On The Subjects Of Trigger Measures Summary

In the article by Siobhan Crowley called, “On the Subjects of Trigger Warnings,” Crowley, a teaching assistant pursuing a graduate degree in English literature, argues the idea of whether teachers should be required to warn students about sensitive topics. She expresses that we need to have allowances for people who are sensitive to certain subject matters. However, materials that include troubling ideas, such as race and suicide, can exhibit substantial knowledge for students. Crowley conveys, “There is so much to be gained from the study of literature, including the ability to address and mediate the very triggering issues that students want to avoid” (paragraph 5). Crowley is arguing that teachers should approach potentially triggering subjects,

In the beginning of the essay, she introduces her opinion of “safe zones” in Universities. She states, “the trauma involved can be very real, and I think students concerns need to be met with serious reflection” (paragraph 1). The author uses reasoning to appeal to logos by expressing how real trauma can be. A trigger might make you feel the same things that you felt at the time of the trauma, such as anxiety and agitation, as though you were reliving the event. On the next paragraph, she states, “If a student has experiences that impede their ability to approach certain subject matters, then allowances absolutely need to be made” (paragraph 2). Crowley uses logos to convey a logical reasoning that we need to adapt and accommodate to certain situations. The audience sees a clear connection between triggers and trauma, which is something that ethos and pathos does not achieve. In the last paragraph, she states, “there is so much to be gained from the study of literature, including the ability to address and mediate the very triggering issues that students what to avoid.” The author provides reasoning in the form of logos, considering that there is a substantial amount of literature to learn from in actuality; more than we recognize. This reinforces the arguments that we can learn so much from literature that contain sensitive subject matters. Overall, using reasoning and examples involving powerful

On paragraph 3, she includes rhetorical questions such as, “Are you going to not teach Romeo and Juliet because someone in your family committed suicide? Or not teach Huck Finn because you can’t address the issue of race? The rhetorical questions cause the reader to feel like they are going to miss out on something if they do not take these opportunities. Using sensitive topics that the reader could relate to make the article feel more personal, which grabs the readers' attention. The point is that even though these books can make us feel uncomfortable, we cannot hold ourselves back. The reader is starting to truly see the other side. Furthermore, on the rest of the paragraph, she explains how it would be criminal negligence to students who need to learn this material. “Will papers ever be accepted in a sociological journal if you skip obvious references to canon theorists?” On the last paragraph, Crowley uses reasoning and states, “It makes me said to think that students will blindly turn away from that power and opportunity.” By using reasoning, the sadness that author is feeling is reciprocate to the reader. Overall, using reasoning and rhetorical questions involving emotions, effectively strengthens the