Kira wakes up one morning and goes through her usual routine of making breakfast and dropping her kids off at school. However, on this day in June 2007 everything changes. As Kira and her husband Eduardo drive away from the school, they are followed and ambushed by armed men. Eduardo is beaten unconscious while Kira is thrown from the vehicle with instructions on how to get her husband back. For months, Kira receives disturbing messages, photos and videos of the badly beaten Eduardo as she tries to come up with the ransom money demanded by the kidnappers. After many twists and turns, Eduardo is finally returned to Kira in a severely weakened state, having endured months of captivity and abuse.

1. Rhetorical Essay
The article I selected is titled “My Husband was kidnapped." It is about a women name
Kira who wakes up to do her everyday routine, make breakfast for the kids and then take the kids
to school, but in one day in June, 2007, her life would all change. Shortly after leaving the kids at
school, both her and her husband, Eduardo, are followed and ambushed with guns. The terrorist
remove both of them from their vehicle and beat Eduardo unconscious. After driving them to an
unfamiliar location, Kira is thrown out the vehicle with instructions on how to get her husband
back. This article details her terrifying experience along with the pain and measures she took in
order to get her husband back.
Rhetorical Analysis
The article "My Husband was Kidnapped," was written by Kira Zalan. This was her story
as she lived it. She begins the first paragraph by stating "As an American, she'd always dreamed
of living in a place like San Miguel, with its charming town square where people gather at sunset
to hear a chorus of birds." She describes the city of San Miguel, as a beautiful place known for
its historical monuments. The scenery attracts over 250,000 visitors a year that is well known for
its religious sanctuary, the Sanctuary of Atotonilco. People come from all over the world to view
its beautiful history and landmarks. This is what caught my attention in the beginning. The
architecture in the article was described as domestic rather than monumental, with well-tended
courtyards and rich architectural detail. The place seems peaceful, little to hardly any crime at
all. The author, Kira, wanted the audience to get a visual of the classy, elegant San Miguel,
which was the reason why her and her husband, Eduardo, had lived there for 15 years. It was
truly a beautiful place to call home.
Eduardo was handed down a hefty inheritance and owned a train that coincidently
traveled through the backyard of their stunning home and ranch. When they had children, and
Kira wondered about the education the children would get in San Miguel, Eduardo built a school
on their ranch. He hired qualified teachers and allowed other children to attend the school as

2. well. It was like a fairytale marriage. They had a beautiful family, a good school for the kids and
a stunning ranch. It was the perfect, all you can ask for, dream life.
The two would wake up every morning enjoying what they built together. This would all
change after dropping the kids off at school one day. As Kira and Eduardo drive off from the
school, an unknown car follows them, as they drive back down the direction that they originally
came. Up ahead an SUV slam on its brakes, but it’s too late Eduardo smashes into the back of
the vehicle. Before they can recover from the impact, a group of men surround the vehicle and
order them to get out. At this point the readers and audience are in shock. Why is this happening
to a family that has been so content and grateful for life and their success? The story begins a
few miles down this road where Kira is thrown out of a vehicle and left with instructions on how
to get her husband back alive.
Kira opens the instructions. Very clearly it states, "Go to your email, and wait for my
directions. If you call the police your husband will be killed." For almost a week Kira waits for
the email and is too scared to call the police. During that time days begin to feel like years. She
has lost hope and believes her husband is dead. Just when Kira feels discouraged most, the
kidnappers request 8,000,000 dollars cash for the safe return of her husband. She tells them in an
email that there must be a mistake, for they have no money, it was all spent on the ranch and the
title of the ranch wasn't even in her name. After that no reply was made back from the
kidnappers. The response from them would come weeks later in the form of a homemade video
of some disguised men shooting Eduardo in both his arm and legs. For months and months later,
Kira would continue to receive disturbing letters with threats and disturbing photos of Eduardo.
His blood would be stained to the attached letters that were scanned in the emails.
Eduardo's health looked terrible and with all the beatings Eduardo endured, he was
almost unrecognizable in the video. What was Kira to do? Was her husband even alive still? It
had been 5 months since she seen him at this point. The final email contained a message from the
kidnappers to Kira to take a loan out on the ranch with a loan application they would send to her
with Eduardo's name and signature. She agreed to try to take out the loan, but when she went to
the bank, bankers denied her request. She was advised by the bank manager that Eduardo had to

3. be present. At this point she was breaking down. She decided to tell the bank manager the
situation and this is where the story takes a twist. The next day after leaving the bank hopeless,
Kira receives a call. It's an anonymous donator. He only asks to be left anonymous and gives
Kira 800,000 dollars for the ransom. That was only a fraction of what the kidnappers wanted
but she attempts to contact the kidnappers and offers them what she has. No response. Months
pass and on January 23, 2008 Kira receives a call from the kidnappers stating they want to
exchange Eduardo for the money she'd offered. Per the kidnappers' instructions, she sends two
ranch employees to a hotel in Mexico City with a duffel bag full of $100 bills. From the hotel,
the ranch employees went to a pay phone that had a note attached. The note sent them to several
other pay-phone notes, until one of the notes finally directed them to a dark alley, where they
were supposed to trade the money for her husband, but Eduardo wasn't there. Instead, the
kidnappers took the money—along with one of the ranch employees. The next day, the
kidnappers sent an e-mail saying they would hold the rancher hostage but set Eduardo free so he
could get the money they wanted. At this point Kira is torn apart.
The last paragraph is all smiles and joy. Kira is cooking in her kitchen when she looks out
the window and notices a frail man walking toward her house. It was Eduardo. She sent the kids
to their room and stumbles to the door, as she tries to process the fact her husband is finally
home. After she opens the door, Eduardo pauses still, like a ghost with no facial expressions.
There was no greeting, no smile, no anything. She embraces him and keeps repeating, "I love
you." She kisses him. At 80 pounds, Eduardo is barely alive. The author did a great job telling
her experience. I couldn't imagine this happening to me. I don't know that I would be able to
handle such an issue, but Kira stayed strong for her children. The purpose and meaning of this
story is that life can be taken away at anytime. Nothing is promised. You can be minding your
own business or doing a good deed and your life can be taken away. Tell the ones you love how
much you appreciate them each day and more importantly the article messages us that, “God is
good and never lose faith."