Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Haley Scholars (Group A1) Rion Amilcar Scott's “A Rare and Powerful Employee”

[Haley Reading groups Fall 2021]

Rion Amilcar Scott's “A Rare and Powerful Employee” focuses on the first-person perspective of a man who has the job of motivating and supporting women, but he secretly gets over on them. The story is fictional but disturbing because of how real it is that a powerful figure could take advantage of people the way this unnamed character does. 

At one point, the narrator imagines what will happen yet again after he gives a speech: "A line of women will position themselves to talk to me, saying things like my speech restored their faith in men or that my writings are so profound and I nod and say something that seems thoughtful, but is really canned and trite" (73).

What captured your attention more -- the deceptive man at the center of the story or the idea of those vulnerable women? Why?

132 comments:

Unknown said...

Ivorie Arthurs- I feel that this story tells what most people go through on a regular basis with working for a company. You wouldn't believe in a company's morals or core values but you would work like you do. The story shows how flipping between two morals for the sake of a job can be depressing and have a negative effect on your mental state. It also shows that sometimes you have to put your on beliefs aside for the greater cause of something.

Latavia Bryant said...

The deceptive man captured my attention more, especially at the end of the story. The fact that he gives speeches about the war on rape, turns around to recall a cartoon about rape responding with a chuckle as if something was laughable about the scene. Then goes on to say how he was going to have sex with this women as she was at her most vulnerable point telling her story. Makes me wonder how far away is he away from the rapist he speaks about often.

-Latavia Bryant

Kemry H said...

The man captured my attention the most. In the beginning, I thought he meant well by doing speeches about rape, but as I kept reading I realized he wasn't an advocate for those vulnerable women after all. Him only being in it for the money instead of actually wanting to help those women said a lot about him. It's also sickening that after a woman explained her story to him, he felt that it was appropriate to refer to himself as the magician from the movie he'd watched.

Indya Howard said...

The man captured my attention 100% at the beginning of the story I thought he genuinely felt bad for doing what he was doing to these women but as the story progressed I see he didn't feel bad at all and was almost taking pleasure in tricking these women. The part where he talks about the movie scene and how he knew the woman would give herself up to him made me sick. Even though this is a fictional story this is a real issue women face today.

Damya Evans said...

The deceptive man captured my attention the most. Its very obvious that he hates his job and he admits that he's just doing it for the money. This caught my attention because I don't believe that people should do jobs simply for the money, especially a job such as his. He is basically taking advantage of and making a joke out of vulnerable women.

Damya Evans

jasmine j said...

The man captured my attention the most. In the beginning of the story you think he feels bad or sorry for them women and there to actually help. But once he talks to them and get them to open up and feel vulnerable he takes advantage of them to have sex with them. Even though this is a fiction story I have seen and heard about this all the time with boys/men in real life.

Stefani Farrow said...

The man captured my attention for sure. It's crazy how little things throughout your childhood and leading up to adult life can have a big impact on how you think about certain situations. This man has a job of speaking light over situations and giving women the strength they need to reclaim what has been taken from them, but yet doesn't realize that he is one of the men who break these women and causes them to be vulnerable. As a human, you should want to help someone because you know it's the right thing to do, not to reap benefits from it.

Kennedy J. said...

To me a deceptive man is typical and not very likely so that part didn’t catch my attention much. However seeing the amount of vulnerable women coming to a man for help caught my interest. This initially made me question why a woman would think a man could possible help them in their situation. However I started to think about vulnerability on its own and how you will vent and listen to anyone when you’re at such a low point like that. Being at that point can make you naive and desperate. Still I don’t know how much I’d believe a man’s say in my life at that point but I can fully understand why they believed him at the time that they did.

Anonymous said...

The man caught my attention in the story the most. In the story it seemed as if he regretted his job. After reading for a bit longer, you find that this whole war on rape is a hoax and that he mainly was doing it for the money. He didn’t really care about what they were talking about, he just thought about what he would do later with them. Neville G

OLUWATOMISIN AROGUNDADE said...

The deceptive man caught my attention. He knew that he was feeding the audience lies and exploiting them (especially the women. The thing that pissed me off the most was when he was saying to the audience they are "wAgInG a wAr oN rApE". You can't do that because there are millions of rape victims every day, and you can't stop them all. The ending just confirmed that he's capable of rape or he is some sort of a rape apologist given the ending. He is a sick individual.

Taylor Gray said...

What captured my attention more was the deceptiveness of the man at the center of the story. This was because to me the man was being hypocritical and two-faced pretending to care about a serious issue that these women have faced. The fact that he knows what he is doing is wrong, yet he continues to do what he's doing because like he said these women were “fragile, cracked, or thoroughly broken”, so in the end him pretending to care about their stories, he knows that he'll most likely be able to sleep with them if he puts on a good enough act. Also, the fact that his job is to give speeches on the War on Rape to bring hope to these women and the thought that their are still good men out there, versus the way he really feels about his job shows you that a person can put up a good front. A question that came to mind for me was if he keeps getting in situations like the ending, will he start to believe in the future that he's supposed to get something in return for listening to these women stories.

-Taylor Gray

Corey A said...

Corey Anderson- The man most definitely caught my attention because I think it is crazy how he basically put on this mask to pull in these women and to act like he was there for them in their time of need just to take advantage of them and harm them once they took the bait he threw at them.

Jonathan H said...

To me, I was more captivated by the deceitful nature of the narrator. Obviously, the notion of powerful people using their positions to take advantage of others is very prevalent in our world, so seeing that concept portrayed in this story really captivated me.

Ivan Johnson said...

Ivan Johnson - The deceptive main at the center of the story grabs my attention the most. The reason is that he put on a front to get help from others, meanwhile he was doing the things he did for a whole other reason. I say that because there are people in the real world that do the exact thing.

Ja'Kesa Jones said...

The thing that caught my attention the most was definitely the deceptive man. Reason being is because he seems so sweet and so kind in the start. Then as the plot thickens he becomes to be this horrible man who lies to get what he wants. The man has a very positive caring personna so you think until his true colors finally start to unfold. It stood out to me because it is so sad that people will do others like this. It happens everyday its become so common that it has been normalized. It makes it hard for some to trust and to be honest this is a prime exapmle why women act the way they do twords men.

