Governing by the Gun.

... Bhuva, Devang Dr. Borst-Rothe 10.07.03 Rhetoric 1A Governing by the Gun In the initial chapter of her journalistic report entitled Salvador, Joan Didion writes about her shocking and horrifying two-week nightmare in El Salvador during the midst of their civil war in the 1980s. Throughout the first chapter, Didion describes images, situations, and circumstances which terrify the reader. While we remain terrified of the daily life in El Salvador, the citizens of the country have become completely numbed to the insecurity and instability of the region. They are no longer shocked by the body dumps and the men roaming the streets brandishing assault rifles, but they rather suffer a permanent sensation of terror. The oppressive regime which governs El Salvador is the same group who is responsible for many of the murders in the country. Instead of governing by the law, they choose to govern by the gun. This form of government incites Didion to

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