Assignment 3

Read the poem and write a response utilizing the questions on the wiki for reference.

The poem illustrates different frames of mind that a person can have when faced with a particular problem. The two main views of the problem, which in this case is the hole in the sidewalk, are a proactive view and a reactive view. The proactive view is demonstrated in stanzas four and five, while a reactive view is demonstrated in stanzas one through three. The first stanza describes someone who doesn’t know how to deal with a problem and does not recognize that there is anything that they can do to avoid the problem; this person takes a very long time to solve the problem and is reactive in his response. The second stanza describes someone who ignores a problem, thinking that it will disappear if he does not acknowledge it. This person also fails to see that they can do something about the problem, and he also takes a long time to solve it. The third stanza describes a person who recognizes a problem but fails to do anything to solve it because the problem is habitual. This person realizes that he has a problem and that he has responsibility to solve it, and he solves it quickly. This is the first step to being proactive. The fourth stanza describes someone who is well aware of the problem and demonstrates proactivity by sidestepping the problem in the first place. The fifth stanza describes someone who has learned from past experiences and has gained the skill of foreseeing problems way in advance and avoiding them. This person demonstrates the most proactive behavior. I believe a person can become proactive no matter what his current frame of mind is. We can change our frame of mind by recognizing the problems that confront us, taking responsibility for solving our problems, solving them, and learning to foresee and avoid problems before they even arise.