Anijah Barringer said...

What captured my attention the most was the deceptive man for sure. He is trying to restore women and help them get over certain traumas. Yet, in the same breathe he is contradicting what he said. It was very two-faced. And it just had me thinking about how there are people in this world just like this and you wouldn't even know. I thought the deceptive man was genuine at first, but the more I read I came to realize that he was not who he claimed to be on the inside. As the story progress, it did make me sick to my stomach because the man knows what he is doing and knows how vulnerable the women are and he takes advantage of that.
-Anijah B.

Shaquerria C. said...

The vulnerability of a women caught my attention, but the deceptive man caught my attention the most for sure. He and his manager were taking advantage of the women. The man was making money for his manager then the man was also getting something he wanted in return. I feel like everything about this story was wrong. Most of the time men are the one that are doing the raping of females. Then for a man to say they feel for women who have been victims but, in the end, get the same results of a man who is doing the raping does not sit right with me.

Tashauri F. said...

The deceptive man at the center of the story caught my attention the most because of the simple facts that he hates his jobs and only does it for the money. Initially I thought his job was meaningful to him until the truth came out. he wasn't an advocate for these women who experienced rape but he was using his job to take advantage of their vulnerability. It's disgusting that he felt that it was ok to do so after these women have trusted him and opened up to him because of the front he was putting on. This story definently made me think about how people will put on a front to get what they want.

- Tashauri F.

Maurius Gore said...

The deceptive man caught my attention. In the beginning he seemed to regret his job as he has to speak on subjects he doesn’t care too much about, giving false hope to women and making him seem like somebody he isn’t. He is more bored with his job as he says “I nod, knowing what's coming next. This has happened to me hundreds of times.” He shows false interest in her story to make her feel comfortable with telling it when in reality he is in his mind thinking about a scene in a movie where woman is falsely led into having sexual relations with a magician, he relates himself to the magician as they both as a people they aren't to manipulate women's emotions to benefit them.

-Maurius Gore

Nija Hendricks said...

The fact that the women trust this man and feel a "connection" goes to show that they truly are desperate to have a voice. They're described as "fragile, cracked, or thoroughly broken", there is no one to help them so they place their trust in a fraud. Whether they know it or not they've been raped in a different sense once more. It makes me wonder if they're truly oblivious or just tired of holding it in.

Alexis D said...

Between the deceptive man at the center of the story and the idea of those vulnerable women, the deceptive man at the center of the story really captured my attention. The man captured my attention because of the story that he told. The man was giving these speeches about rape, but as I’m reading I’m thinking that that man feels sorry for these women, but as I keep reading he doesn’t even care about the women. The man is a sick human being for tricking these women all for pleasure. Then when he talks about the woman that he knew that gave herself up just gave me goosebumps and it made me upset. This is something that a lot of women face today and the men think it is nothing but really it is. The man just caught my attention mainly because he has no regret or remorse for what he did.

Naomi B. said...

The deceptive man captured my attention the most. He puts on this facade as if he is this intellectual and compassionate man who cares about women and despise men who treat women horribly when really he is manipulative and just like those men. He goes around giving these empowering speeches to vulnerable women just to make money. I don't blame the women for being vulnerable because they have went through so much and obviously goes to these empowering events to seek help or assurance. What stuck out to me the most was when he was thinking back to a porn scene while this women is venting to him about a traumatic time in her life. What makes it even more sickening is that he doesn't feel ashamed at all.
-Naomi B.

Cidney C. said...

The deceptive man captured my attention, especially with the ending. Him having flashbacks to the movie he watched when he was a kid and how it makes him chuckle is highly disturbing. Also, the fact that he zones out while talking to the women and thinks about the movie every single time is also disturbing.

Shakyiah C said...

Like most people, the deceptive man caught my attention the most. For a part of the story while he was explaining the backstory of how he "wrote" War and Rape. I thought that there was a chance that he might have cared for the women at the beginning but obviously that was wrong. He stopped thinking that women were human and only wanted to sleep with them knowing they were vulnerable. It's disgusting that he saw this as a way to leave out his sexual fantasies. It's even worse knowing that there are people like that in world that get away with it and other people that do an even worse version of it.

Tonia Estes said...

The vulnerability of the women caught my attention the most. On page 75, the narrator zones out while the woman is talking, but she doesn't even realize because she is so into telling her own story just shows how truly hopeless women can feel in situations like hers. He literally could not have paid her less attention but the fact that he at least sat down and let her finish her story represents how much these women care about having a voice and platform to tell their stories. It was also interesting how from a young age the narrator notices men manipulating women; he feels weird about it, yet grows up to do the same thing. Something is not adding up there.

-Tonia Estes

Allana Burton said...

The deceptive man caught my attention the most and was something that stood out to me because it was very obvious he was only doing It for the money He portrayed himself as someone who was advocating for women but he was actually the total opposite and was putting on a mask or a face for these women and he was only doing it for money. It is honestly sickening the way he is putting on this show for these women. I was reading in utter disgust.

Harrison B. said...

The deceptive man completely caught my attention. I do not understand how the man gave a speech about the War on Rape, and then completely contradicted himself. Rape is the act of taking advantage of a person sexually. The woman was really moved by his speech, and was having a meaningful conversation with the man. He could not focus on the words she was saying, just her looks. He tries to make it look like he is paying attention to her, but he really is not since he has heard this type of story so many times before. The woman is being vulnerable with the man by telling him her story, and he takes advantage of her. All he can think about is having sex with her.

Anonymous said...

