What techniques does Amy Fox use in narrating this conflict story?

Amy Fox relies a lot on emotion and personal history to narrate her story. She uses a technique which is true to the narrative aspect of storytelling, but rarely allowed in journalism. That technique involves using oneself or “I” continuously throughout the story. In Fox’s case, she is implanting the best method in reflecting on her family’s potent struggle, because it is not just apart of New York’s history, but her family history as well.

Who are her sources?

Amy Fox’s living sources include: her mother(whose memory is limited on the subject), and Dr. Lee Lorch. Other people referenced include: Fox’s grandparents, the Hendrixes and Fredrick Ecker.

What kind of research did she do?

She interview her mother, and Dr. Lee Lorch, as well as do a fair share of research in the New York Public Library.

What is the arc of this conflict story and where is the nut graf?

The arc of the story is the racial discrimination that black tenant applicants felt when applying to live in Stuyvesant town post WWII and for several decades later. Many people that are currently living in Stuyvesant town are unaware of its troubled past and all the brave tenants such as the Foxs who stood up for the rights of others.

The nut graf is located in the second paragraph:

“It was hard to imagine my respectable grandma, Diana Miller, her waist-length hair piled on top of her head, or my grandpa, Leo, with his dignified vests, barricading themselves in those same buildings to avoid being put out on the street. But that is what happened in the winter of 1952, when my grandparents were among those white tenants who stood at the forefront of the battle to integrate the housing complex where they lived.”

1.) What techniques does Amy Fox use in narrating this conflict story?

Using memorable stories and descriptive techniques, that elicit emotional sentiments.  For example, in paragraph five, Fox provided the story of her grandparents applying for housing for WW2 veterans.  This proves to be a great descriptive example giving insight into how many applied, the price of the rooms, the policy requirements behind applying for a room

2.) Who are her sources?

Fox’s sources include stories of her grandparents told via her mother, the new York Public Library, Stuyvesant Town Tenants Committee, Leo Stevens, Dr. Lee Lorch

3) What kind  of research did she do?

Library research, collecting and organizing stories, in-person interviews with those affiliated with Stuyvesant Tenants Committee

4) What is the arc of the story and where is the nutgraf?

The arc of the story is showing the racist and discriminatory treatments of blacks that existed in the 1950s in the face of Stuyvesant housing for WW2 veterans and the efforts of many to integrate “blacks” and “whites” in the housing community. The nutgraf seems quite clear in in the fifth paragraph.

The article titled “Battle in Black and White” discusses Amy Fox’s grandparents fight for racial equality in World War II veteran housing in Manhattan. The nutgraph, which begins with “It was hard to imagine…,” addresses the arc of the story and places the issue in context: the efforts of activists fighting for racial equality in housing. In writing this conflict story, Fox incorporated herself into the article: an efficient tactic as it added an emotional component to the story.  In addition to interviewing people, such as Stuyvesant residents, she did a significant amount of library research and referred to magazines, such as Esquire, to conduct her research. To compile information, she consulted a variety of sources, including her grandparents’ story and information from the chairman of Metropolitan Life Insurance and Stuyvesant residents. I particularly appreciate Fox’s use of specific details, such as the $3,000 cost of a 2-bedroom apartment, as this provides more concrete material for the reader to confide in.

This article is a good example of a conflict story. Writer Amy Fox connects a conflict of the past to be present today in the same neighborhood. Conflict stories need both sides to the issue and this is difficult to do if it’s an issue from the 1950s. Fox succeeds in capturing voices from both platforms.

She uses the stories her mother gave her about her grandparents’ involvement in civil rights issues. The direct quotes she uses comes from old pamphlets her grandfather wrote in. She quotes public statements of the chairman of MetLife Insurance as well as other writings from the 1960s about the area and how black people had felt about the discrimination by MetLife. Fox dug up old surveys completed by residents about the “MetLife exclusionary policy,” and researched a lot about each committee member. With that research she was able to get in touch with Dr. Lee Lorch who, at his old age, could tell Fox about his experience at the time she was writing this article. The source of Lorch is particularly significant because he is a primary source that was there all those years ago.

