Analysis of Studs Terkel's Book and the World of Work Essay

In the article “Money: The Real Truth about Money” by Gregg Easterbrook published In Time Magazine (2005), the author compares two different generation’s attitudes towards money, and how it affects their happiness. The author’s standing qualifies him to write and appeal this issue, he’s a contributing editor of The Atlantic and The Washington Monthly, and he also writes the Tuesday Morning Quarterback column for ESPN.com. Easterbrook’s primary audience appears to be middle class Americans however he draws a wider secondary audience’s attention. The author succeeded in convincing his readers through his rhetorical appeals, credible sources and his clever use of language.

As a matter of fact, nobody has a car repaired or has unique earrings made every day. Monthly bills, insurance, and gas have almost inflexible prices while “the business goes up and down” unpredictably (n.p). However, the writer believes that when working with passion and enthusiasm, technical jobs will make more money than paperwork and bring an interesting life. From my perspective, because of the loss of ability to afford for living expense, trades may face the enticement of money, alternatively, “charge more than a fair price” (n.p). Of course, money doesn’t bring happiness, but it is a requirement to reach that goal. Working with ambition to pursue goals may not bring expected results; it is necessary to prepare for that harsh

In her article, Miya Tokumitsu states that most people who follow the principle “do what you love” become self-centered. Being focused on ourselves and our happiness, as the author says, make us prouder than we ought to be. As a result, we create a division between those who love their jobs and those who do not. The writer defends those who do not love their jobs by claiming that not all jobs are enjoyable yet are socially necessary.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has the more one wants” (Franklin). The message conveyed by this quote is also established in Ray Bradbury’s short story “The Veldt”. “The Veldt” is a science fiction and horror story written by the same author who penned Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. He remarked, “Do you know why teachers use me?

Throughout the modern era, society’s views on money’s effect on a person’s emotions have drastically changed. Many people believed that the more money a person has, the more satisfied he or she will be. However, due to recent conclusions made by writers and case studies, money has proven to not be responsible for a person’s contentment. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, Daisy and Gatsby’s wealth ultimately shows the reader that money does not equal happiness.

A life filled with lengthy work hours and taxing labor creates the opposite effect of happiness

In the excerpt taken from his book “The Price of Everything” Eduardo Porter talks about the idea of happiness and where true happiness comes from. He argues that one can witness happiness in what people strive to do, which, in his opinion, is working and making money. He utilizes quotes from figures such as Gandhi and Abraham Lincoln which discuss happiness and how it is achieved. Also cited are statistics and studies concerning the psychology of happiness among people. The way the author words his argument makes it sound like he believes people work because they enjoy work itself and making money. While this is true for some, many others work because they love their chosen field, for them the money is a byproduct of doing what they love. Porter is thinking about this from a purely economic standpoint, he does not notice the underlying reasons

In his article “Why So Many Smart People Aren’t Happy”,The Atlantic journalist, Joe Pinsker declares that being educated, richer or more accomplished does not guarantee happiness, but rather decrease one's chances of finding joy in life. By supplying the reader with information about studies performed on individuals and the transcript of the interview between Pinsker and Raj Raghunathan, a professor of marketing at The University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business, Pinsker builds his claim about the emotional deficiencies that can arise due to one’s success. Pinsker wishes to convey to readers the importance of being content in all aspects of life and how someone could maximize their happiness. He does so in order to evoke people

Since commerce systems have replaced the days of bartering and trade, proverbs about money, wealth, and status have gained some popularity. Why is that so? Perhaps it’s the idea that money is “inherently evil”. The old saying, “Money can’t buy you happiness” is heard by all individuals at some point in their lives. This aphorism warns the dangers that happiness doesn’t stem from money, but by different avenues of life or that happiness comes from within. In the story Winter Dreams by F. Scott Fitzgerald, it chronicles the life of Dexter Green as he rises through the American societal hierarchy of being middle-class to the wealthy

Money plays an important role in everyone’s life, but having money doesn’t mean you can buy happiness or love. A person being wealthy, having all that money can cause fame and popularity, but true happiness can never be obtained. If you have money you can buy any happiness you want. But no one thinks about the opposite side of it. If you don’t have that money, because money is something you get if you’re destined to have it. Money can be a source of limited happiness, but not for lifetime. Money does have value, but you don’t need that to be happy. It’s not necessary to have money to be happy. Sometimes people with money, can be careless, they don’t care about others. They only think about themselves, only about their happiness. This causes

Viewing from the perspective of lecture’s discussion, we feel less happy than before because we take positive things in our life, like technology progress, for granted. And we naturally forget to appreciate the benefits brought by business development, which is the reason why increasing prosperity comes together with diminishing happiness. Therefore, The Hedonic Treadmill seems to make our generation of people the ‘spoiled idiots, who don’t care’, according to Louis CK.

In today’s materialistic world, the phrase that ‘money can’t buy happiness’ is tending to be proved hence otherwise. Social research and surveys have shown results based on an individuals income, health and the political scenario which is dominant in his or her region. It is quite obvious that the gap between the privileged and the not so is growing into a great divide giving rise to different class and status, thus defining ones social circle. It should therefore be understood how an individuals economic status affects their personal happiness throughout all aspects of life. Many tend to refer to this age-old quote especially when they tend to belong to sector of people who can’t afford the modern day luxuries of life. What they do not

The beautiful smile. The joyous laugh. The smiling eyes. The high pitched voice. All describe the characteristics of one being happy. Benjamin Franklin once stated “money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has the more one wants.”. In turn that quote has been a center of debates for centuries. Conversing over the debatable topic in which happiness does or does not extend from money. In a society such as the twentieth century, happiness is evidently reflected by wealth. Therefore, happiness is influenced by the amount of wealth that corresponds to the way one uses their money.

However, those people with the means are reluctant to sacrifice an excessive amount that they would descend in status (Mill 89). Those who are of lower faculties #, and thus have less enjoyment, are more easily satisfied (Mill 90). Compared to their inferiors, people of higher classes continue to seek happiness and are never truly satisfied. Mill links this continuous search with dignity (Mill 90). Due to the sense of dignity, “someone will not feel envious of those who bear imperfections because he does not understand the benefits of those limitations” # (Mill 91). In explaining this concept, Mill compares a human being dissatisfied to a pig satisfied and Socrates dissatisfied to a fool satisfied. The pig and fool reason that they are well-off, but the human being and Socrates know they are superior because they are further educated (Mill 91).

In discussing the relationship of a person's attitude towards work and money, it is important to distinguish these two inter-related concepts from one another. In most cases work can produce money. In several cases, money is the product of work. But it is still possible to obtain large sums of money without working, just as it is possible to produce a copious amount of work and not receive monetary compensation for it. It is due to this reason worthwhile work is more valuable than money, since worthwhile work engenders a fulfillment of purpose and a completion to one's being that money cannot necessarily provide.