James Wilson Just Take Away Their Guns

1858 Words4 Pages

Alex McLellan English 112 Ms. Lawson 28 February 2014 Wilson’s Perfect Solution In his essay “Just Take Away Their Guns”, James Wilson presents to his readers the opinion that he holds about gun control laws, explaining why our aim as a society should be to get illegal guns out of the hands of criminals, rather than banning law abiding citizens from carrying them as well (Wilson 126). By explaining the problems that this issue brings to society, backed up with solid facts, he offers possible solutions to these problems to ultimately convince his audience that illegal guns must be removed from the streets. The title of an article is used to draw the reader to the writing. It is usually the first thing the reader sees and immediately gives a first impression of the writing at a quick glance. In James Wilson’s essay, he uses the title “Just Take Away Their Guns” (Wilson 154). This article captures the reader’s attention because it is not very specific. It makes the reader wonder, “Who is ‘they’?” At the same time, his title also offers a seemingly simple solution by using the word “just”. It leaves the reader thinking, “An easy solution to what?” His title is quite effective in capturing the reader’s attention. Opening paragraphs are usually used to introduce the topic to the audience. Usually in the opening paragraphs the author will provide some type of background information about the topic of the essay. This is meant to fill in the reader on some information that they need to know in order for their writing to make more sense to them. This is exactly what Wilson does when he begins his essay. He starts off his essay with a conflict that is currently happening ... ... middle of paper ... ...worth discussing. Not only does he do this, but also he uses statistics and examples to support his ideas, which automatically improves his credibility on the subject. Arguably the most impressive form of persuasion that Wilson uses is the fact that he illustrates to his audience specific solutions to the issues rather than just talking about the conflict and stating there needs to be a change. His use of all of these elements combined makes for a truly powerful essay that succeeds in convincing his audience that illegal guns should be removed from the streets, and also explaining where exactly to start that process. Work Cited Wilson, James Q. “Just Take Away Their Guns.” Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing: A Brief Guide to Argument. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's. 28 February 2014: 125-28. Print.

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