When one thinks of the 1960’s and 70’s, more commonly known as the Hippie Movement, one may first think of drugs and it’s impact. In 1971, the prime time for these hardcore drugs, President Richard Nixon declared a War on Drugs, where he did everything in his power to stop drug possession and consumption. Almost fifty years later, Nixon’s declaration still presents an issue that is affecting many. Millennials specifically have been dealing with great losses to the drug industry, where kids are going out every weekend to smoke some pot and drink alcohol. One girl, Jennee Martinez, has dealt with large loss to the drug world and wrote an article on the topic. She intends to educates her audience about these losses by asserting appeals to ethos …show more content…
Her constant use of “us” and “they” asserts that she has this common identity with her audience and that they should have the same stance. She constantly mentions this relationship throughout her article, even beginning to blame whomever she is speaking to. Martinez telling her audience “They started teaching us” and “They read us” and “We knew” provides her sense of passion and assurance in educating her audience, bringing them into the story she is telling. She goes as far as to begin talking about Red Ribbon Week and the D.A.R.E. program when police officers come in to talk to their class about drugs and peer pressure. Martinez discussing a topic that most can relate to gives her credibility in knowing and experiencing these programs herself. This allows her audience to know that Martinez is a credible speaker on the subject and actually has a topic to begin on and has the right to …show more content…
She constantly reassures her readers that “we were never going to use drugs,” and “nobody tries to tell us not to do [drugs].” Telling this to her readers makes them feel responsible for those around them and themselves giving in and losing themselves to drugs, even using past tense gives the readers a sense of nostalgia, similar to ‘wow, we were told this, and we didn’t listen.’ Eventually, Martinez shifts focus to speaking directly to a specific person, telling them “I wish someone would have kept reminding you of how the come down is, … Maybe you would reconsider.” This subtle, powerful shift makes her readers feel like she is speaking to them directly, providing the readers with more sense of responsibility and mourning. She even informs this specific person how much they’re “destroying [them]self” and how much she wishes that “the police scared you more than they actually do” in order for “something [to] scare you straight.” This direct conversation with her specific person shows Martinez’s vulnerability, making her audience sympathize for her and possibly even mourn for her loss. It is obvious that Martinez has lost a friend -either physically or mentally- to drugs, and she feels the need to speak to that person somehow. In reference to her asking her readers whether or not children are listening to what’s being said about