During the birth of this country, Puritans had to work hard to ensure the success of the
new state. In order to make work more appealing, the Puritans emphasized the fruits of
labor. This attitude, reflected in modern day by the act of "working for a living," is
considered as a "badge of pride." Puritan attitudes toward work and the attitudes of two
modern day writers toward work all agree that the act of working has virtuous effects, an
attitude that I share because of my working experience (Clee and Clee 233-234).
Three different attitudes toward work, expressed by several writers whom I have recently
studied agree that hard work yields positive rewards. Henry F. Bedford, a history
teacher at Phillips Exeter Academy, and Trevor Colbourne, a teacher at the University of
New Hampshire, examine the Puritan attitude toward work in their book The Americans: A
Brief History. Puritans stress the goodness of working by relating it to religious
beliefs. Sloth is sinful, but the Puritans also pointed out that it was self-defeating.
Leisure is even considered an "evil temptation" (Bedford and Colbourne 235-238). Marge
Piercy, a modern day poet, essayist, and novelist, attempts to explain why work is
desirable on contemporary terms in her poem "To Be of Use." To Piercy, hard workers who
really persevere are admirable because of the fact that the world is full of temptations
to stop working, or to not work altogether. This admiration for determination is
apparent because work is as "common as mud," and it must be done sometime (Piercy
242-243). Wendell Berry, an English teacher at the University of Kentucky, explains the
basis of the desire to work in his essay "The Joy of Work." In response to the
prediction that there will be no work in the future, Berry emphasizes the importance of
work to human nature. He explains that people do work because of "fellow feeling," and
that people get satisfaction from doing work (Berry 244-247).
The concept of satisfaction as a product of hard work has been proven valid to me
through my years of experience.
All of these selections agree that work is a basic part of life: without it, one would
have a void in his life where satisfaction would be. Success of humanity depends on
work.
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