WRT+104+Analytical+Essay

What Really Happened to Phoebe Prince?

Emily Bazelon reports on the suicide of a young girl from Massachusetts, which occurred in January of last year. The six South Hadley students that had been bullying Phoebe are facing criminal charges because of their involvement in her death. The article is split into three separate sections, initially describing Phoebe Prince as a person with underlying issues that developed before she moved to America from Ireland. Part One develops into the separate conflicts that Phoebe had with each of the six students and how the bullying escalated up until the day that she took her own life. These events were described and told in an incremental order. Part 2: The Aggressive D.A. who charged six kids in connection with Phoebe’s death, in this section Bazelon compares how the District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel perceives Phoebe’s suicide and what the students of South Hadley viewed it. Part 3: Could the South Hadley School’s have done more? This section discusses just that, it was said that the guidance counselor had not shared Phoebe’s psychological history with the faculty. South Hadley’s negligence to bullying put the burden of Phoebe’s death on the School District. Emily Bazelon’s article begs the question, where do we lay the blame?

Bazelon has a unique stance on this case; she opens this article with an event that foreshadows what was to happen within the halls of South Hadley high. She explains that Sean Mullveyhill, six months prior, made an announcement over the intercom about bullying prevention. Bazelon then writes “Six months later, Sean became one of five South Hadley students facing criminal charges"(1). Bazelon uses irony here in order to show that no one had expected this to happen. Throughout the article the author clearly states the charges all six students are facing. In the fifth paragraph Bazelon explains that if you have read any of the articles or have seen any TV segments on this case you might assume that these six students “ran the school” but that was not the case. She uses rhetorical questions often such as “But what if that’s wrong? What if Sean Mullveyhill was in fact a strong kid who had looked out for weaker ones? What if there was no pack of untouchable mean girls ruling the halls of South Hadley high? (1)" She uses questions for the reader to ask; what if there was more to this case than what the media is telling us?

Bazelon used writing tactics that derive from Aristotle’s three appeals, ethos, pathos, and logos. First the author shows ethos or credibility when she states that she had been reporting in South Hadley since February. This shows her readers that she has been looking into this case extensively and has great knowledge of it. She then goes on to use pathos or emotion appeal, she says “There are no questions that some of the teenagers facing criminal charges treated Phoebe's cruelly. But not all of them did. And it’s hard to see how any of the kids going to trial this fall could even have anticipated the consequences of their actions, for Phoebe or for themselves"(2). Most readers would initially take the side of Phoebe's, seeing her as the helpless victim that was targeted, but the author is trying to get the readers to have compassion for those six students by saying that they did not know what would come of this. She follows this up with more rhetorical questions for the same effect. “Should we send teenagers to prison for being nasty to one another? Is it really fair to lay the burden of Phoebe’s suicide on these kids?”(2) Emily Bazelon explains that through her extensive research she discovered that Phoebe helped to set in motion conflicts with other students that ended in them turning on her, she uses this as ethos. Bazelon tries to show her audience that she has talked to other students at the school and has more knowledge about Phoebe’s death than the newspapers and media do.

Lastly logos are found in this article. This is expressed at the time of the explanation of the punishment for the six Hadley kids. Though prosecuting anyone for causing death by suicide is exceedingly rare, Scheibel thought it was necessary. She mentions that the Massachusetts statute states that no person “shall by force or threat of force, willingly injure, intimidate or interfere with, or attempt to injure…by the constitution or laws of the United States.” This law, or statute, helps back up Sheibel’s claims and reasoning.

Back in the courtroom Sheibel states “She was deeply troubled long before she ever met the six defendants. And her own behavior made other students understandably upset”(2). It might be a shock to readers that the D.A. would say such a thing, thinking that the author is taking the side of the six defendants but she uses this as logos or a logical explanation why Phoebe might have been getting bullied at school, to demonstrate that the students didn’t target Phoebe for unknown reasons, this is another method of showing compassion for those students.

