Article Title: "Whitpain Fires Police Officer Charged With DUI"
Source: Ambler Gazette News (online)
Author: n/a
According to the article a police officer of the Whitpain township was fired after 24 years because of driving under the influence of oxycodone and alcohol and was also charged with striking his wife 5 times during the drive. It has been reported that he is awaiting a court date and that on the day of this event the man and his wife were drinking in a bar and got into a quick fight which continued into the dangerous car ride that ended this mans career. Although this took place in August of 2011, he was arrested for his actions on January 23 2012.
A scary thing to think about is that this man is a police officer.. a symbol of comfort in the eyes of the community and in society as a whole. A man who is not even new to the force, but has actually spent a quarter of a century in police work and still is able to cause this type of destruction. This leads me to believe that anyone can become anything despite a title and that even the people who are supposed to be the leaders in society can mess up their lives and become the aspect of their lives they have spent so much time preventing.
The context of this article is during the end of last year into the beginning of this year and is showing a new shift into the police work of Whitpain township. The purpose of this article is one, to get general information to the public about a situation that could potentially effect other people, and two, it is possible an article to show people that even the "good" guys mess up and the people we depend on could become the people we never thought we would need to worry about. Personally, I respect and fear police officers because of their prominent role in society as the law regulators who are the tell all and show all of laws and regulations in our area. And now that this has happened it is hard to believe that someone we all trust has let us down. The audience is then the surrounding community that has to endure this information and understand it in order to benefit their lives.
I'd say this is credible because it is from an official local website.. and the article establishes credibility (ethos) through statistics and quotes from the actual people involved that could not be made up without a reliable story line. This story is also on other websites which gives more proof that it is real, therefore the credibility is established and then proven to be true. Another evident rhetorical device is the use of pathos (briefly) when the article leans towards discussing the wife of the police officer and how he beat her when he was drink. This pushes the audience to feel a sense apology for the woman and realize the wrong that the husband did to her. Pathos is also used when the article states how long the man has been a working police officer. It my eyes, it makes me feel sad and regretful for the man because he just messed up the rest of his life and will not be able to take it back. This will always be on his record and a part of his life and that is what connects me to this article... the way in which i feel bad for this man. It is also in this way the way the author is using their inner voice to connect with mine. They wanted me to feel this way at certain parts of the article, at times objective and other times filled with emotion.
The purpose of the author was achieved because it is now a well known story on the internet and it has gotten me, as a reader, to think about this situation and apply to every day life. Everyone is able to make mistakes, even the people that seem the most trust worthy or seem as if they are the icons of the world. People as important as police officers make decisions that ruin their lives, it isn't just drug addicts and alcoholics. This article has opened my eyes to a more broader view.
- Ali Mason
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