An analysis of "Oreintation"
Orientation to the absurd and ignored.
An analysis of “Orientation”
The short story “Orientation” can be interpreted many different ways depending on what aspect a person views the story from. The first paragraph of Daniel Orozcos’ ”Orientation” contains this irrationality, “This is your phone. Never answer your phone.” (50); this story is about the absurdities of the work place. Orozco placed this statement purposefully in the first paragraph to get the readers’ attention, and to direct it through the absurd work expectations, the absurd work environment, and to allow us to see the wide variety of social absurdities we can find in the work place. Orozco is trying to show the absurdities put on senseless expectations at work. Such emphasis is given to the most pointless details at work for so many people. We are shown a few examples as when the narrator states,”You must pace your work according to the eight hour work day. If you have twelve hours of work you must compress that work into the eight hour day. If you have one hour of work in you must expand that work to fill the eight hour day.” (51).The work is not the focus here when told to work like this, the time clock has become the focus, which is far removed from the reason we are paid and yet it remains the focus of some employment establishments. Micro managing the work place to death is shown with the multi-step, required, chain of supervisors that you must go through in order to place an emergency call. The senseless notion of control over every detail, as some businesses like to have, chokes and slows the needs of people in the work place. The writer is showing the reader an example of these types of situations with the narrators comment,” If you must make an emergency phone call ask your supervisor first. If you can’t find your supervisor ask Phillip Spears who sits over there. He will check with Clarrisa Nicks, who sits over there. If you make an emergency phone call without asking you may be
An analysis of “Orientation”
The short story “Orientation” can be interpreted many different ways depending on what aspect a person views the story from. The first paragraph of Daniel Orozcos’ ”Orientation” contains this irrationality, “This is your phone. Never answer your phone.” (50); this story is about the absurdities of the work place. Orozco placed this statement purposefully in the first paragraph to get the readers’ attention, and to direct it through the absurd work expectations, the absurd work environment, and to allow us to see the wide variety of social absurdities we can find in the work place. Orozco is trying to show the absurdities put on senseless expectations at work. Such emphasis is given to the most pointless details at work for so many people. We are shown a few examples as when the narrator states,”You must pace your work according to the eight hour work day. If you have twelve hours of work you must compress that work into the eight hour day. If you have one hour of work in you must expand that work to fill the eight hour day.” (51).The work is not the focus here when told to work like this, the time clock has become the focus, which is far removed from the reason we are paid and yet it remains the focus of some employment establishments. Micro managing the work place to death is shown with the multi-step, required, chain of supervisors that you must go through in order to place an emergency call. The senseless notion of control over every detail, as some businesses like to have, chokes and slows the needs of people in the work place. The writer is showing the reader an example of these types of situations with the narrators comment,” If you must make an emergency phone call ask your supervisor first. If you can’t find your supervisor ask Phillip Spears who sits over there. He will check with Clarrisa Nicks, who sits over there. If you make an emergency phone call without asking you may be