Crane, Herr & Wright

I was a little apprehensive about these articles, knowing that they would be dealing directly with those at war. My boyfriend goes to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, and he just signed his two for seven which requires him five years of mandatory service after he graduates. He's going straight into the Marines, so this was enlightening and difficult all at the same time. For anyone, whether you know someone in military services or not, these were difficult reads. Not difficult in that the style or level of writing was intense, but it's a harsh look at reality: our country at war. What all of the pieces managed to do very well was place the reader very directly into the scene. You could imagine the images, no matter how disturbing they may have been.

Crane's article, "Marines Signaling Under Fire at Guantanamo" was interesting. It was very descriptive, and it certainly placed me right in the midst of the action. I didn't necessarily like the article, for some reason I was kind of bored. However, the most moving part of his article were the last sentences in our version, "I know nothing about war, of course, and pretend nothing, but I have been enabled from time to time to see brush fighting, and I want to say here plainly that the behavior of these Rough Riders while marching through the woods shook me with terror as I have never before been shaken." I think that thought/idea really captures how any normal civilian would understand and feel about experiencing even a day of what these men and women experience for months, even years.

I really liked Herr's Article, "Hell Sucks." I love when the title or a focal point of an article is actually something small scattered within the pages, yet really captures the whole thing. That's very creative. I did have somewhat of a hard time following this article, which is embarrassingly because I don't know much about this particular war (oops). Well, I could follow it, I just didn't understand what some things meant like, "VC" or "NVA". Other than that, I liked a bunch of things about it. I liked how much Herr really captured little details that mattered so much. For example, what the men and women would write on their helmets and jackets, names of old operations, girlfriends names, or their war names. The impression I got from Herr's article was that these men and women really fight hard and really grab motivation and strength from whatever source they can think of.

Most of all, I loved Wright's article "The Killer Elite." Now, first of all the way I guage if something is a worthy read or not is whether or not it really moves me. Not just in a way that makes me think about it for a while, but makes me think about it in a way I've never thought about before. Or even if it stirs deep emotion. Without a doubt having someone so close to me coming upon a transition to military life certainly effected how I reacted to this article. There were many points when (I hate to admit it) I started to get really upset and had to go back to reading it later. It's hard to imagine anyone in these situations taking one step in the wrong direction, or one split second of distraction just losing their life. Whether or not the this article is read by someone who does or doesn't support the war, I think it will undoubtedly make someone support the sacrifice that these men and women make everyday. Ah such a serious note. My favorite part of this article was when Wright described some of the back and forth banter between the men. It immediately made me think of my boyfriend, his friends and how they would probably be acting just like those guys. I think an amazing part of this piece was how Wright kept the phrase "Get Some!" as a constant thread throughout. I think it does really capture the mentality and sense of excitement the men and women experience during times of war. But besides just looking at it as a somewhat barbaric phrase, it is also something that definitely unifies all of them. That is their own phrase that they use. And only those men and women truly understand how much that phrase means.

Amish Reporting Trip!

I think in any circumstance in which a writer can not be informed about a certain person, group, situation, etc. it's very difficult to obtain a legitimate story. While a writer may have strong interviewing skills, it is irrelevant because ultimately that person knows you are writing a story and can choose which information they want to use to portray themselves. Obtaining a story alone creates a bias because of that reason. Regarding the Amish or Mennonites, that's just a whole other story. There's close to no real and valid information to be found about them anywhere. Yes there are some published pieces and some websites scattered here and there, but it's not like going onto the internet or a library and looking up George Washington. And it's like that for a reason. Both the Amish and Mennonite communites are contained and controlled, and they want to keep it that way. That is the specific problem with reporting on them. I still have no clue what I am going to write about for this piece and I think it has a lot to do with the issue of people choosing what information will portray them. Those men at the Mennonite school who were all dressed EXACTLY the same completely dodged all of our questions. And even though that one man said a little and glossed over people's questions, he still managed to throw in backhanded comments such as, "Well, there's so much a woman can learn in the kitchen too..." !!!WHAT!!! But anyway, there are probably so many aspects about the Amish or Mennonite community that nobody knows about besides the people that reside within the community. How would we know or not? We wouldn't...

