Its a scary thought; sitting down with a stranger and asking them personal questions about their life and goals. But after reading "Learning How to Ask" I feel more comfortable about it. The article explained how there are closed questions and open questions. Closed questions "often yield single phrases as answers and can shut down further talk"(239). Then there are open questions that "help elicit your informant's perspective and allow for more conversational exchange"(239). Open questions are what help the interview keep rolling and not become awkward with short answers. This is definitely something I will try to do in my own interviews.
The story "I Can Read and I Can Write" really struck me for some reason. The story about "Lee" in his adolescent highlighted the importance of education in life. The way he tells his story makes you really feel for him, and the authors commentary on his actions bring it to life. Just the noting on how he sat, and wiped his spectacles made me as the reader connect with him, as if i was there myself. Its actions like these that average people would overlook, and not see the importance of. After reading this story I will pay attention to these things when I interview people.
http://www.lnrr.org/history.html
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