Is Stephen Crane's "Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers" news? Why or why not? (Feel free to respond to each other's comments, not just the question.)
If you prefer, you can answer these questions instead. . .
Morris Markey's literary journalism piece, "Drift," belongs to a genre referred to as "the procedural." To your mind, what characteristics of the piece make it an example of the genre? How does this help with or determine the structure/organization of the piece?
The piece has a noir-ish atmosphere. What is the connection of that atmosphere to the point or theme of the piece?
Remember, we're practicing good writing here, not just literary analysis. Your comments should be crisp and clear. Avoid generalizations, tortured syntax, and muddy language.
Your response is due by 3 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 1.
21 comments:
I think Stephen Crane's "Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers" is a case study rather than a news story. People collapse every day on the street and if each one of those were news stories there would be no space in the paper for anything else. I think Crane's piece is rather interesting because it gives a historical perspective of the language used and how people in that time reacted to something like this. Metaphorically it symbolizes that people are curious and would rather watch on the sidelines, which is an example of the bystander syndrome. It also symbolizes the crashing of society, and how people continue to let things happen around them.
"When Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers" would not be considered news worthy in present day, because similar to what Laura mentioned, people collapse on a daily basis all over the world. Doctors have learned what causes most collapses, so the dramatic aspect of Stephen Crane's story would no longer hold today.
However, at the turn of the century when this was written, it could still be considered a news story. The overwhelming crowd eager to see a man on the ground because of an unknown cause proves that it is compelling enough to be shared with others. Crane repeatedly describes how persistent the crowd is with phrases such as "they scrambled and dodged for positions" and "others behind them crowded savagely for a place like starving men fighting for bread." Descriptions like these prove that this event would be worthy of everyone's knowledge because it was an unusual occurrence with unanswered questions.
At the end of page 60, it states that onlookers began to ask questions about the collapsed man such as his name and where he is from. Reporters would have cured this curiosity of the crowd by finding out these facts and including them in a news story.
Today, yes an epileptic seizure may not be the front page news, but the fact that a group of people surrounded the man and stared while he seized--I consider that newsworthy. It's like the recent story about the cruise ship that ran aground and the captain refused to go back on the ship while people died trying to get off. He just watched because he was safe on a life raft.
The fact that this man had a seizure and more people were concerned with gathering around him and fighting on who could get a better look makes this newsworthy. Maybe it's because I think people are born with at least one screw loose, but the main reason why this piece could still be considered newsworthy is because of its focus on human nature. If I were to pick up a newspaper today to read a news story like Crane's, I would definitely read that article.
Human nature will always be intertwined with news--isn't that what news circles around? People?
The question of whether Stephen Crane’s “When a Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers” is news begs the question, what is news? To me, the function of news is to inform readers about what is going on in their communities, both local and national. News answers the questions, who, what, when, where and why. Crane’s story doesn’t offer specific information beyond the what. This makes it more of a social commentary piece than a typical news story. Also, it is more about the barbaric rubbernecking of the people who gathered around the fallen man than about the event itself. We never learn any personal information about any of the characters. They are all basically anonymous sources. In describing the crowd using words such as “savage,” Crane separates his story from the objective style utilized by journalists. There is very clearly a protagonist and an antagonist. I think that this story covers a newsworthy subject (reminiscent of the 2003 Chicago stampede, etc.) but it is not delivered in a “news” vehicle and therefore cannot be considered news.
I feel that Stephen Crane's "when man falls, a crowd gathers" would maybe newsworthy if it had answered the questions of the "5W's." I feel Crane took this story in a different approach to observe human behavior during a situation like that. I also agree with Laura's point when she said "people collapse every day on the street." It's sad to say but it's a normal thing to see a man or woman collapse making it not so newsworthy. I think Crane was trying to show readers that humans are naturally curious when a situation like this happens and will just simply gather and observe.
