Deering, Dorothy. “Egalitarian History in Studs Terkel’s Working.” The Journal of General Education, vol. 28, no. 2, 1976, pp. 103-113. JSTOR. Web.
“Egalitarian History in Studs Terkel’s Working” is a scholarly article written by Dorothy Deering in 1976, with the purpose of reflecting on the recently published book Working by Studs Terkel. The author admits that Terkel has to be recognized as a modern historian who successfully uses a unique cathartic process in his writing and properly completes the functions of a catalyst, recorder, and narrator. Deering explains that in his intention to introduce individual lives and experiences, Terkel never forgets about the worth of a scientific approach to remain objective and impersonal. The chosen article describes some chapters of Terkel’s book Working and compares the work with other literary and historical projects where American workers’ lives are discussed and examined. In the United States, employees face a variety of challenges and obtain benefits, and this balance is a core issue in an egalitarian society.
The theme of my future research project will be the analysis of one of the characters of Terkel’s Working, Dolores Dante, a waitress. Although the annotated article does not address the chosen character directly, it will be helpful in discussing the general aspects of the book, Terkel’s professional approach, and its impact on the reader. Living in an egalitarian society where all people deserve equal and fair rights is associated with multiple tasks, outlooks, and the necessity to deal with social and personal losses with dignity. Using this information, I will create a solid basis for my writing, including the description of working life in the middle of the 20th century and the comparison of imposed norms, people’s expectations, and harsh realities. I am going to use this article to strengthen the voice of the chosen character and differentiate her experience from other working men and women in Terkel’s story.
Smith, Thomas A. “Working by Studs Terkel.” The English Journal, vol. 65, no. 1, 1976, pp. 69-70. JSTOR. Web.
Smith’s article “Working by Studs Terkel” introduces the analysis of Terkel’s work from the point of view of educators and career development in American society. The article is based on the citation from Terkel’s book about a working man, revealing the strengths and weaknesses of people at individual and professional levels. Therefore, the task of educators is to find meaning in classroom communication with respect to future working roles and satisfaction.
Career education should never be ignored because it is the only chance to enhance the required skills in communication and cooperation and contribute to appropriate reactions. Smith underlines that Terkel’s book raises the value of personal interviews for current students and future employees, and the ability to listen and understand employers’ demands is required. At the end of the article, Working is defined as a valuable piece of literature for people of any age to adjust to a complicated and constantly developing world and implement as many creative activities as possible.
The character analysis will be a theme of my next writing, and I think that this article may contribute to my discussion and the identification of interesting elements in the chosen book. On the one hand, Working is a perfect example of how a single author introduces the lives of many people working in different industries and following their dreams under the pressure of the current environment. On the other hand, this book should not be interpreted as a nonfiction book with properly identified meaning for workers. I will refer to the article to prove how diverse and unpredictable the analysis of one story and one character may affect the system of education and cooperation between teachers and students.