Literature, Business, and Social Change Paper
Literature, Business, and Social Change Paper
Cheo Brown, Jenrrett Carter, Talina Hutton, Dominique Martinez
ENG/120
September 20, 2010
Carissa Nelson
Literature, Business, and Social Change Paper Change is an inevitable part of life. Problems arise as people define conditions as undesirable and in need of change (Macionis, 2010). Literature can help bring about change in society. The short story, In Service by Louisa May Alcott, the poem, Share Croppers by Langston Hughes, and the essay, Pablo Picasso: Living in His Own Shadow by Ellen Goodman explores changes within society that affects workers. People at different times in history, define different issues as problems. Once the problems are defined the old ways of doing things are replaced with new and improved ones. Learning new ways of doing things is good for both the workers and society. Literature helps bring about necessary changes in society by revealing problems, providing knowledge and offering approaches that help meet the changing demands of the workplace.
Throughout history, poetry has been used as a vehicle for protest and expression (Fabillar, 2010). For this very reason, poetry is the best genre for appropriately addressing changes in the workplace. Share Croppers by Langston Hughes deals with inequalities in work. “When the cotton’s picked and the work is done, boss man takes the money and we get none” (Couglin, LaRocca & Hughes, 1996). This shows that the share croppers are doing work but are not gaining any rewards for their efforts. It also states that they were left “ragged” and “hungry” as they previously were, indicating that things were not getting better for them. “Year by year goes by and we are nothing more than a herd of Negroes” (Couglin, LaRocca & Hughes, 1996). Here, the poem points out that as time goes by, they have nothing to look forward to. No one wants to be hungry or go without necessities. The poem sheds light on the injustices within society that
Cheo Brown, Jenrrett Carter, Talina Hutton, Dominique Martinez
ENG/120
September 20, 2010
Carissa Nelson
Literature, Business, and Social Change Paper Change is an inevitable part of life. Problems arise as people define conditions as undesirable and in need of change (Macionis, 2010). Literature can help bring about change in society. The short story, In Service by Louisa May Alcott, the poem, Share Croppers by Langston Hughes, and the essay, Pablo Picasso: Living in His Own Shadow by Ellen Goodman explores changes within society that affects workers. People at different times in history, define different issues as problems. Once the problems are defined the old ways of doing things are replaced with new and improved ones. Learning new ways of doing things is good for both the workers and society. Literature helps bring about necessary changes in society by revealing problems, providing knowledge and offering approaches that help meet the changing demands of the workplace.
Throughout history, poetry has been used as a vehicle for protest and expression (Fabillar, 2010). For this very reason, poetry is the best genre for appropriately addressing changes in the workplace. Share Croppers by Langston Hughes deals with inequalities in work. “When the cotton’s picked and the work is done, boss man takes the money and we get none” (Couglin, LaRocca & Hughes, 1996). This shows that the share croppers are doing work but are not gaining any rewards for their efforts. It also states that they were left “ragged” and “hungry” as they previously were, indicating that things were not getting better for them. “Year by year goes by and we are nothing more than a herd of Negroes” (Couglin, LaRocca & Hughes, 1996). Here, the poem points out that as time goes by, they have nothing to look forward to. No one wants to be hungry or go without necessities. The poem sheds light on the injustices within society that
References: Coughlin, J. & La Rocca C. (1996). The Art of Work: An Anthology of Workplace Literature. L. M. Alcott, L. Hughes & S.J. Perelman. Cincinnati: South-Western Educational.