Comments on the first feature article from New York Times

1. Headline: How a Queen's Home Became a Cradle of the Gay Rights Movement.
Byline: David W.Dunlap
Date: January 21, 2013
Publication name: New York Times
Link: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/21/in-queens-an-unlikely-and-cozy-landmark-of-the-early-gay-rights-movement/
2. Summary of the article: In the article "How a Queen's Home Became a Cradle of the Gay Rights Movement they explain how one family changed the lives of gay individuals. The Manford family from Queen's, NY welcomed gay individuals into their homes. These gay individuals, consisted of people who had a tough time telling their family the truth about who they preferred to be with regarding relationships. When the end result was bad after coming clean, they needed a place to stay so the Manford family took them in.
3. A. The people interviewed were friends of the Manford family and the current owner of the home. The research made the story interesting, because the friends that were interviewed were very close with the family. They lived around the same time and they were able to explain the love that these gay individuals felt while living at the Manford house.
B. The vocabulary in this feature piece was very descriptive and engaging. There were similies also that made the story even more captivating.  There was one sentence that I found to be flabby and wordy. In the article "How a Queen's Home Became a Cradle of the Gay Rights Movement" Dunlap drags on when he mentions students at school that are supposedly distracting and very loud.
C. There was one direct quotation that was not necessarily bad, but needed to be more defined. The quotation is the following: "It was a very Ozzie-and-Harriet-type house,"recalled Allen Roskoff, a friend of Morty Manford. It needs more defining because many people especially in their early 20's and 30's do not know what or who Ozzie and Harriet are. It is important to define terms that may be confusing to the readers  because the best newspaper is one that people can relate to.
4. A. The lead was very strong because it immediately made the readers feel extremely sad inside because of the disrespect and abandonment these people faced from their "supposedly loved ones."
B. The nut graph was strong because it explained how wonderful these people felt being in the Manford home.
C. The ending was strong because it explains that regardless that the Manfords are long gone and there are no gays staying there anymore, their presence is still very strong. The compassion is still present.
D. The story organization was strong because it incorporated numerous important factors. It included interviews from people that knew the family and of the situation that went on during that time period. The writer also did a lot of research in finding out the history of this particular family and the struggles they faced. The writer also had a beautiful ending to the story. Throughout the entire story, different emotions are developed inside the readers that range from happiness to sadness and so on.
5. I enjoyed the piece because it shows that anyone can get through any obstacle in their life with the necessary support. It shows that people don't need to feel alone because someone will always be there.