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Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Weekly Post #2: opening lines
Please share the opening line of your writer's work this week. What stands out about it? What works? What doesn't work? Do you think it's an effective way to begin the piece? Why/Why not?
18 comments:
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Article: "Walls, Borders, a Dome and Refugees," New York Times Op-Ed, September 9th, 2015.
Opening Line: After Donald Trump proposed building a high wall all along the U.S.-Mexico border, Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, not to be out-trumped, basically said, I see your wall and raise you one, stating that it was “legitimate” to consider building a wall along the 5,525-mile U.S.-Canada border as well."
Friedman's point in this article is to express his opinion that the current migrant crisis both in the Americas and in Europe and Asia is only in its early stages. With this opening line, he manages to rope us into the article by using a drastic and ridiculous-sounding example at the very beginning. Anyone interested in political science or foreign policy would read Friedman's article even without this hook; he is trying to attract those who might not necessarily be interested in those subjects by using a little bit of humor.
I think this attempt is largely successful. Among the segment of the population that doesn't support him and his policies, Donald Trump has become a laughing stock in the past few months. Although it is a little cliche for a major media figure to go after Trump at this point, it is nonetheless a great tool to use to suck people into any piece of media.
The downfall of this method of jumping onto the Donald Trump dog-pile is that he may alienate both Trump supporters and those who are simply tired of seeing media figures spend valuable time, space, and energy criticizing the more radical candidates. His point in this piece is actually to stress how grave the refugee crisis is and how drastic any effort to solve it must be; however, one might guess from his criticisms of Trump and Walker in the opening line that the overall message will be an ultimately unrealistic, let's-all-hold-hands-and-be-friends one.
However, I do not think this problem with the article is very major. Friedman gets to the point of his essay very soon after the first line, not leaving a lot of time for a potential reader to wonder about his stance. Ultimately, I think Friedman's hook, while not unexpected or courageous for an opinion writer like him, does a very good job of creating interest in an article among people that may not necessarily be interested in foreign policy.
Opening Line: JUST seeing the Crayola colors painted on the tall iron fence of the 18th-century Hotel Particulier made me shiver.
This article is about the new Google Cultural Institute, which is a Google venture that is setting out to catalog and scan important works of art or architecture. The goal is to make art more accessible to the public and to preserve it forever in the cloud. Dowd sees the benefit in this but also explains the common worry that Google is devaluing the actual art and that we should be wary of Google becoming too powerful.
The opening line was effective in drawing the reader into the article. It was funny and to the point, and it created an image so seemingly ridiculous that I wanted to know more. The Google logo and colors are instantly recognizable, and Dowd was smart to play to that. In addition, the idea of the logo being associated with a beautiful, old Parisian hotel plays to the discomfort that many people feel about the Google Cultural Institute.
Dowd is good at creating an effective hook, and the only issue that I have with the opening line is that it is not necessarily representative of her opinion later on in the article. Dowd spends most of the time actually defending the Google Cultural Institute, or at least offering a balanced view. The first line, as well as the title, suggest that Dowd is strongly against the Google Cultural Institute, but in reality she is more cautiously optimistic. This difference, however, is less important that the fact that the first line hooked me into reading the rest of the article.
Article: Joe Queenan on the Joys of Being Late (not from this week - from feb 9th, 2015) Opening Line: The chronic inability of some people to arrive anywhere on time has baffled mankind since the dawn of history. I really like this opening sentence because being late isn't something that is often discussed in articles. This line really drew me in because it gets immediately to the point, and it is something I can relate to because I usually run on time so I'm used to people being late. It starts off the humorous tone of the article right away, and makes the reader want to find out how Queenan analyzes tardiness. For me, it was an extremely good way to begin the piece. I don't think that I can find anything specific that doesn't work, because this is exactly the type of writing I enjoy. It definitely does a good job of taking the reader aback, and is also something that many people have had some sort of experience with, whether they themselves are late or they know someone who constantly runs late.
Article: "Bernie Sanders and the Black Vote," New York Times, September 12, 2015.
Opening Line: "COLUMBIA, S.C. — Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Bernie Sanders spoke Saturday to a half-empty gymnasium at Benedict College in South Carolina. The school is historically black, but the crowd appeared to be largely white".
I honestly really like this opening statement not only does that explain what he's going to talk about but it also simple and direct. What did out to me the most was the school is historically black, the crowd appeared to be largely white. At first when I read this I took it literally but after reading the article I honestly think it means that Sanders is trying to build up his votes in the African-American but Having a hard time because they don't understand what can do for them. I do believe that this is a good way to start the piece because not only does it explain what he's going to talk about in his article but his sentence structure and the words that he uses makes the reader go in thinking about what he is said and come out with a new perspective in other words it makes you when I go deeper than surface level.
Article: "Monday Night Football top stats to know: Vikings-49ers"
"The Minnesota Vikings enter Monday’s game on a five-game losing streak on Monday Night Football, the second-longest active streak (St. Louis Rams, six games). The San Francisco 49ers have a new head coach and a roster with more turnover from 2014 to 2015 than that of any other team."
