Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Haley Scholars (Group B) 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?

91 comments:

Linda H. said...

The man who made a career and life around women who have been victimized really left a bad impression on me. I feel like he could at least respect the people who finance his lifestyle but instead he just uses them to get what he wants, which is their problem in the first place.


Linda H.

Samantha A. said...

The deceptive man caught my attention more as the story is centered around him, and the story told more detail of his manipulation of those women. After reading the story, I felt disgusted and confused by than man more so than my sympathy and heartache for those women as the man acknowledged how these women are broken due to their trauma, yet he still felt no true sympathy. The story clearly illustrated how the man only thought about sex and does not have respect for women as humans, but more so as just objects to sleep with.

-Samantha A.

Alexis S. said...

The deceptive man at the center of the story captured my attention more. This fictional character captured my attention because of how evil it is to take advantage of others vulnerabilities for your own gain. His audience put their trust and faith into him, in hopes that he will be an example and leader in society, but instead is just using them for profit. Furthering their point of not being able to trust men.

- Alexis S.

Tymera W said...

The deceptive man definitely caught my attention more than anything. It shows how much of a horrible person he truly is based on his actions when it comes to these women. He clearly has bad intentions and that shows from out point of view. One of the craziest parts is when he said "really, I get tired of being trite but I must admit as much as I hate this job the fringe benefits are amazing." This just shows that he knows that he is wrong but he truly does not care. Although its just a book, these things really make you second guess people even more when it comes to them being genuine or not.

Keiahjah said...

The thing that caught my attention was him acting like he really cared for these women's stories and just doing it for the money. You saying you know what these women feel but you really don’t and you fake it basically for money and you lying to them saying you listen and giving them this fake advice that’s mind-blowing to me like who does that. Another thing this is why I don’t do counselors because I feel at times they be lying
and they just be listening just to be noisy.

-Keiahjah M

LaTrina Brown said...

The deceptive man caught my attention more than the vulnerable women because it just shows are manipulative people in a higher power can be. These type of situations happen everyday worldwide, where men abuse their power and authority by victimizing women who are followers of them. I don't like knowing that there are people out there like this.

Mark S Lewis said...

The deceptive man definitely caught my attention more, given the amount of focus they gave him. While I can't believe he doesn't feel a little sympathy, I hate that he considers their stories even a little silly. He caught my attention more because I do feel some sympathy since his constant deception is clearly draining him.

Kayla Person said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Chaianna Curry said...

What captured my attention the most was the idea of the vulnerable women in the story. I expected them to be much more hesitant and cautious towards him, considering the circumstances that caused them to meet one another. They should have been right in trusting him, but unfortunately, they weren’t. And the deceptive man himself did not surprise me. Greed will make people do anything, regardless of how immoral it seems to anyone else.

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.-
-Z'Kya Dixon

Kayla Person said...

The deceptive man caught my attention more. The way he has made a career out of something he doesn’t care about is very distasteful. He has women that trust him and he abuses it without care. It’s important to not idolize people without knowing who they truly are.

- Kayla P.

Paris S. said...

The deceptive man definitely caught my attention. The way he takes advantage of the vulnerable women for his own benefits and financial gain is very disturbing. He does not pay attention to the women's stories, which shows that he does not have any sympathy.

Ta'mya Cummings said...

The deceptive man caught my attention more in the story. It rubs me the wrong way how he knows that what he is doing is wrong, but he doesn't care about the people and women it affects. He shows selfishness in his actions and is doing whatever it takes to get what he wants.

Mahlik G said...

The deceptive man catches my attention most in this story. I find it interesting how he, seemingly, is used as a puppet by his boss, to manipulate vulnerable women into pouring their money and heart out to him, feel a fake sense of connection, and even sleep with him. It is clear and explicitly written that the man hates his job (Scott 73). I also see the dread he has in what he does, though as he states, "the fringe benefits are amazing" (Scott 73), which leaves him too, vulnerable to his boss while being caught up in the benefits. I challenge the readers of this story to look beyond the speaker, but at the root of the deception and manipulation. The speaker narrating this story is nothing less than a pimp for their boss. The narrator is indeed wrong for what he does, but who the main problem is? Would one not find the boss to be the head of this madness?

-Mahlik G

Kelsey H said...

