Response to Coyne

Of all the profiles we have read so far, Amanda Coyne’s, “The Long Goodbye,” has been my favorite one. Her writing is packed full of emotion, and really makes the reader think about what he/she is reading. I like her narrative style of writing better than the typical topic style of a profile. Also, she brings a new perspective into the world of a federal prison by describing the way all of the moms get ready for their long awaited meetings with their family. This makes the reader view them as a person rather than a convict or someone who is no good. The main emotion she evokes is sadness, and this is due to the reality of the situation. For example, the saddest part in the story for me is when she describes the little child punching her mother in the face and the expression on the mother’s face when he walks out the door. In addition, this is a good profile because she also voices her opinion in a very subtle way. She presents enough information, but doesn’t ramble, and allows you to draw your own conclusions about why it’s not fair that a drug dealer gets only three years while the person who was sitting in the car at the time, the “conspirator,” gets ten. Overall this is a great piece of writing and I enjoyed reading it.