The final event of John Henry Days was her first assignment, it turned out differently than expected, and she remembers instructions from last semester's Intro Journalism class....She approaches an older couple dressed in identical green and red jogging suits. She identifies herself as a writer for Charleston Daily Mail and asks them what they have seen. The witnesses point up to the bandstan. The witnesses point to the groups ministering to the dying. She canvasses the witnesses and tries to get the story.
--John Henry Days, pg. 25
I always get excited when I get the opportunity to read a fiction book about a journalist--let alone multiple journalists in one book. Last fall, in Dr. Wendland's Travel Literature, my class read Ride With Me Mariah Montana, which was also about a print journalist and a photo journalist. I know that these stories are fiction, but they really seem to grip me because they tell stories of everything I hope to experience some day as a reporter for a newspaper or magazine.
In my News Writing class, we just finished learning about being sensitive to the victims of tragedies. When I first read about the disaster that Joan witnessed, I immedately thought of News Writing and wondered how she would approach the witnesses. I was a little disappointed that there wasn't more detail, but I understand that this isn't what the book is mainly about, so I respect that. In News Writing, we also covered spot news, which is basically what Joan was assigned to do when she had to cover the postage stamp. Dr. Jerz reminded us to keep our eyes open for something to make the story truly newsworthy, and crime usually does that. We never know when a story is going to break open.
I felt myself cringe when Joan was searching for her pen, but at the same time, I thought to myself, what kind of journalist only carries ONE pen with her...I usually have half a dozen...but then again, I think I have an obsession with pens that is partly to blame from working at Staples for so long.
So far, I'm really enjoying this book. Like I said earlier, I love reading fiction novels about journalists, because they always seem to go on some really great adventures. I'm realistic in acknowledging that not all journalism is this glorified, but hey, a girl can dream, right?
"Send your most compassionate reporters to the homes of the victims. It's not always what they (reporters) say, it's how they say it. We're extremely sensitive and I realize that we often over-react to things, but if your reporters knew in advance a few things not to say and not to do, then they would be more comfortable, too. And you wouldn't be sending someone who's going to come back with things you can't or don't want to use. The training is really a key here."
--Haiman pg. 30
Out of all the aspects of journalism, I look forward to this part least of all. It's not that I hate interviewing people--I just hate that I always feel like I'm bothering people when I walk up to them and randomly ask them a question. I can't imagine being one of those reporters who hang outside the house of a victim's family waiting to question anyone who walks out that door. I'm not sure I ever want to experience this type of journalism. It's probably the only part I don't like.
Although a phone interview might be a little less effective, I might be more likely to use this method only because I would sincerely feel bad for the victim's family during the interviewing process. It really is a catch-22 though, isn't it? You either bombard the family with questions that might make everyone feel uncomfortable or you don't get a story. There's no happy medium. Someone's always gonna lose. This really frustrates me. :-(
It's not easy to know what is true for you or me
at twenty-two, my age. But I guess I'm what
I feel and see and hear. Harlem, I hear you:
hear you, hear me--we two--you, me talk on this page.
(I hear New York, too.) Me--who?
--Langston Hughes, "Theme for English B"
First let me say that I loved this poem, especially the stanza I quoted above. I know exactly what Hughes means when he says "It's not easy to know what is true for you or me/ at twenty-two..." I'm not sure people ever figure out what's really "true." We think we do, but there's a very fine line between what is true and what we believe to be true.
"...But I guess I'm what/ I feel and see and hear..." This line's pretty strong for me too. I don't think we really understand just how much our surroundings influence us. Our environment--the people we grow up around, the things we hear as children, all of it has a major impact on who we become when we grow older. I remember reading somewhere in high school about what would happen if two identical twins were raised in entirely different environments. Even though they looked alike, would they have any other similarities? I doubt it. But I don't think that's a bad thing. It just shows how much individuality we really have in this world.
The principal advantage of cards is that you can see them all together when you lay them out on a desk or a other large surface. As a result, cards may be easily classified; numbered and renumbered; shuffled; tried out in one place, rejected, and then used in another place; and arranged in order when you start to write.