Fox tries to get commentary from the Stuyvesant Town property spokesman and then she quotes a 30-year African American resident that has seen the more recent dwellings of Stuyvesant Town. He said that the number of “average, everyday African-Americans” are “static” and that excludes “celebrities, black immigrants and foreigners.” This quote connects the 1950s to modern day. Although the law has changed, integration did not sky rocket. She concludes the current residents’ section with how most residents didn’t know about the “complex’s troubled racial history.”

The arc of her story is that the racial tension is not dead all these years later. I think the nut graf is paragraph four that starts with “My grandfather had photographed the same plaque 50 years earlier…” It connects the two time periods and the arc of the story.

“Hard Times Along Gasoline Alley” depicts the world of gas pumping in a way that most drivers, and perhaps pedestrians, don’t see it. Of course, we know that these assistants offer their services in exchange for cash. What many don’t know is that this job may be their only means for survival and that, aside from standing by the station, it’s a challenging and in some ways demeaning job.

James Angelos introduces the subjects through a lead that’s not only entertaining and dramatic but also somewhat vague. Although the illustration slowly reveals itself, the ambiguity of it is what attracts readers. He intermingles money throughout the entire article by showing specific situations and describing their tips as a general aspect of the job.

The first subjects,  ‘hustlers’, as Angelos calls them, are rarely employed by the gas stations. Most of them simply stand by the pumps and offer their help. Sometimes they get tickets, sometimes they get kicked out, and sometimes station attendants are so accustomed to their presence that they just let them do their work. And, rather than outwardly stating that the gas pumpers had difficulties, Angelos let them speak for themselves. DMX, one of the gas pumpers mentioned, said “I’m going to get every car that gets in here. I got to eat.” Angelos continues by mentioning that it is a cutthroat business with gas pumpers constantly fighting with one another over customers. They put on smiles and happy faces for their customers, douse them in compliments, and hope for a few dollars. Once their customers have driven off, they put up that tough exterior once more to intimidate each other.

Following up on the gas pumpers, Angelos digs into the world of road-side assistants and repairmen who help drivers install recently purchased parts for their cars and fix exterior problems on a dime. Some, like Mr. Joseph, make enough money to support themselves and enjoy their job, others still struggle.

But even with their difficulties  obtaining fast money, many maintain a positive attitude. Angelos emphasizes this by quoting Green, “If you do good, you shall prosper.” And with these hard times along gasoline alley, that’s all they could hope for.

How does the writer document hard times?

The writer documents hard times through the lives of multiple people working the gasoline lines and Brooklyn avenues fixing broken down cars. He organizes his article by station or storefront such as Hess, AutoZone and Mobil. With each of these places he introduces different characters that each have a different backstory and opinion of how times are hard. For some, working like this is part-time and for others it’s full-time. The writer even gets the perspective of the official employees of the franchises.
How and where does the writer bring money into his story?

Specific values are brought up when discussing how much these freelancers make in a day’s work. When prices are mentioned, they precede a quote. The writer doesn’t include information from the franchise about the financial hurt (or benefit) of these unemployed workers.
Do you think the lead is effective? If so, why?

The first graf is effective in that the writer withholds who “they” are and only describes their location and what they do. He describes their work as hustling. In this context, hustle has a negative tone, but as the article goes on and the characters are introduced, readers gain a new understanding. Some of these hustlers are truly struggling and need money for vital necessities. The next few paragraphs set up the location more specifically and uses narrative and dialogue to set the scene between a worker and a customer. The last paragraph before The Hess Station section plays as a nut graf. As the neighborhood gets poorer, the number of “self-styled entrepreneurs” increases. Finding legal work is difficult in these neighborhoods and the writer tells their stories.

How does the writer document hard times?

The writer shares several stories of “entrepreneurs”, but not the typical ones, we are used to seeing on Shark Tank. These hard working entrepreneurs do everything they can from filling people’s gas tanks, to repairing their brakes on the side of the road, for only a quarter the price a store mechanic would charge. They are not the usual workers, but they are far from lazy, and even further from giving up. Green, for example has been opening doors for people at a Mobil gas station for 5 years. All he wants is to cover rent and eat.

