Basically a revision 1. Remember, a poem’s form and structure go hand in hand with its content/meaning – make sure to use terms from this poetry terminology list (or other poetic terminology that you

L ETTER T O T H E P E R SO N W HO, D URIN G T H E Q & A S E SSIO N A FT ER T H E R EA DIN G, A SK ED

F O R C A REER A DVIC E ( P oem ) b elo w

T he c o nfu sio n y ou f e el i s n ot y our f a u lt.

W hen w e w ere y ounger, g uid an ce c o unse lo rs s te ere d u s

t o w ard r e sp ecta b le o ccu patio ns: d octo r, l a w yer,

p harm acis t, d en tis t. N ot o nce d id t h ey s a y e x orc is t,

s n ak e m ilk er o r r a ce c ar h elm et t e ste r.

A lw ay s: i n vestm en t b an ker, I T s p ecia lis t, m ark etin g a sso cia te .

N ev er: r o deo c lo w n.

N ev er: a ir g uita r s o lo is t, c h ain sa w

j u ggle r o r m in ia tu re g olf w in dm ill m ak er.

I n t h is c o untr y , i n t h e y ear I w as b orn ,

s o m e 3 .1 m illio n o th er p eo ple w ere a ls o b orn , e ach

w ith t h eir o w n d estin y, t h e l in es o f t h eir p alm s

p re d ic tin g a n i n can desc en t f u tu re . W ere a ll o f t h em

s u ppose d t o b e “ str a te g y c o nsu lta n ts ” a n d “ co m modity a n aly sts ” ?

W ate rs lid e c o m pan ie s p ay p eo ple t o s lid e d ow n

w ate rs lid es t o e v alu ate t h eir p ro duct.

S om eh ow , t h at’s a n a ctu al j o b. S o i s n am in g n ail p olis h c o lo rs .

W ere t h ese e v er p re se n te d a s o ptio ns?

Y ou n eed t o f o llo w y our p assio n

a s l o ng a s y our p assio n i s n ot p oetr y a n d i s d efin ite ly a h ed ge f u nd.

I f I c o uld d o i t o ver, I ’d s u ggest a n e n tr y l e v el p ositio n

s ta n din g b y a r iv erb an k,

o r a m id dle m an ag em en t o pportu nity

w in din g l ik e f o g t h ro ugh t h e s u gar m ap le s o f N ew E ngla n d.

T here ’s a c ata str o phic s h orta g e

o f b ag pip e p la y ers , t o m bsto ne s c u lp to rs a n d t ig htr o pe w alk ers .

W hen t h ey t e ll y ou a b out t h e r o ad a h ead ,

t h ey f o rg et t h e q uad rillio n o th er r o ad s.

Y ou’ll k now w hic h o ne b elo ngs t o y ou b ecau se

i t f ills y ou w ith a sto nis h m en t o r e n ds w ith y ou b ein g r e b orn

a s a n a lp in e i b ex — a g ra v ity -d efy in g g oat, a b le t o l e ap

s e v en f e et i n t h e a ir , f in d f o oth old s w here n on e e x is t,

a n d ( w ith out i m ag in in g i t c o uld e v er b e a n yth in g e ls e )

s c ale a v ertic al s h eet o f s o lid r o ck

t o f in d s o m e b ra n ch es, t w ig s, o r w ild b errie s t o d ev our.

— Matth ew O lz m an n ( p oem a u th or)

M ark ( m y p ers o nal t a k e o n t h e p oem ”

I v ery m uch a g re e w ith t h is p oem b ecau se m ostly e v ery th in g i s t r u e a b out i t a n d s till h ap pen s t ill t h is d ay.

T hro ughout a ll o ur y ears o f s c h ool t h e s y ste m j u st h ad o ne g oal f o r e v ery one t h at a tte n ded s c h ool a n d t h at

s p ecif ic g oal w as f in is h s c h ool t h en g o t o c o lle g e t h en g et a j o b w ith y our d eg re e. T hey n ev er t a u ght u s

a b out t r a d e s c h ool o r o th er o ccu patio ns t h at m ak e w ay m ore m oney t h an p eo ple t h at g o t o c o lle g e. T hey

n ev er t o ld u s t h at w e c an ’t c re ate a b usin ess a n d b eco m e o ur o w n b oss, i t w as a lw ay s t o g o t o s c h ool t o

g et a j o b i n t h at s p ecif ic f ie ld . T he s y ste m m ad e i t s e em l ik e c o lle g e w as t h e o nly w ay o ut o f l if e w hen i n

r e ality i t’s d efin ite ly n ot. W e w ere a lw ay s t o ld w hat j o b w e s h ould g et t h at h ad t o d o w ith c o lle g e. W e

w ere n ev er t o ld a b out t h e p ossib le d eb t t h at c o lle g e c o m es w ith i n o rd er t o g et i n to t h e c are er t h at y ou

w an te d t o g et i n to . I a ls o c an a g re e w ith t h e p art I ’m t h e p oem w here i t t a lk s a b out f o llo w in g y our p assio n

