I appreciated the smooth transitions throughout this piece and liked the integration of background with present day and future. This is something that I am personally struggling with in my profile piece and am hoping take some lessons from Boo.
While this piece is incredibly well researched, it seems that there is an inherent class and racial divide between the author and her subjects. Unlike, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc who I felt was too connected with her subject Boo, on the other hand, didn't seem to connect enough. Being the epitome of one of those "normal, 'wealthy'" ladies that Kim and sometimes Corean strive to be, Boo was automatically disadvantaged from having legitimate connection with the two women.
In light of last week's conversation about effective leads, I have to admit I had to re-read Finkel's lead (of Part 1) several times to decide if I liked it or not. Ultimately, I decided that it made me feel uneasy due to his use of foreboding as an opener and his chronological recount of democratic experimentation in Yemen that followed. Perhaps this is the effect he wanted, though I wonder if making a reader feel uncomfortable right from the beginning is a good tactic or not. However, it made me keep reading so I guess, ultimately, it was effective.
Finkel's use of sources and attribution in this piece is admirable. It is evident that he has a vast series of networks within the U.S. and Yemen governments and that they are effectively used in each one of his three segments.
Another interesting point to consider is the somewhat hidden descriptions we get of Madrid. Though this piece mostly focuses on her professional side, Finkel cleverly inserts small tidbits of descriptive details about her personal life that make her instantly more relatable. I think tactic keeps the focus on her as a political and professional figure, yet makes her story more readable for a larger audience.
I also noticed a race and class divide between Boo and her subjects, Kim and Corean. While I actually appreciated the distance she had from them in regard to her involvement in their lives, I also felt a divide between their lives and her writing. Sometimes the piece seemed to me like a typical narrative of poverty written by a privileged author. It seemed hold both women up as models of the "right" kind of lower-class woman, which made me uncomfortable. I would have liked to know more about how they fit into the rest of the community and whether or not their lifestyles are drastically different than those of their neighbors.
ReplyDeleteAlaina,
ReplyDeleteFor whatever reason, I did not think twice about the differences between author and subjects for "The Marriage Cure." I am so glad to have read your post, because now I agree that there is a definite disconnect between the two. I would also agree now with Maggie, that the two women were the "right kind" of lower-class women. Both were women seeking more for themselves, as if where they were in their lives then would never be enough. Thank you both for your responses and for opening my eyes to these connections!