How and where does the writer bring money into his story?

The writer brings money into the story, to depict how little some of these men earn.” An hour workday can land a gas pumper about $50, and for the more energetic ones, maybe more.” Earning $50 a day for most is unacceptable but for these men it’s enough to cover their necessities and that is enough for them. They live fairly simple lives, and all they desire is a roof under their heads, and some food in their bellies.  They have come to terms with their situations and continue to “hustle.”  The author later gives examples of rent costs. For example Mr Joseph, a street mechanic, “usually earns $150 a day, which helps him pay the $950 monthly rent for his one-bedroom apartment.”

Do you think the lead is effective? If so, why?

The lead is definitely effective in captivating the reader’s attention, without giving too much away. This particular lead gives very few details, on the identities of the characters, but simultaneously by referring to them as “urban foragers,” the author provides us with a basic idea of their lifestyle. That is enough to make the reader want more.

1. How does the writer document hard times?
   The writer of this article, James Angelos, documents hard times by giving specific examples and scenarios which the subjects are faced with in their daily lives. He also uses a lot of descriptive language and dialogue. He quotes subjects when they say things such as “…I got to eat” and “If they get in my way, I’m going to cut somebody,” which shows the competitive nature of “hustling” and  the lengths at which people in this business go to earn their living.Angelos also mentions drug problems that some of these men battle as well as their living conditions which include “$10 a night rooms” and another man who works at AutoZone who sleeps in a makeshift cot in his garage.
2. How and where does the writer bring money into his story?
   The writer brings money into this story on a few occasions to highlight exactly how profitable the “hustling” is for these people who do it. In one of the grafs in the story, Angelos writes that an eight-hour workday can earn gas pumpers about $50, and “more if you’re energetic.” The man who works at AutoZone fixing auto problems makes $150 a day, which helps him to pay his monthly rent on his apartment. These dollar amounts that Angelos mentions in his article display how much money these men make daily, but also show a contrast in amounts of money made depending on the particular job being done.
3. Do you think the lead is effective? If so, why?
   I think that the lead is extremely effective in its employment of descriptive language and almost “poetic” nature without being too long-winded. Angelos describes the men along Atlantic Avenue as “urban foragers” which evokes the image of these city dwellers who are not only earning their keep, but are on a daily hunt for their money. The lead is also very short, but readers are able to glean what the article is about from the two lines that comprise it.

How does the writer document hard times?
The writer documents hard types by including quotes from characters who suggest they will do all it takes to make ends meet. By utilizing meaningful quotes, such as “Where’s my tip?,” the author illustrates what is important to people during this time. Since they are concerned with earning tips and finding any work they can get, the characters’ dialogue and lifestyles suggest times are hard. The author describes their lifestyles by including various descriptive details: “At three stops along the way, they can be seen making a living, or at least a few extra dollars” and one person “sometimes sleeps on the A train.”

How and where does the writer bring money into his story?
The writer brings money into the story by discussing a variety of factors: the workers’ salaries, how much they pay for rent, and how much they spend on cars, etc. He provides perspective on salaries by suggesting “an eight-hour workday can land a gas pumper about $50, and for the more energetic ones, maybe more,” for example. He also describes how one man had spent $200 on his truck: a vehicle that would serve useful when “picking up mattresses left on the street and delivering them to a refurbishing business that would pay him $15 for each one.” When discussing money, the writer frequently contextualizes salaries and costs, comparing prices to what services at other venues, like garages, would cost, and how one worker “earns about $150 a day, which helps him pay the $950 monthly rent for his one-bedroom apartment nearby.”

Do you think the lead is effective?
If so, why? I think the lead is effective because it provides a general sense of what the article is about without giving away too many details. Although the reader knows the article will focus on someone who works hard and pumps gas, it is not disclosed who exactly these people are nor what the other “hustle[s] along the strip are”; these mysteries inspire me to keep reading. The lead is effective in catching my attention and raising questions in my mind without revealing too many details.