Krista Ramsey Introduction Activity

The article Still reflecting on act of vandalism on Opening Day is an article that is about an act of vandalism.  However it is as small as standing on flowers to get a better view of the opening day parade.  The author Krista Ramsey is more shocked by how selfish the act was than the act its self.

Many of the lines from this article are good, but this one stands out the most. "Long after the parade was over – until some good soul scraped the smeared flowers off the sidewalk and the side of the pot – the sight would lead passersby to wonder what sort of vandalism had happened there, and maybe even to question what sort of city they live in."  This line emphasizes how much of an impact even a little selfish act can cause and conveys the tone of anger to the reader.  Not only does this line mean a  lot to the reader, but it also is a great example of a extensive sentence with good punctuation to create pause.  The long sentence helps the reader understand that even the smallest actions can create a list of tolls on others.  Passersby is a good example of formal diction that is used.  

It is not very surprising that Ramsey's writing style is journalistic or to the point.  A good example of this shows up in the article mentioned above.  "When we remember what a beautiful city we live in, and how lucky we are to be here.  Then you hoisted a leg, planted your foot squarely in the soil and lifted yourself to stand beside your son, nephew or young neighbor in the planter."  In this instance, Ramsey goes from describing the nice atmosphere of opening day to getting to the point with nothing in between.  

Given the chance, I would ask this author the 3 questions that follow: Why did you decide to be a writer and why did you pick journalism?  Is there anyone in your family who is doing/ has done what you are doing now as a profession?  Did you have any jobs before writing?