...Gary Soto’s “Looking for Work” One July, while killing ants on the kitchen sink with a rolled newspaper, I had a nine-year-old’s vision of wealth that would save us from ourselves. For weeks I had drunk Kool-Aid and watched morning reruns of Father Knows Best, whose family was so uncomplicated in its routine that I very much wanted to imitate it. The first step was to get my brother and sister to wear shoes at dinner. “Come on, Rick – come on, Deb,” I whined. But Rick mimicked me and the same day that I asked him to wear shoes he came to the diner table in only his swim trunks. My mother didn’t notice, nor did my sister, as we sat to eat our beans and tortillas in the stifling heat of our kitchen. We all gleamed like cellophane, wiping the sweat from our brows with the backs of our hands as we talked about the day: Frankie our neighbor was beat up by Faustino; the swimming pool at the playground would be closed for a day because the pump was broken. Such was our life. So that morning, while doing-in the train of ants which arrived each day, I decided to become wealthy, and right away! After downing a bowl of cereal, I took a rake from the garage and started up the block to look for work. We lived on an ordinary block of mostly working class people: warehousemen, egg candlers, welders, mechanics, and a union plumber. And there were many retired people who kept their lawns green and the gutters uncluttered of the chewing gum wrappers we dropped as we rode by on...
Words: 2204 - Pages: 9
..."Looking for Work" by Gary Soto In "Looking for Work" Gary Soto tells the story of a nine-year-old Mexican-American boy who wants his family to be similar to white "perfect families" which he sees on TV. This story gives a detailed description of the boy's life who is attracted to the life of white families. He thinks that in order to have a family that he dreams about, he would have to become rich. Therefore, he gets the idea of looking for work. As the story tells us, the boy earned a quarter doing some small jobs in his neighborhood. The boy really believes that if his family becomes rich, the white people will like them more. At the end of the story, when the boy's mom told him to go outside, he decides to continue to look for a job, so he could earn "the dime that would end the day right." This story reminds me of myself when our family moved to the United States. I was so caught up with the American dream which is so often seen on television all over the world. And I think there are still many people who want their lives to match the standards of American families. Television has a strong influence on people's minds. And when immigrants come here, they think they will have the same level of life which they saw on different American TV shows and movies. Unfortunately, the real life here is often very different from what we draw in our minds. However, the last thing we should do is to give up our dreams for the better. I think that we should not just dream about better...
Words: 301 - Pages: 2
...Gary Soto’s “Looking for Work” Gary Soto is a professor of English at UC Berkeley. He grew up in Fresno, California and has published several volumes of poetry as well as essays and prose memoirs. “Looking for Work” appeared in Living up the Street: arrative Recollections (1985). One July, while killing ants on the kitchen sink with a rolled newspaper, I had a nine-year-old’s vision of wealth that would save us from ourselves. For weeks I had drunk Kool-Aid and watched morning reruns of Father Knows Best, whose family was so uncomplicated in its routine that I very much wanted to imitate it. The first step was to get my brother and sister to wear shoes at dinner. “Come on, Rick – come on, Deb,” I whined. But Rick mimicked me and the same day that I asked him to wear shoes he came to the diner table in only his swim trunks. My mother didn’t notice, nor did my sister, as we sat to eat our beans and tortillas in the stifling heat of our kitchen. We all gleamed like cellophane, wiping the sweat from our brows with the backs of our hands as we talked about the day: Frankie our neighbor was beat up by Faustino; the swimming pool at the playground would be closed for a day because the pump was broken. Such was our life. So that morning, while doing-in the train of ants which arrived each day, I decided to become wealthy, and right away! After downing a bowl of cereal, I took a rake from the garage and started up the block to look for work. We lived on an ordinary block of mostly...
Words: 2246 - Pages: 9
...Dear future self, I want am looking forward to playing high school baseball. I am also looking forward to being able to drive myself to places. I am not looking forward to having to pay taxes. In my education, I want to be better at studying for test. In my essay I will be explaining, how I want to make my baseball career better, how I am looking forward to driving, and how I am not looking forward to paying taxes. First, I will be explaining how I can make my baseball career more successful. To make my baseball career more successful I need to practice harder on my own time. I need to work out more my own time. I need to work on my hitting more, in the cages and on my own time. These are just a few ways that can help my baseball career more...
Words: 378 - Pages: 2
...Upon looking at a Macro indicator like Retail sales in a given economy it may provide very important data that can be used by decision makers to direct policy or make general business decisions. In order to understand this data it is important to understand the difference between a direct signal and an indirect signal. These two items if used properly will allow a decision maker the correctly direct their efforts. First starting with direct signals. These signals can be defined as a database of facts that are not up for debate. These signals measure exactly what you want them to measure and provide a database of information. For Example looking at Retail Sales. If a decision maker in a retail segment of the economy is looking to see where retail sales are over the period of January-‐May, they would look to the retail sales data. Whatever it shows is what retails...
