Language

The language used by Tiffany Hyatt in her article “Why I Picked Up a Gun” is straightforward and accessible. Some elements of the text suggest a formal style, but she also often employs informal techniques like exclamation marks, contractions and even capitalization of entire word…

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Choice of words

Hyatt uses both negative and positive words, which are used in contrast to emphasize the writer’s ideas. A few examples of negative words and phrases are: “plagued” (l.9); “violent murders” (l.9); “women’s bodies being dumped” (l.11); “stalked and brutally murdered” (l. 12); “the woman or child who has been raped and beaten” (l. Ll. 39-40); “strayed too far” (l. 69), etc. These words are generally used to describe and create an image of the dangers that women face every day, and to encourage women to feel fearful and wish for a gun for protection.

The positive words in the article are meant to empower women and inspire t…

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Sentence structure

In her article, the writer mainly uses medium and long sentences, which help her express complex ideas and explain her statements. For example, she uses a long sentence to compare the image of a gunshot victim with the image of raped and beaten women and children at the hospitals where she worked (ll. 37-40). She also uses long sentences to enumerate the type of crimes committed against women in her city (ll. 10-15) and different self-defense tactics (ll. 53-57).

However, Hyatt also uses shorter sentences to emphasize her message. For example, the writer states: “This is my hometown, this is my life.” (l. 17). This sentence follows a paragraph in which Hyatt describes the many crimes against women…