This opening line is straight forwards and informative, which is a successful form of writing in an article surrounding Sports News. It highlights a match up between two teams that are not projected to have dominant seasons. The first sentence of this article highlights the previous lack of success of the Minnesota Vikings; however, the statistic used does not provide substantial evidence of the Vikings' poor seasons. Whether a game is played on Monday, Sunday, or Thursday, does not affect the level of play of each team. While it is interesting that the Vikings have lost their last 5 Monday Night games, Monday Night games are played are only played one time per year for each team. Thus, it is equivalent to stating that the Vikings have lost 5 games in the past 5 seasons.
Recent Super Bowl contenders, there is uncertainty surrounding the Forty-Niners heading into the 2015-16 season. Paul Gutierrez does a solid job highlighting this uncertainty, stating the change in coaching staff as well as in the roster. He remains neutral surrounding the big changes in the organization even though change often foreshadows a challenging start. This neutrality is important as he does not want to "put his foot in his mouth" as he is the Forty-Niners' correspondent.
Article: Novak Djokovik, No. 1 and bulletproof, is kryptonite to Roger Federer in U.S. Open final
Opening Line: "Tennis calls Novak Djokovic the No. 1 player in the world. Roger Federer probably calls him kryptonite."
This opening line is very straightforward and causes the reader to react to the shocking events that took place at the finals. For any followers of tennis Djokovic was the underdog in this match and it was expected that Federer would sweep. By using the word "kryptonite" to describe Djokovic to Federer expresses the feeling the reader should feel when reading the line which is surprise. The opening line serves as a good transition for the remainder of the article. It is a good segway to explain the final match between the players. For the reasons mentioned above I like the first line and I think it fits well with the piece. Although it is a short sentence it fits with Dwyer's style well and brings the whole piece together.
Article: D.C. Area Forecast: Awesome Warm, Sunny Weather this Week, but it May Not Rain
Opening Line (literally): Today's Daily Digit: 10/10: Perfection, defined.
Opening Line (with more detail): "Who’s ready for five straight exceptionally nice days? High pressure staying true over the region through Friday keeps us sunny, dry, and warm. Temperatures and humidity levels do slowly creep up over the course of the work week, but never quite attain hot and muggy levels."
One thing that definitely stands out about this is that of his enthusiasm. This is a really good strategy to make something as boring as the weather even remotely interesting. Even adding in the 10/10 rating was pretty cool, too. Though subjective, it definitely spices things up. Additionally, his use of "us" stood out to me a little bit. There have been times when I read the paper and I get a snobby and condescending tone from the journalist, as if the journalist was above the rest of the public simply because he has to report something. Although Samenow has to report something, his use of "us" makes a subtle interjection that he is alongside the rest of the public. He is as excited about the DC weather as the rest of us.
Although all of these things worked and were effective, in a larger scale, none of these are effective enough. By this, I mean that individually, the tactics used to write the opening of this article were effective. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to make something as boring as the weather really exciting and something that people look forward to reading. Though this is a fairly arbitrary answer, I believe that what Samenow used was good, but not good enough (which, in this case, equates to ineffective).
Article: What is it About Religion That Fosters Abuse? James Nolan. August 5, 2015
Opening Line: Abuse is still rife in religion.
Opening Line Continued: Abuse is still rife in religion. Earlier this year, the Methodist Church of Britain released an "unreserved apology" for failing to protect children and adults, following a report that uncovered 1,885 alleged incidents of abuse in the Church dating back to the 1950s. Ministers and lay employees are said to have been involved in 25 percent of cases, with over half of those involving ministers being of a sexual nature. There are six ongoing police investigations.
Nolan opens with a controversial and troubling statement and then backs it up right away with proof. This works so well because he cuts straight to the point and starts convincing the reader that he is right. His statement is short and concise, he doesn't beat around the bush at all. This style of writing is effective in pieces that are controversial or will be met with counter arguments or defensive people. Religion in of itself is a touchy topic, as it is the power separating and dividing many cultures today. Nolan took a bold approach to his topic in order to touch on an even more sensitive topic: abuse. Most pieces written about abuse take a more gentle approach to the subject in order to respect abuse sufferers and people that might be offended by the language. Nolan uses strong language and has a command of the piece and unapologetically addresses abuse in regards to religion. This is so effective because it surprises the reader and draws them in. Nolan took the risk of being bold with his opening line and it was successful.
Article: Gone off sex? Never fear, ‘pink Viagra’ is here to save womankind Suzanne Moore. August 19, 2015
Opening Line: "The holy grail of the drugs industry has arrived. Women who mostly can’t be bothered with sex can take a pill that will make them crave it – even with their own partners"
Opening Line Continued: "Rejoice, rejoice womankind! There is now a magic drug that will make sex desirable. Again. Or for the first time. I can’t name here the already-existing drugs that have such an effect because they are illegal, and who knows what would happen if people took them?"
