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Bonnie Brown's Reflective Essay: The Jonestown Massacre

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When someone enters a library there are two things they can be sure to expect. The first being the fact that when they leave they will be taking with them more knowledge than the came in with. The second is that no matter what library they come across it is publicly known that you remain as quiet as possible. This was all true for Bonnie Brown as she spent time working in her high school library on December 6, 1978. One of the tasks she was entitled to complete was filing the new magazines onto the shelves, something she had done time and time again, but this time things were different. She came across something that she never would have expected to see in her library. What she had just picked up in her hand was a TIME Magazine article with a gruesomely detailed, and sickening picture …show more content…

“I may have actually heard of this event on the news before seeing the magazine, but it never really clicked until I saw the magazine in person”. The news of the Jonestown massacre was publicized and known by many, yet they didn’t really understand the immensity of this tragedy until they saw the pictures themselves. After initially seeing this magazine, Bonnie says the she felt genuinely sorry for all of the families that lost loved ones due to this unexplainable act. “The Jonestown Massacre was the 9/11 of my youth, and it’s an something I’ll never forget”.

On November 18, 1978 a cult of Americans known as the ‘Peoples Temple’ became a part of a mass suicide under the order of their leader Jim Jones (History.com Staff). Established in 1956 the ‘Peoples Temple’ was a racially integrated church that focused on helping people in need (Rosenberg). This tragedy occurred in Guyana, located in South America, and stole the lives of over 900 innocent people. The cause of death was unusual and something that isn’t often seen. Jones had somehow managed to convince, and

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