The Physical Genius, Work Makes Life Sweet, SantaLand Diaries - Book Report/Review Example

Name1 1. Name 2. Professor’s name 3. Class 4. Date: The Physical Genius, Work Makes Life Sweet, SantaLand Diaries Order ID: 469223 Introduction The dichotomy of work and leisure continue to evolve as society changes, but what is more important, is the manner in which each individual perceives it. Work is a social necessity and it is a fact, that only through work do our dreams get realized. In this essay, an attempt is being made to analyze and draw comparisons between the works of different writers in order to understand their perspectives of work and how it impacts our lives. One of the essays that would be discussed is ‘SantaLand Diaries’ by David Sedaris, a great playwright, social critic, intense humorist and a well known public speaker who was well sought after in France. He was also quite a famous essayist who contributed his writings that centered around bringing awareness to people on some of the prevalent social causes or problems in the society, and published them in the New Yorker and The American Life. Some of his famous books include ‘Holidays on Ice’, ‘Barrel Fever’ and Name2 ‘SantaLand Diaries’, where the author goes out of the way in bringing out the humor in the most difficult or tight situations. The second story is by Malcolm Gladwell, titled ‘The Physical Genius’ and is quite in contrast to SantaLand Diaries, as it is more serious in nature and filled with the works and achievements of a brain surgeon who was not only dedicated but extremely hardworking and selfless. The third is titled – ‘Work Makes Life Sweet’, by Bell Hooks, a prolific writer, on African American women, who bore witness to the struggle of women who were suppressed and did not enjoy the work they do. She gives us a very important message that whatever work we do, we should not alienate ourselves from it but have a sincere passion and commitment towards it, because ultimately all our dreams and goals would be achieved only through our hard work and this in turn would result in making our lives sweet. All three stories hold great significance in our lives though they hold different points of views. One of the most salient points highlighted by the author in ‘SantaLand Diaries’ is that of social awareness relating to the problem of unemployment and the type of jobs people had to do in order to look after their families or meet their other expenses. Though unemployment is a grim subject to deal with, Sedaris brings about the lighter side of fun and laughter and the attitude people exhibited, when faced with such a problem. However, in ‘The Physical Genius’ by Gladwell, we find that to Wilson, who was a neurosurgeon genius, work was indeed a serious matter and was not treated lightly. He always carried an aura of mysticism and mystery around him, but no matter how impressive he was in his job, he always remained simple and humble at heart and was Name3 always conscious about the needs of his patients. The author brings out his simplicity in the following incident when someone asks him why he did a certain thing and he would simply answer – “Well, it just seemed like the right thing”. (Malcolm Gladwell, 1999) In ‘Work Makes Life Sweet’, the point the author emphasizes is that ‘love is a fact of life but is absent from their lives.’ (Hooks, 2009) The author understood that work should not be treated as a chore, but one should sincerely have love and passion for it and it is this aspect that would make our lives more enjoyable and sweet. The right vocation or livelihood is only secondary to being employed and earning well to meet our goals in life, and this aspect was no different for Sedaris himself, when he felt he was being victimized while trying to find employment. He was yet to be the successful writer that he dreamed of because he was still in the wake of completing his studies in college. The story of SantaLand begins on a grim note depicting the author David Sedaris himself, who is desperate to find a job, since he has his student loans to pay off, in addition to realizing his dream of becoming a Television Soap Opera writer. When going through the employment column while having coffee at a wayside shop, Sedaris was pleasantly surprised to find that there was a job opening at SantaLand in Macy’s Departmental Store that advertised for elves to liven up their space during the Christmas season. After a very probing interview that involved both intellectual and physical evaluation, the author gets hired for the post. Though he was happy to have been hired during the holiday crunch, he had an inner apprehension that he might not meet their expectations of managing the cash register or training the elves that were newly Name4 hired and was in constant fear of being beaten by customers who became irate with his services. In the beginning, he did not find the job very appealing, in fact, he found it quite humiliating