"The Story of A Snitch"; a brief Rhetorical Analysis

       I believe that "The Story Of A Snitch" by Jeremy Kahn would be a fascinating article to use for my rhetorical analysis essay. This is especially because I like Kahn's writing style and use similar methods when I write articles and essays. Through this article, Kahn thoroughly depicts a component of American society that is rarely talked about. In lower class communities, where crimes such as the distribution of drugs and theft are common, treason committed to any member of the community is considered a huge transgression. The author depicts the case of John Dowery Jr., who decided to "snitch" and testify against two men who had murdered one of his friends.
       Because this case depicts extreme lawlessness, it makes it an interesting topic to mainland America. Not only does Kahn's raises issues of ethics in the case of the law, but also in gang culture. Kahn builds his argument through his use of narration, his depiction of the life of Dowery, his effective use of first-hand interviews, and a broader analysis of the issue by including the part about the video "Stop Fuckin Snitching". Because middle and upper class America have very little outside perspective on the issue, Dowery does a great job of placing the reader in Dowery's shoes and sympathizing with a criminal. In addition, the author uses a broad spectrum of diction to make his narrations more appealing, as well as explains some colloquialisms to make the story more understandable.
       The author establishes ethos through his vested interest in the matter, how much evidence he provides on the issue, and lastly through being an established author; writing for many sources including Newsweek International, The New York Times, The New Republic, Slate, and the Atlantic (my personal favorite). Although the author does not make any bold claims in this article, he establishes Pathos through his effective story-telling abilities; allowing for the audience to make their own judgement on the issue. I believe the overall message that Kahn is trying to deliver to upper-class America is that violence and lawlessness in "the hood" is increasingly becoming a problem, with the use of technology such as film and a widespread mentality that reporting violent crimes would be an act of treason, i.e. "snitching". I would even go on to make the claim that Kahn avoids making any objective argument on the issue due to the sensitivity of the information he reveals, including names. I believe that although Kahn relays these issues to mainland America, he himself is afraid to say what is "right" or "wrong" because he is afraid for his life--he's afraid to "snitch". In the end, Jeremy Kahn still labels John Dowery Jr. a snitch, leaving the floor open to society to debate and sympathize about his case and the issue in general. The Atlantic, the literary review where this article was originally published, usually contains articles that address certain issues such as George Bush's presidency with strong and objective opinions.