The title in and of itself intrigued me with its naturally controversial language, but the first time really drew me in. At first, I thought she was being serious what with the difficulty of conveying tone through writing, but when I saw the "even with their own partners" bit, I was convinced that this article wanted to expose something. I think the clarity of the sarcasm could have been improved, but in an opposing way I also enjoyed the sly humor to its current form. As I continued into the first paragraph, I noticed the humor more clearly, and the satirical nature of the piece. I think it is mildly effective in poking fun at the idea of the sex-enhancement drug industry. What could have made it better was explicit disclaimers about her opinion because I was honestly a tad confused. This opening line could possibly derail other readers like me that are not entirely clear of her tone, but I also find it provocative. Aside from the subject matter and title, the first line has a zest that draws readers in and is effective in attracting attention.
Article: Casting 'Clown Car '16, The Movie' Matt Taibbi (9/18/15) for Rolling Stone
Line: "Start with the title: Clown Car! may sound like the movie someone will inevitably make about the 2016 presidential campaign, but how about evoking those great Seventies wacky-journey films like Death Race 2000, Vanishing Point or Smokey and the Bandit?"
Taibbi starts off his casting choices with the line above. It appropriately sets the comedic tone for the rest of the article and shows Taibbi's incredulous attitude towards the race as it stands. When he mentions "wacky-journey films" it helps the reader understand his specific feelings about the Presidential race. This helps readers that haven't seen the movies he mentions (like me) understand the references he's trying to get across. It was an effective way to begin his piece, as throughout his explanation of casting, Taibbi adopts a very sarcastic tone that is continued from his opening decision that "Clown Car!" might not get the right amount of ridiculousness across. With respect to tone and subject matter, his opening line is great. The area that it doesn't quite cover is younger or less movie-familiar readers' lack of movie knowledge. In the first line and throughout the rest of the article, he expects the reader to have a wide-ranging knowledge of movies and actors that isn't always there. However the article still makes sense and his points about the various candidates still get across to the reader, so the opening line doesn't detract from the article at all.
Article: Rosh Hashanah with Miles Davis Richard Brody, 9/11/15, The New Yorker Opening Line: The accidental confluence of three event-streams—the recent departure of children for college; this weekend’s celebration of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year; and the forthcoming première, at the New York Film Festival, of “Miles Ahead,” a bio-pic about Miles Davis, directed by and starring Don Cheadle—gives rise to a single flood of memories, centered on this very week in 1975.
What stands about about this opening line to me is how Brody (the author) throws in 3 seemingly random events and doesn’t immediately try to connect them. It’s very filmic in a lot of ways—several disconnected stories that will doubtlessly come together later to create a far larger synthesis. In this way, it carries a lot of tension; the reader (at least I) wants to know from the first sentence how these facets fit together.
What it also carries is emotional endowment—leaving for college (or having friends or kids leaving for college) carries emotional weight, Rosh Hashanah carries it for countless families, and so does Miles Davis, a musician known for producing arguably the best jazz album of all time. What is so intriguing about this kind of endowment is that it’s clearly so personal for the author, but it can also be that way for the audience. In, say, a Malcolm Gladwell piece, there may be a setup like Brody’s: several seemingly separate things that end up correlating in some way. However, this is far less intellectual than a Gladwell writing; it’s more intentionally subjective. While some level of reader-connection is possible in an intellectual piece of this form, Brody has set up a relationship that to which people will have all kinds of different personal reactions. Maybe readers will have their own relationships, their own “[floods] of memories” that stream from the mention of these 3 events. The piece could, in turn, falter if a reader didn’t have a relationship to any of the things that Brody mentions. This first line could turn them away instantly. In that way, this could actually be a pretty niche-based opening line.
What makes this opening sentence so effective is its specificity, especially at the end. I mentioned the specificity of the 3 events being appealing in the above paragraph, but the phrase “on this very week in 1975” lends itself to an air of mystery—there has to be a story there. It’s the perfect setup; promising a perfect payoff when Brody finally gets to his “1975” moment of his column. It promises a story that mixes enough specificity for a setup with enough vagueness for an endless amount of places that Brody can go with the piece.
Article: Dam-Funk: ‘I’m not old school or new school. I’m timeless’ 9/3/15
Opening Line: When you first meet Dam-Funk it takes a few minutes to tune into his frequency.
One thing that stands out in this opening line is the apparent vagueness that is present. When you read the first line, the reader doesn't really have an idea of what the are about to read, besides Dam-Funk. To truly understand what the author is hinting at, you must be well aware who/ what Dam-Funk is/ does, which goes against the very basis of the article. Most of the piece speaks about how underground D-F has managed stayed for decades with the niche genre that he identifies with. Although the the opener is quite vague, it matches the content of the piece perfectly. The radio waves that D-F emits are really well illustrated in the piece. While listening to his neo funk tracks linked in the article, combined with the condescending genius demonstrated in the interview, truly gives him his own semi-decipherable frequency. Overall, it does well represent the things covered in the article, but not as effective as it could be. The topics covered range from the evolution of funk music, to the crack epidemic of the 1980’s. There are so many opportunities for a hook the the author failed to take advantage of.
