In Heroin Crisis White Families Seek Gentler War On Drugs Summary

Katharine Q. Seelye takes on the Heroin crisis in America head on in her New York Times article “In Heroin Crisis, White Families Seek Gentler War on Drugs”. She starts the article off by discussing how heroin use among white individuals is a growing issue. She then proceeds to share the stories of families directly affected by heroin use. The article comes to a close by providing how drug addiction should be treated as a disease and not a crime. The author use of narration of events and illustration and example to educate people and persuade them to think differently on the heroin crisis makes the purpose of this article both referential and persuasive. The primary purpose of this article is to educate people on the issue of heroin use and …show more content…
Michael explains this phenomenon by saying, “They know how to call a legislator, they know how to get angry with their insurance company, they know how to advocate.”. Towards the end of the article she uses a disturbing fact that hits close to home with the personal story given. Katharine discusses how Chris, a small town boy, was the “23rd overdose and third fatal one this year in Plaistow, a town of 8,000 …show more content…
The use of information and persuasive techniques make the purpose of this article both referential and persuasive. Katharine’s ability to make the reader not only informed on the facts but also sympathetic to the stories Courtney or Chris is highly effective. It is incredible how much the reader can not only learn from this article but also be inspired to further their understanding of such a complex and unfortunately common