SWA #4 “Was Cho Seung-Hui Really Like the Columbine Killers?”

The essay that I chose to write about is “Was Cho Seung-Hui Really Like the Columbine Killers?” by Dave Cullen.  The author talks about the similarities and differences between Cho and the Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the two students who went on a rampage at Columbine High School almost eight years ago.  It is an argument essay that aims to prove that Cho was a different kind of killer than Harris and Klebold, even though there are similarities between the three young men.  There was no specific age that the author seemed to target with his writing; it was aimed towards anyone who wanted to learn about the similarities between the three killers.  Dave Cullen comes across as a person who knew a lot about the way that a killer’s mind works, it does not specify his field but it says that he is writing a book about the Columbine shootings, and he appears to be an expert in the field.  A lack of information which helps us understand what Cho Seung-Hui was going through mentally when this happened could have hindered the author in making a complete conclusion about the similarities and differences between the killers.  The exigence for this essay is the obvious passion that the author, Dave Cullen, has for the subject of young killers and why they do what they do.  If he is not considered an expert, he obviously has studied and learned much on the subject, which makes him capable writing this essay.  The common ground I have with the author is that I agree with his analysis of the killers, in their similarities and differences.  He not only did the research to prove the point he was trying to get across, but the way he made the arguments in writing was extremely convincing. 

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