Feature Writing - Essay Example

? FEATURE WRITING Feature narrations are unique well-described, thoughtful, original, articles that are well researched hence they explore an event, place, idea or people in depth. Journalism has embraced to great deal the art of feature writing, such narrations are common features in magazines, blogs, newsletters, newspapers, television and radio broadcasts among other forms of the popular press. The focus of a feature article is the analysis of a subject at length from the body of information available. Therefore, breaking news cannot feature in such articles. Feature articles should be informative hence capable of arousing human interest, also the writer is not allowed to express their views on the topic. The feature by Emily Yoffe on her experience in a nudists’ camp is a captivating, descriptive, reflective and a colourful article that utilises a myriad of stylistic devices. The introduction sets the stage for the narration by giving a clear background of the content of the article (Armada 2013). A powerful analysis by the author at the beginning of the article clearly makes the reader to get aroused to reading the entire article (Pape and Featherstone 2006, p 1). She presents the entire situation briefly using very concise sentences and very clear articulation. She gives details of she came to learn about the Hidden Bush camp through a member of the camp called Dick. This helps the readers to connect with the situation and understand the reason why the author get to be exposed to such an experience. The introduction has been added more value with good sentence construction, use of vocabularies and stylistic devices. While talking with Dick she refers her talk as “chitchat” to demonstrate that her attention was fully lost when she saw her nudity in Dick’s sunglasses. Symbolism has been used in the narration to depict the situation of nudism. Yoffe opens the article invoking the thought of the reader by colouring it with many symbols. The use of the word “Hidden Bush” to refer to the nude camp has a deeper meaning. The name is very descriptive. This place is not only a hidden place but it seems to be in the wild, the place itself is wild, meaning human habitation is limited. Another symbol is the name of the person who the author talk to,“Dick”. In its real terms, dick is a word that expresses a lot of nudity since it is a synonym to penis, male genitalia. The use of the name also expresses the disregard for shame that comes from nudity, the fact the author mentions it publicly to her readers demonstrates that it is viewed as a normal thing to strip before everyone else in the camp. The reflection of her nudity in Dick’s sunglasses is also symbolic of the situation at Hidden bush (Yoffe 2010, p 1 ). All these symbols add extra meaning to the passage hence making it readable and interesting. The author’s reflections are amazing. She tells of an event that took place some times back as if it had happened the day before. She precisely remembers what happened at every particular moment without fails. While at the cafe for dinner she remembers the debate, she had with herself concerning whether to use the napkin to cover her nudity or not, to her amusement nobody seemed to care about eating while nude. Such reflections promote the understanding of the story, helping the reader to focus and relate with the personal experience that is narrated by the author (Strunk and White 2000). Such reflective thoughts prompt her to get deeper into imaginations. At some point, she is imagining if Isaac Newton were a member of Hidden Bush, “he would not have needed a falling apple to help him arrive at the theory of gravity".(Yoffe 2010, p 3 ). This comical and imaginary statement expresses the deep understanding and the keen interest the author had concerning the whole aspect of nudity. The article is very descriptive in all manners, through words and the picture. The graphic representation of the occurrence in the first page of the article demonstrates the view an inexperienced stripper will have in such a camp, the rest do not feel intimidated (Yoffe 2010, p 3). This explains why she was initially adamant to the idea of having a vacation in a nudity camp as suggested by one of her colleagues. Again, both young and old all feel comfortable walking naked and seem proud about it. Just as the author puts it in her descriptive collection, the nudists are very friendly and very united. The author is represented in the cartoon as a shy woman who seems disgusted and ashamed of nudity. These descriptions make the feature interesting and colourful. The author presents first hand information but makes a greater effort to consult further to get to elaborate her point intelligently (University of Winchester 2013). Apart from the experiences the author went through, the information is not limited to that. She notes that she had conducted a research on nudity. Firstly, in the American Association for Nude recreation website, she