Writers Juliana Barbassa and Marco Sibaja report on a freak incident concerning the tragic deaths of over 200 young Brazilian students trapped in a burning night club. The article depicts the horrific scene, using logos through the inclusion of quotations from firefighters, doctors and survivors. It explains that students struggled to "push" their way out of the flaming building, but were confronted with many obstacles such as the thick smoke that caused many to be "asphyxiated," mistaking the "bathroom door for the exit" in their delusion. Students who found their way to the "one exit" out of the club were faced with the challenge of filtering through the thin door way, over the "already dead bodies blocking the exit." The writers describe the students' difficulties in finding safety by using pathos so that the audience is able to share in the feeling of terror. The reader can just imagine the young peoples' desperation as they approach the exit only to find that the door is blocked by others sharing in the same fate that they will inevitably have. There is no question how this would have affected the spirits of those determined to save themselves and/or others around them. Adrenaline meets hopelessness. The article produces such a response that readers are able to find tears not only for those lost, but also for the survivors who must now live with such a sight and conscience, and for those who had to receive notice of their young loved one's death or injury. As heartbreaking as the story is, there is another entire side which remains equally as painful for those involved, the culprits of the fire. A young band performing at the night club continued with their usual routine, setting off flares to gain excitement in the crowd, when they looked up to find that the ceiling had caught on fire. A bewildered band member told the press that the flares were "harmless" and that they had "never had issue with them before." It was not a test run; in fact, the flares had been a consistent part of their show. There is no way they could have anticipated the fire; however this is not the reaction they are receiving from the public, as they immediately began to receive "hostile messages." Besides the mental degradation of knowing that they are responsible for so many deaths, the band lost one of their own members as well. They are not without punishment; however they are forced to cope with the fear of "retaliation" and their possible conviction and imprisonment even though it was simply an accident that each will have to carry with him for the rest of his life. The writers use pathos to develop sympathy for these young men who have suffered a loss and a terrible tragedy, just like everyone else involved.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/27/brazil-nightclub-fire-santa-maria-kiss_n_2560839.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmaing9%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk1%26pLid%3D262254
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