In my prezi titled “Unarmed but not Unharmed,” I am arguing in support of concealed carry on university campuses. My main claim within the prezi is that without concealed carry laws, universities fall victim to anyone who chooses to bring a gun on campus. I feel the only reason campus shootings are as tragic as they are is because no one could defend themselves with a gun and stop the shooter. Without concealed carry laws, the only people with guns are criminals who chose to break the law.
The first image in my prezi depicts a street sign that prohibits anyone from carrying a weapon on the campus of The University of Arizona. This image provides a nice starting point for my prezi as it works to show that the students and faculty on the campus are unarmed. This image also works as pathemata that provokes anxiety as it displays the vulnerability of the campus to anyone who sees the sign, including those who want to commit random acts of violence. One cannot control what types of individuals see this sign and what they do with this information. The young woman walking in the image alone and unarmed demonstrates the vulnerability of the campus.
The second image in my prezi depicts a gun in a backpack. The image works as evidence to show that shooters have and will continue to go to the lengths necessary to commit a shooting by unlawfully bringing a weapon on campus. The image works as pathemata as it pairs the innocence of the backpack with the danger of the gun. The backpack exhibits innocence as one immediately relates the backpack to a young and harmless student. The bright colors in the image also contribute to a sense of innocence that is contrasted with the darkness of the gun. The image specifically provokes shock as one would never suspect a young student would contemplate shooting fellow classmates or themselves on campus.
The third image in my prezi is very startling as it shows an example of a shooter that has gone to the lengths necessary to commit a terrible tragedy. This is Seung-Hui Cho, the shooter responsible for the shooting at Virginia Tech. The pathemata at work in this image is Cho’s threatening pose with two guns along with the anger written all over his face. This pathemata provokes fear as it works to show the types of evil and coldhearted individuals university campuses are susceptible to without concealed carry laws.
The fourth image in my prezi really hits home and works as evidence as it depicts The University of Texas massacre in 1966. The image works as pathemata as it depicts smoke coming from Charles Whitman’s rifle at a meaningful location to the students and faculty at UT. The image provokes terror as not only were the students and faculty unarmed in this situation, but they were also powerless to Charles Whitman’s skills as a sniper and his range from the tower. Charles Whitman was able to terrorize anyone within close range of the tower as he had control of their lives.
The next image is also from The University of Texas massacre in 1966. The image works as pathemata as the woman in the image is desperately cowering behind a flag pole. One can also see a dead body on the left side of the image. This image provokes sadness and hopelessness as one knows the flag pole was this woman’s only means of protection. However, one also knows that she still could have been spotted from the top of the tower.
The sixth image in my prezi works as evidence as it depicts the shooting at The University of Alabama. The image also works as pathemata that provokes pity and sadness as it depicts two innocent victims being taken to the hospital. One cannot help but feel pity for these innocent victims as well as their families. The seventh image in my prezi works as evidence as it depicts the tragic shooting at Virginia Tech. In addition, the image works as pathemata that provokes despair and hopelessness as the innocent victim is bleeding and needed to be carried to safety.
The eighth image in my prezi is of Colton Tooley, a student who shot off rounds into the air at The University of Texas and killed himself in the library. This image works as pathemata that provokes fear as
The specific emotions I’m trying to provoke in my audience are fear, shock, hopelessness, and sadness. I appeal to these emotions strictly through the images in my prezi along with the last line and the title of my prezi. I also want my audience to change their attitude toward concealed carry laws on campuses. The interpretation that connects the audience’s emotions to this attitude is that prohibition of weapons on campuses is not preventing these random acts of violence from happening. Therefore, the audience should then support concealed carry laws in order to better protect students and faculty.
View my prezi here: http://prezi.com/a6de51mdswqx/unarmed-but-not-unharmed/
Photo Credits
Bates, Gordon. Street Sign. http://wildcat.arizona.edu/news/public-debates-guns-on- campus- 1.1121002.
Campbell, Matthew. Lights. http://www.cbs3springfield.com/news/local/7092846.html. 31 Mar. 2011.
Cho. http://netwmd.com/blog/categories/virginia-tech-shooting.
Conn, Robin.
Gun. http://collegecandy.com/2011/02/23/university-of-texas-student-speaks-out- against- allowing-guns-on-campus/.
Tower. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30075905/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/. 31 Mar. 2011.
The
Woman. http://blogs.chron.com/txpotomac/2010/07/.
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