“Grand event marks Ronald Reagan’s 100th”
This article, written by Johnathan Martin and James Hohmann of Politico, is a summary article of the ceremony at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library held in honor of what would have been Reagan’s 100th birthday. Martin and Hohmann identify no source in the article, leading to the assumption that at least one of the writers may have been present at the event. Taking place in Simi Valley, California, Reagan’s native state, the writers are quick to praise Reagan’s longtime supporters that planned the events and festivities in his honor. Most notably, the writers devote several paragraphs to Reagan’s aging wife, Nancy Reagan. At age 90, Nancy Reagan took part in every aspect of the ceremony Sunday, including the placement of a wreath on her late husband’s gravesite. As often occurs, Nancy Reagan referred to the late president as “Ronnie,” and the writers echoed the often-heard sentiment of how close the couple seemed to be. James A. Baker III, a former Chief of Staff to Reagan, was the keynote speaker at the event. Baker noted that today’s environment is similar to that faced by Reagan during his administration and encouraged those in office to reach across the aisle much like Reagan did. Baker said to the crowd that “Reagan’s biggest legacy may have been that he challenged us to have big dreams about where we’re going.” Gary Sinise, the actor known as Lieutenant Dan in Forrest Gump also spoke at the event. Additionally, musicians such as Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, the Beach Boys and Greenwood sang “Happy Birthday” in memory of the late president. The ceremony also included a 21-gun salute, a Marine color guard and band, and a four-jet fly-over. The article also included commentary from former Vice President Dick Cheney after the ceremony, who chose to focus more on Reagan’s record on foreign policy than his personality, pointing out his advancements in relations with the Soviet Empire. At the conclusion of the article, the writers include a sentimental quote from Nancy Reagan about her feelings of the day and memories it brought.
Martin and Hohmann use a hard news approach to summarize the events of the ceremony to commemorate Ronald Reagan’s centennial birthday. While the first paragraph states the purpose of the story, the rest of the article unfolds in a story-like fashion, providing a play-by-play of the ceremony for the audience. The writers are respectable of the late president, and, rather than criticizing him, are intentional about continuing the praise he received during the ceremony. Quotes are not used until the sixth paragraph, but are consistently used throughout the remainder of the article to present new points and backup points already presented. In the final paragraph of the article, the authors effectively wrap the article with an emotional quote from the late president’s wife, conveying and affirming the overall theme of remembrance and respect shown towards Reagan.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0211/48951.html
The flow of your analysis made it easy and enjoyable to read. The structure was perfect. Setting the stage of the writers, the story, the setting, and the meaning, and the story in its entirety flowed so well together. I liked how the first paragraph introduced the article briefly and then followed the story line with clear, concise details, which was followed by your second, and final paragraph with your assessment of the article itself. It was well put together and established.
ReplyDeleteI completely benefited from the thorough, yet to the point, facts of the information from the article. Even though I didn’t read the article you analyzed as in depth as you did, I feel like I got the necessary amount of information originally provided without being overwhelmed by unnecessary details. The content from the original article were well covered and worded. I liked that you began by mentioning that fact that there were no sources, which meant one writer was present because I probably would have been searching for source information throughout your entire post.
I really enjoyed your specific analysis of the article. By regarding that the writers “devoted several paragraphs to Reagan’s wife” followed by a brief summarization of her words, I could tell how the writers’ choice of structure and content stuck out to you while you were reading. In the final paragraph, by telling us how the article develops, how quotes were used, and how the article was ended, I could visualize the layout and progression of the article from your point of view. Your final sentence of your analysis mentions an emotional quote from Nancy Reagan that “affirmed the overall theme”. At first I was let down that the quote wasn’t stated or summarized, but then it made me so curious as to the dramatic ending of the ceremony that I went and looked it up for myself, which I think was beneficial and a wise decision after all on your part. You responded to the writer’s attitudes and manner in a subtle yet informative way that didn’t take over the analysis, but let us know their stance.
Overall, I thought your blog post was exceptional and very informative. It was honestly good for me to read and learn from about how to structure and form a well put together analysis of another article.