Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Robin
Williams Suicide
Monday, August 11th, 2014, before noon, the world was shocked with the news of Robin William’s suicide death. A lot of people were antagonistic to the situation and towards Robin for the choice he has made but there are many reasons why he committed suicide. Everyone has issues or sicknesses that can cause stress and sadness but illness is not the main cause of suicide.
The article- Robin Williams, depression and the complex causes of suicide. Written by the Guardian Newspaper in New York City- in context of Robin Williams’s death. The article was written Monday, August 18th, 2014 by Anne Cooke, Angela Gillchrist, and John Mcgowan. The intended audience is people who think depression causes suicide. The larger conversation is about Robin Williams not committing suicide just because of depression. There were more issues.
Arguments are being made worldwide over the meaning of Robin’s death. Suicide is a profound act that touches many, and it would be very surprising if it didn’t raise strong feelings. Most people are arguing that Robin Williams committed suicide due to depression, TMZ news stated suicide was spontaneous, not prevented. How does anyone truly know the reason for his death? Robin had shown no sign or plans of suicide just hours before he hung himself. He had met up with his confidante to make plans for upcoming projects the day before his suicide and didn’t mention anything about being depressed or down. There was nothing out of the ordinary and Robin was completely engaged in conversation. Robin’s wife had no idea suicide was looming.
The Guardian Newspaper states “Invoking the idea of illness can sometimes be helpful, but it isn’t the only way of connecting to peoples despair and of offering compassion and help without making value judgments. This piece is very effective because it is stating, they are supporting that illness had a part in Robin William’s suicide but it can be hard to connect with someone who is going through a hard time. It is best to show compassion and try and give help without making judgments. Everyone goes through hard times and handles it in different ways with or without a mental illness.
In this piece, the authors have talked about why they had written this article and how people are fighting over the reason Robin Williams killed himself. The author mentions Shep Smith of Fox News calling Robin a coward, other articles defending Robin stating “Don’t blame the guy, he had a mental illness”, Then talking about Robin’s sickness being as minor as a broken leg or the measles. Depression can strike anyone out of the blue. A piece by the guardian science blogger Dean Burnett offered a variation on this theme, asserting that depression is an illness and attacking any suggestion that suicidal acts might involve anything but desperation and a wish to escape. Authors state “while were sure this piece was written with the intention of defending someone in pain, we worry that it contains ways of thinking about mental health that over simplify complex issues and can be unhelpful.
The authors counteract what they are saying by talking about a comment one author makes of being a coward, another states Robin has an illness, depression, sickness, having desperation, complications, blame or brain, and going in circles talking about all the possibilities, all the reasons, and the authors have no clue what truly happened. They give negative information stating Robin has something as minor as a broken bone or measles and show no compassion and then towards the end the writing states “The truth is that suicide is complicated, and the combination of circumstances, emotions, and motivations that precede a suicide attempt will be different for each person, and we are all vulnerable to mental health problems given the right circumstances. We never know when those circumstances might befall us, pitching us towards a tipping point that we hadn’t perceived to be there”.
These authors have different beliefs and opinions. They have expressed themselves along with some examples of other writers from different stories about Robin Williams’s death and they have all made good sense but they don’t know which way to lean. Most of the article shows no empathy. These authors don’t know what the real cause was. He had depression, Parkinson’s disease, stress from being famous, previous drug and alcohol addiction, financial issues, and the authors are calling it an illness. People have been known to kill themselves as a consequence of intense shame, or because they see no way out of moral dilemma.
I feel this writing gave a lot of great details and a lot of information from other writers but I feel it was more on the negative side. It started with people arguing about why Robin killed himself, people calling him names, then about the complications he had. It goes in circles and talks about him going through a tough time and not everyone living the same life or some people live ordinary lives. How do we know what an ordinary life is or the life of a famous person? Everyone is different and has been raised different. Normal or ordinary can mean many different things to everyone. I feel these writers should have given a lot more sympathy in the article.
Robin Williams was a good man. He was not only a great actor, father, and husband, he was a genius. He wanted to make people happy and laugh. The authors show compassion at the end of this article but saying “we shouldn’t make value judgments, an alternative is simply to recognize that people can go through a tough time and surely that should be enough.” That was a great conclusion of the writing. No one should be judged and the family should not have to read any crude comments from anyone. We should all show love and compassion for this man and his family. It is not logical to make any assumptions of why he did what he did. He deserves more respect.
