Radio (Voice)

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.