Essay - Victims of A Meaningless Show of Force Assignment 1 -...

Victims of a Meaningless Show ***** Force

***** 1 - Language Analysis:

In the article "Victims of a ***** Show of Force" ***** ********** uses language to express her point that police firing on two polar bears was unacceptable behavior and as the author says "it ***** illogical, unfair, and a meaningless show of force." While this statement makes her opini***** clear, the ***** also uses ***** to create the same opinion in the reader.

***** title of ***** article is a cle*****r example of loaded language. The word 'victims' implies that the ***** bears were helpless, while the words '***** show of force' imply that the ***** officers ***** only acting ***** prove something, with no real purpose to their actions.

Before offering an opinion on the shooting, ***** author describes the shooting. This includes the ***** "the four police officers emptied twenty bl*****ts from a 12*****gauge shotgun ***** a.38 caliber revolver in***** the animals, kill*****g them." This is a statement ***** offers more then information on the events, it also attributes meaning to the *****. The words 'emptied ***** blasts' creates a clear image, with ***** words 'emptying' and '***** suggesting the action was taken in anger. A factual and less ***** account would state someth*****g like "four police ***** fired twenty times, killing ***** polar bears." Th***** ***** does not suggest anything about why the officers took action.

*****e author ***** ***** connotative language to create sympathy for ***** *****. The ***** uses the phrase "in the aftermath of ***** tragedy." ***** word aftermath is generally reserved for major tragedies and so suggests that th***** event is significant. The article ********** describes how the New York Times "saw fit to refer d*****missively" to people complaining ***** the killings. The terms 'saw *****'and 'dismissively' imply that ***** New York Times ***** wrong to act as it did. This same statement made w*****hout connotations would read something like "***** New York ***** dismissed individuals complaining about the killings." Phrased in this way, it is a ***** of fact rat***** than opinion.

It is at th***** ***** ***** *****e author changes ***** a description ***** the events to offering her ***** on ***** events. Firstly, the children are described as "taunting" ***** bears and "invading" the bear's terri*****ry. It is stated that ***** boy was "plainly dead, clearly beyond saving" when the police arrived. These ********** 'plainly' ***** 'beyond *****' de-emphasize the tragedy of what happened to ***** *****, while repeating the same thing twice implies ***** the police must have known t*****e was no***** ********** could do. The police are then described "shooting them over and over." Th***** repeating ***** ***** is another loaded term that suggests the ***** were acting out of anger. The ***** than summarizes their opinion calling it "merely a symbolic act." The term 'symbolic act' is a statement ***** the author's opinion. Adding the '*****' further suggests that the ***** were pointless. Finally, the author states that "all that was achieved ***** ***** killing