Zepp's Last Stand

I absolutely loved the style in which Blais wrote this piece. She offers no opinion or bias which allows the reader to decide whether to embrace this curmudgeon or reject him as a hypocrite. The ending clearly demonstrated the two sides of Zepp -- a man "wanting to do things the Christian way" versus a man willing to punch "someone around." The description of Zepp today at 83 years of age with the comparison of him 60 years prior helps the reader to imagine the 83 year old riding the rails toward D.C. and his Pentagon hearing and the 23 year old man sitting in the stockade in 1919. The man I originally thought of as a sweet, kind 83 year old gentleman in his "carefully chosen business suit" is soon revealed to also be a "son of a bitch." Zepp is a feisty individual who was married three times but openly confesses to only love his last wife. Blais takes us back and forth from the train ride and meeting in the present, 1979, to his experiences in the army from 1917-1919. The reader sees that Zepp is a man who hasn't changed much in 60 years, since the initial confrontation with the military. She exposes the contradictory shift from a C.O. who professes his love of God and justice to a man who's so angry at the one person who voted against him that he'd like to "bust his head wide open." She portrays Zepp not as a superman but as a man. I loved this feature story.

Oh What a Difference Two Chapters Can Make

The writing style and content of the final chapters and conclusion of Mike Rose’s book, The Mind at Work, was of a much higher quality than the first six chapters. The redundancy, for the most part, is gone and the historical background incites emotion – outrage to be exact. His conclusion offers more than just wringing of hands and pity for the plight of the common laborer. He offers solutions to the inequity of the wage system and the prejudice that defines the common worker as “intellectually substandard.” In place of viewing the common worker in his environment, Rose shifts to the professional in his working environment – surgeon, physical therapist and teacher. With concrete examples, the author reveals just how both the common and professional workers use similar manual techniques and intellectual processes in their work. Chapter eight was an education in itself. Rose exposes the vocational education system for depreciating the “intellectual dimensions” of the trades. The educational sorting of minority and economically disadvantaged students by “probable or evident destinies,” focusing more on their limits than their potential, is nothing more than race and class prejudice. And, according to Rose, the second rate education received by these students “will affect the work we create in the future.” This is apparent today as businesses draw attention to young workers who are unprepared for the workplace. In his conclusion, Rose reiterates the inequities of economy and opportunity faced by today’s young people. He suggests that this broken system can be fixed, but only “through the lens of democracy.” Last week I never thought I’d say this – Mike Rose is my hero.

Pearls and Lotto Tickets

     Pearls Before Breakfast captured my attention from the first paragraph. Who was this man with the violin. Why is he playing "beside a trash basket" in the Metro, and why is the Washington Post writing about him? In the third paragraph, when Gene Weingarten proposes the options each passerby may  have considered when hearing this violinist in the subway, I found myself asking what I would do in that situation.
     Once the reader meets Joshua Bell, Weingarten provides us with detailed background on Bell's life which includes love for his violin. The background of this accomplished young man proves to be fascinating and adds depth to the story.
    The love of Bell's music, or at least the appreciation of it, was felt by the children moreso than the adults. Parents who whisked their rubber-necking children off to the next train have deadlines to meet. And, this is the point Weingarten makes: we're so caught up in our fast-paced lifestyle that we don't have time to appreciate beauty. We even disregard a life lost -- a couple of years past people hurried by an invisible homeless man who lay dead near the escalator.
     The author makes it clear that due to this experiment of a renown violinist playing in the Metro nothing has changed. We may know a little more about Joshua Bell and we may have learned a little more about ourselves, but "These days...lotto ticket sales remain brisk," writes Weingarten. As with all good authors, the story ends with a humorous twist -- Bell awarded the "Avery Fisher prize" for his Flop.
     The article was fascinating, but I felt it dragged at certain moments. While I understand his desire to keep the reader engaged, many of his one line paragraphs, "So, what do you think happened?" and "Hang on. We'll get you some expert help." felt condescending.  In his descriptions of  Bell, Weingarten seemed almost moonstruck -- "He's got a Donny Osmond-like dose of the cutes." This information wasn't pertinent to the piece.
     Having Joshua Bell play in the Metro was ingenious, and Pearls Before Breakfast was expertly written -- certainly deserving of the Pulitzer Prize Weingarten won.

