Genre
Historical nonficiton
Setting and Context
Columine High School, 1999
Narrator and Point of View
Omnipotent narrator, following Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris
Tone and Mood
Depressing, explanatory
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist: Columbine, Antagonist: Negative thoughts
Major Conflict
Dylan and Eric planned to kill all the students in their school before committing suicide.
Climax
Dylan and Eric go on a killing spree in Columbine High School, killing 12 students and a teacher before committing suicide.
Foreshadowing
Dylan and Eric's diaries, social media users and friends all showed and had a bit of knowledge about their plan, though they were not taken seriously.
Understatement
Dylan and Eric posted several videos of them practicing shooting and being suicidal, yet no one took them seriously, which is why it is the most important and distressing understatement in both the book and event.
Allusions
The reader might have allusions to several other school shootings that were inspired by and have used the blueprint made by Dylan and Eric.
Imagery
The image of Eric and Dylan walking around the school and shooting their fellow students is one of the strongest and vilest images in the book, and the feeling is amplified by the fact that it is a true story that has been repeated several times.
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
People tend to draw parallel lines between Eric and Dylan, thus analyzing their relationship. Eric has been portrayed as the obvious alpha controller, while Dylan was depressed and followed Eric's footsteps.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
N/A