The deceptive man is whom I would include as more captivating. Especially since he presents himself as a complex character. Since the author allows us to read in third person omniscient we are able to be included in his inner thoughts. This lets us hear about how he acknowledges that he is becoming a poser when he gets up on the stage and gives speeches to these women about the “war on rape.” I find it intriguing how he is well aware of his slogan of inflicting violence on something so intagable; rape is a way of thought and can’t be destroyed by attacking the people that commit these crimes.
Since we know his inner analysis of life we are able to see right through his nature. I believe that when he began his job he was innocently trying to help these women. The author writes this character in such a way that there is a hint of him once being in love with this job and its cause all before becoming monotonous. Through the increase in benefits from his job and the realization that he could easily get women, he allowed himself to become empathetic and robotic to life.
- Sheena Cumberbatch

Tomia B. said...


The deceptive man caught my attention the most for numerous reasons. The man portrays himself as this kind hearted hero who cares for women, but fooled many. He gives these speeches, advocating his love for women, but left out the most important part. This man took advantage of vulnerable women for his own pleasure and money and that is sickening.

Unknown said...

The man caught my attention the most he seemed to play a bigger role in it all. He shows different personalities to throw off his true intentions. Being able to manipulate someone's attention proves to be one of his greatest assets. What he did shows lack of respect and the signs of an uncultured man.

Raven Dewalt said...

In this reading, the man grabbed my attention the most. I say this because when first reading the beginning of the story, I actually that he meant well of helping these women and understanding them and all the things they went through. But after further reading it, he really didn’t care and was only doing it for the money and the benefits which is a disgrace. Then the last few lines made think was he in the same category as the rapist when he talked about the magician and the women he seen on tv. He stated how he chuckled when watching it, wonder if he enjoyed watching it and since she didn’t know exactly what’s as happening to her .

Response by Raven Dewalt

Aaron Crawford said...

What caught my attention the most was the man. While reading it truly came to my attention that he is a true sicko. He puts on this act for these women to make it seem like he's against rape to gain their trust. But you later find out that he is a straight up weirdo. While the women vent to him about their experiences all he can think about while talking to them is a porn scene he watched before. He's know different from the people he's dissed he's just as sick as them, all he cares about is having sexual relations with those women.

-Aaron Crawford

Carmesha Johnson said...

Carmesha Johnson
It would be the deceptive man because he knows exactly what he's doing but makes it seem like he's so kind and caring when he's the total opposite. Its even worst because he speaks for women throughout the story but does exactly what his speech says he's against.

Alexi J. said...

While reading what caught my attention the most was the idea of the vulnerable women. The fact that they're being taken advantage of by someone they put their trust into, albeit common, is both sad and disgusting. The only good part of this is that most of the women most likely regained some sort of faith or healed a bit. Even still, it's very messed up that they are not even safe in seemingly safe spaces.

- Alexi J.

Raven Dewalt said...


Raven Dewalt….. I don’t know if my comments are posting so I decided to do another entry.

The deceptive man caught my attention the mos. When I began reading the story I actually thought he cared and actually wanted to understand and help these women. After further reading, I realized it was only for the benefits and the money, and that he really didn’t care. As some point I wonder if the deceptive man should be placed in the same category as the rapist. I say this because when he decided to talk about the magician and the women. At first he didn’t realize what was happening but then he say after realizing he started to chuckle which made me wonder. He also said other things that gave me red flags especially him probably having sex with the lady he was talking to at the end of the story. He really didn’t care about what she was saying because it was a repeat of all the stories he had heard.

Starr C said...

The vulnerable women in this story are what intrigued me the most in this story. Men emotionally manipulating is nothing new so the deceptive man is almost a "normal" man in this society. My biggest question would be what did the vulnerable women see in him that said "trust".

-Starr C

Cobi.j said...

I do not understand how the man gave a speech about the War on Rape, and then completely contradicted himself. The fact that the women trust this man and feel a "connection" goes to show that they truly are desperate to have a voice.The woman is being vulnerable with the man by telling him her story, and he takes advantage of her. All he can think about is having sex with her. On page 75, the narrator zones out while the woman is talking, but she doesn't even realize because she is so into telling her own story just shows how truly hopeless women can feel in situations like hers.

Chanel Battle said...

The deceptive man caught my attention he was manipulated he let the women open up to him and he acted like he really cared for them by telling them stories seeming like he cared for them and he understand they pain. When really all he wanted to do was take advantage of the women and he didn’t care all he cared about was that he was getting money. It’s like he was eager for money he’ll do anything just for the money he didn’t care who he hurt and how he do it as long as he is getting money

Marina B. said...

It is interesting how he understands his place in the world he is a part of and idolized. The way in which he describes himself and his job makes him seem miserable to the readers, but not to the audience. They in turn believe he is a wise man doing the work to make up for the men who have ruined their lives. One way to perceive the women's behavior is by seeing how they look for validation in this man, solace in him as if he will right the wrongs that were done to them in the past. It is ironic even how they praise a man, one who is much like those who assaulted them as one could say he is doing the same just mentally. It is as if he is the magician hiding and shielding his true self from his followers so that that they are like the girl at the end who doesn't know everything and only sees bits and pieces of the real him. This could include how the woman noticed he was tired, but instead of thinking more in-depth about it she decides it is due to his hard work and instead admires him for it.
- Marina B.

Udochukwu Chikere said...

I honestly find these readings a bit disturbing, have yet to see their true lessons. The misogynistic power-hungry character caught my attention. Preying on women's weakness/vulnerable moments. NOt even faking concern. Honestly disgusting. Being vulnerable with him and all he could think about was the sex. Depicts certain men of society sadly
-Udochukwu Chikere

Elizabeth Alao said...

I felt like the deceptive man caught my attention the most because of the way he presents himself. He doesn't even feel bad about it, thats what bothers me the most, he's saying the wrongs he's doing so nonchalantly. He's taking people's story, deep and personal stories about tragedies that's happened to them, and uses it for his own profit. The fact that while someone else is telling her story he is daydreaming back to him watching a rape story as a kid and laughing at it shows how deep that evilness run. He said he felt a little weird about it while watching it but overall it was funny. Then he thinks the blame is on his boss because his boss thought of everything but he's just as evil because he was compliant with it. It's just disgusting and sad that something like that could happen in real life.

-Elizabeth Alao

Jonathan G said...