The Mind at Redundant Work

     Chapter 4 in The Mind at Work offered the similar view that young people who learn a trade gain self discipline and self esteem with a job well done. The difference is that Chapter 4 focuses on carpentry. Rose writes in chapter 3, the bran and hand work together. He adds another dimension to that with carpentry: "Brain, hand, tool, and wood ...work in a complex cybernetic system." The problem with this book is the redundancy. Rose offers the same ideas using different names and different occupations.
     While Chapter 5 continues to look at students and advances the idea that work becomes ones identity, it's more engaging because it focuses on reflection. Rose concludes that as a society, we are missing principled activities that contribute to the social good -- we spend too much time trying to identify problems. This chapter offered a different perspective which made it a more interesting "read" than chapter 4.
     Chapter 6 held my attention. Rose does a better job of detailing the stories of two people who bucked the odds to work their way into management positions. He also offers insight on binary opposites in the way our society looks at education versus vocation -- we define education as well-minded while vocation as narrow; education as intellectual while vocation as practical. As Mike Rose's Uncle Joe said, "there's no such thing as unskilled labor." I particularly liked this chapter because it offered concrete examples of two people who succeeded and helped others as well -- without much redundancy.

The English Wit

     Let me start out by saying, I love English sarcasm. It's biting. It's irreverent. It's witty. With Downton Fever, Rebecca Mead blends her own wit with that of the Downton Abbey  cast. The last line of the first paragraph is classic -- of course Joanne Froggatt liked the Westin Hotel, "unlike at Downton, she did not have to share a room." 
     Mead captures incredible bits of sarcasm from the players as they poke fun at themselves and the English people in general. When the English think of noble families, they may be surprised that the "Turkish diplomat expire[d] in the bed of the eldest daughter of the house." Or, maybe they wouldn't.
     When reading the line "the stewards stand in the corner and make sure we don't carve our name into the dining-room table," I imagined these straight laced men and women standing in uniform, glaring at the actors.
     What's surprising is how people will change their habits in order to watch the program. Even the local church changed the time of their "evensong service" so the congregants could make it home in time to watch Downton Abbey. I've watched the program a few times and did like it, but I dont' think I'd be moved to celebrate an ash cloud overhead.

The Emotional Tie

Within the first three sentences of Chapter 1, Mike Rose introduces the reader to his mother. The reader learns of her illness and life struggles as well as the sense of fulfillment she found in waitressing.  With the mention of her illness and the bond mother and son share as they reminisce, Rose generates an immediate emotional connection between reader and subject. The author doesn’t attempt to generate a feeling of pity or sympathy for his mother, but one of tenderness and respect.  Only after the emotional connection has been made does the author guide the reader through the facts and details of waitressing.

Rose begins chapters 2 and 3 with introductions to people who work, learn and teach in the hairdressing and plumbing fields. Using the same technique to generate emotion before he provides details of the profession, the author engages the reader. Rose also emphasizes the sense of fulfillment and pride felt by the men, women and children who work with “hand and brain” (66).  As each chapter ends, Rose reiterates the complex skills needed to succeed in each of the professions. The reader gains an appreciation of the physical and mental demands placed on the workers. This appreciation is possible through Rose’s initial introduction and continued emotional tie to each subject.

While I do like the book, I have an issue with Rose's writing style. He doesn't vary his sentence length often enough.  Although his sentences contain pertinent information, they are similar in length, which makes the reading tedious. Additionally, he places quotation marks around words such as “family-style” (5), “short-term,” “working” and “long-term”, all on page 10. This use of quotation marks is overdone, unnecessary and further detracts from the sentence flow.

A Story to Share

A single, thirty-something man who has traveled throughout the U.S., served in Iraq, and continues serving as an army reservist is the subject of my blog. From prior conversations I know that he’s proud to be an army reservist, but I don’t know what motivated him to join the army. Ian returned from Iraq four years ago with his usual optimism, which included plans for his future. Those plans have not materialized. Although Ian has experienced low points, his family and friends have provided a strong support system.

Currently taking classes at a local college, Ian also works part-time. I’m not sure if he has returned to school for a degree or to take a few courses that will help him in a new career. Despite the fact that we live in the same neighborhood, I have limited knowledge of this man, particularly his early years.

My goal is to interview Ian and persuade him to share some of his background.  Who has been most influential in his life?  How did that person make a difference? What has been his biggest personal struggle? Who has helped him through difficult times?

Once Ian shares his past, I’ll have a better sense of who this man is. I can then continue to probe, asking about the present and future. What’s most important to Ian today?  What does he fear most and what are his hopes?  If his story leans toward his time in Iraq, I’ll ask about his decision to join the army – when and why? Did his time in Iraq affect his opinions or values? If not, I’ll follow his answers to discover more about him. I know he has a story to share.