Argumentation and language

This part of the study guide will help you understand and discuss how Kevin O’Sullivan presents his arguments in “My Sons on Death Row”, including aspects related to language.

Closed argumentation

There are two main types of argumentation that senders can choose to deliver their points, open and closed (also known as direct and hidden).

In “My Son’s on Death Row”, O’Sullivan does not present his points directly and openly but uses the personal story of Jaqueline Downs and her sons to draw attention to the issue of death penalty. 

From the subheading— “A mother’s sorrow as she watches her boys in the shadow of the electric chair”—the writer suggests that he is critical of the Death Row penalty and his aim is to make readers empathise with families that have relatives sentenced to the death penalty.

However, the sender never states his opinion directly. Instead, he presents figures about Death Row which imply that too many people are sentenced to death in the US:

...

Language

The choice of words reflects the topic of the article—the impact of Death Row on the families of convicts. As a result, the text includes judicial terms, as well as many words related to family life, emotions, and violence.

The writer uses neutral language only occasionally when he wants to convey facts in a simple and explanatory manner: “Bobby loaded up a shotgun, drove to Nicole’s parents’ house and, with their two children looking on, shot his young wife three times in the head.” (p. 172, ll. 42-46)

...