The American Life
487:Harper High School, Part One
Blog Response
After
listening to this episode from The American Life, I was able to develop a much
better understanding of what it would be like to live in an area with such gun
violence. Harper High School in Chicago has experienced, in the pas year alone,
the shootings of 29 individuals, 8 of which had died. As murders and shootings
have risen, principal Leonetta Sanders as well as her staff have tried
everything in their ability to protect their students from getting involved or
harmed in such activities. While they take any precautions they can, stopping
everything as a whole is nearly impossible.
Throughout
the radio episode there are a number of techniques used to make the story telling
more effective. Using direct recordings
of teachers interacting with students reinforces the staff’s intentions of
reprimanding with love and the caring relationships that they share with one
another. At certain parts you are clearly able to hear the emotional strain
this has had on students, parents and teachers as they express themselves. You
can’t help but find yourself getting caught up in the impact that the direct
voice recordings of those that attend Harper have. With the combination of
those and the narrator further explaining the story, I found myself intrigued
and eager to hear the rest.
Not only does the danger of it all
create problems but the emotional toll it takes on students and faculty has
become extremely difficult to cope with. Radio episodes like this are extremely
important when it comes to making people aware of such circumstances around the
world.
