Adrian Monroe

Murders before the Marathon

Richard Miller the author of "The Dark Night of the Soul" had a very unique style of writing. His works inclusive of the dark knight leave the reader questioning his very existence. He portrays a scenario where human action cannot be explained. He goes further to attempt to explain how the world then justifies how some two young men were killed by blaming society, the teachers the environment among other things. On the other hand, the young man states that his actions should be blamed only on him and that he should bear the responsibility of his actions. This style of writing closely resembles the style of writing that Suzan Zalkind uses. Comment by moammed al debasi: Here, you are treating Miller's essay, which has 5 sections that look at different readers and writers, and reducing it to its introduction that looks at the massacre at Columbine High School. For this assignment, his conclusion and the "Liar's Club" section that looks at Mary Karr's writing is most important. Comment by moammed al debasi: What's your project?

The general theme is almost similar in that she tries to address the root cause of the Boston Bombing by analyzing the behavior of the four characters involved before and after the first crime and then again leading up to the Bombing. Suzan further tries to explain the circumstances that made the investigation a failure just as Richard also attempted to make sense of the killings.

This report by Suzan is written in three major parts. It can easily be broken down into the description of the triple homicide, the Boston bombing and later how the police handled both the investigations. This article seems to paint a picture that the police did not do a great job in their investigation and further compensated for their poor work by threats and intimidation. It is clearly established in the passage that had the police done their work properly, the Boston bombings could not have happened as the people who committed the crimes should have been behind bars to begin with. Comment by moammed al debasi: You are setting up to summarize or re-tell, not do the assignment.

First let’s break down the first stage, the triple homicide. She first begins by breaking down the persona of the characters involved. She looks at their everyday life and how this made them better people. She explains how these were good friends and how they worked together on the things they liked including drugs, exercise and video games. From her writing, one can easily understand that these are more than friends and can be considered brothers. Other sources have related these four guys to the September 11 bombing of the twin towers which seem to cement their brotherhood. Travel records indicate that they travelled frequently to Middle East presumably for training. That is why it then becomes shocking how the next turn of events happens. Something seems to have snapped inside the mind of Tarmelan that can’t be explained. Suzan then dives into explanation of their murder. Their bodies were found by a friend who left the house screaming. Comment by moammed al debasi: You are summaring you did not do what I want you to do

The murder was so horrific. It must be remembered that these were very strong young and fit men who trained on a regular basis. It was therefore disturbing to see that the force that was used to decapitate their heads was so great that their heads were almost disjoined from their bodies. The way the murder was carried out was in a way to make a statement. He then left a pile of drugs and money on the victims’ bodies most sure that the authorities will find Mess’s house in a mess. She points out the martial arts training and the signs of a struggle with one of the victims as if to say he tried to fight the aggressor.

The writer relates the events that happened between the two crimes and paints a picture that is easy to follow. This seems to be a complex scenario with several moving parts that require the attention of the reader. However Suzan simplifies this explanation. For example she explains how the police officers who arrived first at the scene maintain the opinion that this seems to be a pre-planned act and not a random crime. It was carefully planned and executed to send out a statement. However this seems to be the end of it.

The people tasked with investigating the murder do such a sloppy job that Tarmelan remains free and at large. It seems to them that the case would solve itself. One of the officers working on the case is quoted to have said that. This makes the reader relate the crime to how the police attempt to solve it.

The three events take place over a long period of time. Between the triple homicide and the Boston bombing there are eighteen months. Then there is the time after the bombing where the police investigate and harass Todashev, his girlfriend and several acquaintances. Suzan marries this time difference beautifully that the reader cannot tell there is time apart. Eighteen months later after the triple homicide, the Boston bombing happen.

The federal Bureau of investigation quickly swings into action and soon discovers facts that should have been discovered by the officers that were charged with investigation of the triple homicide. It becomes obvious that the officers did a sloppy job and that the perpetrator of the homicide should not be free and out of police custody. Had the officers done the investigations properly, Tarmelan would not be walking free and would therefore not be able to plan the Boston bombings let alone execute them.

The first stop for the FBI is the triple homicide investigation. It occurs to the feds that the three friends and their accomplice were in what reports point out to be a drug deal gone sour. There is a lot of secrecy going on and information is not shared freely and with ease. Swafal, a Syrian national drug dealer had close ties with both the local police and local council members.

