Isaac Swert
Professor Lohre
English 1109 at 01:30, T-Th
6th November, 2020
Connecting to our Callings
My favorite profile in Callings is the profile about the Street-Corner Astronomer, Herman Heyn. The profile that seemed the most unfilling was Actor, Ricardo Pitts-Wiley. Even though one was my favorite and the other one was probably my least favorite, they both had a similarity in my mind that connected them. This similarity was that both Ricardo and Herman were chasing their dreams even when it seemed difficult and they both put a lot of time into making it in their careers. Herman went through a long list of jobs before he found his and then he proceeded to put countless hours into it. He says “ I’ve been out on the street 2637 time” (Isay 15). Similarly, Ricardo had to try to find a theater group that would hire him and he had many auditions, but finally a group hired him after 11 months of trying to find a role in a theater group(Isay 94-95). These stories had some similarities even though to me, they were at different levels of favoritism.
The differences in these profiles that stuck out to me was their structure. For Hermans profile, I thought that the conversation was more natural. There was more back and forth between Herman and his nephew John, and that helped paint a more detailed picture of how passionate he was about his job. Herman was so passionate about his career, that he hoped to inspire someone to follow in his field for their career (Isay 15-16). For Ricardos conversation, the structure was more one sided and it was as if Ricardo was talking directly to the reader. I thought the profiles with more back and forth were more filling than the ones like Ricardos. Also, Ricardo tried to discourage his son from becoming an actor (Isay 95). This was also a difference between the two profiles, it showed how their levels of commitment differed.
Being passionate about what I love is very important to me. When I find the job or hobby I love I get addicted to it. I really related to Herman’s profile because of the way he loved his job and kept track of how many times he went out to work. This reminded me of how I was when I worked at the Banana Republic Factory Store at Tanger. I was addicted to getting people to sign up for credit cards and I became so competitive. I easily achieved 500 credit card sign ups in my two years working there and that landed me in the top 1% of the company. So, just like Herman, I was passionate for my work and I found a way to enjoy it.
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| This is a picture of a Christmas themed chart used to keep track of how many credit card sign ups were earned in December of 2018. I was the star on the chart because I was the best and had the most cards. |
Isaac, I love how despite reacting to the two profiles differently, you saw the theme of perseverence as key to both of them. That is what comparison can do: help you find hidden connections and themes.
ReplyDeleteI also love your story about getting so many people to sign up for credit cards working at Tangier's. You were really good at that and sometimes being competitive can really make us productive. Nice writing!
Hello Isaac, I also think that the street corner astronomer was my favorite so far. I think that him keeping a journal shows a lot about his love for his work. I like how you pointed out his present self based not only on what he said, but how he said it.
ReplyDeleteHey Isaac, I admire how once you find something of interest you fully commit to it. With me, it depends on my mood, but you seemed to make it competitive. Who doesn't like some competition? I was wondering how this trait would transfer to your life later on?
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