Meaning

1. A newspaper reporter is concerned with the facts of a news story, its “five w’s and h” (who, what, where, when, why, and how). Which of these has Martin Gansberg included in his lead, or opening, paragraph?

List all the facts about Catherine Genovese that are given in “Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call the Police.” For example, how old was she? Where did she live? How long had she lived there? What was her occupation? How did she get to and from work?

2. “The Murder They Heard” examines the reasons behind the failure if thirty-eight witnesses to aid Kitty Genovese or call the police. How clearly have the authors of the article stated their purpose? Quote what you think is the article’s theme statement.

Method

1. Explain how, in “Who Saw Murder”, each of the following is used to evoke shock or horror in the reader: (a) Miss Genovese’s words, (b) notations of the passing of name, (c) interviews after the crime.

2. Early in their essay, Milgram and Hollander state, “… the Kew Gardens incident has become the occasion for a general attack on the City Of New York. It is portrayed as callous, cruel, indifferent to the needs of the people, and wholly inferior to the small town in the quality of its personal relationships”. How do the authors counter this argument - by facts and details, reasons, analyses?

3. Notice the difference in the verbs used in the titles of the two articles: one uses Saw while the other uses Heard. Is each verb here intended to be taken literally, or do both mean “witnesses”? Explain your answer, indicating any inferences you draw from either title.

Language: writing for an audience

The two selections on the Kitty Genovese case were written for two different audiences. Gansberg was writing for newspaper readers, some of whom probably read his article while standing in a crowded subway train. His sentences and paragraphs are short; he uses dialogue; the language is easy to understand. Milgram and Hollander, on the other hand, were writing for a more relaxed and unhurried audience of magazine readers, most of whom had earlier read about the case in a newspaper. Milgram and Hollander’s paragraphs are long; the language is more difficult.

Choose two pieces of writing on the same topic, if possible, that are clearly intended for different audiences. You may want to read some of the articles aloud in class.

Discovering Rhetorical Strategies

How do S.Milgram and P. Hollander organize the elements of their essay? Why do they choose this particular order? Is it effective in achieving their purpose? Why or why not?

Describe the authors’s attitude to the Kew Gardens incident. Prove your answer.

Composition

1. Write a short essay in which you compare and contrast either the two pieces you have chosen or the two selections presented here. Consider such things as the authors’ objectivity or subjectivity; the simplicity or complexity of the subject; the coherence, or orderly presentation of ideals; the length of sentences and paragraphs; the vocabulary; and the style.

2. Write freely about the case which you considered to be the most fair and unfair in your own country.