VT Commentary

In reading some of the blogs and articles about the VT massacre, I happened upon an opinion piece that had a somewhat different perspective than most. Its quite controversial but I somewhat identify with the viewpoint of the author when he says "on occasions like this I find myself looking at my own country from a non-American perspective."

Here it is: The Cho in the White House

Story of a Gun

I thought the Story of a Gun piece Jenny posted was well-written. It brought a lot of meaning and context to what I formerly understood as a simple weapon. At the LAC last night author Peter Ho Davies read a story about a professor's experience in trying to understand a student who shot his father and himself. In the story, the professor goes to a gun range to try and figure out what the student might have been thinking. I thought Davies' reading was really engaging because of its multi-faceted layering techniques that played to multiple emotions and senses. He used sounds, smells, physical descriptions and more to bring the reader/listener inside the story and onto the scene.

Reading Response to Boys Who Like Toys

This profile of the movie and comic book-obsessed male struck me as a bit odd. It didn't give enough specific descriptive information to give me an idea of who exactly I was reading about and I didn't really feel like the author was showing us who these people are instead of simply telling us. The piece contained tidbits of newsy facts and dollar amounts but I didn't feel any real substance, tension or passion in reading it. I don't really know if I'd want to hang out with the subject because I don't really understand what makes them tick. I don't get their passion. I do, however, see that the subject somehow relates to the "19-year-old Transformers-obsessed virgin" in Clerks II, which doesn't exactly paint the picture of a savvy internet business tycoon/geek. Perhaps I'm just not the right audience for this piece, but this was published in Time magazine, which I would expect is a more general audience publication. Overall I was kind of weirded-out when reading this.

Profile Idea

I'm considering doing my profile on the People's Food Co-Op in downtown Kalamazoo. Hopefully in doing this I can relate it to the bigger issue of a growing demand for unprocessed, fresh food in the American diet. I read an article in the New York Times magazine yesterday called "You are what you Grow." It talked about the farm bill coming up for renewal this year and why corn-based products like twinkies are much cheaper than carrots and apples on a dollars for calories basis in the US. This inspired me to think about talking to the Co-op people to see if they also think there is a growing population of pro-organic foods consumers.

Reading Response

As I was reading through Hull's "Being There" I found it a little contradictory. She talks about how you should live as they do, not having a cold drink in front of someone who is not allowed to have one. You should try to feel what they feel, even if only a little. She says to be as open as you possibly can with your subjects. Go to their churches. Hull gives the example of being annointed with olive oil at a Pentecostal church. Some of the other authors give similar tips, saying physical presence is the best research, and building a relationship with the subject gives the story depth.

The comment in Hull's "Being There" that bothered me was "Remember, you are not one of them." Don't dance at parties, don't drink beer, don't bow your head while others are praying, don't participate. How can you really build a relationship with your subjects and feel what they're feeling if you purposely act as an outsider in situations? Would it be possible to profile a chef without tasting his creations? Can you really "be there" as a fly on the wall? And will they truly open up to you if they feel you staring at them while they go about their daily life? I would expect to be shut out of a community from acting seemingly disrespectful in a prayer session. Other than this portion of Hull's tips I really liked what she suggested.

Profile

Anti-Fast Food in France <-- LINK

After posting the pope article I decided to change it because I didn't like it on the second read. My goal was to find a profile that was about the length that we'll be writing for our assignment. I liked this one because it shows you the character, Alain Cojean, while describing his restaurant chain as the subject of the piece.

You get a feel for modern Parisian culture while reading, as well as a clear message about the entrepreneur's new take on it. He sits in a mid-nineteenth century tea salon while observing construction on his newest location near the Louvre. He loves seeing pregnant women in his restaurants because they signify a promise for the future.

I can tell through reading the piece that I'd enjoy having a cup of coffee with the unconventional CEO, which answers Banaszynski's second question in Telling True Stories.

I felt like all the detail and quotes were perfectly relevant to the profile and nothing in it was frivelous or dispensable. I think the piece is a good example for us because it is brief and yet says a lot about the subject's personality.

Writing Process

Writing the personal narrative wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. Granted, I've written stories about study abroad multiple times for other classes, but it was still easier than I expected. I knew the second I read what our first assignment would be that I'd be writing about Germany, so I didn't have to go through the decision process of picking a topic.

When I sat down to write it, I read through the essays and emails I wrote while I was abroad to remind myself of how I told people I felt at the time. I noted dozens of little things that were meaningful to me about Germany, but very few ended up in the piece.

As I wrote, I kept track of the word count, and ended up not going over at all. Another big surprise. Maybe because I've written through this so many times I didn't feel the need to put a lot of excess information in there.

I'm not sure if there is enough personal feeling in it. I don't think I ever got around to making a pitch to the reader so they could truly understand how I felt/feel. Let me know what you think. I also feel like I need to take a refresher course in English vocabulary. I haven't done a creative writing piece in English since I took Journalism 1, which was over two years ago.