Article: Why use your eventual death as an excuse to try something new? Steven W Thrasher
Opening Line: "Before each one of us dies, let’s wipe the “bucket list” from our collective vocabulary."
This opening line is effective in that the author immediately tells the reader how he feels about the word "bucket list" and thus sets up his piece letting the reader know what it's going to be about. Right off the bat the the reader is able to see that he, the author, doesn't like the word "bucket list" and the movement behind this phrase. Also through his sarcastic tone in this sentence the reader gets a sense for his voice as a writer and again reinforces the idea that he doesn't like the idea of the "bucket list". This opening line did a good job of setting up the tone and ideas of this piece.
Article Title: Wedding Anniversary Woes Opening line: "I guess it is a combination of my age – 40 – and the season just gone – summer, aka The Wedding Season – but for the past three months, my Facebook timeline has been full of a repeated, agonised cry: “Argh, Jesus Christ – it’s our tin anniversary next week."
When first reading Moran's opening line, I felt that it was very bold. I like the way that she just jumped right into her piece with a confident any humorous tone. One of the things that struck me was how casually she brought up her age. Not even bringing it up, but simply stating it. Based on prior experience, I feel that as people start to get older and approach what they consider being, "middle age," they get less inclined to share their age. While this seems like such a small thing, it really effected the way in which I interpreted her tone, causing me to read her piece with a confident, blunt, and comedic voice.
I found that this opening line really worked in terms of the fact that it hooked me and made me curious about how she would follow and how her tone may shift throughout the piece. However, I also found myself unsure of her true opinion on the matter or her emotions toward wedding anniversaries. Her sarcasm was hard to detect at first, making me unsure of her strong emotional connection to them, whether it be jealousy, mocking, appreciative, happy, etc. At the same time, this did make me want to investigate further into the piece, rather than feeling obligated to read it.
Opening Line: In recent years, I've been in some pretty hot and steamy places in the middle of summer—the Caribbean and India, for instance, or Miami, where I live—and I constantly find myself shivering.
Ramos’ opening line works very well in his opinion piece because it allows readers to relate to him and to think about what he is leading up to. When Ramos mentions the different places he has visited in the summer, some readers are able to relate to him since it is very common to travel during that time. When he says that he finds himself shivering in hot places, it makes the reader wonder how that is possible, thus leading them to continue to read the piece to find out. By saying something counterintuitive, Ramos intrigues the readers and keeps them engaged. The opening line and title of the piece also allow the reader to guess the issue that Ramos will most likely be talking about. This line is effective because it catches the reader’s attention and starts off with something interesting.
Article title: "The Russia I Miss" -- New York Times Op-Ed, September 11, 2015
Opening line: "People who came of age after the end of the Cold War may not realize how powerfully Russia influenced Western culture for 150 years."
I believe that this is a very effective statement with which to begin a piece. The general strategy Brooks uses is one of suspense. This lures readers who may conscientiously wish to broaden their horizons around this topic, or readers who are simply curious to learn more about such an avoided stance on the issue of "present day Russia". He introduces an unordinary perspective on a currently controversial topic without fully disclosing why he chooses to "play devil's advocate". This opening stands out because it connects Western culture (with which many New York Times readers identify) with Russian culture -- something to which many readers view themselves as the antithesis. (Upon thinking of Russia today, many people will conjure up images of Putin, oligarchs, and backwards societal norms. As someone who is half Russian and deeply connected to the culture, I think it is sometimes unfair to judge an entire culture based on a controversial leader. There is much about Russian culture that is not explored today, and I believe this article describes these aspects very well while using a very appropriate opening sentence that helps the reader become curios about the topic.) This alone draws readers in to see what Brooks' intentions are with this seemingly ridiculous comparison. I believe this is a great way to get readers to read more about an uncomfortable issue -- to make it relevant and personal so as to increase curiosity. The only slight disadvantage that comes with using this approach is the possibility of frustrating passionate readers with this comparison, which would only deter them from reading the entire article. Some people may be so opposed to exploring the potential similarities between the two cultures that they do not even wish to consider the possibility that Russian culture has in any way influenced Western culture.
Article: Truman was right to use the bomb on Japan Opening sentence: Should the United States apologize for the nuclear bombing of Japan at the end of World War II? This sentence hold so much meaning in such a simple clause. The dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan was a pivotal moment in US, Japanese, and world history. A simple yes or no answer to this question has to be thoroughly justified, for either answer holds much more meaning than the words themselves. The question may seem simple, but in truth it is weighted with topics such as race, death, and morality. The opening phrase itself is almost elementary by nature, despite its weighted significance. Using a question as an opening clause to draw in a reader in a strategy taught as early as third grade. How can a professional journalist get away with using such simple language? At first I thought it was too basic of an idea, but I now realize that this is the irony that I believe the Cohen was intending to use. He wants to convey the complex ideas created from a simple yes or no question.
