Newspaper Example

Profile Article: A Grafitti Legend Is Back on the Street

"He arrived on foot, and on time, wearing heavily grease-stained beige overalls and boots. He seemed to be in his late 30's or early 40's, with thinning light brown hair. He had the windburned eyes and blackened fingernails of an ironworker, along with the vaguely feral intensity of someone on the lam."

I think that this lead best represents the use of an "individual in a dramatic moment." The author wants to tell the story of a man who has drastically changed his lifestyle and begins by focusing on his past - when he was at a crucial time in his life. The first paragraph holds the most description, though I think that the lead likely is meant to include the second paragraph as well.

The main idea of the story is that of a former grafitti artist and criminal who has transformed his life and his art, reinventing himself as a "legitimate and law-abiding sculptor." This main idea is found in the nut graph:

'"But he hardly looked like the kind of shadowy revolutionary figure who had once declared that his goal was to 'tear the city to pieces and rebuild it.' Now, he says, smiling weakly, 'I stop at stop signs; I pay taxes; I get up and go to work and get a paycheck.'"

The writer makes good use of "scenes" in that he is able to capture the physical characteristics of Revs as well as the mood and descriptions of his grafitti. He includes details such as Revs' tone of voice, physical features including his blackened finger nails and thinning hair. The author also captured the character's resentment and anger and at the same time his desire to change his image and maintain anonymity in his work.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/18/arts/design/18revs.html?