Demonstrate to me that you've read this piece and understand it thoroughly. Do this by answering the following prompts using complete sentences:
- Explain, in detail, to someone who has never read this, what it is about.
- Explain, in detail, to someone else who has a knowledge of how journalism "works," why Sheeler was effective or ineffective in his portrayal of this service.
- Explain why, in your opinion, Sheeler did or did not deserve to win the Pulitzer Prize for this piece.
Leah G.
ReplyDeleteFinal Salute is a sort of behind the scenes story of what it is like for the officers who are given the job of telling families that a loved one of theirs has died and what all the job entails. They do not choose the job, it is handed to them whether they like it or not. It’s not an easy job, either. Some treat the job as a sort of blow off; they inform the families of the death using a written script and then desert the family in their time of need. However, for those who do their job correctly, it is an emotionally taxing job that causes the officers to dig deep in their hearts, show compassion, and be a shoulder to cry on for families that they do not know. A couple of different stories about families who lost a love one and the officers who were there for them are described in the article. One particular story is about a woman who was pregnant when she lost her husband. The women was obviously distraught (you could tell by the quotes used and the style used by the writer). The Mortuary Assistance Officer who was assigned to the family was one of compassion and sympathy. He was nervous about the job that he had to do, and didn’t necessarily like it, but he knew that he had to do all he could to make the family get back onto their feet. Most of them try to put themselves in the shoes of the families, and try to do what they would want someone to do if they were in that position. In the instance concerning the pregnant woman whose “husband” died, (he was killed before they could have a real marriage) the officer was present through thick and thin, from watching over the casket at night, to making sure that the flag was folded perfectly. He even found a blow up mattress for her to sleep on when she wanted to sleep near her husband’s casket. He took care of her, and the article explains that this is what an officer should do. They believe that no marine should be left behind and that they are basically brothers. By taking care of the families of the fallen, they are doing just that.
Sheeler was effective in his portrayal of the service through his style and language. He mostly followed the fact-quote order, but in a way that flowed perfectly. You could also tell that Sheeler did his research as well as had his information verified. He had a number of sources and a number of quotes from each one. He also stayed on topic, and used flashbacks and figurative language to help convey emotion to the readers. He really created an image through his writing, which makes the story seem more real to readers. His lead was not direct, it was creative, and all of the five W’s and an H were not answered right up front. However, this is okay being that it is not a timely story necessarily and it’s not a hard news story. His lead really draws in the reader’s attention and the way the story was broken up helps to keep their attention throughout the length of the story. The way he broke up the quotes into separate lines was really effective and helped readers to better grasp the emotion that needed to be conveyed to the readers.
In my opinion, Sheeler did deserve to win the Pulitzer. His style of writing in Final Salute was very effective, and he did a wonderful job of drawing in a reader’s attention and keeping it. The reasons as to why he deserved a Pulitzer go beyond just the article that he wrote. He had some really good quotes, which means that he must have been thorough in his interviewing, and must have asked the right questions. Writing such a detailed and lengthy article must’ve taken a great deal of time and dedication. This article is an example of journalism at its best, both on paper and behind the scenes. Sheeler definitely deserved to win the Pulitzer in my opinion.
Terrence J
ReplyDelete1. To sum it all up this piece was about a man in the marines whose job is to go to the homes of the people who had lost someone in the war. The piece really explained every step to this process and how sad it really was for each party involved. First they need to go to each home and no matter how sad it may be they had to tell them about the death of one of their loved ones. They had to go to each house with more than one man. They did this because they didn’t know how they family would react so they brought along another person for protection. One time a man was so stunned by the notification he went and burned the car of the man notifying him. This all ties in with the no marine left behind rule. When ever a man has fallen in battle someone always has to be there to get him to safety dead or alive. Men who have the jobs of telling the families about the death sometimes spent long hours at the home comforting them. It’s a sad thing to be notified that someone has died so they needed someone to be there for them and that was the job of the soldiers. They also helped out and attended the funerals sometimes.