18 comments:
Article: "Walls, Borders, a Dome and Refugees," New York Times Op-Ed, September 9th, 2015.
Opening Line: After Donald Trump proposed building a high wall all along the U.S.-Mexico border, Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, not to be out-trumped, basically said, I see your wall and raise you one, stating that it was “legitimate” to consider building a wall along the 5,525-mile U.S.-Canada border as well."
Friedman's point in this article is to express his opinion that the current migrant crisis both in the Americas and in Europe and Asia is only in its early stages. With this opening line, he manages to rope us into the article by using a drastic and ridiculous-sounding example at the very beginning. Anyone interested in political science or foreign policy would read Friedman's article even without this hook; he is trying to attract those who might not necessarily be interested in those subjects by using a little bit of humor.
I think this attempt is largely successful. Among the segment of the population that doesn't support him and his policies, Donald Trump has become a laughing stock in the past few months. Although it is a little cliche for a major media figure to go after Trump at this point, it is nonetheless a great tool to use to suck people into any piece of media.
The downfall of this method of jumping onto the Donald Trump dog-pile is that he may alienate both Trump supporters and those who are simply tired of seeing media figures spend valuable time, space, and energy criticizing the more radical candidates. His point in this piece is actually to stress how grave the refugee crisis is and how drastic any effort to solve it must be; however, one might guess from his criticisms of Trump and Walker in the opening line that the overall message will be an ultimately unrealistic, let's-all-hold-hands-and-be-friends one.
However, I do not think this problem with the article is very major. Friedman gets to the point of his essay very soon after the first line, not leaving a lot of time for a potential reader to wonder about his stance. Ultimately, I think Friedman's hook, while not unexpected or courageous for an opinion writer like him, does a very good job of creating interest in an article among people that may not necessarily be interested in foreign policy.
Article: "The Google Art Heist"
Opening Line: JUST seeing the Crayola colors painted on the tall iron fence of the 18th-century Hotel Particulier made me shiver.
This article is about the new Google Cultural Institute, which is a Google venture that is setting out to catalog and scan important works of art or architecture. The goal is to make art more accessible to the public and to preserve it forever in the cloud. Dowd sees the benefit in this but also explains the common worry that Google is devaluing the actual art and that we should be wary of Google becoming too powerful.
The opening line was effective in drawing the reader into the article. It was funny and to the point, and it created an image so seemingly ridiculous that I wanted to know more. The Google logo and colors are instantly recognizable, and Dowd was smart to play to that. In addition, the idea of the logo being associated with a beautiful, old Parisian hotel plays to the discomfort that many people feel about the Google Cultural Institute.
Dowd is good at creating an effective hook, and the only issue that I have with the opening line is that it is not necessarily representative of her opinion later on in the article. Dowd spends most of the time actually defending the Google Cultural Institute, or at least offering a balanced view. The first line, as well as the title, suggest that Dowd is strongly against the Google Cultural Institute, but in reality she is more cautiously optimistic. This difference, however, is less important that the fact that the first line hooked me into reading the rest of the article.
Article: Joe Queenan on the Joys of Being Late (not from this week - from feb 9th, 2015)
Opening Line: The chronic inability of some people to arrive anywhere on time has baffled mankind since the dawn of history.
I really like this opening sentence because being late isn't something that is often discussed in articles. This line really drew me in because it gets immediately to the point, and it is something I can relate to because I usually run on time so I'm used to people being late. It starts off the humorous tone of the article right away, and makes the reader want to find out how Queenan analyzes tardiness. For me, it was an extremely good way to begin the piece. I don't think that I can find anything specific that doesn't work, because this is exactly the type of writing I enjoy. It definitely does a good job of taking the reader aback, and is also something that many people have had some sort of experience with, whether they themselves are late or they know someone who constantly runs late.
Article: "Bernie Sanders and the Black Vote," New York Times, September 12, 2015.
Opening Line: "COLUMBIA, S.C. — Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Bernie Sanders spoke Saturday to a half-empty gymnasium at Benedict College in South Carolina. The school is historically black, but the crowd appeared to be largely white".
I honestly really like this opening statement not only does that explain what he's going to talk about but it also simple and direct. What did out to me the most was the school is historically black, the crowd appeared to be largely white. At first when I read this I took it literally but after reading the article I honestly think it means that Sanders is trying to build up his votes in the African-American but Having a hard time because they don't understand what can do for them. I do believe that this is a good way to start the piece because not only does it explain what he's going to talk about in his article but his sentence structure and the words that he uses makes the reader go in thinking about what he is said and come out with a new perspective in other words it makes you when I go deeper than surface level.
Article: "Monday Night Football top stats to know: Vikings-49ers"
"The Minnesota Vikings enter Monday’s game on a five-game losing streak on Monday Night Football, the second-longest active streak (St. Louis Rams, six games). The San Francisco 49ers have a new head coach and a roster with more turnover from 2014 to 2015 than that of any other team."
