http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/04/nyregion/04twins.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin
From the Sunday New York Times, this is a story about two conjoined twins, Carl and Clarence Aguirre, who went through separation surgery but still aren't doing well a few years later.
The writer begins by talking about how their separation was filmed (I myself saw it on Discovery Health) and how most people would expect them to do well after their surgery goes as well as it did. The next few paragraphs quickly segue into all of the various problems facing the twins and their mother. I like how the writer did this because it manages to get you into the meat of the story quickly, but without bashing you over the head with the bad news.
The story continues in this vein for a while, talking about financial concerns and upcoming surgeries, noting that the boys' mother is not allowed to work as she is a visitor from the Phillipines supported by charity. What's interesting is that the story doesn't usually find some silver lining at the end like you (or maybe its just me) would expect a story like this too. Of course, this family lives in the New York area and it may be that they're trying to use this story as a way of bolstering donations, so a silver lining wouldn't be extremely helpful.
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3 comments:
I agree with you about the silver lining. Probably there is some underlying motive, like donations, that is stopping the author from putting in a nice little ribbon on top. But then again, maybe it's just a really sad story and there's no justifiable reason to candy coat it.
Nice analysis!
I think it's really interesting that the writer didn't try to put a positive spin on the story. It was a very interesting article.
I agree with you about the delivery - I think the author does a good job of keep us interested.
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