"Underworld"

Growing up in Dallas, Texas I know little about the life of a coal miner. In fact, pretty much all I know comes from the movies. October Sky, written in 1999, initially comes to my mind. In the film the workers are portrayed as blue-collar hero’s struggling day to day just to make a living the only way they know how. The characters are simple and don’t have many luxuries. They get up early every morning and walk like zombies towards the elevators that will take them underground. They are stern, unhappy, and strictly focused on their jobs. This is my interpretation of what life is like in a coal mining town.

After reading Jeanne Laska’s “Underworld” my opinion regarding the life of a coal miner changed drastically. She doesn’t glorify her characters in to being home-town heroes. Coal mining is a job that pays the bills, it doesn’t define them.

Throughout her writing it is clear that Laska’s did extensive research and did her best to submerge herself into their lifestyle. “I spent months trying to position myself and my world around these people”. In order to accurately represent the coal mining industry, Laska knew it would take more than just one trip down to the mines. In addition to putting on a hard hat and making several trips down to the underworld, she socialized with them off the clock. In one trip to the local strip club Laska spoke with a group of men about the stereotypes of coalminers. “Look at these poor, stupid rednecks who work these awful jobs. Trapped! Suffocating! Buried alive!” It was an out of date interpretation of their lives and portraying them this way would only show her ignorance. She explains the impression that all coal miners are poor and struggle economically is false. Including the fact that coal mining is a $27.6 billion dollar industry allows the reader to realize that coal mining is a profitable. Workers aren’t all stern faced, depressed, poor people. They have friends, family, and a social life.

I enjoyed reading “Underworld” and hope to imitate aspects of Laska’s writing in my feature article. They research she did for this article clears up the myths of Hollywood’s heroic coal miners and makes the characters real. I’m not saying that these men wouldn’t step up and save a life if the situation didn’t call for it, I’m sure they would but it’s not an everyday occurrence. Through research, establishing credibility and descriptive writing, Laska grabs the attention of the reader and writes a compelling “real-life” feature article.

"Betrayed"

In the United States, when reading about the Iraqi war we usually find stories about the heroic soldiers who are fighting for our freedom. George Packer takes a different approach in his feature article, “Betrayed”. Packer uses descriptive writing to point out the injustices done to the Iraqi’s by the Americans. The reader really feels like they are reading a firsthand experience of a person’s time in Iraq. Instead of glorifying the American soldiers, Packer points out their unfair treatment to others.

“Betrayed” tells multiple stories of these injustices but Firas’s story made the biggest impact on me. Firas asked to be issued a green card in order to bypass the long lines before entering the Green Zone. (He was translating for the Americans). His request was denied because the card also gave permission to carry a weapon. This story illustrates that despite efforts to prove their loyalty to the United States, safety and security from the American embassy did not extend to them, if anything they contributed to the threat just because they look different.

Americans tend to feel obligated to prove how patriotic they are and refuse to speak poorly of American soldiers. George Packer takes this risk and by doing so informs the readers of the wrong doings taking place in Iraq. By strategically writing this article in a way that reaches the readers heart, perhaps people will be motivated to put an end to this unjust treatment.

Feature Articles

As we begin the unit on feature articles I have tried to understand what makes one article more entertaining than the next. After reading three articles for class I have realized that while some topics are more interesting to a person based on their ability to relate to it, the best articles reach a wide variety of audiences and effect everyone on some level.

I was immediately drawn to the article “You Have Thousands of Angels Around You”. From the very beginning I was intrigued by the lead female character and wanted to hear her story. When she finally explains the reason she is seeking asylum in the United States it would be difficult for any reader to not feel sympathy for her.

After reading “Specialist Town Takes His Case to Washington” I also realized that the topics relevancy to current events attracts readers. It seems that almost every day we hear about the war in Iraq, but it is not everyday that we hear about a person’s struggle when they return home from battle. This unique article gave me a different perspective on a topic I hear about regularly and easily had my attention.

Does My Opinion Really Count?

Before starting our unit on reviews I had never noticed the great impact they make on the reader. Sure I’ve skimmed over them in magazines and newspapers, but I never really thought about them too much. The more I read and study this type of article the more I am amazed at its influence. I can’t help but wonder if I have ever had a truly original opinion. Am I simply reiterating what I’ve read in reviews subconsciously?

After reading the article about the number one burger in the Metroplex, I wanted Freds. After hearing about the cupcake cottage, I instinctively got online to check out their flavors and availability on the website. Having never tried these restaurants personally, am I just taking the reviewers word for it and agreeing that they are the best?

It made me wonder what exactly it is in these articles that gets me to agree with whatever the author writes. After some consideration I have come to the conclusion that the eloquent descriptions of the food and atmosphere are crucial in attracting a reader. When you think about it, a great writer can make even the trashiest place appear charming.

I’m not sure if the authors of these reviews understand the tremendous power they hold in their pens but I for one now understand just how seriously we take the opinions in these articles.