What Makes Sam Harris, ‘The Truth about Violence’, Unique
Fear can make anybody do something they thought they would never do. The article, ‘ The Truth about Violence’ by Sam Harris talks about violence and how to avoid it or at least protect yourself when the time comes. He gives you facts about crimes of violence and then later drifts into instructions he would advise you to use when needed. We will analyze the main audience he is directing, what is the purpose of the his text, how he either comes close or distances himself from the reader, and how his piece is shaped rhetorically.
Why does Sam Harris write this article?
In the article, ‘ The Truth about Violence’, Sam Harris writes to inform readers the reality of violence and how for one to prepare themselves and prepare those around you. For example in the article he talks about how his essay is trying to prepare you for the worst, he says, “ The purpose of this essay is to help you prepare for it. While I do not consider myself an expert on personal security, I know enough to have strong opinions”(Paragraph 2). What we see in the quote is Harris intention to inform the reader in his essay on how to be prepared, although he regards himself as not certified for personal security. Harris speaks about how people avoid the whole reality of violence, he states, “In my experience, most people do not want to think about the reality of human violence. I have friends who sleep with their front doors unlocked and who would never consider receiving instruction in self-defense”(Paragraph 3). He then proceeds to talk facts,” But here are the numbers: In 2010, there were 403.6 violent crimes per 100,000 persons in the United States”(Paragraph 3). These two pieces shows us what Harris is trying to do with his essay. He first gives an example that we can all relate to and then provides facts to inform us of how violence can knock on our door any second. Not only does this inform us but it also opens our eyes to reality. When Harris wrote his essay he knew he had to target an audience that would be delighted to read his paper, and he did just that.
Who does he aim at?
The primary audience Harris targets is young adults and adults who can fend for themselves and those around them. In his essay, he says, “Just as it is prudent to wear your seat belt while driving, it makes sense to know how best to respond to violence. In fact, it is overwhelmingly likely that some of you will become the targets of violence in the future”(Paragraph 2). This quote shows how he targets us, the readers. He explains that we must know how to respond to violence, just as it is the law to wear a seat belt. He later goes on to say, “But I think that having a family has played a much larger role. I now feel acutely responsible for the safety of those closest to me”(Paragraph 3). These two pieces of evidence tie in together as he sets himself as an example to protect those around him. This signifies how he directs at an audience, that we must know how to react, and must be responsible for the safety of those who can’t protect themselves.
Does he connect with us?
Harris sought to come close to the readers by using personal stories while speaking directly to the readers. In his article, he tries to create a connection with his readers. Creating a bond with the readers is very important because it keeps us going, allows us to want more. In his essay, Harris is speaking directly to us most of the time, for example, he says, “ While I certainly recommend that you receive some physical training, merely understanding the dynamics of violence can make you much safer than you might otherwise be”(Paragraph 4). Analyzing the piece of evidence, we can see Harris directly speaking to us as he uses the word, ‘you’ several times to engage us. As he continues to write he shares a story, he says, “I once knew an experienced martial artist who decided to walk across Central Park late at night…My friend hadn’t ventured more than a hundred yards into the darkness of the park before he was confronted by three men, one of whom plunged a hypodermic needle into his thigh without a word. Our hero bolted and escaped”(Paragraph 5) he continues to write, “The lesson: Whatever your training, you needn’t be foolish”(Paragraph 5). What can we observe from the quote above? Well this is Harris’s method to create a personal bond with the reader. He uses a personal story to engage us and then gives the moral lesson of the story so we don’t make the same mistake. Also when Harris speaks to us, he speaks to us as a friend, to comfort us and to trust his word.
Why It Allowed us to Stay in Tune!
The essay, ‘ The Truth about Violence’ was effectively organized by creating informational background of his paper then transitioning into a sequential order for his main purpose. The way Harris paper is shaped is very easy to follow an does not bored you at any point. He starts off with a personal story of why he would write on a topic like violence, for example he starts like this, “ As a teenager, I once had an opportunity to fly in a police helicopter over a major American city. Perhaps there would be no crime between 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. on a Saturday night. However, from the moment we were airborne, there was a fresh emergency every fifteen seconds: Shots fired… rape in progress… victim stabbed…It was a deluge”(Paragraph 1). In this section of his paper, he starts with a story, he then continues to write, “ Just as it is prudent to wear your seat belt while driving, it makes sense to know how best to respond to violence. In fact, it is overwhelmingly likely that some of you will become the targets of violence in the future”(Paragraph 2). This is the start of the explanation of what he is talking about and why you should know about violence and how to prepare. Towards the last piece of his paper, he writes principles he goes by that we should use, written in sequential order, here is an example, “Principle #1: Avoid dangerous people and dangerous places”(Paragraph 9). He then speaks about what the principle is and how you should go by it. This is one of three principles. Then at the end of his paper, he ties everything back together and why you should take all of his advice into consideration.
Tying the Knot
Overall, what we saw in Sam Harris’s writing style was the effectiveness it used to draw in the readers, and to keep the reader entertained. He used well organization strategy to allow the reader to follow his writing, he made it clear who he was directing his article towards by using direct language. We also how Harris connected with his readers in his article as he used direct language and personal stories as a way to connect, and finally the purpose of his article, the main reason he wrote it. He explained well why he wrote it by describing his purpose and telling the readers his intentions and what to gain out of the article. I personally enjoyed his article, it felt almost as if he was directly speaking to me, and was very insightful throughout his whole article. Did you enjoy it yourself? When reading his article a second time, try looking at what kind of strategies he uses to gain your attention. Remember, always lock the door cause you can never know who will be the next person to walk right in.
