Answer the following questions to help you construct a draft of your Critical Analysis essay
1. After re-reading your selected article, write a 3-4 sentence overview of the work, briefly describing main points and your thoughts about the writing. Include the author's name and title of the article in this overview. These sentences will be part of your Introduction.
In his article, “Some Lessons from the Assembly Line,” Andrew Braaksma illustrates the significance of education in securing better future employment opportunities. The author asserts that while students may take the education system for granted, those who do not have academic qualifications or fail to graduate are bound to get into laborious jobs which are very hectic than the white collar jobs. He points out that students who spend their time to study are better placed as they are able to get future employment. Further, Braaksma illustrates the challenges faced by blue-collar workers include exhaustion due to heavy duties and underpayment.
2. In Assignment 1: Writing Plan, you wrote a claim to be addressed in your analysis essay. The claim should again clearly state what you believe is the author's goal in his or her article, your reaction to this goal (e.g., do you agree or disagree?), and why you had this reaction. After re-reading and re-evaluating the article, do you want to change your claim? If so, re-write your claim in the textbox below. If you are still happy with your original claim, enter it again in the textbox.
The main goal of Braaksma is to advice students on the importance of education towards achieving a successful future. This is evident from the way the author compares the life at school and that at the factory; while at school they begin their classes at noon, he has to go to work by 6.00 A.M and perform complex activities through the day. I agree with this claim owing to the fact that most employees in the manufacturing industry suffer from adverse working conditions and underpayment. Thus, excelling in education allows people to secure well-paying jobs with better working conditions. Basing on my claim to support the author I believe adding more effort to achieve academic excellence in class will lead to a bright future.
3. In Assignment 1: Writing Plan, you listed three possible key points* that the author used to support his or her goal. Re-write the first supporting point in the textbox below. Then list one way in which the reading supports this point.
The main point used by the author to support his claim that students must work hard and study in school in order to have successful future career with better working conditions. From the reading, it is evident that without hard work in education, one may be forced to perform hard labor in low-skilled employment which is accompanied by low wages and poor working conditions.
4. Now look for specific evidence* to support this first key point. The evidence should be a direct quote* from the article, a summary* of a section of the article, or a paraphrased* section of the article. Include the evidence in the textbox. (Remember to put quotation marks around direct quotes and cite the source in APA format.
The author states, “For a student like me who considers any class before noon to be uncivilized, getting to a factory by 6 o'clock each morning, where rows of hulking, sparkshowering machines have replaced the lush campus and cavernous lecture halls of college life, is torture” (Braaksma, 2005).
5. Write 1-2 sentences that explain how this piece of evidence supports the author's goal (from Question 2). Then, write 4 or more sentences that explain your reaction to the author's key point (e.g., do you agree or disagree with this key point and its evidence? Do you think the author met his/her goal with the evidence that is being presented? Does additional information need to be included?) Remember to elaborate on your reaction.
From the evidence, the author compares the life at school and that at the factory to show the poor working conditions of blue-color jobs. He is forced to wake up early and work under loud conditions which are incomparable to the school environment. I agree with the author’s evidence to support his claim that education is important towards achieving a successful future. If one goes through college and gets a good grade, he/she is able to be recruited in a well-paying job which is accompanied by better working conditions. On the other hand, lack of school completion and poor academic performance may result in unemployment or getting employed in temporary “hard” jobs. I believe that the author meets his goal through the evidence as he is able to provide proof that informal employment, which is composed of individuals who did not get the opportunity to join college, is accompanied by harsh working environment.
6. Write the second key point/supporting point from your Assignment 1: Writing Plan notes in the textbox below.
Braaksma also points out that most of the blue-color employees working in the factories are paid low wages because they failed to meet the needed college degrees.
7. Now look for specific evidence to support this second key point. The evidence should be a direct quote from the article, a summary of a section of the article, or a paraphrased section of the article. Include the evidence in the textbox. (Remember to put quotation marks around direct quotes.)
