RC1

RobertC
Mrs.P
LA8VT
19 May 2016

AForeignandDomesticWaronTerror?
OnSeptember11,2001,terroristsflewmultipleaircrafts,oneintotheformerTwin
TowersoftheWorldTradeCenter,oneintothePentagon,andonetowardtheWhiteHouseor
theCapitolbuilding.TheseattackschangedU.S.historyandsparkedtheWaronTerror
continuingontothepresentday;attackswerefocusedonterroristgroupsintheMiddleEast
primarilyinreactiontoAlQueda.Manyworldleaderstriedtocomfortaquitedevastatednation
andmakesenseofit.PresidentBushdeclaredafterthetragedy:ourveryfreedomcameunder
attackinaseriesofdeliberateanddeadlyterroristacts.Thevictimswereinairplanesorintheir
officesmenandwomen[thesewere]despicableactsofterror.Theseactswereintendedto
frightenournationButtheyhavefailed.Ourcountryisstrong.Theattackssparkedamassive
uproar,includingwritinglikethoseofLeonardPittsJr.,awriterwhoworkedfortheeditorial
sectionoftheMiamiHeraldduringthetimeof9/11.Pittswritestwoarticlesofcontrastingstyle,
oneonSeptember12andoneonSeptember13.Thesearticlesjustifyhisangerofthetragedy
andcriticizeinjustice,asPittsproducescontrastingarticlecontainingdiffering,butinsomeways
comparativeelementsbeingtoneofvoice,purposeofmessage,andcallforaction.
LeonardPittshastwocontrastingtonesinhistwoarticles,procuredfromthereactionsof
the9/11terrorattack.InhisSeptember12article,hehasatoneofsteelyresolve.Heopenswith
strong,powerfulwordstoemphasizehisangertowardtheterrorists,stating,Youmonster.You
beast.Youunspeakablebastard(Well).Histoneseemsangered,butjustifiedallthesame

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consideringtheemotionalscarringithadonPittsandtheUSasawhole,asheleaveshis
educatedandeditorialtonetoapersonalandinternaltonethatsymbolizeseveryoneintheU.S.
ThisisnotthefullscopeoftheSeptember12article,however,asheevolveshistoneintoamore
unifyingandmoresteelyone.OntheSeptember12article,PittsexplainsthattheUSisafamily,
adividedandflawedone,butaunited,strongfamilyallthesame.Hisfinalmessageinthe
September12article,ablaringonemeanttostrikefearintheeyesofterroristsandgovernments
thatsupportthemreads,youwantedustoknowthedepthsofyourhatredconsiderthe
messagereceivedtakethismessage:You[AlQueda]dontknowmypeople.Youdontknow
whatwerecapableof.Youdontknowwhatyoujuststarted(Well).However,inhisnext
articlewrittenonthenextday,hehasadifferenttone,amoreadmonishingandselfassuredone.
TheSeptember13articleaimstoshiftthefocusfromhatredtowardMuslimstohatredtowards
hatred,terrorism,andfanaticismofanyreligionandcreed,astherewereattacksonAmerican
mosquesfollowingthe9/11attacks.Anexemplarofhisreconciliationbetweeninnocent
Muslimsdrawsfrom,Takeitasareminder:TheenemyisnotArabpeopleortheMuslim
religion.Theenemyisfanaticism,extremism,intolerance,[and]hateThemadmendont
representthefollowersofIslam(Hatred).Overall,thetoneshiftsmainlytochangefocus
fromhatingMuslims(hisangerseemedverygeneralizedintheSeptember12article,intohating
terrorasawhole.
Withtwoseeminglydifferentarticles,onewrittenonSeptember12andSeptember13,
onecancompareandcontrastthembasedonPittspurposeofmessage.Thesimplepurposeof
PittsSeptember12articleswastosendathreatbacktoAlQueda,explainingtheunityofthe
Americanpeopleandthefuturesearch,declaring,Whenprovokedbythislevelofbarbarism,

