Eastern Orthodox Easter celebration getting under way

This article is filled with interesting information, but this story was very poorly written. Let’s start at the beginning. We find out that holiday observances are taking place—at church, nonetheless. What’s the difference between this situation and every other Sunday of the week? There is none. Author Lynda Zimmer mentions a Julian calendar, which means nothing to me, and most likely nothing to the rest of her audience either.

Moving on, Zimmer mentions plates of vegetarian foods and an assortment of meats. If there are meat plates, then it really does not matter that there are non-meat plates, since the meal is not really vegetarian. She also makes a point to describe the scene above, along with colored eggs, and says that it looks likes an Eastern Orthodox Easter. However, this scene is absolutely no different that Easter celebrated by western Christians. The one helpful point in this paragraph is that it tells readers that different calendars are used to determine Easter for Eastern Orthodox and Christians.

Zimmer uses a pastor of an Orthodox church as a source, which is finally something she’s done right. But she awkwardly follows that quote with the address of another church. Shortly after, she’s giving the address of the church she mentioned for the quoted pastor. It’s good to include location if people are looking to celebrate Easter this weekend, but it would have been more suitable if the addresses were placed at the bottom of the article.

She follows up the awkwardness with another tradition—fasting—and how it differs from other religions. She uses a quote from a parishioner, which would be helpful if the source actually answered her question. Instead, she tells us what we can already assume—fasting is not fun.
At this point the story completely falls apart. We have a quote from Nancy smith (mentioned above) then we learn that Smith was the first to organize her church. Immediately after this sentence, Zimmer switches over to tell readers that Easter eggs will be passed out at the service. The eggs should be mentioned much higher in the article, along with other traditions, or the above traditions should be lowered to match this paragraph. Zimmer should not have mentioned Smith unless she planned on going in-depth as to what Smith did to get the church started (which would be another story, and thus more appropriate in another article). And since we only have one useful source, it would be better to include more sources, such as church members who answer the questions asked.

Eventually Zimmer gets back on track and describes a typical Eastern Orthodox service. It’s a little choppy, but it does tell the readers what happens. We finally get to the much anticipated ending, and even that didn’t go so well. She ends with a Greek work and its meaning, and the fact that they celebrate by having a party and eating food. I could do without the Greek word, since it looks like it was thrown in at the last minute. Also, what’s so important about eating? Nothing. Everyone eats after a religious celebration, which makes this aspect of Eastern Orthodox no different than any other religion. Again, I think it would have been better to say something about service times and addresses at the end, in case any readers are interested in attending a service. It’s much easier than looking throughout the piece and trying to match which address with which church.

This article can be found at: http://www.news-gazette.com/news/religion/2009/04/18/eastern_orthodox_easter_celebration_getting_under_way

English filmmaker's recruiting effort upsets Amish

This article is definitely unique. Not everyday do you read about the Amish society, let alone about the Amish society in movies. This piece was about a British filmmaker who wanted Amish families to let their children travel to Europe for a film. This is relevant because the filmmaker came to Arthur, Illinois, a city nearby Champaign. The filmmaker, Forrester-Patton cleverly called this process a cultural exchange.

The article starts with a summary lead. It states the who, what and where, but it leaves the filmmaker anonymous for now. This was a smart choice by the author, since Forrester-Patton is not well known. However, I would put this name in the second paragraph as opposed to the third, since the journalist used a new source in the second paragraph.
I think Rebecca Mabry did an excellent job of explaining why the filmmaker’s presence is controversial. Many readers are not very knowledgeable about the Amish lifestyle. Mabry explains why children are technically able to be filmed, while adults are not. She also explains that they cannot film adults because they are not allowed to ride in planes.

Mabry chose good sources to interview. She has quotes from the filmmaker, the director of the Amish Interpretive Center, and an Amish mother. The author relies a little bit too much on the director, but this is because she speaks for the Amish community. I thought it was interesting that the mother was an anonymous source. It shows how private the Amish prefer to be. I think it would have been cool if Mabry got a quote from a child or teen that could have the chance of being in the film. However, the society seems very protective, thus making the film an impossible feat.

As interesting as the piece is, I find the ending a little confusing. The whole article is about the problems Forrester-Patton is having with his film, but it ends with a quote saying that the film most likely will not be produced. To me, it’s similar to watching Fourth of July fireworks and having the show end before the finale. Ok, so the Amish community is up in arms. I could have guessed that just from the title. I wish Mabry took a different angle on the story, or found some striking information to end the piece on. Maybe another Amish community embraced the opportunity? It just feels like the story is not quite over.

This article can be found at: http://www.news-gazette.com/news/religion/2009/04/09/english_filmmakers_recruiting_effort_upsets_amish

Area Jews begin preparing for Passover observances

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Lynda Zimmer’s article about Passover. The article uses a single-item lead, which forces the audience to wonder why Jewish families are getting rid of chometz. It was very timely, since Passover starts next Wednesday. For those readers who do not know what chometz is, Zimmer tells us in the following paragraph. The nut graph comes shortly after, addressing the who, what, when and why.

She then gives us a brief history of Passover, even explaining how it got its name. By doing so, she refuses to alienate her readers. Even an uninformed audience can understands the basics of Passover and why it is important to Judaism. She explains the types of food eaten over Passover and what they symbolize.

Zimmer then switches over to why it is important to the local community: many U of I students will not make it home for the traditionally familial holiday. The following paragraphs let the readers know where they can find special dining areas on campus that follow the “rules” of Passover. She tells the readers the where and when they can find these meals, and even how much they cost. More importantly, any information she did not mention in the article could be found by visiting the listed Web site or calling the given phone number to make reservations.

I think the article’s strongest points involved describing Passover. Zimmer gave us just enough information, but readers were not overwhelmed with a history lesson. The weakest point of the article was the lack of focus. It begins with a specific type of food, continues to the history of the observance, goes back to food and what it symbolizes, and then continues to places on campus, with about half of the article telling readers the price of meals at various places. I think parts of the article were well-written, but more focus would better the article.


This article can be found at: http://www.news-gazette.com/news/religion/2009/04/03/area_jews_begin_preparing_for_passover_observances