--Roberts Ch 18, pg 264
I couldn't agree more with Roberts when it comes to using index cards for my notes. All through high school, my teachers mandated that we use index cards when preparing our research papers (I had to write four, one for each year in each of my English classes). The index cards are actually more useful for me than writing an outline. When I write an outline, it ends up being far too detailed, and thus it's really a waste of time, because all I'm doing is transferring my note cards into an outline. If I have the option, I try to skip that step. When I use index cards for my research papers, they basically write my paper for me. I hate to say this, but I think they're more effective for me than the presubmission papers we've been doing for class. It's not that the presubmission papers aren't useful--they definitely are--but I think I just have a preference to index cards, because the system works well for me. I like being able to spread my quotes out onto a large table and order them exactly how I want them to appear in my paper.
The only thing I really do differently than Roberts is I don't put the full source on every index card---because I usually have too much information for the index card. Instead, I make a different set of cards dedicated to my sources, which are then numbered. I place the number of the source in the corner of the index card so I know what source I'm pulling from. I also include a subject or keyword, because this helps me to organize my notes later. I never paraphrase when I'm taking notes if I can help it. I'd rather record all direct quotes and then paraphrase later than forget that I already paraphrased and make a second paraphrase that's too similar to the original. It's my own fool-proof system to avoid plagiarism.
The old people sat on the bench, still as statues. Never mind, there was always the crowd to watch. To and fro, in front of the flower-beds and the band rotunda, the couples and groups paraded, stopped to talk, to greet to buy a handful of flowers from the old beggar who had his tray fixed to the railings. Little children ran among them, swooping and laughing; little boys with big white silk bows under their chins, little girls, little French dolls, dressed up in velvet and lace...
--"Miss Brill," Katherine Mansfield
I really like the imagery in this story. I know I say this all the time, but I love it when the author paints the picture with words. There's actually an art in "word painting." I learned about it in The Art of Travel, a book I read last fall for Travel Literature with Dr. Wendland. You just pick somewhere to sit and write what you see. You look for details. You literally try to paint a picture with your words.
I actually enjoy people watching too--not to the extent that Miss Brill does, but I do see the value in it. I always find myself people watching in public places. It's just fun to see what's going on in other people's lives--it's also fun to see how weird some people may be. I think my last people-watching excursion was at Kennywood Fright Nights. Now that was a treat, because I was able to not only laugh everytime someone was spooked by a ghoul, but I also was able to be disgusted by the amount of public displays of affection around me. Okay, I need to get back on topic again...
This short story inspires me to spend a day on a park bench and document everything I see. I actually think it could be a pretty useful experience. I could hone my writing skills while also working on my observational skills. Both of these skills are good for a journalist to have, so I really see no harm in wasting my day in the great outdoors--maybe at Twin Lakes or something.
Metaphors and similes are based in imagery, which is the means by which literature is made graphic and vivid....by using words that convey images the writer prompts us to recall memories of sights, sounds, tastes, smells, sensations, and visualization of motion. Metaphors and similes go beyond literal imagery to introduce perceptions and comparisons that can be unusual, unpredictable, and surprising...
--Roberts Ch. 9
I feel like I'm stuck in a time machine. Roberts just keeps going back to imagery in every chapter. I know that he's right, but at this point, it just feels a little redundant to me. I'm not criticizing Roberts, though, because it's the whole show vs. tell thing. But, I have just one question. Aren't similes "telling" instead of "showing?" Metaphors are much stronger in "showing." And yet, we still group the two together, because both compare something to an unrelated object.
I'm not saying that metaphors are better than similes. I'm just questioning why they are excused for "telling" instead of "showing."
Oft of one wide expanse had I been told
that deep-brow'd Homer ruled as his demesne,
Yet did I never breathe its pure serene
Till I heard Chapman speak out loud and bold
--"On First Looking into Chapman's Homer" by Keats
Translation is a powerful tool. The language barrier is a tough one to conquer, but translation has given us so much, especially in the form of literature. I'll be the first to say that "Beowulf" was not my favorite poem to read, but at the same time, I can only imagine how awful it would have been if I hadn't read the modern version of the poem, I bet I would've been ever more miserable.