The deceptive man caught my attention more. I say this because at first I wanted to feel sorry for the man who had to say these speeches. I thought the man who created the speeches was using him until the very end when he was at the restaurant with the lady. This is something he wants to do by not caring about the importance of the topic he talks about, just to use these women for his own pleasure. He knows what he’s doing and it’s very disgusting.

Kalonji said...

This story is centered around Copernicus Reid (a lady mentions his name on page 74, paragraph 2), so naturally, he ended up catching my attention the most. On page 75 he says, "I've heard this story before, The details change, but it really is always the same... Somewhere during her story, I zone out and think about the movie I used to watch as a kid". This was interesting to me because it seems that despite how traumatic the nature of his work is, he was able to become desensitized. I think that the state that Copernicus is in goes beyond good or bad. Throughout the story, he displayed a sociopathic nature. The story also serves as a reminder to beware of false prophets.

Zaria Hankins said...

I would say that the deceptive man at the center of the story captured my attention more because of how selfish he is. When he says “... as much as I hate this job, the fringe benefits are amazing.” (73) it became clear that he was fully aware of how terrible what he was doing was but he continued doing it. To me this reinforced the fact that this is very common in our society. Men, specifically men in power often take advantage of vulnerable people for personal gain and also just because they can. He convinced these women that he cared about them when he just wanted to profit off them. He presents himself as a good person when in reality he is the complete opposite. His selfishness not only made me feel sympathy for these fictional women but also for the women who face similar situations every day in real life.
-Zaria Hankins

Elizabeth Kyande said...

The deceptive man had my attention than the vulnerable women. The audacity to use someone for one's sole benefit is just absurd. However, it had me relating the story to real-life situations and it is sad that it happens far too often just in different ways be it at our workplaces or even school. The man truly just didn't care for those women.

Elizabeth Kyande

David Bankole said...

The story that caught my attention was the deceptive man known as Copernicus Reid. As he did not feel a thing for how he was using these women. He even acknowledges how these women act because of their trauma yet he did not care. Even though he hated his job, all he cared about was the benefits.

Kai Binta Steward said...

There is an amount of self-honesty and reflection that is admirable, but this has gone beyond that for me. This man feels like another type of predator, preying on these women's longing to trust men again. He puts her into a category of people that he's been able to fool, he mentions the urge to tell her the truth but ignores it and follows another to sleep with her. Like many others in the responses before me, I just felt angry for the women that he has taken advantage of. Women that are taking steps towards a better future fall into his well-adjusted trap.

Tamia Flowers said...

The theme of the defenseless women in the novel was what drew my attention the most. Based on the circumstances that brought them together, I expected them to be much more skeptical and guarded towards him. They put their faith into the deceptive man which was a mistake. I was not surprised by the dishonest man himself. Avarice will push people to do anything, no matter how wicked it appears to others.

Justin Jubert said...

The deceptive man caught my attention the most because of how conniving he was. He is willing to give up all of his morality at the expense of others for his own gain. This reminds me of many different contemporary figures in our current era who sell certain ideas and principles without actually believing them. Many of our politicians are also guilty of this, feeding off the concerns and troubles of their constituents for their own gain.

-JJ

Kiya R. said...

The vulnerable women in this story had definitely captured my attention more. In our society, people, especially men, who have bad intentions typically go into professions where they can easily prey on the populations they want to, and it hurts to see that the women in this story are getting into unsafe spaces that they are supposed to be safe in. A lot of institutions are set to focus on creating profits and not make it safe and comfortable for their consumers, and we need to do a better job at creating actual safe spaces for people to learn more about the world around them and how they can process their trauma.

So, the women in this story capture my attention more because this is something that is a huge issue in our society, and we are always suffering because of it.

Kahleea Washington said...

The deceptive man caught my attention more because his personality is centered around manipulation. Instead of allowing his true self to come out, he is forced to portray fake emotions and actions. He has been trained to know exactly what to say and do to make people vulnerable with him. I am more interested in his boss because he provides Copernicus with his script. His boss knew exactly what audience to target, what words to use, and how to get people’s attention. This chapter proves that knowing the right words and how to say it, is a powerful tool.

Kahleea Washington

Kahleea Washington said...

The deceptive man caught my attention more because his personality is centered around manipulation. Instead of allowing his true self to come out, he is forced to portray fake emotions and actions. He has been trained to know exactly what to say and do to make people vulnerable with him. I am more interested in his boss because he provides Copernicus with his script. His boss knew exactly what audience to target, what words to use, and how to get people’s attention. This chapter proves that knowing the right words and how to say it, is a powerful tool.