Jonathan Gamble

What caught my attention more was the deceptive man at the center of story. This caught my attention more because this man acted like he cared for these women in front of a crowd, but deep down inside he really doesn't care for them. This man knows he's wrong for doing this to these women. The fact that he did this man did this to these women and talked in front of an audience is very deceptive. This is what caught my attention.
Jonathan G.

Kambria Childress said...

The deceptive man caught my attention the most. As I was reading the story I couldn't help but feel disgusted by how the man so easily extorted the trauma that many women live with for his own personal gain. It doesn't sit right with me that he's advocating for a cause that he's not really for, and that makes me think about who else could be doing the same thing in real life.

Jonathan G said...

The deceptive man at the center of the story is what caught my attention the most. At first I thought this man enjoyed his job until the truth about him came out. He expressed to an audience how he felt sorry for these women that got raped. The fact that this man knows he's being deceptive and two-faced is very disturbing.

Niate Kina said...

Without question, the deceptive man caught my attention more. He truly thought of what he was doing, as some sort of game. A person who able to do the things that he did to that women, has no morals and his actions are unforgivable. It really hurt me to read that he was just doing what he did because he was able. Also, I didn’t like how he could even argue that what he was doing was acceptable, because the women were “vulnerable” and coming to him for help.

Colette Jackson said...

The main thing that caught my attention was the deceptive man. Many jobs and other things people are in it for the outcome like the "reward" but usually a person can tell based off the energy that is given off. I was thrown off once the climax of the plot came because I genuinely thought that a guy like him actually understood how the women he was presenting in front of felt and he didn't pity for them but he wanted to be a voice and an arm for them to lean on when they felt like nobody else was listening or nobody else understood. As the climax of the story came and he began to imagine that movie of the magician while that lady was telling her story, I began to realize that he was just a phony...not only was the way he references these women purely disrespectful but him saying how repetitive the stories got and how he would just nod to make it seem like he was really compassionate is quite sickening. Especially at the end where the lady took his hands and he instantly referenced himself as the magician...and thought automatically that one handhold meant they was finna get it on...I was flabbergasted, because in the head of the women that handhold could've been one that meant safety...she felt safe and he just thinking of all the ways to get in her pants.
-Colette Jackson

Ruth B. said...

What captured your attention more -- the deceptive man at the center of the story or the idea of those vulnerable women? Why?

The deceptive man caught my attention more than the woman because he was very self-absorbed and selfish because of the way he faked "something thoughtful" to the woman while admitting that it was canned and trite. He is inconsiderate because he only does the speeches for the benefits and he doesn't truly care about "war on rape". He also was talking down on the women but made it as though he was an advocate for them.

Marcus G. said...

I feel as if the deceptive man caught my attention the most. There are many reasons for this. I think that the biggest red flag was the fact that he didn't like the job at all, and the only reason he did this was for the benefits, mostly being the women and the money. He really thinks that after the speech, he would have the women on his side and will have some relationships at the end of this.
I think the true evil here is the fact that he is taking advantage of broken and vulnerable women. He even said himself that what he said was heartless. When a middle-aged woman asked if he was okay, he said that he was tired and hoped that he remembered the speech (72). This statement itself was a red flag because if he actually meant what he was speaking about, he would not have to remember it like that.

Arieona B. said...

The deceptive man at the center of the story captured my attention the most from the very beginning immediately after he said, “ That’s when the women get to clapping and hollering and I stand there a true fraud and think.” I instantly knew something was off about him and his intentions were not pure. As I continued to read my suspicions were confirmed. To find that he was using his power to take advantage of vulnerable women and get “benefits” from them through something that was all made up was sickening. This man caught my attention the most because of what he did, the process with each woman, and his feeling towards it had me invested. The story he told at the end was extremely revolting and sad and to see how far a person would go just for money was disappointing.
Arieona B.

Jayda Adams said...

The deceptive man caught my attention while reading the story because he is preaching about rape, and he seems to care about these "broken women" but then takes advantage of a women himself. Also, his heart is not genuinely in, and he is doing it for the money.

Chidi Anyamele said...

The man caught my attention more, he completely deceived me. Originally I thought he was being genuine by giving the rape speeches, but turns out he was only doing it for the money and never really cared about the matter. He didn't even care for the victims either, he only wanted to take advantage of them later. -Chidi A.

Memory Jacobs said...

Memory Jacobs

I think the vulnerable women caught my attention in this story more. I say this because I would not think they would be so trusting with a man to listen to him speak on their situation. After going through all of that trauma I would think they would want to hear certain things coming from a woman rather than a man. After hearing the woman's story who was abused by someone she knew, I would think she would be more cautious and weary of men even if she did know them.

Anonymous said...

What caught my attention was the deceptive man. He didn't care about his actions towards the woman and is incapable of empathy because of his malicious intent towards others primarily women. The man tried to seem "innocent" in a way when he gave a speech advocating his support and love for women, but he misguided everyone from the real truth of him being a predator to unassuming women.

- Ehijie.I

Kevin Dillard said...

What captured me the most was the deceptive man at the center of the story. How he used his speeches as a way to hide behind a façade to get to women who has went through the experiences is terrible. Even after hearing their stories in front of him just to think about other minor topics mid process goes against the whole speech he presents and an offense to women.

kelly said...

The deceptive man captured my attention the most. He was being hypocritical. He had no intention of actually being there emotionally for those women because he benefits from their vulnerability. The man is pretending to be against rape, yet he finds the idea of it amusing.
-Amoya B

kelly said...

The deceptive man caught my attention the most. He is hypocritical. He used his post as an advocate to ending rape in order to attain the trust of victims. Feeding off their vulnerable state he hoped to lure them. Finding their situation amusing, such a man is truly dangerous.
Amoya B

Jaliyah J said...

What caught my attention was the man who only worked his job because of the benefits. His speech treated me I thought that he was going to be for the women. This man only cared about himself and tried to make it look otherwise. He sat there and daydreamed while the woman was telling her story. The book talks about two different morals and the man's moral is seen as the negative one.

Anonymous said...