wearing the elves costume or uniform that comprised of a pair of dark green velvet knickers, darker green velvet smock, a yellow turtleneck and a spangled perky stocking cap. Gladwell’s essay shows us that appearances did not matter but sincerity and commitment to work however small or big should be top priority. The author gives us a good example through his protagonist Charlie Wilson who went about his work without any expectation. The author strongly believes that we should not treat work just as a job but should work with dedication and commitment. Hooks sends out the same message that one should not work just to earn money but it should be treated as a vocation irrespective of the benefits it gives us. She was a staunch writer on the struggle and oppression of women and in support of them states – “I feel we must be deeply rooted in the tribal family and social community.” (Hooks, p. 615) Work does take a toll on our physical and mental well being if we cross boundaries that are beyond our capacity. In pushing ourselves over the limit, we are bound to experience burnout quite early in our lives and this is not good because then, we would find it even more difficult to realize our dreams. In SantaLand Diaries, Sedaris highlights the physical and mental strain he experienced while working as an elf at Macys. Sedaris’ brilliant evocation clearly brings out the feelings and emotions of the people working round the clock at the very busy Macy’s Departmental Store, through his Name5 perception of things. He does not relish the job in the beginning because he feels humiliated in many ways and fights hard to get control of his reactions and behavior towards the people who visit the store. The job seems quite tedious initially when visitors pour in by the thousands each day. He felt that it is wearisome and he faced a bitter battle of wits to carry on. When it becomes intolerable, at times he even took out his frustrations on the parents and children too. However, occasionally he found deep comfort and consolation from the fact that some of those children worked as extras on the Television series titled ‘One Life to Live’. He felt so mentally drained that he even imagined that he was sitting in one of their plush Television offices with the celebrity stars sharing frothy drinks with him and raising their glasses in a toast saying – “A toast to David Sedaris, the best writer this show has ever had!!! (David Sedaris, pg. 304) However, in the story ‘The Physical Genius’, we find that Charlie Wilson, the superstar surgeon, went out of his way to serve his patients. According to him repetition and hard work makes a worker gain more experience and this is what sets them apart from a regular worker. However, he states that one should not become emotionally involved during work. He gives us an example of how he was emotionally attached to one of his patients saying – “It was this beautiful girl who had a spinal tumor”. When the patient passed away, he felt like one of his own family members had done so. In “Work Makes Life Sweet”, Hooks gives us another perspective to work As children they were always taught to take a pride in their work and never feel ashamed if the job was small. According to the author, “it was not what you did, but how you did it.” (Hooks, p. 642) Name6 A working philosophy is very useful if we have to make a success of any job. Our goals should be clear cut in order to make a meaningful connection. Having disrespect or being hateful of one’s job will serve to alienate us from work and this will not help us to succeed. Though most of us envisioned that to fulfill our dreams we had to have the ‘right livelihood’ (Hooks, 642) yet, doing any particular work does not necessarily have to be a vocation or calling. This point is clearly brought out by Sedaris in SantaLand Diaries when he seeks a job in order to meet his expenses of paying his fees for college. There was nothing satisfying about his work experience but nevertheless, it was work and he earned money to pay what was needed. He did have his moment of tension when he thought he may not be hired at all. His inner feelings are brought out in the following sentence. “That’s when you know you’re a failure.” (David Sedaris, pg. 304) Just as he thought he was going to be rejected for the job, he felt great relief when he was told – “Congratulations, Mr. Sedaris. You are an elf.” (David Sedaris, pg. 304) The above example shows us that work does not have to be something we choose to do, but it could be anything that satisfies an immediate necessity. While some of them perceive it as only a means to earn a livelihood, others look at it as achieving their goals and aspirations through hard work. ‘The Physical Genius’ by Gladwell drives home the point that work is not always about earning money, but by helping others with great compassion and dedication it provides us with satisfaction in life. Name 7 Motivation is one of the