Michael Burke No Fireman At Ground Zero This 9/11 Summary

People, tragically, tend to remember the bad before the good. In tragic events such as the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the majority of people think of the vivid images of the twin towers burning, the jumpers, and then wall of debris rushing through New York. With so much devastation it's hard to think of how important it is to honor those lost. In the persuasive article "No Fireman at Ground Zero This 9/11" by Michael Burke the subject is the opinion that firefighters are not getting the respect they deserve. Michael Burke uses a variety of strategies to sway the readers opinion. He uses his skills as a writer to inform his audience to object about the fact that they could not honor the firefighters lost on 9/11 on ground zero. In his article he engages the reader by …show more content…
If something is true he says it outright. September 11th is a tender subject, nevertheless, he tells you the true story. "Two firefighters, terribly, were struck. 'There is no other way to put it,' an EMS who witnessed it said, 'they exploded.'" Although it is a graphic quote, it is what actually happened. As a result, the mental pictures of that fateful day become fresh in the audience's mind. Emotionally, it forces you to think of the firefighters, citizens, and family members who lost their lives. Now that the pain of all the lives lost is felt by the audience, it influences the readers. The effect is the audience agrees with the author that these people deserve more respect. Another example is "Before the blown out elevator lay two victims, their clothes burnt off, their bodies charred". A gruesome description of a death of an ordinary citizen. An image that would be impossible to forget. Yet again the author does a excellent job of captivating the audience with his graphic details. The author makes the reader emotional to help prove that those lost have the right to be honored. Clearly, this is why the authors outright style help convey his