In “Squirrel Vigilante” there are two things that really stick out to me about the profile that make it successful. First, the writer does a great job of painting a picture of Bernie Goetz’s personality and aptitude as a raiser of squirrels. She references how Goetz makes his own formula instead of ” the advised formula used by many rehabbers,” and quotes another rehabber as saying he “has fantasies of how it should look.” She also uses her description of him to show that he may not be the most calm and focused interview, and this is coupled with at least a minor, if not major, disdain for the law and rules. The writer also does a great job in seeking out information about her topic and turning to other rehabbers to get information. She was diligent enough to interview other rehabbers and to seek out information about acceptable practices. In other words, she was very thorough.  As far as my own profile article goes, it’s clear that it simply isn’t enough to just follow one person around and call it a day. There has to be work down outside of the profile setting to properly fill out the article and provide useful and salient information to the reader.

In “Sean Casey, Pet Rescuer,” the overall tone of the profile is concerned much more with the process of saving animals, with Sean Casey being simply a vehicle for that narrative. While Bernie Goetz was the story, Sean Casey serves as a window into the story. This shows that the person doing the profile has to be cognizant of what the best angle is to create the most interesting story. In other words, should the focus be on the person or on the situation that they have been thrust into?

I thought both of the articles caught the attention of the reader but in different ways. Both articles displayed somewhat similar structure. Both articles grabbed the attention of the reader in the first two paragraphs by starting off with a side story or background story. The Bernie Goetz article was a little more alarming due to the nature of the content. The content of the Sean Casey article was more heart wrenching by appealing to a softer more emotional side of the reader. The Bernie Goetz article implied more of his flaws, which gave the reader a more uneasy or nervous feeling when reading the content. I believe the content dictates which style and structure the writer is going to use because the writer has to decide how the character is going to be interpreted by the reader. Research is obviously a massive part of a profile article. The research method in the Bernie Goetz article seemed to have more inside looking out perspective. The research method in the Sean Casey article seemed to have a more outside looking in perspective. What I took away from both articles was the way the writers let the story tell itself. They did not have to spoon feed the reader information to get their point across. They let the reader make their own interpretations. I believe that will be a big help when deciding how I want research, style, and structure my profile article. Both articles seemed to have underlining significance on how important a proper character must be to write a compelling profile article. If a writer has the appropriate character and knows how to tailor the structure and style to the profile article character then the article can be extremely interesting and moving.

A successful profiling piece leaves readers feeling like they intimately know the person being profiled, which is one of the hardest things to achieve as a writer. The author must establish a quick connection to the person they are profiling in order to narrate with a voice that is both informative, friendly, and knowledgeable. So for me, voice is a key component for profiling features – it should be informal, reflective, informed, and yet also give a sense of intimacy that comes along with spending time with the subject and getting to know him or her.

I think this is really apparent in Sean Casey’s profile – the author grabs readers’ attentions by showing rather than telling. Instead of simply stating that Sean is good with animals, she introduces who he is as a person through his interaction with the dog and how he immediately responds to Sean’s presence.

Similarly, the author of the Bernie Goetz piece really gives readers the impression that he got to him. He describes his habits and how he interacts with squirrels and then says, “That is Bernie Goetz.” The author makes it clear that he put the time and effort into getting to know his subject, which in turn gives readers this same sense of familiarity for who he is as a person. Research is one of the harder parts of the profile piece, but it is so necessary in order to create that personal connection and in turn give readers an accurate portrayal of who the person you’re writing about it.

The main thing I’m taking away from both of these pieces is to use action as a way to describe a person – do not merely say what your subject looks like or what his or her personality is like – show it through actions. This moves the narrative along, allows readers to draw their own conclusions about it, and provides an interesting action snapshot.

Blog Post #5

Writing about people is never easy, but always rewarding. To me, the hardest part and the best part is getting people to start talking. Why? Because your interviewees’ own words will always be better than yours. Therefore, the number of quotes is the key to keeping the audience and yourself awake. But in order for that to happen, there will need to be a series of questions that are able to elicit answer about what is most vivid in the interviewees’ lives. In the story of Bernie Goetz, the Squirrel Vigilante, we can tell that Molly Socha successes in getting Mr. Goetz talking.

“I took the test; I don’t know how many years ago,” … but “They can come to your apartment any time they want,” Goetz says. “Now I say, ‘screw that.’ I just told them that I’m not going to do that and they said, ‘Well then you’re not getting the license. You’ve got the wrong attitude.’”

Bernie’s words also carry his enthusiasms for the squirrels, something Molly Socha or any other writer could never master to the same level.

“Does the mother do that?” Somers asked Goetz.

“No, the mother doesn’t do a lot of the things I do,” he responded.

Though it might not be a surprise, but the person you interview has a lot to do with whether you’ll come out with a good profile. Your roommate might be an amazing person to hang out with, but he or she probably doesn’t have many interesting things to say. You’ll have to push yourself out into the real world and choose someone who can touch the readers’ lives in whatever aspect. Nika Knight chose Sean Casey, a pet rescuer to draw a profile on. A pet rescuer’s life is something that most people want to know about but don’t see on the news every day. “And I realized that whether it’s a cause or effect of his life’s work, Casey’s stoic personality suits it: every day, all day, he has no control over what the next moment will bring. He can only rise to meet it.” And those are the people who should have other write profiles about.

In the art of Profiling, one can say that attention to detail is most key. Imbedding yourself with this person and being the “fly on the wall” while trying to soak up every little detail is what can make or break a piece.

