Jo Ann Beard's Essay 'The Fourth State Of Matter'

Essay 3: Dead or Alive

In the essay The Fourth State of Matter, a tragedy has occurred at Jo Ann Beard’s work .Gang Lu, a physicist, shot six co-workers out of spite and took his own life because he felt guilty. According to The Pro Quest Staff, each year in the United States thousands of teens commit suicide. Gun control measures are not answer to preventing mass shootings; it all comes down to a choice, bad mental state of mind, and the outcome that can affect many lives by one action. “Guys whose own lives are ticking like alarm clocks getting ready to go off although none of us is aware of it yet”(Jo Ann Beard, 1). In The Fourth State of Matter, a shooting has occurred at the office. JO Ann, who was not at work at the time, received multiple

You yourself should not be too sad about, for at least I have found a few traveling companions to accompany with me to the grave. [Author’s emphasis] Inside the coat on the back of his chair are a .38-caliber handgun and a .22-caliber revolver. They’ve heavier than they look and weigh the pockets down. My beloved elder sister, I take my eternal leave of you.” (Jo Ann Beard, 11). Even though no one knew what was going on in Gang Lu head, there is still a general idea that he did this shooting out of guilt. He felt guilty because he disappointed his sister. When someone is in a bad mental state of mind like Gang Lu, they tend to go off their emotions rather than thinking clearly. When the gunman finally pulls the trigger, he not only has to live with the guilt that he killed someone, but he also has to live with the pain that he will cause to his family as well as the decease’s. For example, when a shooting happens whether if it’s at a work place, school, or even at home there is always an outcome that affects everyone around them. Not only does the gunman feel guilty because they killed someone but do they ever thing about their family or the others, the pain they caused them, or even the disappointment from many people wondering why they did it? No, of course not because all the gunman’s thoughts are, get in and get out, but has there ever been a case where the gunman stops and thinks what he is doing, if he wonders what the outcome will be. Because