Monday, August 11th, 2014, before noon, the world was shocked with the news of Robin William’s suicide death. A lot of people were antagonistic to the situation and towards Robin for the choice he has made but there are many reasons why he committed suicide. Everyone has issues or sicknesses that can cause stress and sadness but illness is not the main cause of suicide.
The article- Robin Williams, depression and the complex causes of suicide. Written by the Guardian Newspaper in New York City- in context of Robin Williams’s death. The article was written Monday, August 18th, 2014 by Anne Cooke, Angela Gillchrist, and John Mcgowan. The intended audience is people who think depression causes suicide. The larger conversation is about Robin Williams not committing suicide just because of depression. There were more issues.
Arguments are being made worldwide over the meaning of Robin’s death. Suicide is a profound act that touches many, and it would be very surprising if it didn’t raise strong feelings. Most people are arguing that Robin Williams committed suicide due to depression, TMZ news stated suicide was spontaneous, not prevented. How does anyone truly know the reason for his death? Robin had shown no sign or plans of suicide just hours before he hung himself. He had met up with his confidante to make plans for upcoming projects the day before his suicide and didn’t mention anything about being depressed or down. There was nothing out of the ordinary and Robin was completely engaged in conversation. Robin’s wife had no idea suicide was looming.
The Guardian Newspaper states “Invoking the idea of illness can sometimes be helpful, but it isn’t the only way of connecting to peoples despair and of offering compassion and help without making value judgments. This piece is very effective because it is stating, they are supporting that illness had a part in Robin William’s suicide but it can be hard to connect with someone who is going through a hard time. It is best to show compassion and try and give help without making judgments. Everyone goes through hard times and handles it in different ways with or without a mental illness.
In this piece, the authors have talked about why they had written this article and how people are fighting over the reason Robin Williams killed himself. The author mentions Shep Smith of Fox News calling Robin a coward, other articles defending Robin stating “Don’t blame the guy, he had a mental illness”, Then talking about Robin’s sickness being as minor as a broken leg or the measles. Depression can strike anyone out of the blue. A piece by the guardian science blogger Dean Burnett offered a variation on this theme, asserting that depression is an illness and attacking any suggestion that suicidal acts might involve anything but desperation and a wish to escape. Authors state “while were sure this piece was written with the intention of defending someone in pain, we worry that it contains ways of thinking about mental health that over simplify complex issues and can be unhelpful.
The authors counteract what they are saying by talking about a comment one author makes of being a coward, another states Robin has an illness, depression, sickness, having desperation, complications, blame or brain, and going in circles talking about all the possibilities, all the reasons, and the authors have no clue what truly happened. They give negative information stating Robin has something as minor as a broken bone or measles and show no compassion and then towards the end the writing states “The truth is that suicide is complicated, and the combination of circumstances, emotions, and motivations that precede a suicide attempt will be different for each person, and we are all vulnerable to mental health problems given the right circumstances. We never know when those circumstances might befall us, pitching us towards a tipping point that we hadn’t perceived to be there”.
These authors have different beliefs and opinions. They have expressed themselves along with some examples of other writers from different stories about Robin Williams’s death and they have all made good sense but they don’t know which way to lean. Most of the article shows no empathy. These authors don’t know what the real cause was. He had depression, Parkinson’s disease, stress from being famous, previous drug and alcohol addiction, financial issues, and the authors are calling it an illness. People have been known to kill themselves as a consequence of intense shame, or because they see no way out of moral dilemma.
I feel this writing gave a lot of great details and a lot of information from other writers but I feel it was more on the negative side. It started with people arguing about why Robin killed himself, people calling him names, then about the complications he had. It goes in circles and talks about him going through a tough time and not everyone living the same life or some people live ordinary lives. How do we know what an ordinary life is or the life of a famous person? Everyone is different and has been raised different. Normal or ordinary can mean many different things to everyone. I feel these writers should have given a lot more sympathy in the article.
Robin Williams was a good man. He was not only a great actor, father, and husband, he was a genius. He wanted to make people happy and laugh. The authors show compassion at the end of this article but saying “we shouldn’t make value judgments, an alternative is simply to recognize that people can go through a tough time and surely that should be enough.” That was a great conclusion of the writing. No one should be judged and the family should not have to read any crude comments from anyone. We should all show love and compassion for this man and his family. It is not logical to make any assumptions of why he did what he did. He deserves more respect.