In this society, being without a job is almost like being invisible. Every one has to be involved in some type of work whether it is for self or for someone else. We do work to survive. The only means we have to get what we need is money. And money is earned, not given. Money is most commonly earned through work, which makes work the center of our life. This being said, it would be easy to assume that studying and analyzing the history of work can lead to understanding ourselves as society and as individuals. For example, two hundred years ago, most people did not go to work; instead they worked at home on the farm. In the 1800s about 90 percent of Americans were farmers. People did not use clocks. They worked with the sun and seasons. People made a living by growing their own and trading. They did not rely

Furthermore, work makes people feel useful. People can't just eat for a whole day or sleep all-night and then sleep during the day again. We have to do something to occupy ourselves. Whether it is by working a job or doing something for us. Paul Zimmer, in his poem " Work" said:

As technology kept changing and the world became more and more industrialized workers needed to adapt to the changes of the work place in order to survive. A job that existed one day became obsolete the next day. Working for wages became the only way to make a living for most people. But the conditions of work got worse for workers. As a result, people needed to change their working condition. By organizing labor unions, and by joining together workers were able to improve their work safety, labor hours and health conditions. Little by little, workers improved their work environment and their lives in general. Business owners were forced to recognize that they have to treat their workers better. From this we learn that as we adapt to our work, we as individuals and as a society change our habits and our lifestyle.

Without questioning! Yet I tell myself

In conclusion, work is a major part of ourselves that defines us as indi

Some common words found in the essay are:
Indivdual Simply, Paul Zimmer, status society, paying jobs, adapt changes,
Approximate Word count = 823
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)