I know there is no way, but I wish I could tell a really genuine story about the Amish. I'm not trying to be picky, but the Mennonites seemed very unwelcoming and the Amish made me really happy. I wish I would be able to be so enveloped in their lives and culture that I could find out something that no one knows. It doesn't even have to be some huge, ridiculous secret - just something that can give us outsiders more of an understanding and view into their lives. I think that would be great, because again, there's only so much they're telling us. I'm not trying to make them sound secretive and anti-social, but if I were to be interviewed about my life there are certain things I would leave out if I knew it was going to be written up. And I think that's what most people would do, if you can control your image you will.

I think in order to tell a story such as that I would have to be completely immersed in their community. I think it would have to go as far as me becoming a member of their society. I can't imagine any other way to have them trust me and allow me into their lives. I believe that would give me a fair stance in telling the story because I have a taste of both worlds, theirs and mine. I would finally understand the underlying values, traditions, practice and unwritten rules in their society/culture. That would benefit me most if I were to write something about them. Knowing the little things, like something that is disrespectful to them but wouldn't mean a thing to me.

Well, the advantages of using a fixer is that it serves as a very helpful medium between both worlds. I feel like we probably gained access to certain things in the community that we wouldn't have if a fixer wasn't there. I don't really think there are any disadvantages to having a fixer at all actually. But, our fixer was a tad irritating. Maybe it was the long day...

I think if the Amish or Mennonites viewed me in my space they would be uncomfortable. I'm not crazy or anything, but I feel like they are very set in their beliefs and values and would possibly look down on my lifestyle. They would certainly find things that are important to me in my room which may or may not speak loudly of me. I think it's a little difficult to report a story accurately because there is always some level of bias, especially in a situation in which you are not familiar or maybe feel a little out of place.

Finally, I absolutely loved this trip. Although it was a long day, it's something I'll remember for the rest of my life. That may sound dramatic but I thought it was great, it was so different there. There was a real sense of peace and happiness among everyone. Also, it was the only place I've been to in my life where I really felt like God was there. It was a very humbling experience.

The Invisible Reporter

I really enjoyed this Q&A piece, I thought it was great. It really helped me to get a better sense of how to approach the different aspects of journalism such as gaining trust, interviewing and even the reporting itself. From Hull's piece I got the impression that whatever you are reporting on, to tackle it head on, and just "report the heck out of something." I had trouble with my last piece - too boring, so I enjoyed her enthusiasm and advice.
I think this piece will also prove to be very helpful for our class trip to Lancaster county next week. It was actually really reassuring that sometimes, you can't know everything about a certain culture or a place. I've been to Lancaster county once, and I barely remember it. So, I am a little nervous about the trip. Nobody wants to be the person who asks an over-the-line question. However, I think it was really important for us to raise questions that we weren't sure we could ask on the trip in class first. By asking those questions in class, all of us started to get the idea of what would be crossing the line. This piece helped me realize that with reporting, you can't always go right into something and ask whatever you want just because you're interested. I think there do need to be boundaries in journalism.

Cramer

Cramer's intimate journalism piece, How the World Turns in West Philadelphia, was very eye-opening, to say the least. He certainly managaed to capture the daily life and routine of the Monroe's unfortunate means of living in West Philadelphia. I have personally never read anything so detailed and matter-of-fact about that particular way of life. Cramer helps the reader to understand how much of a daily battle it is to live off of welfare checks or getting a job that only pays $3 an hour. As one of many students that goes to St. Joe's, it made me feel really selfish. It caused me to step back a little to consider the difficult struggles that other people are facing that live right down the street from me. I really just felt like anything that is a stressor in my life, or even my friends' lives, etc. are all just trivial compared to a difficulty such as rumaging to find twenty dollars to pay for your daughter's graduation dress.
One particular thread throughout the piece that I really enjoyed was that no matter how down and how hard times got for the Monroe's, they found such peace and comfort in God. Mrs. Monroe kept her favorite bible passage on the refrigerator to remind me her that God will help her, and to not worry about how they will be fed and clothed. I think it is important to maintain some sense of stability and comfort when you are experiencing difficult times. Through Cramer's observation of the Monroe family, they truly managed to define resiliency.