Clinton Baker

I think that the deceptive man caught my attention. To me, he seems very mentally unstable and very devious. The way he puts on this act of preaching about rape and seeming like he cared only to turn around and wanting to take advantage of the victims later is very mind boggling if you will.

Unknown said...

Camille Brown

The man caught my attention more. Like others have said, he wasn't being genuine during these conferences...he wasn't even thinking about the wellbeing of the victims. He was fantasizing about the vulnerable women. He described them and their stories as ridiculous, and this completely caught me off guard.

Anonymous said...

What caught my attention was the deceptive man. Because he thought of what he was doing as a game. I honestly thought as I was reading that this man was enjoying his job until I found out the truth. The end of the story really caught my attention because he gave speeches about the war on rape and turn around to recall a cartoon about rape responding with a chuckle as if something was laughable about the scene.

Itangishatse Bujeni said...

It’s strange but I was quite intrigued to listen to the narrator. Mainly because I kept hoping something would justify his actions. A reason for his greed to have led him so deep into a manipulative scheme. I kept hoping for a sick child, or sick parent, something make this character seem human. At the end, the narrator was the perfect employee. Because he never broke from his part, he never swayed from his evil. Reading his words and feeling his thought felt like a look into his inner monologue. He was a numb character, not even alive enough to be moved by stories of sexual assault anymore. But then that would mean that he wasn’t doing this for the money either and that just isn’t true. If it wasn’t for the money, and all of the benefits he would stop this job, he finds these “broken” women tiresome after all. I think what makes him so intriguing is that, as human beings it’s normally easy to fight alongside hurt people, understand pain, but harder for us to put ourselves in a position where we would have to understand someone as in humane as this narrator. I think it’s interesting the author told this story from this perspective, a look into a man turned monster.

Taylor Corbin said...

Taylor C. Said
What got my attention was how he was talking about War on Rape to a mostly female audience at conferences. And acted like it was what he felt and he wrote the speech but in reality not only did he hate his job his boss wrote the speech for him. That just made me think how can you deceive these women like that. And then when he lied to the women about how he came up with the War on Rape I just was like how evil can you be especially to women who have already been through hard times.

Jasmine D said...

The man captured my attention the most. In the beginning of the story you think he feels bad or sorry for the women and is there to actually help them. But once he talks to them and gets them to open up and feel vulnerable he takes advantage of them and forces them to have sex with him. Even though this is a fiction story I have seen and heard about this all the time with boys/men in real life. Its crazy how he tries to act like he cared and then turns around and does what he did.

Jordan Brawley said...

I feel like the idea of vulnerable women captured my attention more. I say this because the thought of a deceptive man has always been around and it didn't surprise me. On the other hand, I found the woman interesting because of how while she was telling her story all the man could think about is being with her showing how vulnerable she was in the situation.

Shelbe D said...

What caught my attention was the deceptive man. In life, there are deceptive people that take advantage of others. I wonder the people who do the deceiving does it give them some sort of satisfaction dot they feel remorse, is it some sort of sickness. They know what they are doing is wrong but when people open up that are variable it's like fuel for the perpetrator. When it comes to drastic situations in people's lives such as rape.

Scott Freeman said...

The vulnerability and trusting nature of the women being described is more interesting then a man being an orchestrator of manipulating feelings and people. I’m not surprised by somebody working for money. People usually will do anything for money, which is what the man is doing. He doesn’t believe what he talks about at these conferences because he doesn’t write it and he dislikes his job. Yet, he still does it for money. I would think the people going to hear him speak aren’t going with a super trusting heart. It’s not like the man has any credentials. So I would expect women going to hear him will take his words with a grain of salt.

Anonymous said...

I feel as if the man caught my eyes the most. Knowing friends who have been victims to people similar to this really caught my curiosity. The way he seems to be initially is exactly what most girls see in monsters similar to it. His way of speaking also made me very curious as of what his intentions were and made me wanna know more.

Jercura K. said...

The ideas of the vulnerable women caught my attention more than the deceptive man. This is because typically someone who is hurt is normally more guarded and non-trusting but this isn't exhibited in the story. Men are more prone to do things just for money and more prone to manipulate so this didn't catch me by surprise.

-Jercura K.

Marlon C said...

In my opinion, I think the deceptive man caught my attention the most in the beginning. At first when he was talking, I thought he'd be a good person and someone who wanted to prevent rape. But after all he isn't. I find it very disturbing that he wanted to have sex with a lady who explained her story and was at her breaking point.

Erin Myers said...

Demoriay D.:

What caught my attention was the man who did those women very wrong. The way he treated them was unacceptable and unfair. The women would come to him for help and he used them and thought it was some type of game he was playing. He didn’t care about them and was only doing what he did for the money only. It makes me think about todays world and that women have to actually go through this and that it’s real.

Tamia Goodlow said...

I feel as though the man caught my attention the most. I felt as though he was serious and very considerate when giving the speeches about women and rape. As the story continued to develop it became clear that he was basically taunting and making fun of those girls. The fact that it was all for money was just sad to me.
-Tamia Goodlow 10-14
(did not upload correctly)

Airika Carr said...

I believe what caught my attention the most was the man. He made it seem as if we was depressed when he goes to work. Then he tells us how the only part of his job he likes is when he can see women which was a big red flag for me. Just reading that made me feel weird knowing he watches the women. Then towards the end he talks about having sex with the towards the end of the story.- Carr A.

Alex Childs said...

The deceptive man caught my attention the most. When he was first introduced I believed that he regret what he did to those women, but after reading its clear to me he isn’t sorry. Women would come to him for help but helping them was never on his mind. Only reason he entertained the idea of “helping the women was for money. Just like in the story there are men out in the real world that act this way. It’s a disgusting way to live and is morally incorrect.

-Alex Childs

Layla B said...

The deceptive of a man in the center caught my attention the most because he talked to people some and men about the war on rape and basically stating that he is on the side of caring for the women who have been hurt. Then I feel like through out the story he was just putting on a persona in front of other people to get closer to women. Making me think he doesn't really respect when as much as he protests. Which was proven when he wasn't listening to the woman talking but thinking about her or women in a more sexual way. Proving even though he is not a rapist he still isn't the best guy out there for women.

