On February 14, 2018, a day that should have celebrated love, an expelled former student of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (MSD) opened fire killing seventeen of his former classmates and teachers. The gunman was strapped with an AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle – which he purchased legally. Following this tragedy that devastated the Parkland, Fl. community, a group of MSD students pioneered the #NeverAgain movement which sought to reform United States gun laws and create a society in which mass shootings, especially school shootings, are much less of an occurrence. Three days after the shooting, MSD students, teachers and faculty, and politicians spoke at the Rally to Support Firearm Safety Legislation. A particularly eloquent student, Emma Gonzàlez, delivered a passionate speech where she stated that the only way to end senseless gun violence was to pass stricter gun legislation, improve background checks, and ban automatic weapons in America. An analysis of Gonzàlez’s speech using cluster criticism reveals the effectiveness of her words and delivery to persuade her audience to realize the danger that lax gun laws have on society and inspire them to seek change at local and national levels – answering the question: Did the rhetor use effective means of persuasion to elicit an intended response from the audience?. The #NeverAgain movement has remained strong and will continue to because as long as unregulated guns pose a threat to the safety and wellbeing of innocent bystanders, those impacted by speakers like Gonzàlez will continue to fight for what they believe in – a world free of gun violence.
About the presenterJessica Hoffman
Undergraduate student studying Communication and English Writing at the University of Pittsburgh. Former Sports Journalism and Street Team intern for the Washington Wild Things baseball team. Current Festival Marketing Intern for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. Aspiring publicist.