The readings this week helped show me just how much work goes into finding a character. As Kim Cross mentions in her article on the art of the narrative interview, it is just as important to watch as it is to listen. When asking questions, it is not just about figuring out what happened, but also how it felt and what it meant to the person you are interviewing. I took this advice to heart given the fact that I will be writing a profile in the coming days. The information provided on narrative interviewing across the readings made it clear that strong stories are crafted from the emotional truth a person is able to provide. Cross breaks this down even further when she mentions that stories like these rely on a central conflict or tension that helps shape the arc of the story.
This advice became much easier to follow when I read Peter Hessler’s “What the Garbage Man Knows.” Suddenly the lessons outlined in the other readings came to life. Hessler’s narrative centers around just one trash collector, whose daily routine helps the author explore themes such as community, class, and even women’s rights. The garbage collector, Sayyid, is illiterate, but through Hessler’s storytelling readers are able to see just how important he is in his community. Sayyid’s observations become the central focus of the piece, and his life’s story becomes more than just experiences.
What made Hessler’s approach so interesting to me was the restraint and poise he used in his writing. When writing about a person or subject one doesn’t know much about, it’s easy to inject one’s own beliefs. Hessler, however, never romanticizes Sayyid’s life, nor does he craft a narrative that forces the audience to pity him. Hessler simply lets Sayyid’s experiences, truth, and stories shape the article he is writing. It is only through this format that readers are able to look through Sayyid’s eyes and see the complexities of life in Cairo. Hessler is also careful to never impose any meaning onto what he is finding out. Instead, Hessler lets Sayyid speak through his actions throughout the piece.
Similarly, Deborah Amos’s “Dancing for Their Lives” helps echo Hessler’s story in that both journalists utilize empathy and integrity to uncover humanity in places that are less accessible to the general public. Amos writes about young Iraqis who continue to dance amid tension in the region. Amos, however, refuses to make the subjects of her story symbols of something they are not. Amos makes sure to instead authentically portray the stories of those in front of her and lets readers come to their own conclusions. Her story comes to life because of her use of sensory and descriptive details. Readers are essentially transported into the nightclub she is referring to. Additionally, by using a setting (both a building and a country), Amos was able to express ideas and emotions that dialogue alone would not be able to.
Collectively, both pieces helped me understand much more about what it takes to write a compelling narrative piece that speaks to readers. By writing on the daily lives of individuals, the journalists were able to inform and interest readers at the same time.
