News Journal: Week Eight, A First Person Story (4th April 2016)

This week I decided to study a story written in the first person. The story was written on the 4th of April on the Irish Times website. The article was written by Rebekah Reville Joy in London with the headline, “Did our ancestors fight for a country so many would have to leave?”

The intro to the article caught my attention very effectively as it was short and to the point. The intro was, “My great grandfather would turn in his grave if he saw so many young people like me emigrating”.

The article progresses on and explains that Rebekah’s great grandfather had actually taken part in the Rising and had been arrested for it. She goes through his extremely interesting and eventful life mentioning his friendship with Eamon De Valera.

This first person article had a very good story to it as it links in with the 1916 centenary celebrations that are currently taking place. The article was about more than just the writer which is important when writing a first person article. She mentions herself, her mother and her great grandfather.

Towards the end of the article, she brings about the question of whether our ancestors fought for nothing because of people having to leave the country in search of employment. This was a powerful way of combining first person experience with objective reporting to make a wider point.

Link: http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/generation-emigration/did-our-ancestors-fight-for-a-country-so-many-would-have-to-leave-1.2597665