Feature Writing

1. What is the difference between a hard news lead (lede) and the one you read above?

The lead in hard news brings the five "w's" all in one paragraph. This lead has a series of paragraphs, each containing certain pieces of the five "w's".

2. What paragraph(s) did you learn the following information?
a. Who

Paragraph 2

b. What

Paragraph 3
Paragraph 5

c. Where

Paragraph 2

d. When

Paragraph 8

e. Why

Paragraph 14

f. How

Paragraph 29

3. Are there quotes in this story?

Yes.
4. Are those quotes arranged in the "quote-transiton" style we used in news writing?

Yes.
5. Who is quoted in the story?

Ted Williams, Kevin McLoughlin, Doral Chenoweth III, Ken Andrews, Tony Florentino, Shane Cormier. 

6. What quote is the most powerful in the story, in your opinion?

Ted Williams, of course. The main feature story is him, so all the other quoted people talk about tracking down Williams and explaining the money and benefits Williams could have if someone hires him for his voice.

7. How many paragraphs is the story?

32 paragraphs.

8. How many words is the story (hint: you can copy and paste into Word and get a word count)?

765 words.

9. What is significant about the lead (lede) and the final paragraph of the story?

The lead in the beginning explains of the good-sounding voice of a homeless Ted Williams, and the final paragraph says directly, "That voice could be his". This gives off the main idea that Ted Williams has an opportunity to actually get a high-paying job again.

10. Why do you think the writer did that with the lead (lede) and final paragraph?

The first paragraph of the lead and the last paragraph emphasizes and strengthens the main themes of the story, Williams going from rags to riches. Parallelism is known to show strength because it sounds powerful instead of the common sentence that summarizes the story.

11. Was the story interesting to read?

Yes.

12. When you finished the story, but BEFORE you watched the video, did you want to hear the voice?

Yes, I thought his voice was going to be lower because it said he had a baritone voice, but I overestimated the deepness of his voice. Still content though.

13. Multimedia approaches are powerful tools, what impact did the video have when watched directly after reading the story?

I realize at the end of the video, he sounded so unsure about how life would play out, and was desperate for a job. This wasn't shown in the writing, so multimedia really puts the emotions in words. 

14. Would the story have lost its impact without the video?

Yes. William's story is all about his golden voice. Without the video, it would be hard to express his "golden voice",  the main reason for why his story is being told. I imagine it's hard to perceive something never heard before, so the video really puts impact.

15. Did the writer try to come up with a way for you to hear the voice, i.e. did he try to describe the voice or give you a way to "hear" the voice without really hearing it?

Yes, he described it as the "golden voice", Williams' sign says he has a "God-given gift of voice". Paragraph 2 tells that Williams' voice is baritone. He also repeatedly writes "That voice..." followed by the transition content, making the voice sound mysterious, amazing, and/or interesting.

16. How did the writer do that?

Parallelism, description of physical objects, and description using imagery.