Bazelon writes extensively about Phoebe’s psychological history, she uses this information in a way that foreshadows the event that followed. She writes about Phoebe’s self-mutilation and her problems with girls at school when she was in Ireland. The author is trying to show the readers that this is not the first time Phoebe has had problems at school. The article then goes on to explain exchanges Phoebe had with each of the six students. Some she explained did not go past a few harsh words, she then continues to say “The taunting came entirely from three kids, not six- on this point, the D.A students, and administrators agree “(7). When explaining this she is trying to get the reader to understand that not all six students should be charged with the same crime, that not all six students engaged in the same extent of taunting as the three students; Sean, Kayla, and Ashley did. Emily explains what had happened the day of Phoebe’s death, the exchange between the three students and Phoebe, she then uses foreshadowing when she says “ At home in her bedroom, Phoebe plugged in her cell phone to recharge it, perhaps because she hadn’t entirely absorbed what she was about to do"(8). The author then uses emotional appeal or pathos to explain Phoebe’s suicide and that she had left a note “begging for forgiveness,” possibly meaning that she knew she had done wrong. Bazelon tries to tug at the heartstring of her audience by giving insight into Phoebe’s life prior to the South Hadley incident. Is it right to charge all six kid when it was primarily only three? Or should we consider Phoebe’s mental health as the cause to this tragic ending?

The aftermath of Phoebes' death put the spotlight on South Hadley High School. The town populated with 17,000 people began to slowly unite. The media circulated the school to gather accurate data. Cops set up various interviews to talk to the students individually for further investigation. The school committee, who met and discussed the children who needed guidance never brought up Phoebe Hours after Phoebe's death Robert King, a Yale professor attended the high school on one occasion to talk to the social worker. King specializes in child psychiatry along with teen suicide. King touched upon the conversation Phoebe had with the social worker hours prior to her death. He analyzed the questions discussed before Phoebe’s final suicide attempt. The whole school faculty was oblivious of Phoebe’s self-infliction of pain. This showed that the blame can be put on anyone.

Following Phoebes’ suicide, someone was bound to pay the price or endure "karma.” In March, a public statement from District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel had the blame, or reasoning for the death, on the shoulders of six South Hadley students. There was no real evidence of this being true however a student quotes, "each person had their own conflict with Phoebe-that's what no one outside our school seems to understand" (8). Bazelon described the bullying of Phoebe as " a nearly three month campaign of relentless and torturous bullying"(8). Though there was concern. Another factor leading up to Phoebe’s suicide was her history of psychological struggles, Phoebe had experience with anti-depressants. The serious experience with cutting and depression came from dealing with a move across the ocean, her parents' separation, and her father’s absence. Phoebe would ask for help from an ineligible source such as Sean, but wouldn’t explain any problems with adults or her parents.

The controversial issue of bullying was talked about both inside the school and through the state of Massachusetts. Phoebe’s suicide along with Walker Hoovers (another teen who's life was taken from suicide) prompted Massachusetts to pass the Anti-Bully Law. This law bans bullying on school grounds, activities, and on public school buses, which mandates that all scenarios shall be investigated if need be. In the courtroom Sheibel discussed the question of sizable punishment. Bazelon allows you to feel the innocence of the six convicts. Many of Phoebe’s classmates say that she instigated the endless torment from her former classmates. Now as they start a new life titles are given. Convict; sex offender; and stalker. Bazelon states, “They have been blamed for the suicide of a vulnerable, troubled girl. They will live with this always. Maybe that is already enough"(18). The children who are being charged never envisioned this outcome. The students faced immediate punishment. All were kicked out of South Hadley High School and featured in the local media.

Phoebe Prince's death affected many people. Phoebe's involvement with diverse groups shows almost anyone could plead guilty. Throughout this article the officials discussed where the blame should lay. Massachusetts’s laws were created and altered. Inside the school peace rallies formed. Everyone in South Hadley worked together to save one more victim from teen suicide. Meanwhile the South Hadley school system reflected on faults on their part. Though the death of Phoebe saddened many, in the long run it promoted awareness. The district attorney viewed this case from an official side. Bazelon stated all tragic events hold significant meaning. The question is should our grief be passed on through law? The use of rhetorical reasoning cultivates questions in your mind, where we lay the blame.