Loved It!

Today's article "South African Children Push For Better Schools" by Celia Dugger was a great read. In the first two sentences Dugger paints a picture that captures the reader's interest. The rest of the article uses just a few key words to give the reader enough information to imagine the events as if they were there while they were occurring. The events of the article all take place in South Africa, a country so far away to most of the readers of The New York Times that Dugger's ability to leave the readers feeling connected to the events is truly a feat.

Dugger not only tells us what is occurring at the moment (children protesting in South Africa), but she also gives us just enough background information for the reader to contextualize what is occurring without boring us with a history lesson. She briefly mentions what happened in the last 15 years since white supremacy rule ended in South Africa. Touching upon the failure of the African National Congress to fix the problems with education and the last time schoolchildren were involved in a march.

Throughout the article Dugger includes details that help the readers visualize the events in South Africa. Such as describing Mr. Achmat's "white straw hat bobbing in a sea of plaids and ginghams." In addition to giving colorful detail Dugger also gives background information on a couple of the marchers. This short and simple background information helps show how relatable the marchers are and gives the reader a stronger sense of connection with what is occurring.

With just a few colorful words, a little bit of history, and a a few short background sentences Dugger has created a beautiful and relatable article. It's no wonder it was featured on the front page of the New York Times!