Todd May's Article Is American Nonviolence Possible?

Todd May wrote the article “Is American Nonviolence Possible?” to address the growing epidemic of violent crimes and actions across the United States. Mays opens the article with specific examples of very violent events to set the situation to which he is responding so that the reader feels the need for what Mays is explaining in this article. Mays introduces the issue with a rhetorical question, and poses many of these throughout the article so that the audience asks the questions to themselves as they read his stance on how America needs to evaluate how much violence occurs in our nation. The author effectively appeals to the logical feelings of the American people, as well as invokes their emotions into feeling that a change needs to come …show more content…
This event created the situation for May to construct this response to this violent act as well as others including the Sandy Hook massacre and the release of the reports of torture by the United States’ government. The author argues the stance that America has been violent for so long that it will be very difficult to change how we act in our daily lives. May intends to appeal to the people of this country in order to illicit a response or an attitude of change across America in response to this current issue. This essay was written in a very popular news blog, and the author utilized this particular outlet in order to reach as many people as possible in a short essay. Although he wrote this in a blog format, May was constrained by how long he could make the argument to the audience. This is an issue that could have been addressed in a much lengthier format, and although the author did effectively communicate his point, a follow-up essay would help further May’s argument to the audience. The situation in which May writes this article called for this argument, and May properly identifies the exigence for the audience to establish his stance and credibility on the …show more content…
He first cites the Boston Marathon bombing to remind the reader of a recent event that traumatized and hurt many (1). He also brings up the “painful memory of the mass killing at Sandy Hook Elementary School” to add another very sad event into the memory of the reader (1). Then, at the conclusion of the essay, May names many victims of recent tragedies in our country, and writes that although these people cannot be brought back by changing our violent nature, that we can make it so there are less names in the future (4). These appeals to the readers’ emotions help further solidify May’s view on what needs to happen in the future. He makes the reader feel sadness for the tragedies in the hopes that a change will become very important in the minds of the audience. Throughout this article, Todd May appeals to the reader so that the audience will truly feel that this issue is important and mandatory for the United States. Because this problem is such a prevalent and ongoing issue, May needs to apply appeals to every sense of the audience, and he does so throughout this essay. Although “Is American Nonviolence Possible?” is a very disheartening issue, May creates a sense of hope for the reader that this can truly change and very thoroughly examines many different viewpoints to teach the audience for the