Kahleea Washington

Unknown said...

The deceptive man caught my attention more because his personality is centered around manipulation. Instead of allowing his true self to come out, he is forced to portray fake emotions and actions. He has been trained to know exactly what to say and do to make people vulnerable with him. I am more interested in his boss because he provides Copernicus with his script. His boss knew exactly what audience to target, what words to use, and how to get people’s attention. This chapter proves that knowing the right words and how to say it, is a powerful tool.

Kahleea Washington

Shantal Terrell said...

Mr. Reid seems to almost have gotten trapped in this other life this person who is both him and an alternate personality. For a split second he seems remorseful for the deception that he has caused, and for being like those who is pretending to denounce. But he is not a victim he is a willing and able participant in this charade that both gives him access to women and financial gain. He has become comfortable with removing himself blame, by saying he reads the speeches his boss gives he and tells the stories that the women want to hear.

Shantal Terrell

Torian henry said...

The one who caught my attention more was the deceptive man. His action were very suspicious and rather manipulative because he was using others just for his own agenda. He showed every characteristic if an awful human being and it was very alarming.
Torian H.

William Akpan said...

My attention was caught by the deceptive man due to the way he acted. It struck me in a very negative way how he used others and didn't have very much empathy for others.

-William A.

Taiye Joseph said...

What captured my attention most was the narrator's perspective. It is almost like he couldn't really care less about what he is doing, and as if he is mocking his work. I found his views and his voice very rude and hurtful towards the women who look up to him "to restore their faith in men". I do wonder what his connection is to the War on Rape, because why would he be speaking on it and going to conferences about the topic if he has no connection to the movement. This story gave a very odd take on the subject, because you would probably expect this story to be a lil more sensitive or not so blunt in a way, but it seems very real. I like how the story does not go along with my thoughts and does showcase real thoughts behind this encounter. One, who has been through this type of meeting countless times would seem to be very blunt and at a point of boredom within their mind. The ending had been very confusing to me, as he says he knows they were both going to have sex. That really shocked me, because here she is explaining her rape story and then he agrees to have sex with her, a very weird and odd turn of events.

Tiana J said...

The deceptive man caught my attention most because although he is a fictional character his actions are very realistic. They 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.
Tiana J

Damilola Adebisi said...


DAMILOLA Adebisi

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.

Damilola Adebisi said...

Damilola Adebebisi
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.

Jania Garrison said...

The deceptive man in the center of the story caught my attention the most. It was very unsettling to me how he didn't seem to care about these women and their stories and used them for profit.

Breana B said...

Th deceptive man caught my attention the most. This story left me speechless. The way he is tricking these women are horrible. These women open up to this man and tell them their story because they think he understands. And really its all a lie and he's in it for the money.

-Breana B.

Janielle F. said...

Copernicus Reid, the deceptive man, caught my attention more than the women. It sent a chill down my spine how he knew that what he was doing was wrong but still continued to do it. He mislead hundreds of women into thinking that he actually cared about them and their stories and the way that our society treats them when he's only worried about getting a check and maybe a fun night. It's hard to imagine, let alone read.

Charlie Brown said...

The deceptive man caught my attention more. It feels very weird to be able to see two sides of a person at once. On one side, the man has a caring and empathetic facade that he puts on in front of these vulnerable women. On the other hand, we read how he really feels about this. To me, he just sees all of these women's stories as awkward and unfortunate events that he can chuckle at and make money off of while the women in the story had to find the courage to be able to tell him their story in hopes that he would understand. It's just interesting to me to see how manipulative a person can be, even if they can seem like they care.

- Charlie B.

Teighlor T. said...

The idea of those vulnerable women caught my attention more because unfortunately I am used to deceptive men with ulterior motives. We live in a society where young girls and women are so conditioned to be around men that are manipulative and entitled that we have developed coping mechanisms to deal with them. It’s part of everyday life for us. So, sometimes we don’t even think twice when speaking with a man that sets off red flags for us. We just immediately go into defense mode. We block it out. That’s why the vulnerable women caught my attention more because I’ve been there. I know what it feels like, and I can empathize.

Teighlor T.

Chelsea Cooper said...