After reading the question, it took me some time to choose an answer. Similar to Katie, I had to decipher what exactly the word "news" entails. Stephen Crane's "Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers", in my opinion, is not considered news. While the concept of the story, a crowd gathering around a fallen man, could be featured in the news, it would not be executed in the same manner. The story is told in an interesting perspective but lacks what we could call journalism today. I believe that anyone could read that article in a newspaper and enjoy the writing style, however, it is not what we would see in our Sunday paper. It also lacks many specific details about the incident. However, unlike many news stories, it has a deeper meaning and shares a story that goes beyond the event itself. Also, in reference to what others have been commenting, I believe that there is a clear difference between 'news' and 'newsworthy', at least in my opinion. I think a subject or topic can be newsworthy, while the actual piece is not news (such as in this example).
Is this piece news? I’d have to say, in the conventional sense, no. Is it some kind of philosophical observation on the state of human nature that should make you think? I’d say so. I couldn’t consider this news because there’s nothing really informational or important being presented. A guy had a seizure today. Ok, he and thousands of others. Again, not news.
I think it goes much deeper, becoming a piece on human nature because of the questions/thoughts it raises. I feel like it’s so easy to skim through a news article, pick out a few details and then largely forget them by lunchtime. With a piece like this, there will be sections that make the reader slow down and reread a sentence or paragraph and mentally chew on it, thinking about it long afterwards. Within the first paragraph there is the sentence, “Whether changing one’s point of view is as easy as changing one’s wardrobe is debatable, but this approach did lead to some wonderful writing.” I read that paragraph four days ago and I’m still thinking about it and mentally debating it, but ask me to tell you the news articles I read four days ago and I would have no idea what to tell you. I think that traditional news is all about impacting the “now” and moves with a rapidness that doesn’t allow for deep analysis but Crane’s piece is absolutely up for lengthy conversation and interpretation.
Also, if you wanted to strictly look just at language, this is nowhere near the style of news writing. If I opened a paper today (or ever) I’m not about to read the sentence, “His was the rage of a placid cow, who wishes to lead a life of tranquility, but who is eternally besieged by flies that hover in clouds” (What a fantastic way to say, “He was angry”). That would just be…odd, I suppose.
Although it is a good literary story, Stephen Crane's "When Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers" is not a great news story.
I personally enjoyed reading the story. However, as Liana said, this is not something that would typically be found in the "Sunday paper." This story is best told through the anthology we read it from, not through a news outlet. It seems that news outlets today have a very structured format -- answering the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the situation. This piece neglects to answer them, but instead offers the reader a great literary piece.
Also, as Laura said, people fall every day on the street. In Crane's story, the man who fell is not of any importance to the town he fell in -- he is not of any prominence or of any celebrity status. Thus, his collapse is no different than any other man's collapse. If the news reported on every fall a man has taken, there would be no time to report on anything else.
Furthermore, I do not see this story as newsworthy or news.
One of the non ethical values of what makes news news is if it has a unique value to it. What makes this unique is first of all the writing style that Steven Crane uses to tell the story. He could of easily written "man has seizure on the street while the boy tries to save him,: but instead he goes for a more descriptive approach. But does that still make it news?
In today's society probably not since seizures can happen at any moment. Maybe people who appreciate any literary article might find this a type of news. However, I will agree that during the late nineteenth century this would be newsworthy. At that time medicine was not as advanced as it was today. A seizure was seen as unusual. Crane also writes a lot about the people surrounding the man. In the end, he writes how people seemed to be incapable of understanding what had just happened. A follow-up would have solved a lot of questions. Therefore, this article could be seen as news due to its unique value at the time.
I think “Man Falls, A Crowd Gathers” by Stephen Crane is journalism, but not in the traditional sense. It is literary journalism, which is nontraditional. Instead of full names, ages and addresses, Crane is nonspecific, perhaps illustrating that these details are insignificant to the overall message of the story. Crane refers to the story's subjects as the “young boy,” the “tall German man,” the “placid cow” of a police officer. The location is described vaguely as “an East-side street,” and the time is estimated as “around 6 o’clock.” But you do get a sense of who, what, where, when and why. These elements are not absent.
I think this story could be described as anti-human interest. A human interest news story usually features an ordinary person because they do something extraordinary. This crowd is the opposite: they are featured for doing something terrible, or at least for acting apathetically.