b ecau se I b elie v e m ost p eo ple m ak e p eo ple l ik e t h eir p are n ts c h oose w hat t h ey w an t t o d o i n l if e a n d t h ey

a re n ot h ap py w ith w hat t h eir p are n ts w an t f o r t h em , b ut a t t h e e n d o f t h e d ay t h ey w an t t o d o w hat m ak es

t h eir p are n ts p ro ud o f t h em . P eo ple h av e t o r e m em ber t h at t h is i s t h eir l if e a n d e ach m om en t o f o ur l if e

t im e i s g oin g b y r e al f a st. S o y ou g otta d o w hat y ou w an t i n l if e t h at m ak es y ou h ap py a n d t h at c o uld

a ctu ally h elp y ou e n jo y l if e f in an cia lly a n d m en ta lly . W hen y ou'r e o ld er y ou’ll r e g re t n ot c h asin g t h at

d re am y ou h ad w hen y ou w ere y oung a n d a ctiv e.

S ara h I n te rv ie w o n t h e p oem w hat y ou m is s e d t h at d ay y ou w ere a b se n t f ro m t h e 4 th g ra d e

W hat S ara h t h ought a b out t h e p oem w as t h at p ers o nally s h e t h ought i t w as a b out a c h ild o bse rv in g l if e

a n d b ein g t a u ght l if e l e sso ns t h ro ugh a d ay t h at w as m is se d . S ara h m en tio ns t h at o ne o f t h e v ers e s s ta te d

i n t h e p oem w as M s N els o n e x pla in in g “ h ow t o s ta n d s till a n d l is te n t o t h e w in d” a n d “ h ow t o f in d

m ean in g i n p um pin g g as” “ h ow p eelin g p ota to es c an b e f o rm s o f p ra y ers ” . S ara h m en tio ns h ow s h e f e els

l ik e t h is p oem w as m ean t f o r p eo ple t h at a re l o st a n d n o m atte r h ow m an y t im es y ou t r y t o f ig ure y our

w ay y ou c an 't f ig ure i t o ut w ith out t h e p ro per g uid an ce.

S ara h a ls o m en tio ns h er f ir s t i m pre ssio n o n t h e p oem w as t h at b efo re h an d s h e t h ought i t w as g onna b e

a b out l e sso ns. B ut i t e n ded u p g oin g m ore i n to d eta il a b out h ow t e ach ers s a crif ic e t h eir k now le d ge i n

o rd er t o t e ach c h ild re n a n d t h at w hen y ou m is s d ay s t h ey h av e t o t a k e t im e o ut o f t h eir d ay t o u pdate y ou

o n t h e i n fo rm atio n y ou m is se d .

S ara h a ls o m en tio ns h ow t h e p oem m ak es h er t h in k o f h er o w n c h ild hood b ecau se s h e u se d t o b e a b se n t a

l o t d ue t o h er b ein g s ic k . A nd w hen s h e u se d t o c o m e b ack t o s c h ool s h e w ould b e c o nfu se d a n d a sk t h e

t e ach er s tu ff l ik e w hat i s t h e c la ss d oin g. S he w ould b e l o st w hen s h e m is se s j u st o ne d ay a n d t h e d ay s h e

c o m es b ack t h ere w ould b e a q uiz . S ara h s a y s b ein g l o st a n d n ot h av in g t h e p ro per g uid an ce c an b e t h e

w ors t b ecau se i f y ou h ad n o g uid an ce y ou'd e n d u p n ot c arin g a fte r a w hile .

T yre se i n te rv ie w o n t h e p oem “ L ETTER T O T H E P E R SO N W HO, D URIN G T H E Q & A S E SSIO N

A FT ER T H E R EA DIN G, A SK ED F O R C A REER A DVIC E”

W hat t y re se t h ought a b out t h e p oem w as b asic ally m ost o f t h e t h oughts I h ad o n t h e p oem . H e m en tio ns

t o m e h ow h e a ls o b elie v es t h at p eo ple s h ou ld f o llo w t h eir p assio n b efo re t h ey g et o ld er. H e a ls o s a y s h ow

p eo ple t a k e a d van ta g e o f t im e i n l if e b ecau se p eo ple t h in k b ecau se t h ey a re y oung t h at t h ey h av e t im e t o

m ak e l if e a n d c are er d ecis io ns. T yre se s a y s t h at y ou s h ould g et y our l if e t o geth er a n d f in d y our p assio n

e arly s o Y k i f t h at’s s o m eth in g y ou w an t t o d o f o r t h e r e st o f y our l if e . H e a ls o m en tio ns h ow h ap pin ess i s

w hat m atte rs t h e m ost b ecau se i f y ou a re n ot h ap py w ith w hat y ou'r e d oin g i n l if e a s a c are er t h en y ou

w on’t b e h ap py f o r t h e r e st o f y our l if e . I f y o u'r e n ot h ap py i t a ff e cts u m en ta lly a n d w hen y ou'r e n ot i n

t h e r ig ht s ta te o f k in d m en ta lly i t a ff e cts y our w hole l if e .