Excerpts to Ponder
Now that you know what to look for, critically reading and examining articles in magazines, newspapers, and other periodicals is an excellent way to develop and improve your own skills in writing articles. It goes without saying that reading makes you a better writer and there is much to be learned by examining both the strengths and weaknesses of other writers' material. While this is not meant to be a substitute for your own exploration of this genre, consider what can be learned from just the following excerpts.
“Michael Phelps and his astounding performances have so thoroughly dominated these 2008 Beijing Olympics that it seems the Games' motto ought to be altered to ‘One World. One Dream. Eight Golds.’ Phelps continued his historic medal-mining this morning, capturing the 200-meter butterfly, his pet event, and then helping the U.S. romp to an 800 meter freestyle relay victory. The times in both were world records.” (Philadelphia Inquirer, August 13, 2008)
This cover article that appeared in the sports section written by Frank Fitzpatrick about the gold medal record holder Michael Phelps is a perfect example of the inverted pyramid structure so typical of journalists but something you would not employ when writing other nonfiction. You can see how it begins with a general statement and then delves into the particulars involving first the medals won and then more specifically, the times of the events.
“The Georgian army, suffering massive casualties in the face of overwhelming Russian firepower, retreated from the break-away region of South Ossietia yesterday. Russia ignored those calls [for a cease fire] and continued to bomb targets deep in Georgia.” (Philadelphia Inquirer, August 11, 2008)
In the first sentence, the reader is informed of important information about the Georgian army. In the next sentence, there is information about Russia. This is typical of the double helix structure as the article goes on with these two strands — one from Georgia and the other from Russia.
“I first encountered ‘Tricolor’ in an English garden, where it glowed like a multicolored beacon. I was torn between loving it for its beauty and utterly rejecting it for its gaudiness. Being a polite young man, I asked the garden owner what that particular lovely plant was, and she replied, ‘St. John's wort.’ Gaudy or not, this small shrub really caught my eye with its graceful, arching form and pink, green and yellow foliage. I vowed to bring it home and try it in my garden.” (Fine Gardening, October 2008)
In what person is this excerpt from Allan Armitage's column written? You should recognize from the I word that it is written in the first person, but even without this clue, you should be able to discern that much of the writer is present in this article. Although it could be the beginning of a personal essay or memoir, the piece goes on to inform the reader about the particular plant. The colorful description and the bit of dialogue reflect typical techniques of writing creative nonfiction that you will see in Chapter 19, but because of the subject matter and information, it is indeed an article.