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we[Americans]willbearanysuffering,payanycost,gotoanylength,inthepursuitofjustice
(Well).Furthermore,thetragedy,Pittsstronglyimplies,isacatalystforaunificationofa
[nation]capableofexpendingtremendousenergyonpopculturalminutiae..spoiledbytheready
availabilityofmaterialgoods(Well).ThebickeringfamilyoftheU.S.wouldhaveput
itstrivialargumentsandcontentionsasideforthetaskathand,combatingterrordomestically
andabroad.TheSeptember12articlewasasteelyandthreateningletterstraighttothe
doorstepofAlQueda.Bythesametoken,Pittswroteanarticleofadmonishingtonetowardthe
Americanpopulace,yetstillselfassuringabouttheU.S.Hisarticle,dubbedHatredis
UnworthyofUsexplainsjustthat,Amricanshavediscriminatedandattackedfollowersof
IslamonAmericansoilduetoattacksonAmericabyselfproclaimedMuslimextremists.Pitts
describeshatredas,atantamounttogivingaidandcomforttotheenemy,agroupofpettythugs
whotriedtobring[Americans]downtotheirlevel,makeusjustlikethem(Hatred).
ConcedinghisanticipationofactsofhatredonMuslims,PittsmovestoadmonishtheAmerican
peopletoshiftthefocusoftheirvengeancetowardfanaticismandextremism,likeadmonishing
Americansoldierstotargetenemysoldiersoverinnocentwomenandchildren.Thehatredof
innocentArabsandMuslimscanbeequatedtohatredandexterminationofinnocentAmericans
onFlight11ofAmericanAirlines,Flight175ofUnitedAirlines,andmoreinotheraircraftsand
theTwinTowers.Pittsreconciledthisdifferencewithadifferentintentionforbotharticles.
Despitethesearticlesglaringdifferences,theyshareaconnectionintheircallforaction.
PittsSeptember12articleismainlyaletterposedtogiveahypotheticalthreattotheterrorists,
butitwasusedinordertoengenderfeelingsofmutualoppositiontowardterrorism.Thereisno
literalcalltoaction,butanimpliedrequestforAmericanstoriseinunity.Inthearticles

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penultimatephrases,PittsbeltsoutapoignantthreatthatcapturestheessenceofAmericanunity,
We'llgoforwardfromthismomentsobered,chastened,sad.Butdetermined,too.Unimaginably
determined.Yousee,thesteelinusisnotalwaysreadilyapparent(Well).Theinherent
letterformseemslikeadirectthreattoterroristsandterrorismandadirectmessagedfor
Americanstoriseupinjustice.Phraseslike,AsAmericanswewillweep,asAmericanswewill
mourn,andasAmericans,wewillriseindefenseofallthatwecherish(Well)capturethe
essenceofimplicationsforacalltoactionandutilizingathreattoaccommodatetothespirits
ofreaders.InPittsSeptember13article,heutilizesacallforactionforAmericans,butPitts
usesadirectmessageforthis.TheoverallmessageofSeptember13articleistoadmonish
AmericanstoshifttheirfocusfromhatingpeacefulArabsandMuslimstohatingextremismand
hatredtopeopleofotherracesandcreeds.Thecalltoactionbearssomeofthisweightof
admonishment,asPittspointsout,youcouldporeovertheConstitution,youcouldreadthe
thoughtsof.MartinLutherKing.Or,youcouldsimplyrecallfivewordsattheendofthe
pledgeweoncesaidaschildren.Liberty.Andjustice.Forall(Hatred).Thispointsoutthat
thelibertyandjusticeforallappliesforeveryone:Whites,Blacks,Asians,Arabs,European,
andthelike.Thecalltoactionistobearthismessageinthequestforjusticeonterrorismanduse
ittofilteroutintolerancetootherpeople.Thecalltoactionistocombat,fanaticism,extremism,
hate,andintolerance,asthemadmenwhocommandeeredthoseplanesdonotrepresentthe
followersofIslamanymorethanthemadmenwhoblowupabortionclinicsrepresentthe
followersofChrist(Hatred).Thesecallstoactionbeardifferentweightinthesetwoarticles.
AsPittsproducescontrastingarticlecontainingdiffering,butinsomewayscomparative
elementsbeingtoneofvoice,purposeofmessage,andcallforaction,onecanseethedepthof

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anyAmericansfeelings,especiallyPittshimself,andtrytounderstandthetragedyfromthe
time.AWaronTerrorintheMiddleEastisamajor,essentialcampaign,butthedomesticWar
onTerrormustnotbeforgotten.ThedomesticWaronTerroristhefightagainstintolerance,
hate,andfanaticismonAmericansoil.TheimplicationforPittsistofindjusticeforforeign
terrorismandtostrayawayfromhateinonesfellowcitizens.Thisincludessupportingequality
forMuslims,liberty,andjusticeforall,andtokeepthisAmericanspiritforequality.The
domesticwaronterrorwouldevolveintoseekingjusticeforAlQuedaswrongful,barbaric,and
purelyevilactionsontheU.S.Thisactofterrorwasanattackonallpeoplethoughtwasnormal
intheStatesandbecamecatalystforsecuritychanges,fearoftheMiddleEast,andprejudice
towardArabs.PittsevenelectedtodivertattentionfromthecrimeofAmandaYates,awoman
whocommittedinfanticide,tofocusinonthe9/11attacks.Terrorispureevilandtrue
devastation.ItwasnotjustPittswhoexperiencedtheterror,itwaseveryone,foreignersand
fellowcountrymen.

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