Telling Story of Immigrants

From UW-Madison student Tze Ruey Yeoh:

Recently, I came across the article in the NY times, “A Slippery Place in the U.S. Work Force.” offering a different perspective on the worsened economy on unemployment issues in the country. Instead of all the usual talk about Americans getting laid off and dwindling work benefits, it focuses on the impact it has on immigrants, namely Hispanics. I felt the writer followed her curiosity and found a story idea that was least obvious from the general economic issue. She looked for other possibilities that will be interesting and provide a new understanding for readers.

The story showed a complication of the dilemma that Hispanics face in deciding to stay or return back to their home country by utilizing very strong quotes from real people such as Mr. Lopez and Enrique, who are determined not to leave the country for the sake of their families’ welfare. The writer illustrates the color and impressions of her sources through their emotions when speaking out about immigration issues that are often overlooked during the times of recession. She attempts to lead readers to that feeling she had during the interviews and research. The story flowed well from recounting the history of globalization and the growing immigrant population to the challenges faced in order to survive and feed their families. The use of subheads in the article helped in the transition of the piece as it provided more organization, which is essential in a longer, narrative story. It is difficult to fully structure a story on deadline, thus, I thought the writer showed an effort of highlighting the major themes and accompanying them with supporting points. Overall, the article was successful in outlining the struggles of a major population in the country that we are often unaware of and the inherent uncertainties faced by immigrants for their future. It was a well-balanced sort of reporting between being formal yet conversational that gives this story its rich texture meant to draw readers in.