Ira Glass

Some concepts that Ira Glass discusses have already been incorporated into or used in my story while other ideas still need to be used.

Ira Glass explains that broadcast stories should be a fluid anecdote with a sequence of events and should not be as rigid as a topic sentence and facts. I believe that my poem follows this format, a series of actions or feelings that create suspense, so I do not have to change that aspect.  Glass articulates that a vital feature of a story is that it raises questions. My poem raises several questions; I strategically placed the name of my home country towards the end of the story in order to heighten suspense. Furthermore, he explains that there must be a moment of reflection. I believe I clearly stated my moment of reflection when I finally accepted the new culture at the very end of the poem. I included a pause before the last sentence of the poem to make the realization more clear.

As Glass elucidates, finding the perfect story to tell takes longer than writing the story itself. I struggled with this decision for a long time. I had many stories and poems I wanted to share but I believed this one was a good way to begin the class because it was a new beginning for me in my life. Moreover, I related to what Glass said about being slightly disappointed by the resulting work. I feel that my piece does not come even close to making the audience feel the intensity of emotions I felt during that experience. However, by improving the inflection of my voice while reading the poem I can make it feel more intense. I will take Ira’s advice into account and tell the poem more naturally rather than reading it from a written document. I plan to make it sound more passionate by memorizing the poem and reciting it from memory. By doing so, I am not inclined to sound robotic while telling my story.