I feel that Andrea Elliot omitted Dasani’s last name with good intentions of keeping her anonymous since her story is one that is hard hitting and touches on many private aspects of her life. However, it might have been useful to use a fake name to further conceal her identity since Dasani is not a common name.
Story ran too long.
I do feel that the story ran too long. Even though there were a lot of details to cover about the daily aspects of Dasani’s life, it would have improved the piece if it was shorter in length to keep it interesting for readers. Some readers may not have enough time to read all five sections of the story, even if it is extremely well written.
Times did not disclose the extent to which it was involved–months of following her every move.
I think it would have been a good idea to disclose just how long it took to get information on and to construct the piece. It would allow other writers to see the dedication that it takes to truly uncover a story and give it justice through writing. It definitely seems like Andrea Elliot took a long time of shadowing Dasani to get the full story, but we will never be able to assume just how long.
Not enough attention to the polices and politics of how homeless people are treated in New York City.
I do not feel that this was a large issue in the story since it was a profile of the personal life experiences of a single girl, Dasani. Polices and politics are great information to include to strengthen the story. However, since this was not a conflict piece based on homelessness in general, it does not affect the quality of the profile that there was not a large focus on polices and politics.
Risk of relying on a single story. Did it become a caricature of larger and more complex issues.
I don’t believe that this story creates a caricature out of larger and more complex issues. It is a story meant to be a profile of a single homeless girl and the aspects of her daily life. Elliot did make sure to include both sides of the story to avoid any biases in her story. She showed Dasani in a light that shows that Dasani is actively trying to bring herself to a better living situation by trying to do better in school and not accepting her situation.
