Podcast Analysis

I listened to an episode of “This American Life,” one called “The Cruelty of Children.” There are three passages going on about that subject. One that I noticed, in particular, for its use of sound was a piece of original fiction by Ira Sher called “The Man in the Well.” It tells the story of children speaking to—but never helping—a man trapped in a well. The narrator's voice stays somber throughout, as serious as the subject matter entails; moreover, he has a quality of depth and reflection in his voice and tone. Throughout the telling of the story, very little emotion is ever displayed—only the sad reflection and pauses of a person emphasizing certain events, without necessarily being caught up in them.

Interestingly, the background has a sort of relatively high-pitched tribal-sounding music. I'm not sure what the meaning of that is, but it lent an unearthly quality to the piece, and effectively brought out an eerie sense of funereal dirge that went well with the story. In fact, I think maybe my perception of the narrator as so somber and somewhat sad is that music, which only starts about a minute into the tale.