Discussion Questions on "I am Lanza's Mother" by Liza Long

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Discussion Questions: “I Am Lanza’s Mother.”
Q.1
The essay is given the above title, so Liza can account for the mental health struggles and situation Lanza’s mother endured with Lanza before his criminal act of mass murder. By having a son suffering from a mental health condition that could not be diagnosed for years, Liza identifies with Lanza’s mother’s fear and helplessness in dealing with her son, providing an account from his mother’s perspective.
Q.2
Liza Long states the story’s thesis on the last page. She identifies with several mothers to boys who perpetrated mass murders, such as Adam Lanza, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, James Holmes, Jared Loughner, and Seung-Hui Cho (Rottenberg & Donna 138). She uses her struggles with her son’s mental health to advocate for help in mental health care and support for such boys and their mothers.
Q.3
Long utilizes pathos, which appeals to people’s emotions. By narrating her story in great detail, she hopes the public will be sympathetic and understand the fears she has lived through with her son despite trying her b...