Outline

The Story of a Snitch

Murder cases are becoming harder to prove because of the lack of witnesses willing to step to the stand. These witnesses are being threatened and even killed so that they can not accurately give their side of the story.

A. Kahn wants this piece to be directed to the people of Maryland

a. Kahn feels as though the Government is not doing enough to protect these witnesses

b. His argument is very narrow staying specifically in Baltimore and branching out briefly to Maryland as a state

c. Kahn’s purpose is to persuade us as Citizens to rise up and put an end to these criminals by “snitching”

B. Kahn clearly make’s it known that he agrees that witness intimidation is a problem. - logos

a. He only shows the other side once in the whole piece

i. Pg. 61 Elizabeth Julian – defense attorney, claims when witnesses step back it is because they were lying to get out of jail the first time and are now telling the truth

b. Sticks with the pathos of showing John Dowery’s complete story throughout the whole article

C. Kahn uses Pathos the most in the piece by drawing the audience’s emotions by going through John Dowery’s situation of turning his life around.

a. Kahn gives examples of Dowery going through drug classes

b. Coming clean even though he was receiving death threats for being a “snitch”

c. Being shot 6 times

d. Being moved from his house

e. Showing his emotions of not being with his family

f. Even to the story of his death

D. Kahn shows uses his ethos by giving facts on crime rates and interviewing many different people.

a. Bottom of pg. 56-57 David Kennedy

b. Pg 58-59 Colonel Frederick Bealefeld III, 26 year veteran

c. Pg 61 shows his knowledge and research of the DVD Stop Snitching

E. Kahn uses a sense of urgency in his writing

a. Makes the reader believe something must be done urgently

b. Helps to convince the reader this is happening everywhere and not just Baltimore