Stephan Crane’s “When Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers” isn’t news to me. I believe that news is something that has significance, isn’t seen very often and is informative. Someone falling down on a street and a crowd gathering around him doesn’t seem significant enough to be newsworthy. People get sick, fall down, and crowds gather everyday. Maybe if the circumstances of the man falling were different, this story may have been newsworthy. For example, if the man falling had been someone notable or if it happened at an important event and there were consequences from the man falling, then the story would have been meaningful enough to make it news.
This story was written over 100 years ago and it may have been news then as people may not have been as educated in medicine as they are today, and the crowd that gathered didn’t seem to know what was wrong with the man at first or how to treat him. Today, we see some news stories about people with mystery illnesses and this story could have been one of those cases, but I think the fact that a crowd gathered around the man was the main focus of the story, and not was wrong with the man.
This leads me to believe that this story is more of an observation of human nature and how sometimes curiosity takes over people. The people who gathered seemed to be more concerned with getting a better view and wondering what was wrong with him rather than actually helping him. Perhaps, if the writing style were different, this could have been a news story about curiosity and the way people react to certain situations.
Stephen Crane's "When Man Falls, A Crowd Gathers" is news worthy. Crane also believed it was news worthy because he took the time to write about it. This story wouldn't necessarily be a hard news story but it would fall into the feature news category. The purpose of news is to inform the public. The public should be informed of an incident such as this because it is an instance of heartlessness and selfishness. On page 59 a person in the crowd said, "Say young feller, you're a peach wid those feat o' yours. Keep off me!" This shows that the crowd was more concerned with getting stepped on than the state of the man's health. People were viewing a seizure as a form of entertainment instead of trying to help which is sick.
I could see why "Drift" by Morris Markey would be referred to as procedural. Mainly because naturally I would think that particular procedures are followed when it comes to burying the dead. There didn't seem to be any particular opinion, or reason for writing the piece, so I believe the piece was written mainly to shine light on burials for the unidentified dead. But on some level, it seems a little like a diary entry because the piece isn't entirely focused on that. It goes into what the boat ride is like to the island where the burials of both the identified and unidentified go, what the burials are like for veterans and Catholics, and even tells the reader how many people a year are buried at that particular site. Basically what I mean, is that the piece doesn't include step by step details of how burials happens, but is an account of someone who has or is a part of these burials. I think that labeling this piece a procedural one, may give the readers a clue as to what the context may be, but I don't think it defines the overall piece. I think it's procedural in that it is very informative about something not much people talk about, such as the unidentified dead and it does this in a very detailed way; at what point the bodies are released for burial, and where they are taken.
I believe the noir-ish atmosphere connects to the point of the piece because it's centered on how people are treated, or taken care of once they are dead. Also, when considering Number 48,227, the workers at the morgue tired ways of having the body identified (which were most likely procedures), but in the end could not. It's a bit sad to know that people die and are buried without ever being identified.
I agree with Laura, that Stephen Crane's "Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers," seems like more of a case study than news. A story about a man who collapses on the side of a road wouldn't be news worthy in today's world, but I feel what happens after may be. Had this man's accident caused some other horrific accident to occur, then maybe a story like this, written more as a news article rather than a literary piece, would be news. However, I do find a man collapsing on the street and no one helping him to be news, because it would say a lot about the type of world we live in. But I guess, in this case it's a bit acceptable, given that we are far more advanced today. If something like this were to happen today, wouldn't it be considered murder? (If the person died of, course.) We have no excuses today.
I think that this piece is journalism, but in the way that it is written, it is not news (well, a news article). Like some have already stated, people collapse everyday, but it's the severity of the situation, like someone fainting, or catching a seizure at a train station, thus killed by a moving train, that makes it news worthy (which has happened, though I hardly remember it making the news). I feel that news should make people want to be alert, and keep them informed about things taking place in the world so that they could either live better lives, or want to help make things better for other people.