This opening line is straight forwards and informative, which is a successful form of writing in an article surrounding Sports News. It highlights a match up between two teams that are not projected to have dominant seasons. The first sentence of this article highlights the previous lack of success of the Minnesota Vikings; however, the statistic used does not provide substantial evidence of the Vikings' poor seasons. Whether a game is played on Monday, Sunday, or Thursday, does not affect the level of play of each team. While it is interesting that the Vikings have lost their last 5 Monday Night games, Monday Night games are played are only played one time per year for each team. Thus, it is equivalent to stating that the Vikings have lost 5 games in the past 5 seasons.
Recent Super Bowl contenders, there is uncertainty surrounding the Forty-Niners heading into the 2015-16 season. Paul Gutierrez does a solid job highlighting this uncertainty, stating the change in coaching staff as well as in the roster. He remains neutral surrounding the big changes in the organization even though change often foreshadows a challenging start. This neutrality is important as he does not want to "put his foot in his mouth" as he is the Forty-Niners' correspondent.
Article: Novak Djokovik, No. 1 and bulletproof, is kryptonite to Roger Federer in U.S. Open final
Opening Line: "Tennis calls Novak Djokovic the No. 1 player in the world. Roger Federer probably calls him kryptonite."
This opening line is very straightforward and causes the reader to react to the shocking events that took place at the finals. For any followers of tennis Djokovic was the underdog in this match and it was expected that Federer would sweep. By using the word "kryptonite" to describe Djokovic to Federer expresses the feeling the reader should feel when reading the line which is surprise. The opening line serves as a good transition for the remainder of the article. It is a good segway to explain the final match between the players. For the reasons mentioned above I like the first line and I think it fits well with the piece. Although it is a short sentence it fits with Dwyer's style well and brings the whole piece together.
Article: D.C. Area Forecast: Awesome Warm, Sunny Weather this Week, but it May Not Rain
Opening Line (literally): Today's Daily Digit:
10/10: Perfection, defined.
Opening Line (with more detail): "Who’s ready for five straight exceptionally nice days? High pressure staying true over the region through Friday keeps us sunny, dry, and warm. Temperatures and humidity levels do slowly creep up over the course of the work week, but never quite attain hot and muggy levels."
One thing that definitely stands out about this is that of his enthusiasm. This is a really good strategy to make something as boring as the weather even remotely interesting. Even adding in the 10/10 rating was pretty cool, too. Though subjective, it definitely spices things up. Additionally, his use of "us" stood out to me a little bit. There have been times when I read the paper and I get a snobby and condescending tone from the journalist, as if the journalist was above the rest of the public simply because he has to report something. Although Samenow has to report something, his use of "us" makes a subtle interjection that he is alongside the rest of the public. He is as excited about the DC weather as the rest of us.
Although all of these things worked and were effective, in a larger scale, none of these are effective enough. By this, I mean that individually, the tactics used to write the opening of this article were effective. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to make something as boring as the weather really exciting and something that people look forward to reading. Though this is a fairly arbitrary answer, I believe that what Samenow used was good, but not good enough (which, in this case, equates to ineffective).
Article:
What is it About Religion That Fosters Abuse?
James Nolan. August 5, 2015
Opening Line: Abuse is still rife in religion.
Opening Line Continued: Abuse is still rife in religion. Earlier this year, the Methodist Church of Britain released an "unreserved apology" for failing to protect children and adults, following a report that uncovered 1,885 alleged incidents of abuse in the Church dating back to the 1950s. Ministers and lay employees are said to have been involved in 25 percent of cases, with over half of those involving ministers being of a sexual nature. There are six ongoing police investigations.
Nolan opens with a controversial and troubling statement and then backs it up right away with proof. This works so well because he cuts straight to the point and starts convincing the reader that he is right. His statement is short and concise, he doesn't beat around the bush at all. This style of writing is effective in pieces that are controversial or will be met with counter arguments or defensive people. Religion in of itself is a touchy topic, as it is the power separating and dividing many cultures today. Nolan took a bold approach to his topic in order to touch on an even more sensitive topic: abuse. Most pieces written about abuse take a more gentle approach to the subject in order to respect abuse sufferers and people that might be offended by the language. Nolan uses strong language and has a command of the piece and unapologetically addresses abuse in regards to religion. This is so effective because it surprises the reader and draws them in. Nolan took the risk of being bold with his opening line and it was successful.
Article:
Gone off sex? Never fear, ‘pink Viagra’ is here to save womankind
Suzanne Moore. August 19, 2015
Opening Line: "The holy grail of the drugs industry has arrived. Women who mostly can’t be bothered with sex can take a pill that will make them crave it – even with their own partners"
Opening Line Continued: "Rejoice, rejoice womankind! There is now a magic drug that will make sex desirable. Again. Or for the first time. I can’t name here the already-existing drugs that have such an effect because they are illegal, and who knows what would happen if people took them?"
