English Article Analysis: Purpose and Audience - Essay Example

Order 341038 Topic: English Article Analysis: Purpose and Audience 1. The purpose of Anna Qunidlen’s writing this essay is her heart-felt concern about the lack of awareness about the serious mental issues related to the teenagers. She is unhappy about the grim situation prevailing in the society and the alarming rising trend in the suicide and homicide cases. Violence-prone children actually do not know what they do. They indulge in such activities because they are mentally ill. She is concerned about the lackluster response of the mental health authorities to juvenile violence.

These emotional problems can not be solved by anti-depressant drugs or antibiotics. According to her, this is not the question of disciplining the children; rather disciplining the approach of the parents to the mental illness of children. Those who need to share the blame for the present state of affairs of handling six million children(as estimated by the center for Mental Health Services ) are parents, the health-care insurance industry, ignorant public, schools that consider mental health problems as disciplinary issues.

The first three lines of Quindlen’s article, say everything about her deep anguish. “The saddest phrase Ive read in a long time is this one: psychological autopsy. Thats what the doctors call it when a kid kills himself and they go back over the plowed ground of his short life, and discover all the hidden markers that led to the rope, the blade, the gun.” Her article blends all issues and has the intrinsic merit to influence government decisions, change individual’s attitude, express the concern and offer solution to the problem.

These are all interconnected issues. 2. The author’s target audience is inefficient mental health system, uncaring parents, custom, the courts and the business practices. Right things are not done for teenagers at the right time. 3. Anna Quindlen makes no mention of the shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, because she is not interested in crucifying or pinpointing any individual. She is inclined to go for and analyze the root causeand bring to the notice of the concerned authorities that there are thousands like them, who suffer on account of mental illness related issues, and the general pubic is not aware of the gravity and seriousness of this problem.

She is compassionate and understands the plight of such children and teenagers. Works Cited Quindlen, Anna.Article: "The C Word in the Hallways" link: http://www.newsweek.com/id/90401 Lets Stop Dismissing Mental Illness In Kids As A Character Flaw--Before We Have To Identify Bodies NEWSWEEK,From the magazine issue dated Nov 29, 1999