Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Boxers, Briefs and Books
That's the headline introducing a Sunday column in the New York Times penned by novelist and former Oxford resident John Grisham. Read it and opine here. What are your impressions (type your own reaction in no less than three sentences)? What can budding student journalists take away from his words? Your response here is due by the start of class Friday, 10 Sept.
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Wow. This was truly an amazing and inspiring story. It just goes to show that you never know exactly where a road will take you until you follow it. It also goes to show that everything we do in life is just a stepping stone to where we are today. I can completely relate to this story. Having dead end jobs along the way, starting out just because someone decided to give a young, inexperienced high school kid a chance, just one chance. That chance, little did I know, would be the first stepping stone to the career path that I am on today. Everything you do in life makes you who you are. It develops the true person within you.
ReplyDeleteIt is so refreshing to know that even successful people, like John Grisham, didn't know what they wanted to do while they were in college either. I think sometimes we get so caught up in what we are meant to do and figuring out the rest of our lives when we really we should just enjoy the ride and see where it takes you instead of trying to map out your entire life.
ReplyDeleteThis article truly shows me that with determination, patience and perseverance I will be successful and find something I love to do. I think this article very accurately portrayed what most young adults feel. The optimism that he portrays throughout the article, no matter how bad the job was, makes him a great person to look up to and think about as we all go through college and the job searching process.
ReplyDeleteThis article was truly inspiring to me. It gives me much hope in knowing that I dont have to have an exact plan for my life right after graduation. I don't have to know exactly what i am going to do and exactly where I am going to be in this world, but if I am patient, my passion will happen. John Ghrisham was very optimistic and tried so many different things. That inspires me to go out into the world and do as many different things as I can possibly do while I am still young and just let life take me where i am supposed to be eventually taken.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post. I liked that it really talks about how you can do so many things in this world and search and search for a passion, but out of no where your passion can find you. I think this i a great inspiration piece because it tells readers that you can do anything with your life and you can be successful, even if it takes a while to reach that success. It was fun to hear of how his life of low-paying jobs led him to the thing that would make him famous. This is truly a great inspirational piece and it lets me know that there are no true plans in life, and things never turn out the way they're supposed to , and that is very exciting to me.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great story,I totally enjoyed it. I can fully understand and relate to writing being the hardest job ever, However I've know what I truly wanted to do with my life since I was five years old. I liked the audience connection within the article. When the author denied the sale and gave the customer a larger size in underwear I could relate, due to my blatant honestly. I also loved how the author told about his past jobs but allowed details of their horridness to be kept secret. In total honesty I thought this article would be something that I didn't want to read and had little or no interest in but once again I was proven wrong and I'm glad of it.
ReplyDelete~Kaylah K. Johnson~
I would like to start with a resounding, wow! This was so influential, and more than a normal motivatio! To hear this coming from him leaves a mental window, and leaves a belief that any and everything can happen by looking through. Also, it shows that the future is not always written. Sometimes its all what we make out of it, and fortunately for Mr. Grisham he made the very best out of his.
ReplyDeleteThe foundation of the piece is something that I think almost anyone can relate to, writer or not. The frustration associated with finding a steady job throughout adolescence and often early adulthood is what keeps many businesses going, often with discontent employees, but still open for business. I really enjoyed the way that he went about explaining how he finally found his passion. I think many young writers, or any other wandering students, would appreciate his patience. He did a great job of expressing the need for persistence in finding your passion, within explicitly stating it. As a notable author, I think Grissom has provided many young writers with both hope and motivation.
ReplyDeleteThis particular article hits very close to home with me. When I turned 12 years old I started mowing lawns all summer. I mowed my families lawn and mow my aunt and uncles and grandparents as well for no pay. Then when I turned 15 I took on a more serious role at a local market this job was miserable. I had to wear a dress shirt and tie, dress shoes, and a brown apron. Pretty fashionable for the 1950's. Either way, when Grisham talks about working at Sears I understand where he is coming from completely. We all have to start somewhere maybe the bottom or maybe the top, like Grisham I started at the bottom. This kind of article shows how character is built, success is not attained overnight. We all have to take our fair share of bumps and bruises. But, I would not have done it any different if I had another chance. Those jobs made me who I am. I understand the value of good hard work just as Grisham does. He has been in the dirt and so have I. I see the dirt I used to work in and it motivates me to be the best because there is no way I'm going back to that. I am forever grateful to my parents for making me work, it made me strong like Grisham.
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