Evaluation of New York Times Stories

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This blog post presents an examination of two New York times articles. The two articles come from two entirely different sections of the times and cover the topics that I will be studying as I pursue a double major.

Article 1: Business

The First article I looked at was the headlining article from the Business section of the New York Times titled “Takata’s Faulty Airbags Still Exact Toll as Recalls Lag”. The article examines the rising death and injury tool that the Japanese company, Takata, is responsible for and why no mass recall has been enacted.

1. Main Character?

In this news article there does not seem to be a main character or protagonist other than the auto part company, Takata. The entire article is centered around the airbags that the company creates and vends to auto makers throughout the U.S. Because the entire article is centered around the products and actions of the company it seems to be easily deemed the main character but there are many supporting roles played by automotive dealers, such as Honda, that help to make the point that Takata is not a reliable company. Joel Knight, a victim who died due to his airbag deploying after a minor accident and launching shrapnel into his neck, plays a supporting role as a victim to the company’s faulty airbags. 

2. Setting?

There is no specific setting. The victims and the car companies are all in very different locations throughout the article. The company, Takata, is in Japan, and the victims and car companies span from South Carolina to Malaysia. The lack of real setting allows for a sense of nationalism. When reading the article, because there is not direct tie to any location, the reader feels that what is happening to others in minor accidents could truly happen to them as well.

3. Disagreement or debate?

In this article there is no debate presented but there are questions that cause the reader to think about and internally debate the issues presented. For instance, the article does not present the recall information in an argumentative way but the reader does begin to ponder what is just in terms of a product wide recall. Because the car companies did not make the Takala airbag they do not want to stomach the costs that will be associated with recalling and replacing every faulty airbag but Takata does not feel they are responsible for replacing all faulty parts in the cars that they have not produced. Because of this dilemma nothing is being done about the issue and people are continuing to get injured.

Article 2: Art

The second article I read centered around the recent works of ballet choreographer and dancer Justin Peck. The article, “Justin Peck Calmly Creates a Kingdom at City Ballet”, discusses Justin’s recent works and how he is coping with the pressure as he becomes a high profile choreographer and artist. 

1. Main Character?

Justin Peck, referred to as Mr. Peck in the article, is a ballet dancer turned choreographer for City Ballet. The article is about Mr. Peck’s rise to fame in the recent years as he has begun choreographing ballets with no experience or training other than his classic practice in ballet. Peck, as the main character of the article, is showcased throughout the entire article. Because the article is centered around Peck and not his specific ballet or his dance company the reader is able to gain an insightful eye about Mr. Peck as both a dancer and a choreographer.

2. Setting?

In this article there is no real setting. Because it is not an interview but instead is an informative piece there is no location. The ballet’s that are referenced take place in Ney York and Peck’s Ballet company, City Ballet, is also located in New York so there is a sense of place but it is not particularly strong or relevant.

3. Disagreement or Debate?

The article is really made to inform and educate the reader about the works, success, and potential that Mr. Peck has created. Because it is to be informative there is no clear debate or disagreement of any kind. Peck is successful both by standards of ticket sales and pleasant reviews from critiques making an argument difficult. The article really focuses on the issues that Mr. peck will face as he climbs the ladder as a new choreographer with no training and a busy ballet dancer. The article makes up for its lack of an interesting debate with interesting facts about the life Mr. Peck has lead so far.