When may i shoot - Grade: B PDF

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“When May I shoot a Student?” is an article written by Greg Hampikian...

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Surname 1 Student’s Name Professor’s Name Course Date When May I Shoot a Student? Critical Analysis “When May I shoot a Student?” is an article written by Greg Hampikian, a biology professor at Boise State University, targeting the Idaho State Legislature's chief of the council. The article is also meant for others within the region that care and are concerned about the safety of the staff and students at Boise State University. When publishing the article, the conversations were very controversial, and it's still up for discussion up to date. The author of the article was responding to the bill's concern that was to be passed in Idaho that would allow students to own and carry guns freely when on campus. Therefore Greg Hampkian, through the article, seeks to understand why people are supporting the bill despite the dangers it could cause in a learning environment, which according to him, should be a safe environment for all students. In the article, Hampkian uses sarcasm to convey why the proposed bill allowing guns on campus is not the right decision. If the students are allowed to carry guns on campus, he will also carry a gun too so that he can discipline the students during emergency cases involving firearms. All the examples employed in the article are meant to help the target audience think critically about the issue and how it is not logical. It does not ensure the students' safety but instead risks their lives more. The author's use of sarcasm creates a feeling that though he is also concerned about the life of the students at the campus, he is more concerned about his own life as he will be

Surname 2 scared more to what the students are reaching from their bag packs. Sarcasm is portrayed when he states that "Since I carry a pen to lecture, I did not feel outgunned; and because there are no working sharpeners in the lecture hall, the most they could get off is a single point." The statement I don't feel outgunned is a form of sarcasm as he also has a pen-like his fellow students hence feels safer. Another case of sarcasm is where he addresses the current murder rate in school, which is zero at present, before claiming that guns do not kill people, but people with guns do. Sarcasm is then portrayed in the next line when he states that "Which is why encouraging guns on campus makes so much sense. Bad guys go where there are no guns, so by adding guns to campus more bad guys will spend their year abroad in London." The statement has sarcasm in the as he states that introducing guns on campus is the right idea as it will shun away bad guys from campus hence making it safer. Another area where sarcasm is used is when he states that what he's thinking towards students is outdated as his current students are well "trained" as they have grown up learning responsible use of weapons like guns through virtual platforms such as Xbox and PlayStation. Throughout the article, the author uses logos to convince the audience to think logically before supporting the bill. The first example where he requires them to think logically is where he states that the harshest penalty in Boise State University is only for crimes they consider heinous such as cheating in exams. However, to persuade the audience, he says that now that lethal force is an option, is the bill making the campus safer of more dangerous. Another case where logos is used is when he brings up a situation where two students argue, and he senses escalating hostility. According to him, how should he handle the issue as the students have guns, which may lead to murder or injury to others where he questions the audience whether he should

Surname 3 be allowed to shoot them in the legs to remind them of school rules. This rhetorical question is meant to help the audience think logically about how the school laws will be enforced when they have guns. The author also utilizes ethos to appeal to the audience using his authority as a lecturer. Here he persuades the audience by explaining how they are concerned that other people are supporting the bill to introduce guns in a campus which has many young people who are away from home who are in the stage of life where they abuse alcohol and experiment on drugs, all which lead to a lapse in judgment which may cause significant damage especially when they have guns. The author uses these literary devices effectively to help the target audience think critically and logically on the implications of allowing guns on school premises. Although the University legislature is the primary target audience, he takes it upon himself to persuade others who may be concerned about students' safety in the institution as they may stand up and force the university legislature to change its stance on firearms in the institution. Sarcasm in this article is used to portray how absurd and illogical it will be to pass the bill with the pretense that it will make the University and its students safer.

Surname 4 Works Cited "When may I shoot a student?" 28 Feb. 2014, www.nytimes.com/2014/02/28/opinion/when-mayi-shoot-a-student.html?_r=0....