No Firemen At Ground Zero Michael Burke Analysis

The commentary “No Firemen at Ground Zero This 9/11” by Michael Burke conveys a message that many people agree with after reading. On the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg is not allowing any first responders to be honored at the memorial ceremony. Burke argues that the fireman and other first responders should be honored. Any true American that knows about the tragedies of the 9/11 terrorist attacks could see why Burke’s argument should be seriously considered by mayor Bloomberg. Burke uses credible sources, vivid imagery, and single sentence paragraphs to get his message across to readers. Primarily, Burke makes his point stronger by using credible sources with firsthand knowledge. One such example is of an EMT at ground zero just after the
It’s hard enough for any cognizant American in 2001 to get some of the images of 9/11 out of their head, but when Burke uses words like ‘exploded’ and ‘rained’ when describing the jumpers from the towers, that calls those images back from the depths of the mind. This evokes pathos from the reader by reminding them of the graphic scenes, and by reminding them how lucky the survivors were to have had the heroic firemen there to help. Another word that sparks some images to mind is ‘servants’. This word seems to have a negative connotation: and rightfully so. ‘Servants’ brings to mind a peasant bound in chains and working for no reward. Burke uses this word to describe the first responders, and it definitely makes the reader envision the things that firefighters must do without much recognition. Images like this make the reader wish there could be more done for those who have served as first responders; therefore, agreeing with Burke’s argument that they should be honored at the 10 year anniversary of the september 11th terrorist attacks. Obviously, Burke’s use of imagery is key to the success of his