This term, we have seen how work is connected to historical moments and sociological concepts. Historians help us understand how work has evolved over time. Sociologists have helped us understand the impact of work on workers. These moments and ideas, in some way, play out in the plays, poems, and stories we have read and films we have viewed. For this assignment, you want to consider an idea related to the world of work and connect it with at least one text (play, film, story, poem). For instance:
how Tom Wayman’s poem “Factory Time” speaks to how factory workers view time (perhaps using Studs Terkel’s interview with the spot welder in the textbook)
how the film ‘Modern Time’ and the poem “You Can Have It” demonstrate how important family is in the working world
how the optimism of Whitman’s “I Hear America Singing” contrasts with the harsh realities as seen in the tragic Triangle Waistcoat Fire
how the desperation of not finding work is found in Philip Levine’s “What Work Is” and Tom Wayman’s poem “Unemployment”
Regardless of your topic, you want to develop your own clear idea (thesis) and support it in a thorough essay. Secondary research is expected (aim for at least three sources). The essay should be about 3 pages. MLA must be used to format the essay and for documenting your sources. Remember the golden rule: “If you use a source (quote, paraphrase, or summarize), you must cite it in your essay and then provide the full citation in a Works Cited page.”