The deceptive man caught my attention based off his manipulative demeanor. His livelihood was maintained by the vulnerability of women. There is no level of respect for these women, that have clearly been through traumatic situations. The boss clearly knows that sex sales. When you take an attractive man that acts as an advocate for women, it's the perfect recipe for a good career. His words at the ending was disgusting to me. " I know right then and that we're going to have sex and I feel like that magician in that soft porn movie or what my boss calls a rare and powerful employee". Instead of listening to the women this is what crossed his mind.

-Chelsea Cooper

Anonymous said...

My attention was most captured by the narrator. In the opening of the story he says "...I stare into the mirror just to see if I can still watch myself for any length of time- and it turns out that I can" (p73). He also states that he hates his job. It seems as if he knows how wrong he is to deceive these women; yet it hasn't gotten to the point where he isn't able to look himself in the mirror. It's interesting to me how someone's greed can heavily overshadow their moral compass as well as their compassion. He's nothing more than a transactional fraud disguised as a caring advocate for women.

Jacqueline Smith

McKenna C. said...

The deceptive man catches my attention more because although he is deceiving these women, he has battles with himself regarding his actions. He is nothing more than a puppet playing a game for someone else and he continues his actions for benefits and money. He makes people feel special as if he genuinely cares about their issues and deep down I feel he does care, but he just can’t get away from his own lies.

McKenna C.

SylveA’sha Radley said...

The deceptive man is what caught my attention. It’s crazy how men play on women’s emotions. This is why so many women are insecure about themselves when it comes to men or even dating. If you look at our generation of men today, it’s a lot about using women for their needs; they could care less about how they feel. It’s sad what women have to go through. It’s hard to trust anybody now a days.

Daniel Allison said...

I believe the deceptive man is the most intriguing part of this story due to how real and understated his emotions come across in this story. The idea of a powerful man who uses false empathy to win over crowds of people is a common antagonist trope in a lot of media. But most of those stories make the antagonist cartoonishly evil or seductive. The lack of empathy that this story shows the man has made it a lot more unnerving. Even when he repeatedly says "it's just about the money" the lack of emotion he says it with makes it seem like he's not fueled by greed.

- Daniel Allison

SylveA’sha Radley said...

The deceptive man caught my attention the most. The man played on those women’s emotions to make himself look like a hero; when in actuality he was only in it for the attention and money. Those women looked up to him and he doesn’t care about them at all. He is benefiting off of their hurt and pain they experienced.

Kiarra Chark said...

The deceptive man at the center of the story caught my attention the most because he pissed me off. That deceptive man exists in the real world and it is really sad. I feel that for a person to prey on another person’s vulnerability like that is just cruel and it’s amazing that people like that exist in the world. --Kiarra Chark

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.

Nijay Spellman said...

My attention was mostly captured by the deceptive man, then the vulnerable women. He really drew my attention because of how surreal it is and how in the real world it's actually men like this. It's actually men who prey upon women who are insecure to get their way with them and in all honesty, it's disgusting. Because this doesn't do anything. but create an unhealthy cycle of insecure and vulnerable women and men who leech.


Nijay S.

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.

Anonymous said...

My attention was captured more by the deceptive man in the center of attention. He knew that the speech he was giving was not authentic. He couldn’t even say his name, another woman did. Yet he still went on in this closed off mindset. It was almost like he was one of the women. Instead he was just a puppet of his boss

Alexis H.

Walter Carroll said...

Personally I was more surprised with the idea of the vulnerable woman in the story. Unfortunately, I know that women in the world have to be very cautious with the men that they trust in their lives, so it surprised me when they trusted the deceptive man so easily. Lastly, I am used to greedy people in this world so the man did not surprise me one bit.

-Walter C.

Anonymous said...

The deception of the man definitely caught my attention. To have such a powerful position and such trust with victims, he’s almost just as much of a predator. It’s sad that some people are so manipulative and take advantage of innocent people, no matter the tactics. It is all wrong and since he’s so experienced one would think that someone would figure out a pattern by now

Jamie Tabron

Nyah Crockett said...

What really caught my eye in this story was how Reid says, "It's all about the money, I want to tell this woman, but don't." Knowing that the world we live in is so dictated by money, I wouldn't be surprised if things like this happened in real life. That the men in power just make up stories to make women feel safe so they can get laid and make money. It's despicable because the people they are "helping" are people with real issues and they need real help, not a deaf ear and pacification.

Byron Coulter said...

The women peaked my interest the most. Mainly because they put their faith into this person that was just using them for their own selfish gain so easily. I think in general it is hard to fully trust someone man or women. If someone has enough to lose they'll break that trust promptly. Being gullible can really cause your own demise if you're not cautious.