2. I believe that Sheeler was very effective in his portrayal of the service. Sheeler really went into detail about the subject. The author really explained every aspect of this service and how tough it was for the person delivering the message and receiving it. The author also had a good usage of quotes from people involved in the passage. By using the quotes the reader really got to see how they felt through out this. It also made the reader understand the characters better and made the reader feel closer to them.
3. I really feel that Sheeler was well deserving of the Pulitzer Prize. Although it was long it went into to full detail about the service. It really made me understand how this process worked and how people felt going through it. The whole time I read this I was really sad. A lot of people in the country can feel the same way considering that war right now and the fact that they might have family members in the war right now.
1.
ReplyDeleteThe article called “The Final Salute,” is about what results when a soldier dies and how it affects friends and family. It also focuses on Major Steve Beck and how he is charged with the heavy burden of informing a family about the death of a loved one. The story starts out with a pregnant woman waiting at the airport for the body of her husband who was killed in action, while the passengers of the plain watch solemnly. It then goes on to describe just how difficult it is for Major Beck, or any soldier chosen, to inform a family about a death. Major Beck goes to extraordinary lengths to help the family deal with their grief. He and other soldiers respectfully stand guard over the corpse of the pregnant woman’s husband. When the pregnant woman asked to sleep in the same room as her husband’s coffin, Major Beck and others full accommodate her, going so far as to get her an air mattress. At one point he even hosted a dinner to honor the family of the soldiers that had died in the Iraqi war. He doesn’t have to go to such lengths, and not all who are given the task of informing a family do so. There have been instances in which families were informed about the death of a love one through the mail, leaving the family to cope with the loss alone. There are even instances where there has been a complete lack of respect for the soldier that died and their family, as in the case with the mother and father that received the body of their child by forklift. One of my favorite parts of the article is when the pregnant woman presses her stomach to her husband’s coffin. I feel that she is, in a way, introducing her son for the first time, to his dead father.
2.
Sheeler was extremely effective in his portrayal of the service because his use of meaningful quotes gave strong emotion to the article. A reader feels something when he or she reads this article, and yet through it all, Sheeler remains unbiased. In his article there is also background information on the subjects of the piece, which helps give the reader an idea of what motivates those subjects. The background information also helps the reader identify with the subjects of the piece like Major Beck or the fallen soldier. Sheeler is also effective because the subjects of his article have firsthand knowledge about the effect a soldier’s death has on those around him or her.
3.
Sheeler did deserve to win a Pulitzer Prize for this piece, because it causes the reader to feel strong emotions and identify with the subjects of the piece. A reader of this article will mourn with the pregnant woman and the mother and father of the fallen soldier. They will be sympathetic to Major Beck, who has to bring the news of a death to a family. They will feel the fascination of the passengers of the plane that carried the body of the soldier home. And so, because the reader feels something, even with the journalist remaining objective, Sheeler is deserving of a Pulitzer.
Jordan C.
ReplyDeleteThe piece “A Final Farewell” is one Marine’s journey, however this journey is not one found on the battlefields at home. Mr. Beck is a Marine whose duty is to inform the families of those fallen that their loved one will not be returning home, however as soon as the families see men like Beck dressed in Marine Blues they already know what’s coming. This new way of notifying families is fairly recent, for people were unsatisfied with the impersonal telegraph or letter they received before when a loved one would not return from the war. Beck was assigned this job, a few years ago and has notified over five families that their loved ones are gone. However for men like Beck, the notification does not end with a knock on the door. Beck will stay with the families throughout the entire funeral and burial service, being their main contact person, a shoulder to cry on and a familiar face. He helps the family with the paperwork associated, takes care of the arrival process, and is their for whatever and whenever the family needs. In “A Final Farewell,” the author tells the story of two of the families Beck has been their for recently. The not yet twenty-one year old Mr. Burns is the first. Beck, along with another Military personnel were at the young Burns house to tell his family the tragic news, once they are let it, the two men explain all the information that they know. At this point Beck explains that he will be there to help throughout all the funeral preparations. Beck is then there for the family throughout the entire experience, including the arrival of their son, and even a super bowl/ late birthday party for the recently departed soldier and the men who carried him back home. Beck is also there when the family opens a box of personal possessions that he held close to him in Iraq, in the box were his wallet, which contained a Subway Card and a camouflaged Bible among many other things. After the Burns family, Beck receives another call to notify another family, this time the situation is a little different. Beck and his team arrive at the home of Jim Cathy, in marine greens, to notify his wife the Jim will not be returning. Jim’s mother and father-in-law answer the door, and begin to sob uncontrollably, crying that their daughter is pregnant with the now deceased man’s baby. When Jim’s father-in-law goes to wake up his widow Katherine, the first thing she hears is the sobs of her mother, and when she goes downstairs to see the men dressed in uniforms she joins in on the sobbing, clutching her stomach and cursing the men in front of her. Beck explains everything, and accompanies the pregnant widow, through everything, accommodating her every need including the wish to sleep beside her husband, the day before his burial, for one last time. The Marine constantly describes the closeness he feels with the families of those departed, and the forever longtime tie he feels to the fallen soldiers.