The title in and of itself intrigued me with its naturally controversial language, but the first time really drew me in. At first, I thought she was being serious what with the difficulty of conveying tone through writing, but when I saw the "even with their own partners" bit, I was convinced that this article wanted to expose something. I think the clarity of the sarcasm could have been improved, but in an opposing way I also enjoyed the sly humor to its current form. As I continued into the first paragraph, I noticed the humor more clearly, and the satirical nature of the piece. I think it is mildly effective in poking fun at the idea of the sex-enhancement drug industry. What could have made it better was explicit disclaimers about her opinion because I was honestly a tad confused. This opening line could possibly derail other readers like me that are not entirely clear of her tone, but I also find it provocative. Aside from the subject matter and title, the first line has a zest that draws readers in and is effective in attracting attention.
Article: Casting 'Clown Car '16, The Movie'
Matt Taibbi (9/18/15) for Rolling Stone
Line: "Start with the title: Clown Car! may sound like the movie someone will inevitably make about the 2016 presidential campaign, but how about evoking those great Seventies wacky-journey films like Death Race 2000, Vanishing Point or Smokey and the Bandit?"
Taibbi starts off his casting choices with the line above. It appropriately sets the comedic tone for the rest of the article and shows Taibbi's incredulous attitude towards the race as it stands. When he mentions "wacky-journey films" it helps the reader understand his specific feelings about the Presidential race. This helps readers that haven't seen the movies he mentions (like me) understand the references he's trying to get across. It was an effective way to begin his piece, as throughout his explanation of casting, Taibbi adopts a very sarcastic tone that is continued from his opening decision that "Clown Car!" might not get the right amount of ridiculousness across. With respect to tone and subject matter, his opening line is great. The area that it doesn't quite cover is younger or less movie-familiar readers' lack of movie knowledge. In the first line and throughout the rest of the article, he expects the reader to have a wide-ranging knowledge of movies and actors that isn't always there. However the article still makes sense and his points about the various candidates still get across to the reader, so the opening line doesn't detract from the article at all.
Article: Rosh Hashanah with Miles Davis
Richard Brody, 9/11/15, The New Yorker
Opening Line: The accidental confluence of three event-streams—the recent departure of children for college; this weekend’s celebration of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year; and the forthcoming première, at the New York Film Festival, of “Miles Ahead,” a bio-pic about Miles Davis, directed by and starring Don Cheadle—gives rise to a single flood of memories, centered on this very week in 1975.
What stands about about this opening line to me is how Brody (the author) throws in 3 seemingly random events and doesn’t immediately try to connect them. It’s very filmic in a lot of ways—several disconnected stories that will doubtlessly come together later to create a far larger synthesis. In this way, it carries a lot of tension; the reader (at least I) wants to know from the first sentence how these facets fit together.
What it also carries is emotional endowment—leaving for college (or having friends or kids leaving for college) carries emotional weight, Rosh Hashanah carries it for countless families, and so does Miles Davis, a musician known for producing arguably the best jazz album of all time. What is so intriguing about this kind of endowment is that it’s clearly so personal for the author, but it can also be that way for the audience. In, say, a Malcolm Gladwell piece, there may be a setup like Brody’s: several seemingly separate things that end up correlating in some way. However, this is far less intellectual than a Gladwell writing; it’s more intentionally subjective. While some level of reader-connection is possible in an intellectual piece of this form, Brody has set up a relationship that to which people will have all kinds of different personal reactions. Maybe readers will have their own relationships, their own “[floods] of memories” that stream from the mention of these 3 events. The piece could, in turn, falter if a reader didn’t have a relationship to any of the things that Brody mentions. This first line could turn them away instantly. In that way, this could actually be a pretty niche-based opening line.
What makes this opening sentence so effective is its specificity, especially at the end. I mentioned the specificity of the 3 events being appealing in the above paragraph, but the phrase “on this very week in 1975” lends itself to an air of mystery—there has to be a story there. It’s the perfect setup; promising a perfect payoff when Brody finally gets to his “1975” moment of his column. It promises a story that mixes enough specificity for a setup with enough vagueness for an endless amount of places that Brody can go with the piece.
Article: Dam-Funk: ‘I’m not old school or new school. I’m timeless’
9/3/15
Opening Line: When you first meet Dam-Funk it takes a few minutes to tune into his frequency.
One thing that stands out in this opening line is the apparent vagueness that is present. When you read the first line, the reader doesn't really have an idea of what the are about to read, besides Dam-Funk. To truly understand what the author is hinting at, you must be well aware who/ what Dam-Funk is/ does, which goes against the very basis of the article. Most of the piece speaks about how underground D-F has managed stayed for decades with the niche genre that he identifies with. Although the the opener is quite vague, it matches the content of the piece perfectly. The radio waves that D-F emits are really well illustrated in the piece. While listening to his neo funk tracks linked in the article, combined with the condescending genius demonstrated in the interview, truly gives him his own semi-decipherable frequency. Overall, it does well represent the things covered in the article, but not as effective as it could be. The topics covered range from the evolution of funk music, to the crack epidemic of the 1980’s. There are so many opportunities for a hook the the author failed to take advantage of.
