Larry Nassar Was A Master Manipulator But He Didn T Act Alone

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In the Huffington Post opinion piece titled “Larry Nassar Was A Master Manipulator, But He Didn’t Act Alone,” author Lauren Hopkins describes the horrors of sexual abuser Larry Nassar, a former doctor for the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics team, and draws attention to his use of manipulation to create personal relationships and in turn build credibility in the community. Hopkins opens with her personal experience with Nassar, in which she explains how she felt “honored” that he confided in her with inside information (par 1). “I never wondered why he “chose” me to be his gossip buddy, but I loved all of the inside intel he gave me” (par. 3). Although she wasn’t a victim of his sexual abuse, she analyzes his charming behavior to show that he was manipulating …show more content…

“Making us respect and love him was part of his plan, which is why so many people chose to believe him over his victims, and worse, why so many people were willing to cover up and even enable him further, creating an environment and culture that allowed Nassar to thrive” (par. 17). Throughout this piece, Hopkins cites stories of the women who were sexually abused by Nassar, and explores how he managed to evade punishment for decades with the help of the gymnastics institutes that actively ignored and silenced victims to tried to speak out against Nassar. In the conclusion, she concedes that “It is not easy to believe that a man you once respected, or even loved, could ever hurt someone ― let alone be responsible for the worst sexual abuse system in the history of American sports” (par. 17) but emphasizes that his charm was all part of his villainous …show more content…

Her neutral diction creates a connection with the reader because it’s easy to understand, and her formal diction is to accurately describe the experiences of silenced victims. I don’t consider her diction pretentious or plain, rather I find it straightforward and smooth. Like her diction, the organization of her piece is easy to follow. The diction is also quite negative which illustrates her distaste for Nassar and his horrifying actions. The author’s tone is informative and assertive to clearly get her point across (no unnecessary “fluff”). Unfortunately, this piece lacks figurative language. There are definitely sections where similes or metaphors could have been used to help create an image in the reader’s

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