AOW #2- "I was held hostage in my school!"

"I was held hostage in my school!"
as told to Jane Bianchi of Seventeen Magazine (October 2011)

     I know this is a credible source because it came from Seventeen Magazine. This is a very well-known magazine that has been around for years. Every article that is published in this magazine must be legitimate. Also, it talks about a real event that can easily be further researched because of its publicity.
     This article is about a kid who brought a gun to school. He seemed like just an average kid, then one day he brought a gun to school and held his history class hostage. Finally, the SWAT team knocked down the door and got a hold of him before he could shoot anyone. He ended up killing himself.
     The context of this piece is the one-year anniversary of the event. The girl who is telling the story was in the class that he held hostage, and speaks of the event that occurred a year ago and how it is effecting her now.
     The purpose of this piece is to inform people about the event and give tips on what to do if you suspect someone of having a weapon in school or thinking of harming themselves or others.
     The audience that this piece was written for is teenage girls. Though anyone could read it and still get the same meanings out of it, the article is written in a magazine directed to an audience of teenage girls. Also, it is told through the point of view of a teenage girl who was in the class.
     Some rhetorical elements from this piece are:

• a definite use of the pathos appeal- The article is so sad and makes the reader feel the pain that the kids in the class must have felt. It also makes the reader feel pain for the kid who held them hostage since he was in such a terrible place that no one even knew to help him
• diction- The words used are general, easy to understand words that make it clear that the words are coming from a kid and are what she was really saying.

     I think the author accomplished their purpose because I took out of the article a better understanding of what it is actually like to be involved in a school shooting type situation. Also, I was informed of an event that I knew nothing about and had not even heard of before.