Mr. Rogers, "its for the kids"

After reading a sad, yet inspiring story about the ten members of the Oklahoma State Basketball team who died ten years ago in a plane crash, this story titled "Can You Say...Hero" by Tom Junod brought more of a smile while I read over the article.

When reading Junod's article, at first I had to take a step back and look at the structure, then I realized exactly what he was doing. The way he sets up his article is be relaying stories, personal stories of Fred Rogers and his interactions with other people, most of the time with children. He conveys and tells these stories as if he were telling them to a child by always beginning them with, "once upon a time." He retells a lot of stories of Rogers' past, ultimately showing us who this man that we call "Mr. Rogers from his TV show, truly is. When reading these captivating stories, you can't help but think, wow Mr. Rogers is actually a pretty cool guy. I personally would describe him as a "man for others." Look at that Jesuit slogan that I plugged into my blog post. Score!! After telling a few stories here and there, Junod also puts in his own piece and personal experience of when he first met and interacted with Mr. Rogers. In Journalism, I always felt that the best way to get your audience into a piece is show and relate to them by using personal experiences in their stories. Thats what I enjoyed most about Junod's piece. He incorporates these heart felt stories, whether its the simple story about the bunny, or the story about the kid with cerebral palsy whom he asks to pray for him. All these stories have formed Rogers in some way or shape and they help the audience understand him that much more.

As for Junod's personal piece in the story, I don't really have a problem with it, in fact I think it helps us see a connection between the writer and the subject (Mr. Rogers). It adds yet another personal account that again, relays Junod's overall meaning of the story.

here is something funny, a Mister Rogers prank call http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26hGQF8wkvI

-Sink

this was written for my #jrm322 feature writing course