"Trail of Tears" follows the radio documentary format as dictated by Ira Glass -- which isn't surprising considering his direct reference is to the documentaries featured in This American Life, of which this is a part.

" There's an anecdote, that is, sequence of actions where someone says 'this happened then this happened then this happened -- and then there's a moment of reflection about what the sequences means, and then on the next set of actions."

-- IRA GLASS

Documentary begins with an introduction that features a description of how the current generation has no comprehension of how to relate to the events of the past.

This anecdote sets up the premise that the modern generation needs to sit down and try to filter through their daily lives to truly understand their origins.

What follows next is the story of Sara Vowell, a writer/reporter of Cherokee descent, and her travels, with her twin sister, along the same Trail of Tears that her ancestors had to go through so many years ago

The introduction sets the theme of the entire story -- the idea of the old traditions and hardships versus the modern conveniences of daily life.

Sara first tells of the differences between herself and her sister. Most notable is that although they are twins, Sara looks very much like a person of Native-American descent (dark hair, dark eyes) while Amy looks like a "swede" (blonde hair, blue eyes).

This act of telling their physical characteristics followed by a reflection of the differences and what is means about their heritage places their story into perspective and pushes their story forward.

In the many reflections whether they be dramatic (visit to Jackson's memorial) or humourous (CHOO-CHOO), they start with an explanation of the actions followed by a more historical explanation of the importance of the town/person/road.

This manner of narrative is effective in comparing the modern residual effects to the historical occurences.

The modern events range from the Mexican art seller who sells Native American trinkets because "we love Indians" to an Andrew Jackson museum that mentions nothing of the Trail of Tears.

The historical events are the facts that exist from that time -- the reasoning for Jackson to expel the Cherokee to Oklahoma, the amount of deaths, the hardships the Cherokee endured during that year of travel.

This structure of storytelling is very effective for radio media.

It keeps the listener interested by describing the events within a modern context, followed closely by a historical perspective.

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