Suggested Essays During the Profile Essay (Lady Olga and Holiday)

In "Lady Olga," Joseph Mitchell gives us an incredibly descriptive profile on a bearded lady named Jane Barnell. I do really like that the first sentence draws a reader in with something unexpected ("Jane Barnell occasionally considers herself an outcast and feels that there is something vaguely shameful about the way she makes a living"), and that's one of the things I've been trying to focus on for my own revision. Jumping right into the conflict, or what makes the person interesting, is definitely the way to go as opposed to doing a standard, almost manufactured opening.

While there is a wealth of information here, I think that's what makes me dislike the piece. I'm sure it's good, but it certainly isn't for me. I much prefer profiles that use shorter bursts of sentences in an attempt to more hastily paint a better picture, if that makes sense. Even so, Mitchell puts his descriptive qualities to good use in describing her looks. He didn't simply stop at what he saw, but sometimes even included what other people saw, such as the line where Monty Woolley saw her once when she was dressed up and described her as Elsa Maxwell with a beard. That sort of description creates a fuller view of the person, which is something this piece has taught me that I need to do with my own essay in order to break the surface.

The "Holiday" essay was short and pretty wonderful: definitely more like the preferred type I was talking about earlier. I like how the writing seems to match the attitude of Joey, who seemed to be extremely hyper and fast-moving despite his disability. There isn't much to say here beyond the fact that most of it is based around scenes and stories, which is probably a reason this essay was suggested. I recall during workshop that I needed more stories interwoven in my own essay to help explain some things, and there is an excellent mix of profile and scene here. Most strikingly, though, is that final paragraph. It's short, but it feels like the whole mood changes. Joey was so excited to be part of this, and put everything into it, only for the reader to discover at the end he has no interest in performing because he doesn't like people watching him. Beyond that, he wants to become an accountant. There's something really special there, and I like it a lot, but I'm not sure I have the words to describe why. It just feels like the perfect ending.