Exercise 19: “Doing their best” by Mr Jay Fadal (Smithstone)
Taking it Further Activities: prose passage
Mr Fadal relies on personal experience to defend the actions of police and to suggest that they acted according to public interest. His tone is defensive but also confident when he states that they “acted according to the rules”. Mr Fadal justifies the police’s actions by characterising Mr Cassidy as dangerous and distressed. The fact that he was “acting in chaotic manner” reinforces the fact that members of the public could have been in a situation of danger. He compares the incident to the Virginia Tech Massacre in America to strike fear in people’s minds. The comparison reinforces the fact that such “distressed” individuals can be dangerous and can harm, even kill, people. The question, “what if he had a gun?” also reinforces the degree of danger and the fact that people’s lives could have been at risk. As a means of reassuring readers, Mr Fadal appeals to law and order and safety concerns in his defence of the police and believes that their first priority is to protect innocent people/bystanders and themselves. Finally, Mr Fadal discredits “armchair critics”; it carries negative connotations and implies that such people conveniently criticise the police from their position of safety; they were ignorant of the degree of risk.
- Return to Red Workbook Tasks: Overview Techniques of Persuasion
- Return to Lesson 4: Evidence and Reasons