Jalen White said...

It is without a doubt the deceptive man who controls the narrative. His aura is of someone who is blunt, cold, and without remorse, and Rion Scott is trying to place this character as the subconscious of a man. His actions are distasteful, but also morbidly captivating and pulls the audience in, much like the predator he is.
I think it is intentional that the victimized women aren't at the center, alluding to the sexist slant of our culture, neglecting to truly listen to a woman's story and forgetting about her pain. I think it could come off as a "all men are trash" post on Twitter, but Scott's masterful delivery paints it as a commentary on the culture of assault and abuse, and how it runs deep in our society.

Jalen W.

Anonymous said...

The vulnerable women caught my attention more, I wasn’t very surprised with the man being deceptive because people will do whatever they can to get what they want, the vulnerable women caught my attention because you would think that with them already being taken advantage of and being victims that they would have caught onto signs of being used, but I guess they were blinded by the fact that they thought they could trust him because of what he claims he represents. It really is messed up how this is able to be done

-Richard Haley

Ebonie Byrd said...

The deceptive man is what catches my attention the most because he has no remorse for his doings. Though he knows his career is a fraud he continues to rope women into his deception. Creating more damage for these broken women.

Ilysa Walker said...

The attention around the manipulation of woman with a history of abuse and the manipulator was interesting. It was sad to see the pattern unfold of women being trapped in manipulative situations, and the lack of remorse the manipulator had even when recognizing that the women had previously been abused. The manipulator merely viewed them as tools with the means to satisfy him.

Ehriana . C said...

What captured me more was the deceptive man. It’s interesting how he is more invested in persuading “tricking” these women into falling for him with the right words rather than actually being good person. Especially knowing the past traumas these women went through.

-Ehriana. C

Monica Gilliam said...

The deceptive man caught my attention more. I could understand why women who have been through a traumatic experience involving a man would feel a sense of relief and validation to hear a man sympathize with their situations. However, it was hard for me to understand how a man could be so apathetic while hearing these women's stories. Even though he's a scam artist working for someone else, I would expect him to have some kind of empathy for the women that he works with. After he recalls the movie that he watched many times as a kid, I realized that he may be desensitized to women being taken advantage, even though he knows its morally wrong, and tries not to get too caught up in the reality of what he is doing to these women.

Darius Campbell said...

I would say that the deceptive man captured my attention more within this story. One reason is that it shows you can't trust everyone even if they do seem genuine. It also shows that people might not be doing something for the motive that you think they are. In this case, him and his boss where doing it for the money rather than doing it to make change.

-Darius C

Alleson H said...

Both caused me to think a little deeper but The man made me feel the strongest. I feel like it’s crazy how people are so comfortable with using another persons pain to bring themselves up or gain them something. To me he’s evil in a way and selfish and it’s a sad case because people are like this in reality.

Carah F. said...

The deceptive man at the center of the story captured my attention the most, because it's something I see over and over again. The narrative of the vulnerable woman is such a common theme in society. Often, the woman must move on and forget about the man who made her feel that way, as she should. However, he gets to live life and move on to the next unsuspecting woman. It seems like a never ending cycle. It amazes me how people can scam and use others under false pretenses.

-Carah F.

Anonymous said...

The deceptive man captured my attention. It is so common in our society to see women being taken advantage of because of they'd trust the wrong people using feelings. However, instead of judging people who use other people's pain for their gain, I was pushed into thinking about what triggers them emotionally to turn off their sensitive side? Is that finances? past trauma?

Geonel M.

Daeja Daniels said...

What caught my attention the most was the deceptive man. These women were very vulnerable and trusted him. And one would think that because these women are in this situation you wouldn't want to make it worst. However, even with all that they have been through he cared about money ,sex, and everything else.

Anonymous said...

The deceptive man at the center of the story captured my idea more because it was just incredibly shocking. Even when you want to believe that people have good intentions, it's sadly not always true. The vulnerable women storyline is very common in stories so that didn't shock me as much even though I wish it wasn't true.

Fatima Bashir

Erin Myers said...

Jovahna W.:

I would say that the vulnerable women captured my attention more. It wasn’t and is never shocking to me when men choose to be deceptive and misogynistic. The vulnerable women more in the story captured my attention because as I was reading I was more focused on what could’ve brought those women to this point where they listened to a motivational speech from someone who can’t relate to half of the issues they may be going through like being a single mother or having very little to no reproductive rights over their own body. But again, I wasn’t surprised, and never am, when men choose to be deceptive.