Words: 2234 - Pages: 9
...preparation leading up to the debate, looking at things we done well and that can be implemented in the future when I am doing group work again, but also looking at things that the group could have done better in order to improve performance in the future. At the beginning when the groups were decided my group firstly considered creating a Facebook group chat so that we can all communicate with each other in a practical and efficient way. All group members agreed that this would be the best way to communicate with each other. This was used as our main method of communication for organising meetings and discussing the debate. Having thought about this I think that this was a good aspect to get right at the start it...
Words: 688 - Pages: 3
...portrays herself through the information that is communicated. Additionally, the interviewer is listening for strong behavioral competencies, which help determine a right fit with the job. If this opening answer is weak, it can send the remainder of the interview into a tailspin or cut the interview short." What makes it tricky? It can tempt you to talk about your personal life — which you shouldn't! "Most candidates are not versed in seeing this as a trick question, so they may answer by speaking from a personal perspective: 'I have three kids, I'm married, etc,'" Nicolai says. "Believe it or not, even the most seasoned candidate falls for this question especially when prompted by the interviewer to elaborate." What response are they looking for? A focused, laser-sharp answer conveying your value to the organization and department. "The employer wants to hear about your achievements broken down into two or three succinct bullet answers that will set the tone of the interview," she says. Remember, what we tell people about us is what they hear. So...
Words: 3798 - Pages: 16
...sociology of the family? Finbarr Lawton, University College Cork, Department of Sociology. Student Number: 111310236, Module title/code: Sociology of Family, SC2026, Module Coordinator: Linda Connolly Submission Date: 14/1/13 Throughout my essay I will attempt to look at different theories of masculinity and try to show how these theories have transformed the sociology of family in recent decades. I will start by looking at the sociology of family, giving a brief insight into the main theory’s and how it helps us to understand what the sociology of family is essentially about. Following on from this I will look at masculinity giving the main ideas of it and how it has changed and shifted roles in past decades. Before going into detail about masculinity and how it has changed by looking at theories of fatherhood, work, and unemployment and Hegemonic masculinity. Finally I will finish by looking at the main advantages and disadvantages of this change in masculinity in recent decades looking also at how it has changed the sociology of family. When looking at the sociology of family we see that it is an extremely broad field of study and can really be split into four main theories of which to look at the sociology of family, these being: 1. “Functionalist theory: Looks at the essential tasks provided by the family e.g. Socialisation: Regulation of sexual activity. Social placement: Material and emotional security. 2. Marxist theory: focuses on the way in which...
Words: 2781 - Pages: 12
...for a business role in a work place. This covers different roles with Super Group, I will be looking at the health, safety and security legislation and regulation have different implications. Ever since health and safety has been introduced into the work place they have to have set up and complete risk assessments due to the management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 legislation, for example if an employee at Super Group was set up a risk assessment and the first implication is to make sure they include all possible hazards and risks. The next implication of the risk assessment they have to make sure they involve is every employee that works for the business and for example if an employee was injured and was in a cast and on crutches they would have to make a whole new specific risk assessment for that employee and everything that was going on around including other employees. This is very important because if the worst possible outcome was to happen at work then they would have to able to get that injured employee out safely for example making sure all first exits were clear and all the alarms are tested and working correctly. The next legislation I will be looking and what implications is causes is the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 which was put in place to make sure all employee are safe at work and our working in a healthy environment, this is important for Super Group because they have many high chemical substances at work and they have to make sure...
Words: 960 - Pages: 4
...Kitchen” is a painting. The medium of this art work is oil on canvas. The technique she used appears to be heavy brush strokes. The size of the painting is very large, approximately 8x5 Ft. It is a representational work, which displays a small child, two dogs and some regular attributes of a household kitchen. The image can be broken down into the few blocks. On the front, there is a little child, assumingly named Noel, reaching the top of the kitchen cabinet. He is surrounded by two dogs, one of them seating and looking away from the boy. Another dog is positioned next to Noel, towering over the child. The second block includes the floor of the room and the kitchen cabinet with dishes on the top. Third part of the image is the wall behind the desk. It appears to be shaded and out of focus. The overall intensity of colors happens to be fading towards the right side of the paining. It gives balance to the image by counterweighing the representative images on the left. The large kitchen cabinet is painted brightly red, immediately focusing viewer’s attention on itself as a center of composition. All figures are placed on the various levels, which provide space effect in relationship to the floor and vertical axis. The floor is painted with clear lines distinction in yellow, black and blue colors. By looking at the painting from some distance, the relationship between shapes is very thin and objects are highly recognizable. However, by looking from a close distance, it becomes obvious...
