Child Soldiers: A Worldwide Scourge by Jo Becker

860 Words2 Pages

Needless to say writing is a crucial part to our everyday lives. Writing takes part in many of our daily activities from reading the news on our phones as we order our morning coffee, to the book you read before you nod off for the evening, from the e-mails and facebook messages you send to co-workers friends and family, to the essays you write for classes you are in. The numerous different devices you can use to portray yourself are endless and allow for seamless opportunities to segue in and out of your thoughts and opinions. However; while writing may seem a simple task at times it can be mentally strenuous, forcing you to think two steps ahead just so you may make one, and unfortunately not all essays meet the expectations of others. One essay that does an exceptionally well job of weaving its words together well and using numerous devices to help get its argument across is “Child Soldiers: A Worldwide Scourge” by Jo Becker.
Becker starts off her essay by bringing light to the justice brought to Thomas Lubanga, a Congolese warlord who was found guilty of the capturing and militarization of children that is causing turmoil in certain parts of the world (Becker 430). By stating these facts Becker appeals to our Pathos, or our emotions and personal values. Child Militarization is widely viewed as a negative ideation, so by stating those facts Becker has already gained our attention because we feel justice has been served. At this point we are reeled in and curious as to where the rest of this essay goes because of our satisfaction of the results from Lubanga’s trial. She then goes on to refer to “Kony 2012”, a viral video that due to the millions of hits it had received put Joseph Kony, another commander of a rebel army who abdu...

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... does not waste anytime introducing the topic which assures that the reader will not have to endure a painfully long intro statement that makes you feel as if you are wasting your time. In fact the entire essay can be read in a total of one to two minutes. The straightforward nature of the essay makes it seem less of a persuasive essay rather than just stating the facts.
Given her use of all the devices in the proper manner I would, without a doubt, consider this essay a high level essay. The way she weaves her arguments together is fluid and produces results. I feel more compelled to do something after her essay and even more so after analyzing her essay to see the structure and effort she put in to convey her thoughts.

Works Cited

Becker, Jo. “Child Soldiers: A Worldwide Scourge” Global Issues. Ed. June Johnson. 3rd Ed. Boston: Pearson, 2014. 430-431. Print.

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