"A Good Man Down" is an article in which Lee Jenkins uses countless writing elements including word choice, tone, and pathos to explain how the small town of Parkersburg overcame two large tragedies in such a short amount of time.
Jenkin begins the article using tone within word choice, incorporating sympathy to his readers by creating a vivid representation of the countless hours of upkeep for a "sacred acre" high school football field, that Thomas, a high school football coach did in the heart of Parkersburg. Thomas kept the field looking its best by "yanking the overgrown weeds, killing the yellow dandelions, fertilizing the soil, and mowing the lawn" (Jenkins 1). The words yanking, overgrown, and yellow, in the previous sentence are examples of word choice that the author wrote describing significant descriptions helping readers envision the football field. Reading this paragraph makes the audience paint a picture in their minds of their football field, along with the coaching staff spending numerous hours preparing the field by watering and weeding the field, and painting the white lines before the big game on Friday night. Jenkin continues to explain Thomas as a person, along with his …show more content…
He was able to write in a way with such sorrow and sadness that would pull at the strings of the reader's hearts. Thomas did his last piece of coaching at 7:45 a.m. on June 24, while in the weight room with other athletes, when a former football player, Mark Becker, walks into the weight room, grabs a gun, points it at Thomas, and kills the legend of Parkersburg. Jenkins let out sentimental emotions informing the audience that something horrifying had happened to Thomas. Brandon, a promising running back, who was in the class at the time, heard the gunshot, opened his eyes, and saw his coach, the one that he hoped to play for, falling to the
Jenkin begins the article using tone within word choice, incorporating sympathy to his readers by creating a vivid representation of the countless hours of upkeep for a "sacred acre" high school football field, that Thomas, a high school football coach did in the heart of Parkersburg. Thomas kept the field looking its best by "yanking the overgrown weeds, killing the yellow dandelions, fertilizing the soil, and mowing the lawn" (Jenkins 1). The words yanking, overgrown, and yellow, in the previous sentence are examples of word choice that the author wrote describing significant descriptions helping readers envision the football field. Reading this paragraph makes the audience paint a picture in their minds of their football field, along with the coaching staff spending numerous hours preparing the field by watering and weeding the field, and painting the white lines before the big game on Friday night. Jenkin continues to explain Thomas as a person, along with his …show more content…
He was able to write in a way with such sorrow and sadness that would pull at the strings of the reader's hearts. Thomas did his last piece of coaching at 7:45 a.m. on June 24, while in the weight room with other athletes, when a former football player, Mark Becker, walks into the weight room, grabs a gun, points it at Thomas, and kills the legend of Parkersburg. Jenkins let out sentimental emotions informing the audience that something horrifying had happened to Thomas. Brandon, a promising running back, who was in the class at the time, heard the gunshot, opened his eyes, and saw his coach, the one that he hoped to play for, falling to the