Erin Myers said...

Vernell Jackson:

The deceptive man caught my eye at first because I thought he has remorse for what he was doing. Turns out he is actually enjoying taking advantage of the vulnerable women. I can see why women lose trust in men from just reading how the man in the book chuckles at the women?s horrific stories.

Niylah E. said...

What captured your attention more -- the deceptive man at the center of the story or the idea of those vulnerable women? Why?

The deceptive man caught my attention because he is showing two different sides of himself, like he is two-faced. Making it seem like he really cared for these women in front of people, but just wanted to manipulate them. Putting on shows for people saying he supports women and cares for them, but when they come to him he does show an empathy towards them and their feelings. Wanting to take advantage of them and get involved sexually with them.

Niylah E. (It did not submit fully)

Unknown said...

The man caught my attention the most he seemed to play a bigger role in it all. He shows different personalities to throw off his true intentions. Being able to manipulate someone's attention proves to be one of his greatest assets. What he did shows lack of respect and the signs of an uncultured man.
- James Gladney

Erin Myers said...

Jenaya G. said...

The deceptive man captured my attention. It is common in our society to see women being taken advantage of because of they'd trust the wrong people without observing and trying to figure out who this person is. What also captures my attention is how realistic it is. There are so many men out there just like the character who rely on vulnerable women to achieve what they want, and just like the fictional character they are aware it is wrong and continue to do it regardless of the results.
October 18, 2021 at 12:40 PM (reposted from Group B blog)

Erin Myers said...

Z'Kya Dixon said...

The deceptive man caught my attitude. The way he zoned out at the end really showed that he does not care in the tiniest bit. He would mean what he says and he could be honest. But he's ran my money, sex, and greed and it personally disgusted me. And the woman, it goes to show how damaged and broken they are to not see the decption even though they probably know what it looks like.

October 14, 2021 at 4:08 PM (reposted from Group B blog)

Erin Myers said...

Damilola Adebisi said...

In the reading, "A rare and powerful employee," The vulnerable women caught my attention. In the book, they were described as "fragile, cracked, or thoroughly broken." They put so much trust and hope into the deceptive man who acted like a victim and turned their life experiences into a joke. He knew they were vulnerable and used his power against them. While reading, I felt sad and angry because these women felt cared for and thought the deceptive man was speaking against this problem, but in reality, he was part of the problem.

October 15, 2021 at 5:15 PM (reposted from Group B blog)

Erin Myers said...

Muhammed A said...

The deceptive man captured my attention in this story. He preaches about the war on rape, but he does not care for it at all. It is also implied that he also has sex with women that are rape victims which I find really disturbing. Even though I know people like this exist, it is still difficult to comprehend why they would do such a thing.

October 15, 2021 at 9:52 PM (reposted from Group B blog)

Arielle johnson said...

I really thought the chapter was interesting and horrendous (on the characters part) I never really thought their could be someone who thought like that while also doing what some people would say "doing God's work". It does put in the perspective that more people really need to do more for this community and shouldn't use excuses like "not all men" because this proves that while he (as far as we know) hasn't actively done anything wrong sexually to women, he doesn't really care about this issue and is just doing it for money and his own sick entertainment

Erin Myers said...

Lashae Cox:

“A Rare and Powerful Employee”

This chapter of the book was extremely upsetting to me because we are introduced to a man who is going to conferences speaking on rape and giving women hope, but he doesn’t mean an ounce of what he’s saying to these desperate and vulnerable women. He’s doing his job because it pays well not because he wants to empower women. He is also memorizing everything his boss tells him to say to comfort these women and get their money. He is taking advantage of these women and their stories because he makes profit off them, not because he wants to relate to them and help them. These women are reading his stories and listening to his speeches to try and empower themselves again, but every one of these speeches is fake and scripted. When he had a flashback to when he was a kid and he watched a magician take advantage of a girl I thought “maybe he really does want to restore women’s faith in men”, but then when all he could think about was how he’s goanna have sex with this women who is telling him very vulnerable aspects of her life I knew he was just doing this job for the money and to please his boss. He may be disgusted with himself, but not disgusted enough.

Deborah Adekale said...

The deceptive man caught my attention because while he was saying he was there to help rape victims he wasn’t he was playing them for money and I didn’t think anyone would think to do that because it’s kind of heartless. Deborah Adekale

Deborah Adekale said...

The deceptive man caught my attention because while he was saying he was there to help rape victims he wasn’t he was playing them for money and I didn’t think anyone would think to do that because it’s kind of heartless. Deborah Adekale

Aminah Haynes said...

What captured my attention my is the deceptive man at the center of the a story. He only told speeches about the war on rape just for the greed and money. He recognized the pain of the vulnerable women coming to him to tell their stories and he didn't even felt a slight of empathy to comfort the women. I find it sickening how he compared one of the women who tried to come to him and share her personal experience with his speech to feel comforted, but he compared her story to a cartoon he imagined in his head which was very disturbing to me. I thought at first he was going to feel at least empathic of the women while telling speeches, but I was completely wrong.
-Aminah H.

Maya Chapman said...

I think that what caught my attention the most, was the fact that the man didn't even pay attention to the woman he was supposed to be helping. He was thinking about a movie that he previously watched. To me it seemed like he thought it was almost funny that these things were happening to the girls.

tanija harris-ritchie said...

I would say the deceptive man captured my attention the most. In the first half of the story, I thought he was a good character. I thought he was trying to help the women and actually telling them how to deal with rape or what to do when you come across rape. After reading more and more I felt like the man was just doing it for the money. Also, he gave off the vibe that he was a rapist and trying to come onto the women as they were telling him their problems. So I would say this caught my attention the most because people really can put on a fake persona for a crowd.

Julaia Cook said...

Julaia Cook...
The deceptive of the man caught my attention because he treated women bad he mad them work and take care of their children and husband. The deceptive man don't really have respect. Even though the deceptive man is mean I think he really care for those woman he just doesn't show his feelings. Also he just show his feelings in stead of hiding them he would be the most sweetest person every.

