Susanville was once a small rural town where everyone knew everyone. Now, Susanville has gained new characteristics and has become what is called a prison town. The citizens of Susanville thought that a new prison would help their economy by the amount of jobs that would be available and the new citizens that would take up residence in Susanville. In “An American Seduction: Portrait of a Prison Town,” Joelle Fraser returns to her hometown for a teaching job at the new prison; she explains how her hometown of Susanville has changed from what she remembers. Fraser inserts herself into her article by these explanations. Inserting herself in her article has a positive effect on her readers. By inserting herself, it is like she is writing with a purpose, rather than to just inform. …show more content…
The gas station that was filled with correctional officers made her feel uneasy and unsafe. Susanville, now filled with correctional officers for the new prison is unfamiliar to Fraser, and even though these are guards with a job to protect others, they give off an unsafe vibe to a civilian. By Fraser using herself as an example, it is giving more substantial evidence to the way the correctional officers make the citizens and visitors of the town feel. Having a new prison brings about many new people, people looking for jobs, and people who are looking to be closer to their loved ones. Big corporations like Wal-Mart, saw this as an opportunity for profit and began opening businesses in Susanville. The presence of large companies made it hard for Susanville’s small business to stay afloat, many closed due to this. Fraser makes this point, because the loss of those small business, made Susanville lose its small town