The author states, “I couldn't believe how little I was taking home after all the hours I spent on the sweltering production floor” (Braaksma, 2005).
8. Write 1-2 sentences that explain how this piece of evidence supports your claim (from Question 2). Then, write 4 or more sentences that explain your reaction to the author's key point (e.g., do you agree or disagree with this key point and its evidence? Do you think the author met his/her goal with the evidence that is being presented? Does additional information need to be included?) Remember to elaborate on your reaction.
Braaksma claims in the evidence that after a rough day at work, all he is able to take home is little wage. I agree with the author’s claim that blue color jobs provide low pay. With low wages, the employees’ lives become miserable as they are unable to pay for their daily basic needs. Engaging in difficult jobs like the author is demoralizing especially when the pay is minimal; this can affect the performance of the employees and the overall economic output of the country. By giving the evidence of low payment, the author is able to achieve his goal of showing the effects of poor school performance or lack of college graduation. Additional information that could be added to strengthen the evidence is illustrating how the social and health factors of the blue-color workers are impacted by the deteriorating working conditions.
9. Write the third key point/supporting point from your Assignment 1: Writing Plan notes in the textbox below.
The third key point the author addresses is the fact that informal employment is very stressful because it is temporary, and as such students should work harder to get permanent job opportunities.
10. Now look for specific evidence to support this third key point. The evidence should be a direct quote from the article, a summary of a section of the article, or a paraphrased section of the article. Include the evidence in the textbox. (Remember to put quotation marks around direct quotes.)
In the article, it is stated, “Issues like downsizing and overseas relocation had always seemed distant to me until my coworkers at one factory told me that the unit I was working in would be shut down within six months and moved to Mexico, where people would work for 60 cents an hour” (Braaksma 2005).
11. Write 1-2 sentences that explain how this piece of evidence supports your claim (from Question 2). Then, write 4 or more sentences that explain your reaction to the author's key point (e.g., do you agree or disagree with this key point and its evidence? Do you think the author met his/her goal with the evidence that is being presented? Does additional information need to be included?) Remember to elaborate on your reaction.
The evidence illustrates how blue-color jobs can easily be lost since they are not permanent opportunities. The author states that he has discovered that soon his unit would be relocated to Mexico where workers will be able to demand lower wages. This means that the company would rather consider the profit generated rather than the providing the employees with decent income that would raise their living standards. With the example, the author is able to meet his goal of revealing the suppressing nature of the informal jobs. Students can, thus, be motivated to work harder in order to avoid having insecure job opportunities accompanied with poor pay. Having job security is important for employee satisfaction; thus, by graduating with good grades, students are able to get such employment opportunities.
12. In conclusion, rephrase your claim as stated in Question 2.
In summary, Braaksma attempts to advice students on the importance of education in the achievement of successful future. When people complete the education system and graduate from college with good grades, they are able to get employed in permanent white-color jobs which have better wages and healthy working conditions.
13. Write 3-4 sentences that summarize your reaction to the author's key supporting points (Questions 3-11).
After reading the article, I believe that education is the key to success. When students graduate, they are able to get employment opportunities with favorable working environment as well as easier tasks. With a quality job, individuals are able to get better wages which will help to raise their standards of living. Furthermore, with study, individuals are able to secure permanent employment; this increases security and employment satisfaction.
14. Explain at least 2 insights* about your claim established through your analysis.
I have learnt that students need to study harder in order to pursue their career dreams and become professionals in recognized careers such as medicine, teaching, engineering, nursing, and astronomy. It also became apparent that the rank of blue-color jobs is filled with a lot of challenges including poor pay, heavy work, and insecurity of jobs; graduation can help individuals get better jobs with favorable working conditions.
Reference
Braaksma, A. (2005). Some lessons from the Assembly Line. Newsweek. Retrieved from http://gppoweroflanguage.weebly.com/uploads/8/7/7/5/8775228/some_lessons_from_the_assembly_line.pdf
