Assignment 1
The New York Times article “U.N. Food Agency Issues Warning on China Drought” is about the consequences of the drought now threatening the wheat crop in China. The writer of the article effectively places its crystallizing quote in the third paragraph.
The quote reads:
“China’s grain situation is critical to the rest of the world — if they are forced to go out on the market to procure adequate supplies for their population, it could send huge shock waves through the world’s grain markets,” said Robert S. Zeigler, the director general of the International Rice Research Institute in Los Baños, in the Philippines.”
The quote is not only clear and representative of the story, but it also answers the “so what?” question. Readers wants to know how this situation affects them and if they should keep reading. The quote provides context for the news story and also highlights the gravity of the situation.
On the contrary, The New York Times article “Schools Facing Cuts if Lunches Aren’t Paid For” does not place its crystallizing quote as effectively as it could.
The article is about the problem New York City schools have in getting parents to pay for their children’s school lunch. It states that since 2004 the city has accumulated $42 million in unpaid lunch. The Department of Education told principals to collect the money or risk having it reduced from their school budgets.
The article has some good quotes at the top, but they are not as effective as the crystallized quote, which reads:
“The school has become the collection agency, and that’s not their business,” said Randi Herman, the first vice president of the city’s principals’ union.
This quote is not introduced until the fourteenth paragraph. If I could rearrange the article, I would place this quote after the nut graph, which is the fifth paragraph of the story. The quote summarizes the problem nicely and shows the reader the existing tension between the schools and parents. It captures the essence of the piece and puts the situation in perspective. It shows the frustration that principals feel at attempting to collect lunch money from parents.
The quote reads:
“China’s grain situation is critical to the rest of the world — if they are forced to go out on the market to procure adequate supplies for their population, it could send huge shock waves through the world’s grain markets,” said Robert S. Zeigler, the director general of the International Rice Research Institute in Los Baños, in the Philippines.”
The quote is not only clear and representative of the story, but it also answers the “so what?” question. Readers wants to know how this situation affects them and if they should keep reading. The quote provides context for the news story and also highlights the gravity of the situation.
On the contrary, The New York Times article “Schools Facing Cuts if Lunches Aren’t Paid For” does not place its crystallizing quote as effectively as it could.
The article is about the problem New York City schools have in getting parents to pay for their children’s school lunch. It states that since 2004 the city has accumulated $42 million in unpaid lunch. The Department of Education told principals to collect the money or risk having it reduced from their school budgets.
The article has some good quotes at the top, but they are not as effective as the crystallized quote, which reads:
“The school has become the collection agency, and that’s not their business,” said Randi Herman, the first vice president of the city’s principals’ union.
This quote is not introduced until the fourteenth paragraph. If I could rearrange the article, I would place this quote after the nut graph, which is the fifth paragraph of the story. The quote summarizes the problem nicely and shows the reader the existing tension between the schools and parents. It captures the essence of the piece and puts the situation in perspective. It shows the frustration that principals feel at attempting to collect lunch money from parents.
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