It is difficult for an author to engage readers emotions, however by captivating an audience emotions it can make an essay, story, or article stronger. Liza Long, author of I Am Adam lanza’s Mother, captivated my emotions by word choice and descriptive illustration in her real life examples.
Reading the article I was expecting what I usually expect when I read articles, facts and very one-sided opinions. However, with this article I was pulled in by the authors honesty, “You’re a stupid bitch. I can wear whatever pants I want to. This is America. I have rights!” What mother wants to admit that their child has no respect for them. At this point the article finally truly caught my attention. The article wasn 't about feeling for the child, but feeling for the mother. Including the struggles imaginable that a mother with a child with mental illness has to deal with.
I could feel her frustration and worry by her word choice. By starting off rushing into the day of the crime then moving backwards to describe the past, gave me the reader an idea of where the mother is coming from. When the author states, "His 7 and 9 year old siblings knew the safety plan -- they ran to the car and locked the doors before I even asked them to.”
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We want people to think that we are fine and doing well. However, that is rarely the case, many people do struggle, yet they hide it. For Liza Long to come out and write an article about how poorly her son treats her is brave. However, the reason she caught my emotions was not because of that, but because she admitted, “I need help.” The article is about gun safety, however, that topic is not brought up until nearly the end. Liza Long looked to share her personal story and highlight children with mental illness. The article isn 't just about one thing, but of many. With her own personal story Liza Long was able to highlight more than just gun