The story by Don DeLillo is about two teenage girls appearing on a kids’ television channel. The setting is in a minimum-security prison in Dubai, where criminals charged with financial crimes are rehabilitated. One of the criminals happens to be the father of the teenage girls who are presenting the market news and reports. Issues of financial market and financial reports that the girls are reporting on are too advanced for them. Observing the very first show they present, we understand that they have no understanding of what they are presenting; they have been given scripts with the reports, which they have to read for their audience. The innocence displayed by the children and their body language is contrary to the rich business terms they are using in their presentation. The gestures makes in interesting for a person to watch them as he/she tries to connect the magnitude of the message with the girls. Thesis: In this paper, we shall analyze the importance of the news presentation to the inmates as well as the teenage girls and the reason it keeps recurring as a scene in the story
Dubai is in a serious financial crisis and the report is meant to give people an idea of what is happening in the market. The report is meant to prepare people and ensuring that they take measures that will protect them and their businesses. The irony, however, lies on the fact that the news channel have used children to address such complex issues of national concern (DeLillo 151). The teenagers are shown using heavy economic terms they barely understand. However, as they repeatedly read the news and understand the terms, one gets to get the significance. The significance lies especially on the fact that one of the inmates watching the news is the father of the teenagers. The passage does not clearly state the criminal offence committed by the inmates but touches the debt crisis that the country is facing and the little efforts being made by the government to rescue Dubai.
Children have always reflected the future, using them to explain a financial crisis is a way of making them to be acquainted with what the future holds for the country. The show appears on a children’s channel, which implies that the targeted audience is children. Even though the issues addressed appear to be complex for the teenage girls presenting the news. The essence of the channel is to emphasize on the fact that the debt crisis has equal effects on them just as their adult counterparts. The children are living in a country that is faced with a financial crisis which will in turn affect their schooling, clothing and general upkeep. As they get to present the news, they will be familiar with what is happening in the country. Having such information will create a curiosity in them as they seek to know more about the crisis. As the children attend school and engage in other activities, they will be made aware of that fact that there is an issue in their country, which requires urgent solution. Involving children in such, complex activities at a tender age, is therefore, one of the ways through which the news channel is engaging them to find a solution.
In the later parts of the story we realize that the teenage girls are becoming comfortable as they present the news. They even reached a point where they were able to argue on business issues affecting their country as well as being able to read the news without necessarily concentrating on the written scripts. Their comfortable faces and gestures they use to present the script is a clear sign that they slowly understand what is happening. The teenage girls being able to analyze the issue and explain the terms implies that the crisis was deeply affecting the entire region and required the attention of both the young and the old (DeLillo 163). The news scene also acted as a strong reminder of the jailed father that his daughters were maintaining his legacy of improving the financial status of the country as he served a jail term. The father of the teenagers connected to the script in many ways including the relationship he had with the daughters and the interests he had in the financial status of the country.
Most of the channels in the minimum prison were blocked yet the children news channel aired almost every time. Felix was more interested in the news and kept turning to the channel, influencing the other inmates to gain interest The news channels as presented by the kids was significant in reminding the inmates that they had no business being engaged in financial crimes while the country was in a serious debt crisis. The crisis was not just for the government or the adults but also affected the children who had little knowledge on it. Watching the channel was part of the rehabilitation process as it gave the inmates ideas on how well they can utilize their time after they have been released from prison. Since the crimes of the inmates involve finance, it was considered that the channel would best connect to their issues. There is a possibility that the crimes they committed contributed to the debt crisis being experienced in the nation. One of the inmates daughters were used to present the news just to bring the issue closer to him. The inmate will be able to understand that the crime is also a concern to his daughters who are now involved in finding solutions.
Works cited
DeLillo, Don, and Michael Raaflaub. "Hammer and Sickle." DU 815 (2011): 147- 181.
