SWA #7 The Story of a Snitch

Title: Snitches Get Stitches; Punishment for Talking
Thesis: Jeremy Kahn explicitly makes his point that giving up information to the police automatically makes you a snitch, and snitches do get harmed, through the use of strong pathos, engaging style, and concise points.

I. Kahn's approach to using pathos through his piece is very cunning but direct.
      A. Curious
          1. story starts off describing this man's life, and you instantly are questioning what he did to end up being "cooped up, a prisoner in his own home"
          2. Dowery turning around and finding two men following him raises flags in my mind
     B. Sympathetic
          1. knowing he was shot
          2. knowing that some people are now being patronized because they gave information to the cops
          3. Kahn mentions Dowery knowing that his friends were being shot
     C. Fearful
          1. What's going to happen to Dowery?
          2. "Why would you talk to the police? All you are doing is putting a label on yourself" (Kahn, 59)
II. By creating a story based piece, Kahn is able to get his point across in a way that's easy to read, follow, and understand.
     A. Short sentences
          1. Kahn's short sentences makes things curt and precise.
          2. "A man gunned down on a busy street. No identifying witnesses; no suspects. In this, James Wise's murder was typical." (Kahn, 58). < Use of short sentences made the image of what was happening, clear.
     B. Sections broken down into stories
          1. By breaking things down into chunks, it was easier to understand, and read.
          2. Gave you time to digest what you just read
     C. Imagery
          1. "a prisoner in his own home" pg. 55
          2. "electronically shackled to his house" pg. 57
          3. "wail of police sirens" pg. 57
          4. "haunt the city" pg. 59
III. It is made clear from the beginning, by Kahn, that those getting killed on the streets for giving information is a common and realistic thing.
     A. Ethos
          1. He's credible because he's a journalist who's ideas have been published in many papers/magazines; if they didn't find it relevant or true, they wouldn't have published it.
          2. He gives facts about the events that happened; dates, names, etc.
     B. Persuasiveness/Audience
          1. targeting an audience that's not familiar with gang activities, and crimes
          2. could be interpreted differently by those who live in an environment that Kahn describes, they could agree, or find what he says no true
Conclusion: Although, Kahn could have explored the ideas of how people who do give the police information has effected things in a positive manner, he does an excellent job of catching people's attention and making them aware of what's going on in a clear and interesting way.