On a side note, I feel that there are stories I hear of that should make the news, but don't. I feel that news today is very tainted, and stories that should be covered are neglected because the people who choose what's news may feel that bad things are expected to happen in certain communities (which may be true). But I also take into consideration that not all stories will be blown up because there's too much that happens on a daily basis to be covered, and there are news organizations that cover local news.
To be honest, I had to use my second brain Google to really make sure I knew what is typical in the ‘procedural’ genre. However, even before this investigation, it was pretty self-evident while reading Morris Markey’s Drift. The genre consists of the author mingling story with statistics. Markey reiterates the unidentified dead man’s number ’48,227’ and lumps him into the other nameless dead, how many are buried at Potter’s Field, the number of instruments the band plays during a procession honoring the dead of the civil war, how many are disinterred and reclaimed by suddenly wealth relatives. It’s the exactness of Markey, as if he researched and recovered these facts from a dusty file cabinet in some disheveled basement office.
I believe this is news over Crane’s account of a man who collapsed and everyone gathered around to watch. Drift follows like a feature story, awareness for people who may have dead relatives to reclaim.
The ‘procedural’ genre is a very neat, linear structure. There is no jumping around; Markey’s journey is very easy to follow. It begins right at the morgue, to some recognition and care that this unidentified dead man isn’t buried with the Catholics as they see suicide as a desecration, to the ferry to Potter’s Field and finally on the ferry home. Reiterating the number ’48,277’ and digging mass graves and just routinely covering them make the story cold. The reader isn’t supposed to care about this person just that this happens; moving on anonymously. This story is powerful because unidentified bodies don’t really happen anymore thanks to advancements in forensic science. I think that’s what scares people the most, that they’ll be forgotten when they die.
Noir in that the examiners have seen this 48, 227 times and that it’s morphed them into jaded creatures. One attempts to understand why a pickpocket would commit suicide, the other blames it on the depression and it doesn’t go any further than that. No one is going to investigate, he’s dead. Pin the number on him and move him along. The whole scene in the morgue is just dark; the examiners wonder why this “egg” couldn’t write his name to save them trouble. The noir atmosphere romanticized the criminal and some common pickpocket became interesting through Markey’s writing. You can almost feel the cold air of the morgue, see the gritty brown of the East River peering over the ferry and the light being extinguished as the dirt is thrown on the nameless. How mobsters in the old-time movies used to say ‘you’ll be sleeping with the fishes’, well he’ll be sleeping with the worms as no one’s going to come looking for you, not in Potter’s Field.
I believe that Stephen Crane's "A Man Falls, A Crowd Gathers" can be considered news during those times that it took place, and even today. Because the man who collapsed and the little boy are foreigners are what could make the story news today because immigration and foreign policy is a major issue in our society. In addition, people are always nosey and curious to know the who, where, when, why and how. It is rather disgusting how desperate people are to always know the details of another person's life. In Crane's piece, the people all gathered around but failed to even offer any help or assistance to the boy or fallen man. It's disappointing to know people would not offer help, but if this happened today people would immediately jump to assist the fallen man.
To me, Stephen Crane's "When Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers," is news. It may not be a grand headline or on the front page, but the fact that a crowd gathered and watched, may be news. The language is so detailed and literate, you can visualize the masses gathered among his body. But really, what is news? The news that I read day to day just details what happened a moment ago, will happen, etc. The basic gist of it answers the 5 Ws. Sometimes what I read will just fly by. However, when reading pieces like this, it stands out. It may not be newsy-news, but its a recollection of a happening, a social commentary at that.
After reading Stephen Crane's "when Man Falls, a Crowd Gathers", I find myself agreeing with many people. I think that the story could potentially be a news story; a journalist can find a story anywhere. However, I hate to be repetitive but the style of writing Crane chose is not that of the traditional news story. He chose not to include sources, quotes, or be objective in his writing. He wrote in a style that was more like telling a story rather than writing a news story.
I do think that the events that were occurring could have been turned into a news story and could have led to even bigger stories than a man falling down and a crowd gathering.
I see Stephen Cranes work as a piece of journalism, but not a news story.
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