Tamya Goodlow said...

The man caught my attention the most because at first I thought he felt bad for the women. I thought he was actually a good person and cared for those women when he gave them advice. Then as the story progressed, I realized it was all for money and he fantasized about those women.
-Tamya Goodlow

Alayah D. said...

I think we all can agree that the deceptive man caught everyone's attention. I truly believed he was a good character with good intentions, but the more I read, my feeling instantly started to change the way I felt about him. I no longer felt good about him, or his personality. I quickly started to think the worst. Maybe he is hiding his true feelings.

Alayah D. said...

I think we can all agree that the deceptive man caught our attention. I was not a fan of how he treated women, but I can't help but wonder if this is all an act. What if he really does care for women but doesn't want to show his emotions.

Erin Myers said...

T. Diop:

The deceptive men most defiantly captured my attention more. I had to re-read a few sentences and I realized that this was a man that was telling the story and not a woman. I do not believe that a man tells stories or give stories or speeches about the topic of rape. I think that a women should have done this job. I was also shocked that the narrator showed no type of emotion. It seemed like he did not care for these women and taking advantage of them.

Erin Myers said...

Amy Descollines:

At the beginning of the book, the deceptive man caught my attention the most. From the way, he acted to the things he would say. After, realizing he didn't feel bad for treating those women like that, it made it clear to me what kind of man he was. And from that point on it was interesting reading his character unfold.

Erin Myers said...

Robyanna Fayne:

The deceptive man captured my attention the most. The fact that he gives speeches about the war on rape this story tells what most people go through on a regular basis with working for company’s he didn't feel bad at all and was almost taking pleasure in tricking these women. He didn’t really care about what they were talking about he just thought about what he would do later with them sounds very selfish to me.


Chloe Evette Hatcher said...

I think the author wrote from an interesting pov. We got to see how inhumane the man really was but what what the women thought wasnt how the reader felt. I felt bad for the women because they were broken and just wanted someone to understand them. So they turned to him with no questions asked.

Jasmine B. said...

I posted already but I had to do it again. But without a doubt, I think the deceptive man caught my attention the most. At first, I thought he really wanted to help the vulnerable women but that turned out to be far from the truth. The woman came to him hoping that he could be a safe haven for them and he completely disappointed me. It just shows that as women we are so quick to trust men only for them to be vicious towards us. The deceptive man was ill-will and malicious from the very beginning.

Amber Dixon said...

The man for sure caught my attention because of his deception. One may think in the beginning that he could’ve felt guilt it a empathic towards his actions. But as you keep ready, it is made clear that that is not the case whatsoever. He seemed to enjoy manipulating and using the women.

-Amber Dixon.

Erin Myers said...

Cortni Jordan:

Both the man and the ideas of the women rubbed me the wrong way because one, he takes advantage and tries to get over on these women. He persuades them to basically think in a different manner. The women rubbed me the wrong way because of how vulnerable they were and how easily influenced they became because of his words.

Justin Burns said...

The devious man this chapter by far has grabbed my curiosity. I have always found it very interesting to see just how bad we can get as human beings in order to survive. Watching this man do his "job" that involves the speaking towards women and empowering them it made me sick on the stomach to see who the speaker was outside of his "talks". It reminds me of those influencers on social media who post "Black Lives Matter" movements but don't actually support them outside of their job or in a public event/media.

Overall, the man's story was much more fascinating to me.

Cameron kellogg said...

The man caught my eye more during this story. The main reason being is because we see this in our life’s almost every day, seeing a man have more control over a women or at least trying to be more controlling.

David Gaines said...

emry HOctober 13, 2021 at 2:42 PM
The man captured my attention the most. In the beginning, I thought he meant well by doing speeches about rape, but as I kept reading I realized he wasn't an advocate for those vulnerable women after all

Kendall B said...

Personally I feel the man caught my attention more because what how he was treating the woman was wrong and it made me feel a way. Also the fact the man was doing that to the woman for money was sick because things like that shouldn't generate wealth. Also the situation that he made relates to real life problems in relationships and the community today, which is sad and this brings awareness .

Erin Myers said...

Anaya J.:

The man captured my attention the most. In the beginning, I thought he meant he well by doing speeches about rape, but when I kept reading I realized that genially felt bad for doing what he was doing to these women but as the story continued I see he didn’t feel bad at all and was almost taking pleasure in tricking these women.

Chaz Hunter said...

The man captured my attention the most. This is because of he way he treated the women. He did a good job at making it seem like he was a good guy but the truth eventually came out. -Chaz Hunter

Mysaiah Chambers said...

I personally think the woman caught my attention. I have a lot of girls as friends and I related some of the same things that the reading stated. I feel that some girls are typically easy for guys and that's when guys tend to want to take advantage of them which is wrong. It's almost that girls feel obligated to receive a comment or compliment from a man to be complete which is not true. In general, you have to love yourself before you love others.

Zion H said...

The man in the story really made me think because he was doing speech’s about rapes. I thought he felt bad about it but he was just doing it as a cover up for what he did and it turned out he actually liked what he was doing to these woman.
- Zion H

Unknown said...

The deceptive man caught my attention the most. In the beginning of the story he was giving long speeches like he really cared about the women. Eventually towards the end you'll think things that are happening or sad and that he'll care but he just chuckles about it. Also he starts to take advantage of the girl that he was trying to help in the beginning. -Anjeal Jones

Erin Myers said...

Tashauna F. said...
The deceptive man caught my attention because he appeared as a decent man to the audience by giving speeches. But in reality, he was plotting on the women in the audience. He took them as a joke and disregarded their issues or stories. Even at the ending, he knew that the girl who told her story to him would want to please him later.

October 25, 2021 at 5:42 PM (posted to B blog)

Erin Myers said...

Eric Friends said...
The deceptive man caught my attention, because I thought that he was advocating for these vulnerable women, but in reality he was also a part of the problem
October 26, 2021 at 12:01 AM (posted to B blog)

Unknown said...