2. The author used the works of journalism to portray Becks service by appealing to the authors emotions. Tragedy is one of the emotions that journalists use to hook the reader into their story. Beck did this effectively by using the pregnant widow, and the heartbroken parents as a way to use the works of journalism to pull at the emotional heartstrings of the readers.
3. In my opinion I believe the author did deserve the Pulitzer Prize, he hooked the readers into what was going on, and allowed them to see a different view of what service in the war was like. The author also showed the tragic emotions of what each family member goes through using symbolism as well as quotes for the article.
Matthew S.
ReplyDelete1. This article is a very emotional piece of journalism. The article dealt with how the people who tell loved ones of the dead Marnie's that they will never see them ever again.Telling people that there loved ones are dead is never easy task most of the people who do this try to hold back there own tears. They also have to comfort the loved ones when they tell them the news.
The people who tell the news to the loved ones cannot leave until they tell them that there loved one is dead. And they have to stay at the home until they feel like they are done or the loved ones think it is time for them to go. Most people who tell this to the loved ones are either friends or close to the person in the military and they have to be in the military also. And the soldiers think of there fallen comrade as a brother and it is emotional for them and they will never forget there brother.
We cannot understand how it feels to tell a family this and most us never will. This emotional impact will change every ones life and you cannot just get over it most of the love ones will never forget about the loved ones ever.The article also mentioned that the soldiers are becoming less helpful or comforting towards the people and now the military are making to make sure they understand what to do when the time comes. Also one of the people who deliver the message know as Beck in the article makes a ceremony to honor the fallen comrades by presenting the medals to the loved ones.
2. The article was to me not a well placed article but it was well written. The facts and details were not placed correctly in the article.Because the article was all over the place but it had the same theme and the theme was very good. Like the article was beginning with the airplane landing and having the coffin removed from cargo bay of a plane and a pregnant women in a limousine seeing her husbands coffin.
Then the article goes to like to another Marnie who is telling a person at a house about there love one dieing serving our country. So that is why I think the article was not a well placed article.But the article was well written in the detail of depth and impact it has people feel while reading it. The content was making me feel sad but proud of the men who have to this on a regular basis and making you feel like you never will ever feel how that soldier feels.
The soldiers will remember that Marnie forever and because it is his brother and he died serving our and our freedoms. If you are not in the military you do not understand because these men have to rely on each other to protect and help them in time of war.So the article wasn't the best placed but it was emotional and wish we had more articles like this. And I believe the content and what it means to most people will make you feel and make you think how could they do that day in and day out.
3. Sheeler deserved the Pulitzer prize it was well written and it was so emotional more than any other article I have ever read. It wasn't something that was thrown together to get attention it was a article that people will look at and say wow.We don't see many articles in our lifetime like this and we should appreciate such an article because we might never get an article again. But the problem again is how he laid out the article it was to all over the place for me.
Not many journalists will make such a emotional article and the ones that do don't usually ever do it right. This article defiantly was well written but the problem with it I did not see the other entries in the prize and without seeing them I cannot say that this article deserved to win but it probably does though.You might criticize what I think but its opinion and if you want to read the article and tell me that it is not well made and its not emotional its your opinion and your aloud to have it. This article in my mind is the really deserved the Pulitzer prize.