Erin Myers said...

Ashanti Young:

The deceptive man definitely caught my attention. The way he uses the woman the vulnerable women for his gain and financial stability is deceptive. He doesn’t even care to pay attention to the women's stories, which shows that he lacks empathy for others .

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.

Arielle S. said...

They both stood out to me but in different ways. The deceptive man is what stood out to me the most because it was unfair of him to take advantage of the women and their feelings for his own gain. As far as the women I am truthfully tired of hearing the "vulnerable woman" or "damsel in distress" thing for women. I feel like it is demeaning and makes women out to be weak which is a look I do not care for.

Tiffany Ellison said...

The deceptive man caught my attention more because the women that go to see him speak have clearly been hurt, and he knows that. But the fact that he takes advantage of these women anyways in the same ways that they have been hurt just seems way too real, because it happens all the time, even if this specific story isn't real.

Tiffany E.

Erin Myers said...

Brooke Harris:

For my second entry I said how it was more attention capturing that the story was told through the eyes of a deceptive man especially since readers tend to relate to the main character when reading. The fact that he would go and deceive these women for business seemed to strike a chord with me and it kind of felt like I was being betrayed, and made it hard to read afterwards.

K Carter said...

The deceptive man caught my attention more because it is something that is very manipulative. This is very common in our society and it is scary to realize this. I think the author is trying to shed light on this issue, people can't be too trusting.

Phoenix Johnson said...

Honestly, the idea of that many vulnerable is what shocks me. Anyone that is vulnerable is more gullible and looking for answers. The man is just using that to get rich and profit off their pain. Also, why would the women not look for a women to listen to who was vulnerable and once where they were to get knowledge. I know my mom who is the strongest woman I have ever met would let a man tell her how to believe in man again because that man is probably just trying to date her not heal her.

Dasmin W. said...

The deceptive man caught my attention because his story and thoughts were a different take on vulnerable women. He mentions chuckling at a disturbing tv scene, yet feels unsettled by them. I feel like he represents a lot of peoples' views on discrimination against race and gender. You know it is bad, but you do not want to fix the problem. He becomes the problem because of his views which are explained by having sex with these women and taking their money.



- Dasmin Whitted

Amy descollines said...

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.

Anonymous said...

The vulnerability of the women really resonated with me honestly because them making themselves known to him seems almost like an offering to him as well. I am all for their faith being restored, it just feels like... sad more than uplifting. I really hope that the narrator does not dissapoint me in his character arc.

Oyeyemi Efunkoya said...

This story line was interesting, all it gave me was manipulation. How it's given that is because the man which was deceiving people about caring about war of rape, which he spoke about in his speech. For women in that conference to see him differently and also men. This whole story was just manipulating, I just wish the woman noticed the fake responses and him trying to listen.

Oyeyemi Efunkoya said...

This story line was interesting, all it gave me was manipulation. How it's given that is because the man which was deceiving people about caring about war of rape, which he spoke about in his speech. For women in that conference to see him differently and also men. This whole story was just manipulating, I just wish the woman noticed the fake responses and him trying to listen.

Erin Myers said...

Meghan N.:

Regarding all characters, the deceptive man caught my attention the most compared to other careers. The deceptive man does not have a very great character and is greedy, as he allows money and physical intercourse to control him which demonstrates that his priorities are completely wrong. He does not show any sympathy towards women, which is misogynistic in a way and shows that he is self-centered, only caring about himself and what will feel good to him at the end of the day, when in reality, we should care about and love on others.

Erin Myers said...

Courteona C.:

What was more catching to me was the setting of the vulnerable women. You would think being vulnerable they would speak up for themselves or notice the wrong he was portraying. Not calling him out on anything made it easier for him to manipulate. He didn't really care what they felt or what they did, it was only important in ways in benefit him. I honestly don't like that just because in the real world their are men who are naive and are get overs.

Bria Brandon said...

Out of all of the characters, the deceptive man definitely caught my attention. It amazes me how selfish he is and his actions displays this! He is also very manipulative and he wants what he wants and he would do anything to get what he wants. As a character he just gives me a weird vibe at the fact that he knows he is doing wrong and he just doesn't care and that he doesn't care how much his actions impact other people.

