Play, Work and Labor - Case Study Example

PLAY, WORK AND LABOR Introduction Auden was an influential York, England man who became a leading celebrity in the literacy society. In his article labor, work and play, Auden asserts that work is increasingly fun and enjoyable while labor is unexciting and not fun. The essay focuses on global issues and talks about people’s attitude and behavior in their jobs. This discussion will investigate Auden’s definition work and labour, differences between labour and work, the relationship that play has on labour and work and the results of technology and current division of labour on play, labour and work. Discussion Summary of the article Arendt’s classification of labor and work Auden investigates Arendt’s categorization of work, play and labour in his article. Arendt linked the labour concept to processes of biology, death and life, to surviving organisms following the lifecycle, whereby the laborans animal produces consumer products and non-durable products required to maintain human life. According to Arendt, laboring activities are continuous (without an end) as long as man is alive. Work, on the other hand, what people do – what is produced by human hands and effort from the artificial their environment. It is use of objects to produce durable goods, (Arendt, 2008). Work, play and labor are vital activities of humanity, and play and work gives human beings freedom for human necessities. Labor is a mere turmoil whose primary purpose is immediate life need satisfaction. Differences between work and labour Auden discusses of how work is exciting and amusing, and labour is unexciting. Play is magnanimous in the laborers world, but not mainly proficient at all times. Auden realized that the globe is charging, and technologies are to constitute a large number of the laborers population in the world. Auden discusses what will happen to people’s life in the “Real World.” People have only two choices either to work and enjoy or to labour and get inadequate leisure time. Auden argues that labour is evident when one accomplishes a task that does not need her personal contribution, or a task one forces himself to accomplish. A laborer feels less worth and has no freedom. According to Auden, one is a laborer if the society offers him a task that he is not interested in doing. In other words, one is forced perform the task by the benefit necessity in order earn a living and support his family, (Auden & Kirsch, 2000). A person cannot attain self-worth, freedom and excitement as a laborer because a necessity force always compel him to perform a certain task he does not take pleasure in doing it. Similarly, Auden suggests that work is more pleasurable to a person who loves his tasks and assignment, and the society does not compel him to perform the task. It is a person who performs his task even if it is outside his specialization. According to Auden, to be categorized as workers of laborer depends on the preference of the person undertaking the task, not the task itself. The relationship between play, work and labor Play is crucial to the laborer challenges. In his article labour, work and play, Auden argues that when people participate in a game (play), they enjoy what they are doing. Otherwise, people should not play although it is a private task, that the community could not care if people play or not. Leisure determines the character of a person, for instance, workers take some time off to refresh and increase efficiency and productivity. A laborer sees leisure and time off as an opportunity to free him from slavery. Similarly, a laborer attempts take available time, where a worker thinks that time is a hassle. Additionally, workers take advantage of any little off time and leisure time. Auden argues that technology can be extremely crucial and can be the most detrimental accomplishment to the soul of a man. This is because, in the end, technology and current division of labor will turn the future world into laborers, (Auden & Kirsch, 2000). He argues that by removing in various field the requirement of primary strengths or expertise; technology and division of labour has contributed to an increased percentage of paid occupations that initially were amusing tasks into boring labor and by enhancing productivity both techniques have minimized the required number of laboring hours. Results of technology and current divisions of labor According to Auden these will increased the leisure time among the population, and will make time off less meaningful because of increased laborers amount the society will have. Consequently, this will create unhappy population like in the past when technology was not in use. In traditional days, people spent their leisure time performing activities such as “Shooting grouse” and some other time was spent in cities. In the modern world, today, this is impossible because almost everybody lives in urban areas and the animal population has increased. Auden argues that the consequence of this will compel various people to opt into fashion, to drive rapid change. Additionally, because of increased population of dying animals, more people will change to taking of drugs, risky driving and senseless violence acts. Few of these will influence the workers, as they will take their anxiety out in their tasks. Workers are not extremely violent but, as a result, they shift their anxiety into positive activities. Examples supporting the thesis Various scholars and researches such as Clayre (2005) support Auden’s ideology and principles of play, labor and work. For instance, some agree on differences between labor and work. For instance, some argue that labour is any activity done forcefully for economic gain, and the person engaged in the activity has no interest in doing the task. Laborers take their assignments or task as hard, difficult, boring, fatiguing and slavery. Clayre believes that the desire that people have to enhance economic production is also a success desire as for additional pleasure that an increased economic benefit can procure. Therefore, work is increasing pleasurable because a worker is always happy, free and feels worth. This is because whatever task one undertakes is out of free will and the society or circumstances do not compel him to do so. A person is a worker if the society offers him some interest, and he is free to take an earning necessity. Similarly, person acts as a laborer if the society offers her a job of no interest to her, but she is forced to perform it by the earning necessity to gain economic support for her family. Some also agree that technology and current division of labour, though crucial, are increasingly detrimental to the human soul. For, instance, it is increasingly possible to think of a community in which most of its population, such as laborers, will have extreme leisure time as in traditional times was utilized by the aristocracy. Similarly, when we recall how traditional aristocracies behave, many will agree that the prospect is not amusing. In fact, the challenge of handling boredom may be extremely hard for this increased future number of society population compared to past aristocracies. Some argue that the latter, for instance, ritualized their leisure- they had a time to do complaint shooting and time to spend in urban areas. The people tend to substitute an unchanging ritual with fashion that will be for economic motive to shift more frequently. In addition, the population cannot specialize in hunting (for leisure) because in the years to come there would be few animal to hunt. Similarly, for related aristocratic pleasures such as staking, battling and warfare, it would be increasingly possible to find equivalents in risky driving, taking of drugs and worthless violence acts. Workers rarely commit violence acts as they can direct their anxiety into their tasks, whether physically such as smith or metal works or scientific and artistic works. The function of anxiety in mental role is increasingly explained by the phrase “having a person’s teeth into a shortcoming. I believe that the disparity between labour and work does not correspond with the variation amid mental and manual task. For instance, a gardener or a blacksmith may act as a worker, a manager of a bank or clerk may be a laborer. The category of a person is evident from her attitude and belief towards play and leisure. For instance, for a worker, play or leisure implies the time he requires to refresh and recuperate to work effectively. He thus tends to take less time for leisure; workers succumb to coronary conditions and forget their family parties. On the other hand, a leisure time or a day off means liberty from compulsion (to a laborer); therefore it is logical for a laborer to imagine that he has less time to use laboring and increased time he has for leisure is more pleasurable. Technology and labor division may be detrimental as it turns people into slaves of such technologies. Technology has reduced the need of manual laborer and workers in paid occupations, forcing people to labour in fields of reduced interest to earn a living and satisfy family needs. Since technology and division of labour has occupied most modern occupations, most people are working fields outside their career interests as laborers. Therefore, any time off serves a freedom from burdening and fatiguing work experience, and may force people to engage in risky leisure activities such as drug abuse. Conclusion The key argument that Auden is forcing out is that people should not get trapped a situation where he does not like his job because if they do so, they will not enjoy, like and feel free in doing the task. People should strive to change a task into work and not to follow what society demands but what they take pleasure in doing. Auden’s ideas decode the role of play, labor and work in people’s lives. In addition, his works outlines the significance and risks of adopting technology in daily human activities and lives. References Auden, W. H., & Kirsch, A. C. (2000). Lectures on Shakespeare. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press. Arendt, H. (2008). The human condition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Clayre, A. (2005). Work and play: Ideas and experience of work and leisure. New York: Harper & Row. Read More