The parallels between Rankin's story and Walker's story are honestly uncanny. It's obvious they are both very passionate (or at least used to be) about this job. Rankin states "...anything that grows is really remarkable when you think about it" and in that one line I realized why Rankin has been working these physically exhausting potentially fourteen hour workdays for the past forty years of his life- he loves it. Walker had a similar statement when he discussed the satisfaction a farmer gets when he/she gets a good crop. He explains that it's tedious work, but it's rewarding work. Another thing both of these men can definitely agree upon is the struggle of unpredictability. Bugs, weather, what crops people will want, etc. are all major stressors for farmers. Finally, one thing is definitely for sure; they are exhausted. Another similarity that Aunt Katherine Haynes shares with both of these men, she is exhausted. However, Aunt Katherine Hayes brought up an interesting point about education. She repeatedly states that she's "just a hillbilly" but seems proud of all the hard work she's accomplished in her life. I would say that she's more unhappy with her lack of education rather than her work. I think she's proud of her farm and proud of her children but wishes that she could have a little bit more basic knowledge. All three of these people have a very different perspective on working than I do. First of all, as a future educator, I don't feel I really have any physical labor to be concerned about in my future. Unpredictability, however, I feel is a concern no matter what your career path is.
Just a thought....
I'm not sure how the interviewer meant it, but when he said that Rankin's job was a lot about bugs I almost felt he was a little condescending... While Rankin did say a lot about insects and how to deal with them I felt that the way the interviewer presented the question was a little rude... Does anyone else feel this way?
Hi Cori,
ReplyDeleteGood start here. Really good quotation. And I'm excited that you mentioned the attitude of the interviewer. I think "a little rude" might be right. Very little, but still worth noticing. We are sensitive about work and identity, aren't we?
Okay, so now that we've talked about CONTEXT SENTENCES in class, I'll expect you to identify the works and authors (and main characters?) in future blogposts. Here, you don't mention the author of Working or deliberately identify the people you're talking about. Slow down! You can do more to let your implied reader in on what you're arguing. Who's Rankin, for instance? Who's Walker? I know, but even as a reader who knows, I want to feel like you have full mastery of what you're talking about, and one way for you to get to that level is to identify everyone thoroughly.
Also, paragraphs are your friends, especially in blog-writing. (Seeing space on the computer is a welcome thing.) And I mention paragraphs here because I want you to work on dividing-and-developing. You have a few really good points and there's no need to smush them together. Think about topic sentences that announce the main idea of your paragraph and then how best to develop those ideas with quotes/examples/other sub-arguments.
Really good start.
Grade: 1/1
DW
Hey Cori,
DeleteYour views on Rankin's attitude toward work is the same as mine. I began to question why he put in all of the backbreaking labor he did on his farm, until half way through his interview when I realized how much he loves it, which is interesting to me because personally that's way too much labor for the return I'm assuming he gets. The same goes for the Walker family- the amount of work they put in is amazing, yet they love it.
Your view on Aunt Katherine Haynes' education is very interesting. It's crazy how she feels that education is not important within her life, but when we look at our lives, it's one of the most important aspects (since we are in college and all). But, she makes it work, performing her daily duties into her old age.
Good job! I enjoyed reading this article.
I agree with how you said that both Rankin and Walker felt exhausted but at the same time accomplished. It makes me wonder if I would ever want to give that much of my life up for a reward that is really mostly pride, as they could be making more money doing other things. It seems as though all three of these people work completely for pride, almost as if justifying spending their entire lives working to themselves.
ReplyDeleteCori,
ReplyDeleteI could not agree more with your last statement in your post about unpredictability. As I am pursuing a career in medicine, I also believe the my career choice will come with unpredictability on a day to day basis. I think that it could be beneficial or catastrophic depending on what type work you choose as a career but I think it is unescapable.
Also, I agree with you that the interviewer did come off as a little rude. I did not realize it until I had read your post and saw your perspective on how he was rude. I'm glad I read your post it definitely gave me another perspective to read.
Cori,
ReplyDeleteI think everyone can relate to unpredictability. Even the most organized person who has his whole life planned out can't really know what exactly is going to happen. Life is so unpredictable. Things change so quickly. I think the people that are most successful are people that learn to just go with the flow and adapt quickly to whatever life throws at them.
I thought your last comment about the interviewer being condescending was interesting. I had never really thought about it that way but I think you are totally right!