In her personal commentary about having a brother in jail, Jennifer Martinez, 18, displays her emotions vividly. She uses a flowing style and soft tone. The fluctuations in her voice help the surroundings around her come to life. She explains her dilemma with her brother's advice well, the advice is both helpful and hypocritical and she is frustrated about the bullet-proof glass which causes a barrier between them, both in the real and metaphorical sense.
The ending, “Martinez time is up,” is especially brilliant, because it's both surprising and thought-provoking. At first, I felt confused and expected something more romanticized, but then realized that Jennifer's time with her brother is truly limited. She must feel the same way, expecting a happier ending, but the abrupt command by the guard is how real life is.
In terms of improvement, more ambient sound, such as jail-bars moving, would have been good, yet overall this is a very nice piece. The piece might be good for Youth Radio, as they do first person commentaries. It is 4 years old now, yet still relevant and makes me wonder where she is now.
Review of Prison Visiting Hours
Ali Tahir
Posted on March 29, 2012 at 06:22 AM
In her personal commentary about having a brother in jail, Jennifer Martinez, 18, displays her emotions vividly. She uses a flowing style and soft tone. The fluctuations in her voice help the surroundings around her come to life. She explains her dilemma with her brother's advice well, the advice is both helpful and hypocritical and she is frustrated about the bullet-proof glass which causes a barrier between them, both in the real and metaphorical sense.
The ending, “Martinez time is up,” is especially brilliant, because it's both surprising and thought-provoking. At first, I felt confused and expected something more romanticized, but then realized that Jennifer's time with her brother is truly limited. She must feel the same way, expecting a happier ending, but the abrupt command by the guard is how real life is.
In terms of improvement, more ambient sound, such as jail-bars moving, would have been good, yet overall this is a very nice piece. The piece might be good for Youth Radio, as they do first person commentaries. It is 4 years old now, yet still relevant and makes me wonder where she is now.