During one of the raids, drugs worth a lot of money were seized and the members of the local council and police officers involved are both arrested and prosecuted leading to incarceration. This taints the image of the police who are tasked with the investigations. How do you investigate a crime that you are vested in. Swafal is killed in a police raid.

Many theories are spread by both the police and friends, including the girlfriend who was with him at the time of the raid. According to her, none of these theories seemed to make sense and the police were busy hiding their involvement in the drug deals and the murders. The police were turning down good leads and treating the friends as suspects which baffled those who are concerned.

After the bombings, the police are able to piece together and quickly tie the triple homicide to the Boston bombing. The cases are obviously reopened and the friends to the victims of the triple homicide, (Eric, Brendan and Rafi) are the first to be questioned.

The authorities insinuate that there is a bigger plot including both organized crimes and terrorism. It is important to note at this point that the Boston bombing was the biggest act of terrorism on United States since the bombing of the twin towers, known simply as September 11.

The authorities were therefore under immense pressure to get answers to very many questions that were being asked. Given that this is both criminal and a terrorist activity, the flow of information both by default and by the nature of the business is very limited. Those who have information are very cautious about giving it out while those who are looking for it have to be extra cautious because it could turn personal easily and fast.

The way the characters are introduced is very interesting. First she begins with the three triple homicide victims explaining their relationship and brotherhood. Then she describes the buildup to the Boston marathon and the people that were around Tamerlan. This is where we meet Todashev. Todashev Ibragim was a friend to Tamerlan, the bomber and the perpetrator of the triple homicide. They met at a gym and became friends for their love of working out. Todashev was very secretive and no one seemed to have a clearer picture of his life. Even his own father did not know that he had a wife. (He also had a girlfriend on the side).

Todashev was erratic and was in numerous fights including traffic incidents. The Federal Bureau somewhat had information about his drug business and dealings but chose not to intervene. It is said that during an incident where his rage gets the better of him (Todashev), he assaults a civilian while the officers of the bureau watch but they do not intervene. Instead keep following Todashev and his girlfriend.

After the bombings, Todashev was found in his house killed by the bureau officers. There are conflicting reports about his death some saying he was shot by an officer while at a café having a meal while another report shows that he attacked an officer with the intention to commit bodily harm and had to be shot. (Again, it is important to note that Todashev, like Tamerlan, was a seasoned cage fighter who could easily beat several officers and therefore caution had to be applied when dealing with him).

In any case the bureau became very defensive when called upon to give information about Todashev. Suzan then turns to explain how Todashev’s girlfriend was mishandled by the authorities leading to her deportation. Tatiana was in love with Todashev and they had planned to marry as soon as Tatiana was let out of holding. She had been arrested because of committing an immigration crime. Her passport was due for renewal but the feds kept her for way to long she passed her deadline to have it renewed. In fact it was the feds that reported her to the immigration department for having an expired passport and being in the country illegally. Several other close friends to Todashev were also treated similarly making them lose jobs, barred from promotions and denied entry into the country.

Suzan presents this story in a catchy manner. It is a complex story that has many moving parts and requires close attention. However the simplicity with which she writes enables the reader to relate to all the characters and piece together the three crimes with ease, the triple homicide, the Boston marathon bombing and the inefficiencies of the police department.

At the end of the passage, it is easier to reflect upon the title and introduction with ease. It is easy to see how the inability of the police to solve the triple homicide led to the bombing at the Boston marathon and eventually the crimes committed by both the police and the federal bureau of investigation.

Professor comments in overall

Here is the assignment. You MUST work on this part of Miller's essay in order to use those ideas to interpret what Zalkind is doing.

"Write an essay in which you consider whether Susan Zalkind’s work in “The Murders Before the Marathon” succeeds in moving beyond the personal tragedies of three murdered men and the people in their lives to connect to something bigger. To do this work, you will need return to Miller’s reading of The Liar’s Club."

"To what extent does Zalkind’s reporting and writing build what Miller calls a 'sense of hope and optimism atop the ruins of previous worlds'? To what extent is Zalkind '[engaging] productively with the dark realities of our time' as Miller talks about?"

It's a good thing that you understand Zalkind's essay. Now you need to work on what Miller is saying about writing and why it matters. How does that idea apply to Zalkind's work?