Article: Why use your eventual death as an excuse to try something new?
Steven W Thrasher
Opening Line: "Before each one of us dies, let’s wipe the “bucket list” from our collective vocabulary."
This opening line is effective in that the author immediately tells the reader how he feels about the word "bucket list" and thus sets up his piece letting the reader know what it's going to be about. Right off the bat the the reader is able to see that he, the author, doesn't like the word "bucket list" and the movement behind this phrase. Also through his sarcastic tone in this sentence the reader gets a sense for his voice as a writer and again reinforces the idea that he doesn't like the idea of the "bucket list". This opening line did a good job of setting up the tone and ideas of this piece.
Article Title: Wedding Anniversary Woes
Opening line: "I guess it is a combination of my age – 40 – and the season just gone – summer, aka The Wedding Season – but for the past three months, my Facebook timeline has been full of a repeated, agonised cry: “Argh, Jesus Christ – it’s our tin anniversary next week."
When first reading Moran's opening line, I felt that it was very bold. I like the way that she just jumped right into her piece with a confident any humorous tone. One of the things that struck me was how casually she brought up her age. Not even bringing it up, but simply stating it. Based on prior experience, I feel that as people start to get older and approach what they consider being, "middle age," they get less inclined to share their age. While this seems like such a small thing, it really effected the way in which I interpreted her tone, causing me to read her piece with a confident, blunt, and comedic voice.
I found that this opening line really worked in terms of the fact that it hooked me and made me curious about how she would follow and how her tone may shift throughout the piece. However, I also found myself unsure of her true opinion on the matter or her emotions toward wedding anniversaries. Her sarcasm was hard to detect at first, making me unsure of her strong emotional connection to them, whether it be jealousy, mocking, appreciative, happy, etc. At the same time, this did make me want to investigate further into the piece, rather than feeling obligated to read it.
Article: Hot Outside, Cold Inside (9/8/15)
Opening Line: In recent years, I've been in some pretty hot and steamy places in the middle of summer—the Caribbean and India, for instance, or Miami, where I live—and I constantly find myself shivering.
Ramos’ opening line works very well in his opinion piece because it allows readers to relate to him and to think about what he is leading up to. When Ramos mentions the different places he has visited in the summer, some readers are able to relate to him since it is very common to travel during that time. When he says that he finds himself shivering in hot places, it makes the reader wonder how that is possible, thus leading them to continue to read the piece to find out. By saying something counterintuitive, Ramos intrigues the readers and keeps them engaged. The opening line and title of the piece also allow the reader to guess the issue that Ramos will most likely be talking about. This line is effective because it catches the reader’s attention and starts off with something interesting.
Article title: "The Russia I Miss" -- New York Times Op-Ed, September 11, 2015
Opening line: "People who came of age after the end of the Cold War may not realize how powerfully Russia influenced Western culture for 150 years."
I believe that this is a very effective statement with which to begin a piece. The general strategy Brooks uses is one of suspense. This lures readers who may conscientiously wish to broaden their horizons around this topic, or readers who are simply curious to learn more about such an avoided stance on the issue of "present day Russia". He introduces an unordinary perspective on a currently controversial topic without fully disclosing why he chooses to "play devil's advocate". This opening stands out because it connects Western culture (with which many New York Times readers identify) with Russian culture -- something to which many readers view themselves as the antithesis. (Upon thinking of Russia today, many people will conjure up images of Putin, oligarchs, and backwards societal norms. As someone who is half Russian and deeply connected to the culture, I think it is sometimes unfair to judge an entire culture based on a controversial leader. There is much about Russian culture that is not explored today, and I believe this article describes these aspects very well while using a very appropriate opening sentence that helps the reader become curios about the topic.) This alone draws readers in to see what Brooks' intentions are with this seemingly ridiculous comparison. I believe this is a great way to get readers to read more about an uncomfortable issue -- to make it relevant and personal so as to increase curiosity. The only slight disadvantage that comes with using this approach is the possibility of frustrating passionate readers with this comparison, which would only deter them from reading the entire article. Some people may be so opposed to exploring the potential similarities between the two cultures that they do not even wish to consider the possibility that Russian culture has in any way influenced Western culture.
Article: Truman was right to use the bomb on Japan
Opening sentence: Should the United States apologize for the nuclear bombing of Japan at the end of World War II?
This sentence hold so much meaning in such a simple clause. The dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan was a pivotal moment in US, Japanese, and world history. A simple yes or no answer to this question has to be thoroughly justified, for either answer holds much more meaning than the words themselves. The question may seem simple, but in truth it is weighted with topics such as race, death, and morality. The opening phrase itself is almost elementary by nature, despite its weighted significance. Using a question as an opening clause to draw in a reader in a strategy taught as early as third grade. How can a professional journalist get away with using such simple language? At first I thought it was too basic of an idea, but I now realize that this is the irony that I believe the Cohen was intending to use. He wants to convey the complex ideas created from a simple yes or no question.
Angus Strawbridge
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