Stop blaming U-Va. sorority sisters and other women for the campus rape problem |
Petula's distinct diction articulates exactly how she feels about this subject (and persuades the reader to feel the same): infuriated. Her choleric and accusatory tone is threaded through the entire column. Through her appeals to logic, she chooses her words carefully. Petula repeatedly reminds her audience that this is 2015, not 1953. She uses phrases like "I thought I had stepped into a time machine" which ridicules the university's remarks to the situation. The university addresses the problem of campus rape by telling girls to "stay inside." Short-term solutions like these will not lead to long-term change. Petula uses high diction throughout the piece, with words such as "moderated...controlled...infantilized", "ravaging [young men]", and "still a herd." These words and phrases outrage the audience. The didactic tone that concludes the piece gives some hidden advice: don't let others make you conform. Be yourself, and you will be accepted.