Rhetorical Analysis Of Suicide By Laura Westley

All stories, either consciously or not, have an ability to persuade the audience. They induce self-refection, situational awareness and a deeper understanding of the world. This is precisely what former U.S soldier and veterans’ mental health activist Laura Westley is conveying. Her article entitled Dear VA: This is how you address the suicide epidemic, which was featured on The Hill in early 2016, tackles the sensitive topic of veteran suicide. Westley is also the creator of War Virgin, a platform to inspire personal liberation and promote equality, and has been featured in numerous other publications such as NPR, The Washington Post, Military Times, and The Huffington Post. Using her Iraqi war experience for good, Westley is a role model …show more content…
1). It leads the audience to question their previously conceived notion that guns protect the use, not harm. This statement provokes emotions of curiosity and interest that draw the audience in. They want to keep reading to find out why not owning a gun saved her life, which allows her to get her message across and be more persuasive.. The audience’s question is quickly answered in the next paragraph, which is also the second use of pathos. Westley recounts that, “my lack of firepower allowed me to negotiate myself away from choosing death. When other veterans struggle with suicide and turn to guns, the bullet decides before they even have a chance” (Westley, par. 2). This sentence creates intense emotions of sympathy, regret, and a euphoric sense of disbelief at the reality of America’s servicemen and women committing suicide. Jay Heinrichs, author of Thank you for Arguing, shows just how powerful her statement is when he says, “the most important pathetic tactic is sympathy” (Heinrichs, p.45). The topic of suicide is already a difficult topic to talk about, but Westley brings to the attention of the nation that Americans need to do more to prevent losing another