This is my second post about the podcast \u201cThroughline,\u201d the podcast that tells historical stories related to contemporary issues. In this episode, \u201cThe Most Sacred Right,\u201d the topic is Frederick Douglass and voting rights. The story starts with Douglass\u2019 birth. The hosts, Rund Abdelfatah and Ramtin Arablouei, then go through his escape from enslavement and his work for Black enfranchisement throughout the Civil War and the Civil Rights eras. They also discuss how voting rights have progressed since Douglass\u2019 time and how it affects us today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One narrative element that I touched on in my previous post is using voice actors for direct quotes. In that episode about the electoral college, they often used direct quotes from Alexander Hamilton. We can see the same mechanic used in this episode as well with quotes from Frederick Douglass. In fact, the very opening of the episode is straight from a Frederick Douglass speech, performed by Jose Rufino, the voice actor for this episode. \u201cThroughline\u201d uses direct quotes in a very consistent way throughout their episodes, using them to set the atmosphere and a direction of a topic, then summarizing and extending from the quote in the hosts\u2019 own words. They also interpolate direct quotes from Douglass when possible to tell his own story – for example, they quote, \u201cEvery opportunity I got, I used to read this book.\u201d Then the hosts jump in, \u201cAnd clearly, that book had a great influence on him imagining his way out of slavery.\u201d This use of direct quotes to accentuate and enhance the hosts\u2019 commentary goes a long way to create a cohesive feel of the podcast, and this seems to be a defining characteristic of \u201cThroughline\u201d episodes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another element that adds to the feel of \u201cThroughline\u201d is the inclusion of short audio clips to respond to and set the scene for the story. For example, just before talking about Douglass getting a job on the wharves of Baltimore, we hear a soundbite of water splashing. The couple seconds of the sound effect go a long way to setting the feel of the episode – it transports the audience onto the docks of Baltimore in 1838, making us feel a lot more immersed in the story. The same effect also works to build tension when the hosts discuss the emergence of the Ku Klux Klan. We hear a clip of a mob yelling indistinctly, then an unidentified speaker says, \u201cThey shot the man, and they hanged him. And then used his body for target practice so as to teach Black folk a lesson.\u201d Then finally, after establishing the gravity of the situation, the hosts begin to discuss the Jim Crow era. The use of soundbites as a preface prepares the audience for a new section of the episode and creates a tense mood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, \u201cThroughline\u201d also consistently employs the voices of resident experts in the topic of the episode. I didn\u2019t write too much about it in the last post, but the electoral college episode featured several expert constitutional and historical scholars. In this episode, the main expert is David Blight, professor of American history at Yale and the author of a biography of Frederick Douglass. Such guest hosts lend credibility to the podcast, since the main hosts can\u2019t be experts on every topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This episode of \u201cThroughline\u201d told a very engaging story of Frederick Douglass\u2019 struggle for equality, and how the same issues he fought for are still present in our society today. It was released just before the 2020 election, so it\u2019s a very timely presentation of voting and voter suppression issues. It was both entertaining and informative, and I would recommend everyone to take a listen.
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