main components of being successful in any job. Having realistic convictions of completing a job to the best of our abilities, helps us to have a positive perspective towards our work. Individuals who are dissatisfied or disgruntled about the type of job at hand, would find it even more harder to make a success of any career. A good example of self motivation can be found in Sedaris’ SantaLand where the author acquires the job of an elf. Each day he had to enact the part of different elves, and though he was not so spontaneous or enthusiastic, he managed to motivate himself and keep up with the ones who were happy and cheery most of the time. He faced the most intimidating nightmare of being thrown out for lack of skill, but yet he carried on with conviction. The author had to motivate and keep himself in the best of spirits even though people sneered or passed him horrible comments. He vividly brings out the control he exercised over his feelings and emotions in the following incident. His duty was to lead each individual to the Magic Window and announce the following words – “Step on the Magic Star and look inside and you can see Santa”. (Sedaris, pg. 308) One of the brawny men nearby by just went up to him and said – “You look so fucking stupid”. (Sedaris, pg. 308) Sedaris felt shocked at the statement but still he manages to mutter a word of thanks. Bell Hooks feels that many people have a wrong notion about work. While some of them are not motivated and perceive work as only a means to earn a livelihood, others look at it as achieving their goals and aspirations through hard work. ‘The Physical Genius’ by Gladwell drives home the point that work is not always about earning money, but by Name 8 helping others with great compassion and dedication we can gain a lot of satisfaction in life. ‘SantaLand’ by Sedaris is an awe inspiring story in many ways because the author brings out the interactions and behavior of people in different situations they face. The message that underlines the entire story is that one should make the most of it in any situation and not just give up easily no matter what. Through small anecdotes that occur right through the story, the author always reminds us that we should have control over our feelings and emotions, especially when dealing with the feelings of others. It is not just another story, but one that portrays poignant messages that tend to leave the listener enlightened with a much better understanding of life. One such good example that Santa gives out is one of peace, joy and sharing when a family visits him. He casually asks the mother of the girl if she has been a good mother and if she often tells her that she loves her. He also gets the father of the child to express his love for his child. He brings their visit to a close when he says – “Remember, that the most important thing is to try and love other people as much as they love you.” Santa’s message never fails to create a deep impression on them when they leave him. Another very strong and prevalent message the author brings out is that of racism in contemporary society. According to the author, the children are sweet and accept any Santa, but it is the adults who set a bad example by demanding either a black or white Santa as the case may be. He brings out this discrimination in the following pairs of Name 9 sentences – “Last year we were stuck with a Black” and “White – White like us”. (Sedaris, 17) In like manner, in ‘Work Makes Life Sweet’ Hooks stresses the fact that work has nothing to do with one’s colour of their skin, but it should be a person’s true calling that not only involves improving their skills and earning money, but it should also include charitable acts or community service that helps to give us a lot of satisfaction in life. According to the author the ‘the right livelihood, can be found irrespective of our class, position or the level of education.’ (Hooks, 52) The story of SantaLand exposes how people react and behave when put through stressful situations, but there are a few such as Santa and Sedaris himself who were able to cope with such stressful situations till the last moment they worked at Macy’s because by the end of the season, they realized that they had to have complete determination and control over their actions if they were to make a success of their employment, which had served to help them tide over the other impending problems in their lives. In ‘The Physical Genius’ too, we find that the underlying message the author wanted to give us is to be dedicated to our work, have a passion for it and carry it out with all commitment irrespective of what the outcomes or benefits are. References Bell Hooks. (2009) Work Makes Life Sweet. Honest Living. Retrieved from the web from www.wordpress.com David Sedaris (1998) SantaLand Diaries. Published by Abacus. Paperback (2006) pgs. 138. Malcolm Gladwell. (1999) The Physical Genius. The New Yorker Achieve. Read More