Words: 1353 - Pages: 6
...Work Culture Results Expert * varied and ground breaking work * high emphasis on specialist expertise and lots of specialist roles * high engagement - people encouraged to express opinions * innovative, creative atmosphere * control your own work schedule and organization * dynamic and changing environment Supportive * secure, stable environment * clearly defined jobs, goals and expectations * no conflicting demands * considerate management * focus on employee welfare * lots of personal development and feedback * lots of recognition and celebration of success * fun place to work Well resourced * safe place to work * comfortable, well-designed work place * all the necessary resources to do high standard work I found the Career Interest Profiler, Competencies, and Work Culture Preferences activities all very interesting and insightful. All three taught me a little bit about myself and also what I should be looking for in a future employer to find both success and happiness at work. For example the Interest exercise let me know that I am Enterprising, and that means that I look to be involved in starting up and carrying out projects. I enjoy leading people and making decisions. This is interesting because that is what I have done most of my life. I have been a Store manager in retail for over 8 years, and have had to manage many different project and employees. The work culture showed me that I want a place...
Words: 419 - Pages: 2
... and St. Anthony Abbot The paint depicts St. Eligius, patron saint of the goldsmiths, St. John the Baptist and a third man, St. Anthony Abbot which is Antonio Salvatore patron saint. It represents a legend of the time where Mary with little Jesus on hands appears on top of a house carried by angels when the safety of the Christian shrines was threaten during the time of the Crusades. Let’s take a closer look at this work. Initially I set the...
Words: 1534 - Pages: 7
...job that will fit my strengths I go ahead and apply for the position | I will only look for jobs that offer day time work schedules due to school and kids activates | Certain times during the week I will leave the house to apply in person. This not only lets the employer know that you are interested it also allows you to see if the company is looking for employees. | Sometimes it’s a great idea to search for jobs by looking for signs or checking newspapers. Not all companies use monster.com and careerbuilder.com | Check job boards and email to see if anything new was available. | Uses Saturday to spend time with the family. | Week 2 | Uses Sundays to prepare for the week like getting a hair cut to look professional, making sure your business clothing is clean for the week, and updating any information to your resume that might have been over looked | Wake up and check job boards. Remember being precise tells the employers that you want to work. | Allow yourself some personal time. You don’t always need to be knocking down companies doors. Trust me they know that you are looking for work. | Follow up with both last week and this week’s contacts. A simple phone call will show the employer that you are willing to work. | Check newspapers and internet boards to make sure you stay on top of who is hiring. | This is the most important step when looking for a job. This applies to all unemployed people. Don’t give up and don’t show weakness. Stay strong and positive. |...
Words: 431 - Pages: 2
...How does the Strategies for the technical professional fit in to the IT/ET work place? Is the strategies course taught for any of the other carriers that ITT offers? What type of strategies is learned in the course? I do have a few concerns not only taking the strategies course but to the whole going back to school. A huge concern of mine is being able to find a job to be able to pay for it. Another is am not a real strong public speaker. Also a big concern is being able to find the time to be a full time student, a father to two children and working full time. With all that being said I’m looking forward to going back to school and bettering myself and family. Looking forward to getting to know my classmates and learning from them. I am looking forward to leaning and implementing that into my everyday life. I’m also looking forward to completing the semester and getting on to the next. Because that means one step closer to my goals, and be a role model for my children. I do believe I possess a few strengths , skills and some experience I bring to the class. Self-motivation is one im eager to learn. Honesty is another strength I think I bring to our class. I too have a few skills I think will help me achieve my goals, listening. Some people are too quick to talk with out listening. I also am a hard worker. I work in a warehouse where hard work and attention to detail ay off. So that hurry up hard work mentality follows me in almost everything I...
Words: 301 - Pages: 2
...The modern work place continues to evolve in today’s society and manager’s today are facing many new challenges that did not exist before when they are looking to motivate their employees. Historically, monetary incentives and gains were the best ways at making employees loyal. If you offered a person a good salary at their position with a promise of job security and the potential for progression through the company, you could get the work quality and efficiency that was necessary. However, today’s employees are a bit more complicated than that. When looking to motivate an employee in today’s workforce, taking into effect their personal morals and values may be just as important as any monetary gain you can offer them. Before you can motivate an employee, you must take time to find out what it is they are looking for while working for your company. Motivating employees to work to the best of their abilities is a key element to a successful company, and taking the time to ensure every employee is motivated is essential. Employee motivation will always be a difficult task, however the process of employee motivation has definitely evolved over time. The challenge now is to drop the mindset that money will always be the answer to employee frustration, managers must become more creative in their approaches to motivation. Before focusing on what needs to be done to motivate employees today, a manager needs to understand the concept of motivation and how it is applied in the workplace...
Words: 1448 - Pages: 6