gathered very important information that was able to direct her to Hidden Bush (Yoffe 2010, p 1 ).. She further, gathered more information from some more nudist websites. All this information provides a platform in which she is able to base her personal arguments on her experience. The recap of the information about the history of nudity is a clear revelation that she had well researched on the topic. She cites the Romans as some of the people with a history of nudity and she is able to present the controversies behind nudity (Yoffe 2010, p 2 ).. The wider consultations exhibited provides the reader with additional information hence the feature meets its desirable use. The paragraphs in the article are very well arranged with the author very keen on placing different ideas in different paragraphs (Armada 2013). From the beginning of the narration, the background information is well-framed and explicit superb articulation and brevity. The length of the paragraphs is very reasonable. Hence, the reader is able to capture each point at a time without having to read so much content. She has also intentionally used very small paragraphs in some instances to make it clear the point she is trying to raise. She explains the ability of nudists to have an easy time in airports while having a full body scan in a paragraph of its own. This assists us get to point without so many words, that nudism has its own benefits despite the varied opinions about it. The author has not been effective on adopting proper citation (Hennessy 2003). While she tells us some of the source of her information, she fails to mention other major citations made. She is very swift to mention the history of nudism without giving a clear reference to the source of the information (Yoffe 2010, p 2 ).. This limitation gives the article a lesser scientific backing since the authentication of the ‘information is an issue of concern. However, the references made to the American Association for Nude recreation website clearly demonstrates that the author was focussed on retrieving information from other sources. This enhances the informational base and helps the reader gain some insight from the article (Wheeler 2009). Several references could have made the article more interesting and more insightful. The article can be classified as a human-interest feature based on a personal experience. Yoffe articulates her story systematically from the begging to the end paying a keen interest to every detail that was involved in the experience. This arouses the human desire to continue reading and get the whole picture depicted by the author. The fact that nudism is not a common feature creates some suspense by the reader to desire to know what exactly happens at Hidden Bush. The author descriptively quenches this desire by analysing the situation in a stepwise manner regarding every slight experience, from the time she enters the camp she keeps the reader quite informed and helps paint a clear picture of the situation at the camp. In addition, the feature carries some historical basis that the writer does capture for bus about the history of nudity. This is a very important aspect that helps us understand the topic (Harris and Graham 1992, p 2). Yoffe has presented her experience in a very colourful, concise, thoughtful and a well-researched manner. The article clearly demonstrates much about nudity and the experience is one that leaves the readers imagining. The mental picture she draws to her audience captivates the narration. On the other hand, her language use is impressive, her thoughts are well arranged in paragraphs as well as effective use of stylistic devices. References Armada, 2013. Introduction to Feature Writing. Retrieved on 1/11/2013 from http://www.armada.co.uk/feature-writing-training-course/index.htm Harris, K & Graham, S 1992. Helping Young Writers Master the Craft: Strategy Instruction and Self-Regulation in the Writing Process. Cambridge, MA: Brookline Books. Hennessy, B. 2003. Writing Feature Articles, London: Focal Press. Pape, S & Featherstone, S 2006. Feature Writing: A Practical Introduction. London:Sage Publications. Retrieved on 1/11/2013 from http://books.google.co.ke/books?id=gnC5viIHPF0C&pg=PA52&lpg=PA52&dq=Feature-writing+style&source=bl&ots=F20AOweKeH&sig=PpOsOruRDSR-4QsUGYVwNqkkAOM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=iWxzUrbzA6Wc0QWfiICQBg&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Feature-writing%20style&f=false Strunk, W and White, E B 2000. The Elements of Style (4th Edition). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. University of Winchester,2013. Practical Magazine Feature Writing/Documentary Forms. Retrieved on 1/11/2013 from http://journalism.winchester.ac.uk/?page=299 Wheeler, S 2009. Feature Writing for Journalists. London: Routledge. Yoffe, E Sept. 2010. My Vacation at a Nudist Camp. Slate. Retrieved on 1/11/2013 from http://www.slate.com/articles/life/human_guinea_pig/2010/09/barenaked_lady.html Read More