Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call Police”
Martin Gansburg
Does Gansberg’s article have a thesis? What is it?
What point of view does Gansberg use? Who tells the story? What advantages and/or limitations does his narrative choice present?
In some ways Gansberg’s article is a factual newspaper account of the Genovese incident; in other ways it seems more like fiction. Explain his technique.
Evaluate Gansberg’s tone in this essay. What seems to be his attitude toward his subject?
Note the modifiers-especially the adverbs—that Gansberg uses when he records the statements of the witnesses. What does his choice of words reveal about these people?
What, apprarently, were Gansberg’s main sources for the facts of the Genovese cases?
How does Gansberg structure his essay? What organizational pattern does he employ?
Why does Gansberg include the two paragraphs about the arrest of the suspect? Is the information given here essential to the point he’s trying to make? Does it add to the story?
What effect does the material presented in paragraphs 11-16 have? How can Gansberg know these details? Is this a good tactic for writers of narrative essays?
What reason might Gansberg have for including the information about the cost of the homes in the neighborhood where the incident occurred? Is this relevant? Why or why not?
