As soon as my Korean friends even other International friends found out I'm an English major, specifically studying writing, they'd continuously ask me to proofread their papers. I didn't mind and have pictured myself making this as a possible career. For this reason, I chose Tom McCoy's profile on proofreading. Unfortunately, there's not much to say because he centered the entire profile on his boss and how his boss is intimidated by him and the young workers. Not that this information is irrelevant, but I was hoping to get more detail in this job.
The second profile I chose was Herbert Bach, a memorial counselor. Another possible career I hope to achieve is that in counseling. What in counseling you may ask? That's my problem: I'd love to do any type of counseling. Marriage, family, addiction, school, anything! But this is the first time I've heard of a memorial counseling. I wouldn't go into this type of career since I have a history of attending funerals at a young age and have avoided them since. However, Bach makes a great point when he says, "I am not a grief psychologist. I think death is a personal thing. We feel we have to do something to help people overcome their grief" (506). This is interesting in that one could easily view a memorial counselor as a grief counselor. In reality, death is a personal thing and must be dealt with personally. There is only so much a counselor can be exposed to by their client.
Lastly, going along with this funeral theme, I chose the profile on the gravedigger known as Elmer Ruiz. I was curious to know what he thought of his job and surprisingly, "I enjoy is very much, especially in the summer" (509). Again, here is another example of a person who enjoys their jobs. (I've seem to come across a lot of them recently.) I couldn't picture myself having this kind of job, but after reading Ruiz' experience, the way he views death is not in a negative way. And death should not always be sad. Yes, it's not easy to accept the death of a child, but we all die at some point. And this career is not to dwell on the emotions of losing a loved one. Instead, it's showing respect and saying goodbye.
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Ford: "Sauerkraut Soup"
My hometown of Freeman is known for the famous German festival named Schmeckfest which has anything from German foods to a musical play. Sauerkraut is a main dish in the festival's huge dinner. The first time I tried it, I'll be honest: it was disgusting. Now, after eating it a couple more times, I learned to like. Funny reason, but that's why I chose to read Stuart Dybek's story "Sauerkraut Soup."
The story reminded me of so many other stories I read with common themes such as drinking, working, and so on. But I kind of liked this story mainly because it made me laugh. While the other stories I read in Ford's book touched on reality and just a 'here's-my-life-deal-with-it kind of attitude, this story in particular was humorous and different.
Harry is my favorite character and so happened to be a psychology major in the story. I didn't pay close attention to this until sort of the end when he appeared with Frank in Frank's apartment. Reading this section, I got the impression that Harry was 'mad.' Especially when he talked of hydrocephalics and his recognition of the smell of death. I'm not sure if Dybek was poking fun at psychology majors. I've often encountered people who have majored in psychology and are slightly strange. But this by no means offended me. Instead, I found it incredibly entertaining.
Not only was there a character who's major is psychology, but the main character Frank loves to read. He mentioned, "My tiny apartment was crammed with books I'd been wanting to read and wouldn't have a chance to read once school started. I'd been reading Russians all summer and wanted now to concentrate on Dostoevsky" (183). This is definitely what my room looks like. When I first read "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" I went overboard buying any book that was related to WWII and the Holocaust. That time period was fascinating to me although sadly tragic. However, the idea of this type of character enjoying to read was something unique and not often encountered.
The story reminded me of so many other stories I read with common themes such as drinking, working, and so on. But I kind of liked this story mainly because it made me laugh. While the other stories I read in Ford's book touched on reality and just a 'here's-my-life-deal-with-it kind of attitude, this story in particular was humorous and different.
Harry is my favorite character and so happened to be a psychology major in the story. I didn't pay close attention to this until sort of the end when he appeared with Frank in Frank's apartment. Reading this section, I got the impression that Harry was 'mad.' Especially when he talked of hydrocephalics and his recognition of the smell of death. I'm not sure if Dybek was poking fun at psychology majors. I've often encountered people who have majored in psychology and are slightly strange. But this by no means offended me. Instead, I found it incredibly entertaining.
Not only was there a character who's major is psychology, but the main character Frank loves to read. He mentioned, "My tiny apartment was crammed with books I'd been wanting to read and wouldn't have a chance to read once school started. I'd been reading Russians all summer and wanted now to concentrate on Dostoevsky" (183). This is definitely what my room looks like. When I first read "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" I went overboard buying any book that was related to WWII and the Holocaust. That time period was fascinating to me although sadly tragic. However, the idea of this type of character enjoying to read was something unique and not often encountered.
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