In his text, Radio: An Illustrated Guide, Glass states that "radio is a didactic medium. It's not enough to tell a story. You also have to explain what it means."(6). It is important to follow this structure of supplying anecdotes followed by reflections upon those actions and events. Especially in radio, this structure is vital because the audience does not have the luxury of experiencing the sequences within context. Vowell's documentary, "Trail of Tears," follows the outline laid out by Glass in order to effectively express their "heritage tourism" in which they drive along this path of this trail, a major historical landmark of their Cherokee heritage. The prologue and the conclusion of the documentary both display "an anecdote, … a 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 sequence means."(6).
The idea that people find it difficult to relate to and appreciate their past unless the possess an innate connection with it, is effectively portrayed in Vowell's "Trail of Tears" through the use of Glass' anecdote then reflection structure. In the prologue by Glass, he illustrates that because the students have nothing in common with Dr. King besides being a minority, it is difficult for them to find true meaning in the reenactment of his inspirational speech. However, through discovering that one of their direct ancestors had contributed something tangible to their history the Vowell sisters have found a new kindled respect and understanding of their ancestry.
The prologue begins with an anecdote about a field trip of a high school class comprised mostly of minority students to the the Lincoln Memorial. Here there teacher attempts to recreate Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech for them. Glass sets the stage by describing for the audience how the teacher went to great lengths to make this opportunity possible for the kids and included every minute detail to create a flawless reenactment Afterwards, Glass interviews some of the students for some reflection upon the experience. Surprisingly, most of the students were unmoved by the recreation, saying that "it was like we were just sitting there listening to a speech we've heard thousands of times." Glass then reflects on the scenario by expressing his belief that most Americans have lost a sense of appreciation of their ancestry. and history.
Sara and Amy Vowell found themselves contracting this same apathetic attitude towards their heritage so they decided to take a journey along the "Trail of Tears" to get in touch with their Cherokee ancestry. The documentary recreates their journey from Georgia and Oklahoma as they stopped in various historically significant sites along this trail that marks the tragic excommunication of thousands of Cherokees from their homeland in northwestern Georgia. Throughout the sequences the girls say how 'They don't know why they're there.' and how 'They feel worse now than they did before the sojourn.' However, at the conclusion of the documentary the girl's uncle provides an anecdotal story about their great-grandfather and how he helped build one of the monuments in Oklahoma commemorating the Cherokee's settlement in the West. After that the girls reflect on how they finally feel an "familial connection" the history of the "Trail of Tears."
In both of these elements of the documentary, it is essential that the anecdote be presented before the reflections to explain what it all means are expressed. I feel this structure should be intuitive for any producer of a documentary. It seems that the most effective way of presenting material is to first convey the details, events, and other factual information about the subject matter in order to set the scene before an insightful revelation. In both of the aforementioned examples from the "Trail of Tears" documentary, by using this format, the final epiphanies are expressed much more profoundly.