Philip Bowen said...

The character that caught my attention the most was the deceptive man. He caught my attention because it shows how men today take advantage of women insecurities to fulfill their own self pleasure.He also show how self-centered people can be and don't realized that their actions are hurting other people.


Philip B.

Lexis Lewis said...

The deceptive man caught my attention the most because these women are vulnerable and decide to open up to them about what has happened to them but he in ultimately misusing them. He is manipulating, when they are at their most vulnerable state. Women have trouble opening up about their problems but when they find someone to feel safe with they decide to let down their guards.
when he says,"Really, I get tired of being trite, but I must admit, as much as I hate this job, the fringe benefits are amazing. My position has allowed me to meet plenty of interested women. Though many of them, I must say, are fragile, cracked, and thoroughly broken"(73), he hate the speaking and the job but women give him the ratification because they all just fall for him because he helps heal them through their trauma.

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.

Cheyenne Carpenter said...

The deceptive man really caught my attention. It is very upsetting that this man would go this far to deceive and manipulate women for no reason. It wasn't that shocking to find out that he had ulterior motives because that's how it is in reality. I hate that the women who were already vulnerable had to go through this where their trust has been misplaced yet again.

Keaira C. said...

For me, both the man and the vulnerable women were equally captivating aspects to think about but in different ways. The man definitely was interesting to learn more about as we got more and more details on why he may not be able to look himself in the mirror. The dynamic of being a symbol of good or someone that gives women hope, faith, and confidence in an entire population, but it turning out sexual, or tainting the purpose of the attraction is wildly ironic, dark, and is overall very narcissistic and manipulative of a person to do. Being aware of it, definitely makes it worse, and continuing to pursue these women and allowing the pattern to continue only makes it seem like this character clearly doesn't want to be good. For me the tone was evoking a sadness, and a disappointment from the man as he talked about himself and the life he's lived, but when he acknowledges that there's a typical pattern of stories then behaviors that have followed, this only demonizes him and shifts the tone to evoking that the man isn't going to change things or really doesn't know how to because this is who he is. Calling himself a "rare and powerful employee", agreeing with the words of his boss, lets us know that he's embraced these patterns as his stand-up act, as his own magician, and he confides with this being associated with who he is.
The vulnerable women are also very interesting to think more about too because in hopes and with relief of getting personal interactions with this savior of a man that they think has been brought to them, who they've tried connecting and sharing their stories with, they're continuing to get misled, tricked, and betrayed. This is really saddening to read about. Because really I'm sure this can resonate with many. I'm sure at some point we've all been in a place where we've felt the relief of seeing a finish line or identifying a resolution to a problem. But then the finish line ended up being further away, or the resolution actually ended up leading to more problems or being a part of it.

Anonymous said...

I believe I already responded to this question it just didn't go through. But I mentioned that the deceptive man caught my attention more, because it goes to show how sometimes the people who show themselves to be trustworthy may have a completely different motive. When these women are able to open, it is because they think the man will genuine with them, but whenever the man show his true colors it completely shows women that men cannot be trusted. And it honestly sets a bad example for all men, because women won't even trust the good guys who genuinely love them. And furthermore, women will remain closed off and become deceptive in an attempt to not be heartbroken and this is how a toxic relationship is formed.

NOAH A. Phillips

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

Erin Myers said...

Kaelyn C.:

The vulnerability of the women really resonated with me honestly because them making themselves known to him seems almost like an offering to him as well. I am all for their faith being restored, it just feels like... sad more than uplifting. I really hope that the narrator does not dissapoint me in his character arc.

October 20, 2021 at 7:24 PM (posted anonymously)

Anonymous said...

The man that created his lifestyle based on vulnerable women did not sit well with me. Selfishness at its finest. He was entirely fraudulent. He was not helping fix the problem, he had a large hand in making it worse. Unfortunately it is a cycle for women who may be lost or have been through traumas.

Rotrisha Epps

Victoria Chandler said...

I focused more on the women in this situation more than the man at the center, probably because I am a woman and it is easier for me to connect with a character if I can relate to them in some way. Now, this doesn't mean that I wasn't intrigued by the man, because I defiantly was, I just mean that the women gained most of my attention. I focused more on their words and story line and ultimately put myself in this situation and thought about how I would react. Would I know what was truly going on or would I be oblivious? Reading words on a page is different than actually living it, so I can't just assume the "right" way to live out the story line is obvious.