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Summary Of Response To Orientation By Daniel Orozco

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Response to Orientation by Daniel Orozco In Daniel Orozco’s Orientation, a nameless character is shown the ropes of the inner office workings as a new employee. The conflict is the surprising contrast between what appears to be normal, monotonous office procedures with the disturbing insights into the personal lives of the employees that work there; professionalism versus unprofessionalism. This conflict affects everyone in the story by the sheer discomfort of everyone knowing everyone else’s businesses, while maintaining the facade of not knowing or “you may be let go” (Orozco). The main characters in the story are the narrator and the new employee being oriented. The narrator speaks in first person, “That’s my cubicle there” (Orozco), yet the reader is the new employee the narrator is speaking to, “…and this is your cubicle. This is your phone” (Orozco). Thereby, the narrator moves the reader through the office in first person and the reader sees the story through the employee’s eyes in second person. Both are static characters, showing no change or growth in the story. The narrator or the character giving the orientation is disconcertingly professional as he moves through the office describing protocols and disquieting, personal information on each employee. The theme of the Orozco’s Orientation is there is a story behind every person in the work place, yet it is no place to draw attention to one’s self or allow personal tragedies, choices, or emotions to interfere with the work life. Delving into Daniel Orozco’s background, one can discover some aspects of his life that may have influenced his writing. Orozco grew up in the San Francisco (Kevin). Used to city life on the coast, it is not surprising Orientation takes place in an office building with a view of “A segment of the bay” (Orozco). In addition, Orozco was an office assistant for about ten years, in an office complex near the Bay, until he decided on a career change (Kevin). He was thirty-years-old when he decided to return to school to work on his Master’s Degree (Kevin). His background of working in an office would have given him the knowledge of office protocols and the dynamics of office protocol and relations. Not to mention,

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