Boxuan Xie

First Year Writing

Rhetorical Analysis
02/02/2016
Life or Right

As the greatest and the most powerful country ever in this world, the USA, always makes
Americans be proud of their rights. American citizens enjoy various rights, and one of the most
significant rights that the Constitution vests in is the right of having guns. This right makes
Americans have the ability to protect themselves as well as defend their own freedom and other
rights. Like every coin has two sides, there are also numerous arguments and debates about the
right of having guns. The supporters believe that this right is the most convincible evidence and
represent of American freedom. However, the opponent claim that this right will deteriorate the
current situation of crime. No matter which side would win the debate finally, the Arizona
Shooting Issue happened on January 16th, 2016 made the problem of gun control become the
center of public sight again. As the local media, the reporters of abc 15 Arizona, Vivian Padilla
and Ashley Thompson reported this shooting issue in the news article called 19-year-old ASU
student shot, killed by woman after chain-reaction crash in Tempe.
Above all, to learn about this issue, we have to know the rhetorical situation. The
reporters describe the condition of site by citing the words of the Tempe Police Department.
Yue Jiang, who was driving a Mercedes, was shot by Holly Davis, 32, after the two were
involved at a minor fender bender crash (Padilla). They learn about the facts from local police
department, and quote their words to report this issue. They also introduce that Yue Jiang was a
Chinese international student of Arizona State University. She was driving her car with her
boyfriend who is 21 years old and also a student of ASU. When her car got hit by Holly Davis,

her boyfriend got out of their car and checked the situation of it. At this moment, he saw that
Davis was holding a gun, so he told Jiang to get back in her car and leave. However, Davis
walked toward Jiangs car and shot her for several times. Jiang was injured seriously and lost
control of her car. A few seconds later, her car hit another vehicle that was carrying five
passengers including a child. Due to the seriously injury, Jiang passed away in hospital, and
others victims had no life danger except some minor injuries. At the same day, Davis was
arrested at her home. At the end of their report, they tell us that Jiangs parents have come to the
USA in order to manage this issue, and Jiangs boyfriend is still in the pain of lost.
For letting the public to believe and understand their report, they choose report article as
genre. There are several reasons for choosing this genre. The first one is that report article is the
typical and official genre for reporting news. This genre sounds professional and expressive, so
that people will believe the issue and case that they report as well as it is easy to understand. For
example, reporters quote the word from local police department, which shows the professional
accomplishment of this media. Jiang, a 19-year-old international student from China, passed
away from her injuries at the hospital, Tempe police confirmed (Padilla). Because whether Jiang
is alive or dead will decide how Davis will be judge and what crime will she be charged, they
choose the most trust-worthy source to get this significant information. The second reason is that
even though most of people heard this news from television, there is still a website of abc 15
Arizona, they can post this article on it as well as on its social media account to let more people
learn about it fast and easily. So this type of article cannot only be used in TV live, but also
spread the information widely online.
In order to write in the genre of report article, they choose to use serious tone. Because
this is a sad issue, using the serious tone is the most appropriate. Also they use formal and
academic words to form not too long or too short sentences so that their voice sounds
convincible and professional.

Both of genre and tone serve for the audiences of their article. There are two groups of
audiences. The primary audience group is people who live in Arizona. They watch news because
they care about their communities and neighborhoods. In addition, since the news is on TV live,
people can watch it in restaurants, offices or some other public places. This group of audiences
do not watch this news intentionally but more like randomly. The secondary audience group is
people who are like me. We care about the victim, Yue Jiang, and try to figure out the fact of this
issue due to the respect of departed saint. For Jiangs friend and classmates, they taboo to ask
Jiangs boyfriend about this issue, because he is still in huge pain and maybe does not want to
recall that day anymore. Therefore this article is the only way to learn about this issue. No matter
the primary group or the secondary group, they both know the American society and policy more
or less. Yue Jiang from China where guns are seriously controlled by government, however, this
time may be the first time to see a gun and unfortunately, she died because of it. In the USA,
there is an essential debate about guns control. People who watch this news may have different
perspectives about guns. For those who oppose right of guns, this news is good evidence that
shows right of gun is good, but when it takes life, people should against it.
For making audiences feel sorry about the victim as well as judge Davis seriously, they
design their article thoughtfully and elaborately done in great detail. They post Davis photo in
their report (see figure 1).

Figure 1. The photo of Holly Davis, Padilla

This picture is not the normal picture of Davis. She looks like angry and drunk, which shows the
emotional and true condition at that moment of shooting, although this is not the picture at that
moment.
By using this kind of design, the reporters also use rhetorical appeal. When people look
like this picture of Davis will consider that she is a criminal emotionally. This is a common way
that reporters use Pathos to lead audience into this issue in order to feel with Jiangs parents and
boyfriends.
Using all of those elements above, the reporters want to achieve two purposes. One is to
do their jobs, which inform this shooting issue to the public. More people know this case, there
will be more people pray for Jiang and cherish the memory of her. The other one is to support
President Obamas gun control policy. Recently President Obama reinforces the power of gun
control during his last a few months of presidency. This policy suddenly makes the public start a
bitter quarrel. As a member of Democratic Party, he propositions to enhance the requirements for
guns holders. And this issue is an epitome of those shooting issues and tragedies happened in the
USA during the last several decades. Every victim has a family that suffers in the pain of lost
behind. Vivian Padilla and Ashely Thompson review the ASU Chinese Students and Scholars
Association President William Zhu. The police called her parents in China and then
her parents called the counselor here in the U.S. and then the counselor in
Los Angeles contacted me. Her boyfriend is also a sophomore student
majoring in communications, I talked to him this morning on the phone.
Looks like hes in shock (Padilla). The author review him, because he is the
middle-man between Tempe police, Jiangs family and her boyfriend

(Padilla). The reporters care about the life of Jiangs family and boyfriends
after this lost, which makes audience close to the victim. She is not only
someone in the news, but really a person who lived around.
Right or life, which is more important? I am not against gun. I am just
for life. Jiang is one of friends of my good friend here. This is the first time
that someone who I kind of know gets murdered. Because of the one-child
policy, most of Chinese family only have one child. Jiang is the hope of her
family, right now she is died abroad just several weeks before Chinese New
Year. I hardly image how they can pass this New Year. I want to quote the
words from ASU to end this essay. Our thoughts and prayers are with the student's
family (Padilla).

Works Cited
Padilla, Vivian, and Ashely Thompson. "19-year-old ASU Student Shot, Killed by Woman after
Chain-reaction Crash in Tempe." Abc15.com. N.p., 17 Jan. 2016. Web. 02 Feb. 2016.