Happiness Within the Work Force
It is safe to say that work comes in many different forms. Whether it be a fast food or a corporate, the people that surround an individual make a great impact on the way he or she may work. Singapore, by Mary Oliver, is about a young woman working as a custodian in an airport who although works alone, enjoys her work and the people she meets. Dorianne Laux’s What I Wouldn’t Do, introduces another young woman reviewing the jobs she has had throughout time and reflects on those that she liked and disliked. Hard Work, by Stephen Dunn, exemplifies a young boy working in a soda factory during his summer break. Searching for happiness in life and work is just what these individuals are doing.
Like What I Wouldn’t Do, Singapore depicts a young woman who enjoys her job and is not bothered by lack of company she has with any possible coworkers. In the poem Singapore Oliver writes, “She smiled and I smiled. What kind of nonsense is this?/ Everybody needs a job” (15-16). From this, it is clear that the narrator enjoys the company of strangers around her. Not only does she enjoy the people around her, the narrator also enjoys the job she has which, is why she feels that everyone should have a job. Throughout the poem, Oliver compares the
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Although the narrator did not enjoy the jobs she had, she did not dislike them either. She greatly disliked her job as a telemarketer, selling TV subscriptions over the phone. But like most people, the narrator settled for the jobs to make a living and support herself. In the poem, the narrator states that their favorite job was working at a donut shop. “I liked the donut shop best, 3 AM,/alone in the kitchen, surrounded/ by sugar and squat mounds of dough,” (29-31). From this quote, the reader can infer that the reason the narrator enjoyed this job because she is alone while
The novel Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich shows the hard working, fast paced environment of the work place. Even the smallest jobs can take a toll on a person. Along with taking a toll, the novel also references the main point of workers showing compassion on the job. From the story, Barbra talks with one of her co-workers, and tries to help her out. “ ‘Her back has long since given out but she’s leaving now because she’s scheduled for knee surgery in a couple of weeks. I know this because I offer her a ride home that day when it appears that her us...
Although, Conventional wisdom dictates that the age at which children started work was connected to the poverty of the family. Griffith presents two autobiographies to put across her point. Autobiography of Edward Davis who lacked even the basic necessities of life because of his father’s heavy drinking habit and was forced to join work at a small age of six, whereas the memoir of Richard Boswell tells the opposite. He was raised up in an affluent family who studied in a boarding school. He was taken out of school at the age of thirteen to become a draper’s apprentice.
This frustration acted as a vehicle for her to gain a desire to be more
Strong, self-contained, Independent, mild-mannered, and courageous are all words that come to my mind when I think about my grandmothers. These are also words that I think of when I look at other black women throughout history. Over the duration of this course I have learned about the tenacity and strength of African American Women. There are many hardships that come along with being an African American female. The trails that African American women have faced molded us into the strong people that we are today.
Studs Terkel published a nonfiction Working which consists many interviews among different people’s descriptions of their jobs. Through this book, Terkel demonstrates the meaning of work to different people and how their work experiences shape their attitudes about their lives. Among these interviewers, Maggie Holmes is a domestic while Dave Bender is a factory owner. Although their wages are different, Maggie Holmes and Dave Bender’s attitudes about their works are contradictory. People who love their works are passionate and happy about their lives and express less complain than those people who do not like their jobs.
