Introduction
The three readings chosen for this reflection essay include On Being a Cripple by Nancy Mairs, On Dumpster Diving by Lars Eighner and Working at Wendy's by Joey Franklin. The first reading, On Being a Cripple, is about the virtue of self-acceptance where Nancy Mairs who is the story’s persona refers to herself as a cripple. This particular story was selected for use in this refection essay because of its relevance to modern life and reference to real life situation. It stresses the need for self-acceptance which is always encouraged across the earth. The second story, On Dumpster Diving , refers to a person who works as a Dumpster diver. It was selected for use in this paper because of its usefulness in real. It teaches the techniques and approaches which a person may use to overcome challenges at a job. Finally, the third text, Working at Wendy's , refers to a person who is in the journey of job searching. The person applies for a job opportunity which is not likeable to him. This story was selected for use in this particular paper because of its real life content that depicts how the modern society is perverted.
Challenges of the Readings
While reading the selected texts, I experienced significant challenges especially those related to understanding the main message in them. Firstly, my understanding of the readings was made difficult by the fact that they did not seem to refer to any common theme. When one reads three readings which refer to quite varied subjects, it becomes hard to harmonize their messages and get a clear understanding. Moreover, the readings are separate chapters within a book whose title I did not know then. It, thus, was hard for me to link the contents of the texts to any particular message.
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As I struggled to understand the main message of the readings, I found myself having to re-read them severally albeit to no avail. Moreover, the readings did not have any guiding questions to help boost my comprehension level. I believe that in the future, choosing text with related subject for easy comprehension. Moreover, I will be developing guiding questions to assist me get deeper understanding of the texts. I will also ensure I avoid distractions while reading future texts so that I do not interrupt the flow of the reading exercise.
Highlight of Readings
The highlight of the three readings was discovering personal lessons from the experiences of the personas. Specifically, I learned from the On Dumpster Diving essay by Lars Eighner that human beings have much to learn from others especially while on the job (Eighner, 1995). The knowledge that one possesses regarding a given job is never sufficient. There is always room for improvement. This improvement only comes when a person accepts to share knowledge and experiences with workmates. Through interacting with workmates, it is possible to learn new skills and techniques of handling tasks.
From On Being a Cripple essay, I learned the virtue of accepting oneself. Despite the weaknesses that a person has in life, accepting them and developing a solid positive attitude regardless of what people say and think are key drivers towards success. The persona in this essay happily calls herself crippled and this state gives her much inspiration (Mairs, 1986).
I also learned from the Working at Wendy's essay that mere educational certificates do not grant a person success. In the labor market, much more is needed from a person than just the academic papers presented (Franklin, 2006).
My assumption before reading the essays was that I would readily understand their content just by literal reading. However, this assumption changed later on realizing deep reading is required to get the implied comprehension of a story.
If I had the chance of meeting Nancy, I would ask her to explain what makes happily call herself crippled because there high stigma attached to this state in the society.
My personal account would be about how concentrating on achieving good grades in my high school education helped me to score excellent marks and secure a good course. This personal account would greatly inspire others to appreciate the virtue of working hard and focusing on the set goal in life.
References
Eighner, L. (1995). “On Dumpster Diving.” Indiana Review .
Franklin, J. (2006). “Working at Wendy's.” Twenty something Essays .
Mairs, N. (1986). “On Being a Cripple.” Arizona Board of Regents .