 For Bernie Goetz, the amount of detail on his endeavors before the piece takes the first person, was vital to the overall perception of Goetz throughout.  I, like many, did not know who he was previous, so the first few paragraphs revealing his past lead to see him as someone not to be trusted. Due to well-placed word choices and the negative testimonies from professionals, I saw him only as an unlicensed, crazy person who kidnapped squirrels and didn’t follow the rules for the rest of the profile. It wasn’t until the detail about his care with the baby squirrels that I thought of him as someone who cared above all. The ending threw me for a loop, and returned me to my original diagnosis. This guy is crazy and his portrayal as dangerous to wild animals was intentional.

Unlike Casey, whose detail was pointed mostly at his good nature, business, and community presence, I understood him as a very caring and loving individual. He brings his employees to tears and is everyone’s favorite. These were very well written because they fulfilled the author’s intentions of portrayal and used the details they picked up to say something about that person.

I’m not saying this isn’t true or that the author didn’t intend for these things to happen, just what I learned by reading these is that perception matters. When writing my own profile, I will be careful to always make sure I am getting across the right “vibe “ to my readers and make sure I’m clear and that  they understand what I am saying.

In the article about Bernie Goetz, I liked how the first two paragraphs were set up. I did not know who this man was previous to this article so when I first started reading I thought it was just the one story of this man and his love for squirrels but then in the second paragraph I was thrown a curveball. I like the idea of how this was structured because instead of starting with the cool little side fact about this man, he was first described as a regular man. I think that the back story of this man was something that largely contributed to its success. If this were just a story of a man saving a squirrel it would have just fallen into the same category with all the other savior stories. The plot twist of how this mans seemingly irrelevant past is incorporated into this narrative was smart.

In the article about Sean Casey, I find that the pictures are the most vital aspect to the structure of this story. While hearing about animals, people always want to see them as well because their so cute so the article did a really good job of connecting the pictures with the text. It is mentioned that Casey saved a legendary “ghost dog” and if the reader does now know the legend then there is a helpful picture that captures the heart of the reader. Who wouldnt want to see the picture of a dog that had been rescued. The content connection between the text and the pictures really helps give more connection to the reader.

What I would take from these two articles would be the idea of having an element of a twist like the Goetz story. I really enjoyed how it was kind of like a story inside a story and one little piece of information (he shot four people) added a new insight into a minor story of saving a squirrel. So I think that is the biggest thing I would take from this: keep things interesting!

In the Bernie Goetz profile, what works well is the third person perspective of the first two sections. These sections read in a story-told way. You could read them without knowing their origins and not be able to discern whether you’re reading a fiction piece or a truth. After the first two sections then we are introduced to an “I” who is our journalist. From here we meet others who can agree with Goetz’s beliefs, but also in contrast other interviewees who counter his story. So what works here is the initial third person, and the non-bias and differences in opinion over the profile subject’s methods.

The second piece about Sean Casey acts more as an advertisement than the Goetz profile. However, I don’t call it an ad in a derogative way, nor as an ad for Casey’s animal rescue project specifically, but as an ad for animal rescuing as a worthy act in general. So the first thing that works here is the general/societal relationship the piece evokes in the reader. Secondly, there is a subtlety to descriptions of Sean Casey even when the descriptions aren’t subtle. His stature is described as non-assuming, and we’re told he hardly makes eye contact, but then we’re told/see that he isn’t when it relates to those he’s helping. In this piece what works is the advertisement for a cause feel, and the handling of Sean Casey’s personality.

I think for now what I could take away from these two profiles is the story telling third aspect of the first piece, and the almost ad feel of the second, but this all depends on who my profile subject turns out to be.

When publishing a page, it is empirical to capture a story that harbors honest emotion. Both of these stories involve two very passionate people who selflessly help animals around them, despite the consequences. The personalities of the two subjects could not be more different, yet they are distinct in their setting. Knight does a solid job of capturing Sean’s emotion and stature with the help of her photographer Jessica Bal, as  the descriptions depict the main character very accurately. The zany behavior of Bernie Goetz is exemplified through the words of Molly Socha, and further solidified by her Photographer Colleen Frakes as she gets Goetz so candidly deep in thought as he feeds the squirrels. These stories bring to life the two subjects by capturing their personality so well both showing and telling.

Another feature to a good published post, is shattering the readers expectations. What both writers did so well was frame their subject first in bizarre terms. Sean, too quiet of a person who commands respect of so many animals, or Bernie, a “vigilante” who was infamously known for shooting a group of black men as they tried to rob him. Neither person is highlighted immediately, giving the reader the chance to create some sort of expectations of stereotypes that will only be shattered within the next several paragraphs. Every reader likes a twist, and when the potential villain ends up being the hero, everyone is a winner.

To have a successful profile, you need to focus on one accomplishment that the
person has had. It is important to have one good story that is going on
throughout the entire profile, but it is also important and necessary to have a
strong backstory. Without a backstory, the reader will just be jumping into
reading a story about a character that they know nothing about. It is good to
ease into the story, that way it can grab the reader’s attention and get them
caught up and interested. The character must be relatable and likeable, but he
also must become a character that people can feel like they know or want to
know. There must be something underneath the average person that makes them
different and unique. In the two stories we read, they do a good job on
focusing on just one character. Both of these characters seem normal and average,
but they have something beneath them that is worth looking at and worth
creating a story for. The story of Casey is great because he is a character
that everyone begins to like and connect to. He gets very connected to his job,
and it makes him a very likeable character. It makes his story worth telling
because he goes the extra mile rather than just being an average guy who
rescues animals. His story is emotional, and the reader learns to trust him
which is also good for making a successful profile. The Goetz story does a good
job of explaining each stage of his life, which helps the reader get more
insight. I can take away the strategies that each story used of the set up and
the details included on how to make my profile become as successful as it can
be.