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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This column is very interesting to me because I am a fan of John Grisham novels. John's story can relate to a lot of people who are struggling and trying to make it out of the manual labor work force. He says that writing was more difficult than any job that he had ever had before. I believe students can learn that writing is not a fast process and it takes much time and effort to complete that flawless piece of work that the writer has in mind.
ReplyDeleteJohn Grisham is such an inspiration. Along with journalism, writing a novel would be so rewarding and so much fun for those of us who love to write. The article helps you realize that the task of writing is not an easy one, even for one of the best, most famous writers of our time. Journalism articles could be very challenging. Therefore, are you willing to take on this task or aren't you?
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ReplyDeleteAlthough I am a broadcasting journalism major i must admit writing a book is also in my plans eventually. John Grisham is truly inspirational and I love his honesty. A person works jobs for a paycheck but it's nothing like that real career that you enjoy doing for a living. Also, he tells us that it took 3 years to finish and did not sell that well at first but look at him now. John Grisham is world-wide. I say job well done.
ReplyDeleteThis article comforted me because it seems like Grisham, during his college years, was also as unsure of his future career as I am. He wandered around blindly through weird and tough jobs until he stumbled upon a new passion and profession. What I took from the article is that I should live life fully right now and a chance at a bright future will eventually unfold itself to me. Aspiring writers can look at his story learn that they should experience as much as they can in life so they have a wealth of knowledge and ideas for their future career, and people who are unsure about their futures can be rest assured that their passions will come to them in time and it's up to them to jump on it when it arrives.
ReplyDeleteBy the end of John Grisham's article, I had chills. It amazes me that such a talented author could start off laying concrete and working in the underwear department of Sears. I believe this is proof that we all have some area we are gifted in, but it may take time and lots of patience before we discover the hidden talent within ourselves. This reassures me because I am one of many college students trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my life. I believe young journalists can look to John Grisham as inspiration. Even though Grisham's first novel "A Time To Kill" was not immediately successful, he continued to write because it was his passion. This is proof that while there might not be immediate success for many young journalists, hard work and dedication to the field definitely pays off.
ReplyDeleteThis article is an encouragement to any student, regaurdless of their major. John Grisham explains that with a little hard work and anticipation you can find your "dream" job. Throughout article he shows many examples of his hard work and what it has brought to him later in his life. This article shows Grisham had dedication and hard work in his youth and throughout his life. Grisham would be a great role model for any student.
ReplyDeleteJohn Grisham has a unique story. I'm pretty sure no one would've known the career struggles he had to battle between before he became comfortable with writing. This is one of many stories that we as journalists can keep in mind as we ponder for that perfect place. Hard work and dedication will get you places that you can't even imagine.
ReplyDeleteThis column is very inspirational. To see a man with such humble background who has had such a common working history really makes you think about your potential. Grisham's story really proves that ambition, dedication, and hard work can really go along way and that you can be as successful no matter where you come from.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting article to me. My father has always been a John Grisham fan, and he eventually persuaded me to read a couple of novels as well. I really enjoyed "A Time to Kill" and "the Firm" . The books were enjoyable, and I took pride in the fact that Mr. Grisham is a Mississippian. I was completely unaware though of how hard he worked to accomplish the feats he has performed. I no doubt respect Mr. Grisham more after reading his article.
ReplyDeleteJohn Grisham is a fantastic writer. He tells a story and I am automatically drawn to it. His way of proving to us that right out of college or high school you "perfect job" is not going to be there, you are not going to be making large paychecks and living the life. Instead, you work your way up and around and figure out what you want and how to accomplish it. Any person whether a journalism major or a business major will learn that you take what you get, you work hard at what you do, and with everything you do you learn from it and form new opinions, new ideas, and new life journeys. John Grisham is an inspiration to any person at any age.
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