristof as both a person and writer. In point 14, he questions the president’s decision to mourn victims instead of signing off to new gun laws.

            While I’m still trying to understand the appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos, I believe that this was an effective writing strategy for Kristof to use to: hook readers into reading the rest of his piece, get said readers to like him, and get people to follow him on his [shameless] social media plugs.