Kenya
is a country in East Africa plagued with corruption, poverty, and
misfortune. But out of this dust,
stories of success has been created. In his
article “A Kenyan Runner Maps His Way Home,” Dan Barry explores one of such
stories. He writes about Kelvin Serem, a
21 year old student athlete at Lafayette University. Serem is a good track runner- not an Olympic quality
athlete like we come to expect from Kenya, but certainly an impressive
runner. He was born and raised in a
small Kenyan village that had no electricity, plumbing, Wi-Fi, or modern appliances. Barry recounts Serem’s story from poverty to
a prestigious school in Iten, Kenya, to a prestigious American high school, and
finally to Lafayette University. Serem
is now part of an international organization, named in his honor, dedicated to
building schools in Kenya.
Barry’s purpose in writing this article is rather simple; this isn’t a call to action, or an ideological argument for or against something, but rather simply a narrative of a success story from Kenya. Barry utilizes direct quotes in his article for two reasons. First of all, by including quotes, Barry establishes ethos since he directly quotes Serem. This makes for a believable and reliable article. Secondly, this creates a personal relationship between Barry’s subject, Serem, and his audience, the readers. If the audience can, in a sense, get to know Serem, his story is much more enthralling and appealing. For example, Barry writes, “‘Why Serem?’ he says. ‘I had never been to a city. I had almost lost hope in life. Why, why, why?’” (Barry 2). This quote appeals to pathos for the audience, but it is extremely effective because it doesn’t come from the author, it comes directly from the source. It is much more powerful than Barry simply writing “Serem had lost hope.”
Barry’s purpose in writing this article is rather simple; this isn’t a call to action, or an ideological argument for or against something, but rather simply a narrative of a success story from Kenya. Barry utilizes direct quotes in his article for two reasons. First of all, by including quotes, Barry establishes ethos since he directly quotes Serem. This makes for a believable and reliable article. Secondly, this creates a personal relationship between Barry’s subject, Serem, and his audience, the readers. If the audience can, in a sense, get to know Serem, his story is much more enthralling and appealing. For example, Barry writes, “‘Why Serem?’ he says. ‘I had never been to a city. I had almost lost hope in life. Why, why, why?’” (Barry 2). This quote appeals to pathos for the audience, but it is extremely effective because it doesn’t come from the author, it comes directly from the source. It is much more powerful than Barry simply writing “Serem had lost hope.”
*This
is the second installment of my project of exploring Dan Barry’s writing. Barry is, of course, a reliable source. He is columnist for the New York Times and he writes about sports and how they affect
our lives.
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