In today’s society you either have to work hard to live a good life, or just inherit a lump sum of cash, which is probably never going to happen. So instead a person has to work a usual nine to five just to put food on the table for their families, and in many cases that is not even enough. In the article, “Why We Work” by Andrew Curry, Curry examines the complexities of work and touches on the reasons why many workers feel unsatisfied with their jobs. Barbara Ehrenreich writes an essay called, “Serving in Florida” which is about the overlooked life of being a server and the struggles of working off low minimum wages. Curry’s standpoint on jobs is that workers are not satisfied, the job takes control of their whole life, and workers spend
The poem describes workers to be “Killing the overtime ‘cause the dream is your life, / Refusing to take holidays or go home to your spouse, / But for many the overtime comes, ‘cause the work is not done. / Deadlines to be met. So you continue to dream like a war vet, / Having flashbacks to make you shiver and scream” (Jones, stanza 7, lines 2-6). Jones reinforces that overworking for an incentive of money does not give one a sense of gratification, and it also distracts them from the values that should matter more to them than anything else. Both Kohn and Jones have a similar approach to showing the reader the effect that overworking can have on a person, and how it will change their values in life, causing unhappiness. Many students go through school dispirited and do not join various clubs and activities for their own enjoyment. A friend of Kohn’s who was also a high school guidance counsellor had a student with ‘…amazing grade and board scores. It remained only to knock out a dazzling essay on his college applications that would clinch the sale. “Why don’t we start with some books that
Just spending some time in the modern-day classroom; I have observed several students on their phones. During my high school years we did not have to worry about cell phones or laptops being a constant problem. In Annie Murphy Paul’s “You’ll Never Learn!” she explains the studies of multitasking while students do their homework with the modern-day distraction of the digital age; resulting in a lower quality of learning. I agree with Paul that the digital age is becoming a problem in education, even though educators are leaning towards teaching on a digital spectrum. In this essay, I will explain how a digital age versus a non-digital age is effecting everyone involved in a higher education.
Work is a word that one hears on a daily basis on multiple different levels; work out, work at school, go to work, work at home, work for change. Society today is made of people that work hard every moment of their day from sunrise to twilight, these workers work for food, housing, family, education, and transportation. Essentially in today’s world if one wants something they must work for it, gone are the days where handouts are common and charity is given freely. The question then arises, who speaks for these voiceless workers that are often working so hard they have no time to voice an opposition? The authors Levine and Baca speak very well for these workers and for society in general, their narrators speak of not only work but of the world
Stereotypes. Something that many women are subjected to in society and are forced to accept it like it is something that should happen. “What do women want”(Addonizio) examines the stereotypes most women face when wearing certain clothing, and the objectification of women, that is frowned upon but all women secretly want. It points out the objectification and stereotypes that women are subjected to, challenges them, and connects them to everyday life.
We all know that most people hate their jobs. Work is seen as something we have to do, and very lucky few seem to find a job that we enjoy. How we feel about work, and what we do for a living, in many ways helps to define who we are and who we are going to become. Having seen actual people share their perspectives and view points on “working for a living” helps us see ourselves and rethink our future. Overall, Studs Terkel helps flash- back into America's history and see the changes that America ans it’s people have gone through.
Work. How many different ways can there be to write about work? Well, the author of "Serving in Florida", Barbara Ehrenreich, lives a privileged lifestyle which gives her the option to leave her low income job allowing her to be more critical and judgmental of low income jobs in comparison to Lars Eighner, the author of "On Dumpster Diving", who is trapped, being homeless, so he is more accepting of people who have low income jobs, or no jobs at all. Although, there are many similarities between these two pieces, the author's background plays a large role in their writing style and opinions of similar topics.
The poem, “What Work Is” by Philip Levine is an intricate and thought-provoking selection. Levine uses a slightly confusing method of describing what work actually is. He gives the idea that work is very tedious, however necessary. It is miserable, however, it is a sacrifice that is essentially made by many, if not all able-bodied members of society. Many have to sacrifice going to a concert or a movie, but instead works jobs with hardly a manageable salary. This poem seems to have a focus on members of the lower-class or middle-class who live paycheck to paycheck and are unable to put money away for a future for their children or for a vacation and how difficult life can be made to be while living under this type of circumstance. Levine
Wills, P. (1977) Learning to Labour: How working Class Kids Get Working Class Jobs. Hampshire: Gower Publishing.
...e as they see life being portrayed in a book or movie. They can gain some hands on experience that will prepare for their future. Experiences grow with working, no matter what type of job they do, teens will still gain a lot experiences as long as they are hands on tasks. Not only will working provide experiences, it will also help students be more confident in life. When teens become confident in what they are doing, they considerably are half way to success.