The Herald Sun’s alarming opinion piece, “Faceless bullies strive in Cyberspace” (20/4/07) unambiguously warns parents, families and all educators of the severe risks and consequences of cyber bullying. By opening with an explosive warning that ‘anyone with access to the internet can intimidate…any hour, any day’ instills a sense of urgency and fear within the readers. Abramovich arouses deep concern whilst discussing the extent of cyber bullying. He lists ‘mobile phones, email, instant messaging, internet blogs and chat rooms’ to further establish the view that cyber bullying needs to be less flippantly addressed. Ironically, Abramovich uses the cliché ‘spread like wildfire’ to manipulate the reader into feeling comfortable with the argument and author. Abramovich’s use of fear cajoles his reader to act against cyber bullying.
Changing from alarming to concerned in tone, Abramovich extends his audience by his use of anecdotes. The author discusses a 13-year-old boy who committed suicide after being ‘threatened and taunted…for months’ whilst being called gay. Through this anecdote Abramovich appeals to sympathy for young children who are bullied. Mentioning that the child was called ‘gay’ includes