In this story, what caught my attention the most was the man deceiving the women. I felt more involved from seeing his point of view as regards to how he saw the women which looked up to him. As sad as sounds, he has set a great example of how powerful a lie can be if one were to believe it.

Tyler Guthrie said...

After reading the story, what caught my attention the most was the man deceiving the women during his campaign against the acts of rape. I had initially saw myself involved with his perspective of the story which he seems to be the narrator. He also sets a very accurate display of what a lie can do to someone if they were to believe as it will cause danger. This essentially allows the reader to understand just how far a lie can only go which a steep price and consequence will eventually arise over time. An very interesting perspective on how powerful a belief can be towards someone or something as long as it is given power.

Erin Myers said...

Natalie G.:

The deceptive man caught my attention the most because he wanted those women to think that he was sorry for them, but in reality he was not. He didn’t really care for them. All he wanted was money.

Aunye Harrold said...

What definitely caught my attention was the deceptive man. I at first thought maybe his intentions are good and then only to find out that he was contradicting himself was very upsetting. I think while things like this occur sometimes in real life it is still a very hard reality to hear about and to have to think about. It definitely takes time to process.

Aaliyah Fuller said...

The deceptive man caught my attention more. He acted as if he cared but he didn't which was bogus

Kelan Branch said...

After reading this part of the story, the deceptive man definitely caught my eye. At first I thought his intentions were good, up until I realized later on the story that it was only a facade and he is a terrible human being.

Erin Myers said...

Brianna H.:

The men captured my attention the most because he referred to himself as a magician after a woman told him her story. Some men believe that women owe them their body no matter what. Women should be the most valued and honorable.

Erin Myers said...

Nadia G.:

The deceptive man captured my attention more because he acted like he genuinely cared for the women in front of a crowd of people, but he really didn’t and that’s what bothers me the most. He is a hypocrite, for acting like he supports the cause but really doesn’t at all.

Erin Myers said...

Abdixakin A.:

the vulnerable women caught my attention. What caused me to think more about them was how they were letting down their guard and talking about their trauma. While they are expressing their trauma they are also listening to the deceptive man who is only their to get payed. They believe that he is pationat about the "war on rape".

Erin Myers said...

Gianni D.:

My attention was drawn to the man most of all. While giving the speeches about women and rape, he seemed serious and considerate. It became clear from the development of the story that he was basically taunting and making fun of those girls. This all seemed to be done for the sake of money, and I found it very sad indeed. My interest was caught by the weak women in "A rare and powerful employee.". I believed that they had so much faith in the deceptive man who sent them into despair despite their hardships. The power he used against them came from knowing they were vulnerable. It saddened me to read these accounts, because these women were so cared for and thought the deceptive man spoke against the problem, when in fact he was part of it.

Erin Myers said...

Stephanie H.:

The man certainly caught my attention. You would be amazed at the impact little things have on your mindset throughout your childhood and adulthood. As a man who speaks truth over situations and empowers women, he is one of the people who defraud them and make them vulnerable, but he does not realize that he is also one of those men who breaks women and renders them vulnerable. It should be the natural desire of a human being to help someone, not to reap personal benefits from their efforts. What captured my interest more was the seemingly deceptive nature of the man at the center of the story. As a result, I felt that he was hypocritical and being two-faced while claiming to care about things that are very serious.

Kobie Davis said...

The part of the story that captured my attention more was the deceptive man. I feel this way because of how the man initially portrayed himself. The deception is what caught my attention. I question why that man decided to give numerous women support only to cross them later.

Jordan Barnes said...

Jordan Barnes- When reading this story the story tells us about what most people with a job go through. The story shows how jobs sometimes have negative effect on people or their mind set

Jordan Barnes said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Erin Myers said...

Tracey H.:

What captured my attention was the deceptive man and the vulnerable women. The man interested me because he’s telling the reader what he does to get paid and you wonder why does he keep at it. But it also shows what type of person he is. The women captured my attention because it just shows you that people can be very vulnerable when they just need someone to talk too.

Erin Myers said...

Willie D.:
The man in the chapter caught my attention the most.
I actually thought he had cared for the women because
of how nice he was. I knew close to the end that he was trying to manipulate the women because of who he is. It's sad because there is a lot of that going on now.

Erin Myers said...

Jameelah H.:

The depictive man caught my attention more because at first I was intrigued to see how this man felt wrong, or so I thought and was almost advocating for these women but as he goes on and chuckles it is noticeable to see he wasn't doing these talks about rape to spread the world but he was getting pleasure off of these women's discomfort and vulnerability.

Erin Myers said...

Mikayla F.:

What I like most about Thompson spires story telling is the order of "Head of the colored people". The chronological order of events and how they led up to each other were abstract to me. When I realized Kevan was going to be drawing them because they became one of the many victims of police brutality was bizarre. That made me realize her artistic capabilities when she made me feel real emotions.

Erin Myers said...

Tyler B.:

In my overall opinion, the man caught my eye firsthand. It was interesting how these susceptible women come to man that was in the end being two sided to pretend he was there for women in certain situations they even felt comfortable opening about. It's crazy because he showed his true character later in the reading to use against them. It's so sad to hear things about this and it's crazy because these things continue to happen today where guys try to take over a woman and potentially bring them down even more.

Erin Myers said...

Arielle J.:

What shocked me the most about the chapter was how the main character fooled his audience into thinking he had sympathy for them when it came to their traumas. Not only did he have little to no sympathy or empathy for their traumas, he almost made it to where it seemed funny or entertaining to him

Erin Myers said...

Ma Kayla J.:

The deceptive man at the center of the story captured my attention more than the idea of the Vulnerable women. This is because of him being an "advocate" for Women victimized by Rape, but in reality this is just a scheme created by his boss. I almost feel sorry for man because he is now in a position where if he doesn't act like he cares then he will be the one to blamed for his behavior. His situation is a prime example of doing things against your own morals for the sake of a job.

LaShawn D. said...

The thing that captured my attention was the deceptive man. He showed what type of person he was and how he was doing the same thing to multiple women, it basically became a norm. He knew the process it was a cycle it with every woman. - LaShawn D.