Nevertheless, Keats' poem does more than just remind his readers of the importance of translation. It's a very beautiful piece with so much imagery and metaphors. It's kind of ironic, because he tells his story through metaphors and similes just as Homer told the story of Ulysses.
But if the while I think of thee (dear friend)
All losses are restored, and sorrows end.
--Shakespeare's "Sonnet 30"
Sonnet 30 has a very compelling message about recalling both good and bad memories from life. Even though I'm still really young, like anyone else, I still have things that I regret. This poem makes me think of one of my childhood friends--we were best friends until high school when we had a falling out. We still talk and meet for coffee, but our relationship will never be the same.
Shakespeare's poem has an important message. Although everyone tends to think back and regret their actions, they need to also realize that there were good parts too. Life will go on. All we can do is learn from our mistakes.
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1. The world reporters are being asked to cover today is vastly more complicated than it was a decade or two past. Business, science, finance, the environment, urban development, health care, geriatrics, land use, technology and demographics are just some of the areas in which reporters have to be more knowledgeable.
2. While most journalism schools require students to take about 75% of their courses in the liberal arts and sciences, faculty advisers often fail to help students make the connection between a rigorous liberal arts emphasis and the knowledge required to cover complex news topics with authority.
--Haiman, pg 24
Although I found the stuff about anonymous sources really interesting, what really caught me in this assigned reading was the stuff about a liberal arts education. Dr. Jerz has talked about this several times in class. One of my biggest fears for when I go out in to the "real" journalism world is what will happen once I'm not allowed to plan my own stories anymore. Although the Setonian editors assign stories for me, they're usually about topics that I have at least basic knowledge about.
When I think about my future, my ideal job would be a reporter for a video game magazine or something else with media. However, I'm being realistic when I say that I doubt I'll end up writing for a videogame magazine, at least not at first. How will I cover stories about subjects I know nothing about? Despite my constant fear, I do take comfort in the fact that Seton Hill has already prepared me in so many ways for my future. When I choose my classes for my liberal arts requirements, I always try to find ones that not only interest me, but ones that I also feel will benefit me as a journalist.
For example, last semester, I took Images of Jesus in Film for my theology credit. This class was more than simply watching a different Christ-figure film each week. We were encouraged to find deeper symbology in each movie and even watched some really popular movies (although others I'd never heard of), such as Chocolat and The Last Temptation of Christ. After taking this course, I really felt like I had a deeper understanding of film analysis. In retrospect, I think that course will help me if I ever need to write a review of a film or book, because of the structure of our essays.
My theology course wasn't the only class that's prepared me for my future, but I'm not going to waste any more time going into detail. This blog's long enough already. My main point is that, although most students complain about it, the Liberal Arts education is the future of our society. People need to be well-rounded individuals if they hope to accomplish great things someday.
Setting Contributes to Atmosphere and Mood
There are many ways to develop moods. Descrptions of bright colors (red, orange, yellow) may contribute to a mood of happiness. The same colors in dim or eerie light...invoke gloom or augment hysteria. References to smells and sounds bring the setting to life further by asking additional sensory responses from the reader.
Robers, Ch. 6, pg 112
Things have officially come full-circle for me. It all goes back to imagery. Setting is nothing without imagery--just the name of a town or the location of a house. The images that readers see along withthe location are what really matter. When I think back to high school, as I often do, I remember the simple question on tests: "What is the setting?" Back then, it was sufficient to just say a private Abby or 7 different rooms,when referring to the Masque of the Red Death. However, now, I'm not sure that really does it justice. Even describing the rooms wouldn't do it justice, because there's so much hidden symbolism in those rooms. However, I'm not saying that I think this makes close reading more difficult. I actually think it makes it a little easier, because by understanding the setting, and the reason for the inclusion of specific items, we are able to uncover deeper meanings within the works. I just want to say one last time that it all goes back to imagery. I love imagery and sensory details. The more detail, the better. I love it when the text paints a pretty picture in my mind, but now I really understand why it's important to include such details while other times, it really is beneficial to leave some information out. I guess it all just depends on the atmosphere.
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