Rhetorical Analysis: The Dying Girl That No One Helped

According to the FBI, more than 75 percent of all murder victims are women, and more than 50 percent of the women are between the ages of 14 and 29 years old. A part of that statistic is Kitty Genovese,a murder victim who is the focus of an editorial, “The Dying Girl that No One Helped,” written by Loudon Wainwright. Kitty was a 28 year old woman who was brutally stabbed to death while on her way home from work. The woman, named Kitty Genovese, lived in a pleasant, welcoming, residential area, in New York. There was at least 38 witnesses that came forward, and they all heard her cries for help, but no one came to her aid. Wainwright effectively demonstrates how society has started turning a “blind-eye” toward problems that can endanger someone's

One specific example is, “...We are becoming a callous, chickenhearted and immoral people…” Wainwright uses words such as callous, and immoral, to show his stern disapproval of the witnesses actions. In this sentence, Wainwright is calling out everyone, saying that more people need to be good Samaritans, and help when someone is in need. This is because Kitty Genovese had at least 38 witnesses, but not one of them went outside their home to help her, and not one of them called the police until after the murderer had driven off. Another example of Wainwright’s use of diction is, “Another witness had the awful distinction of being the only person Kitty Genovese recognized in the audience, taking in her final moments.” This was when Kitty called the man she recognized by his name, but he didn’t answer, he ignored her, leaving her helpless. With the specific content of the sentence, it appears that Wainwright shows her sarcasm towards the man that had to go through those “traumatizing” moments. By Kitty calling the man’s name, it shows the inexcusable public apathy from him, for not caring, or bothering to see what she

The topic of murder itself can be a very emotional subject for some people. But, when you add in the fact that she had 38 known witnesses that did nothing, it makes the story and subject much more heartbreaking. The first example of an emotional appeal in the editorial is, “All we want is a phone call. We don’t even need to know who is making it.” This quote was said by Police Lieutenant Bernard Jacobs. The purpose is to show that anyone that hesitated to get involved, in fear of being questioned, or having to go to court, still could have done something. By saying the witnesses could have remained anonymous, creates a sense of guilt for the witnesses that only watched, and turned the other cheek. Jacobs goes on further to say, “He said he figured nobody would do anything to help.” This is what Kitty Genovese’s murder said after they caught him. This is a very emotional sentence because it is showing that he knew Kitty would be a good victim to target. He knew that people were only worried about themselves, that they wouldn’t step in and help. To readers the sentence is a wake up call, that some people, that may end up a killer, can judge other people's human