Book Portfolio - Quarter 2

Throughout the book of poems What Work Is by Philip Levine, the reader gets a definite understanding of what work is to many people. How hard life can be for some and how undeserved, in some cases, these people are. It shows that so many people are needed to keep the economy going and for other to be able to live. Really, all a person does is work for their life; and to what end, to what accomplishment other than to keep themselves alive and well? It shows how manufacturing and labor affect the economy and the environment. How it affects the workers lives who do this only for a semblance of a life. We only ask; how much waiting do we have to do anymore? The need to find out what work really is and what it is worth; how we cannot live without it at all.
In all forms, work is waiting. Waiting for a job, waiting for a response, waiting for progression, waiting for acknowledgement, waiting for significance, waiting for something to pay off and, finally, waiting for when it all works out. In the poem titled "What Work Is", there is significance to waiting. "You know what work is-if you're old enough to read this you know what work is, although you may not do it. Forget you. This is about waiting, shifting from one foot to another. Feeling the light rain falling like mist into your hair...to the hours wasted waiting, to the knowledge that somewhere ahead a man is waiting who will say 'No, we're not hiring today' for any reason he wants" (pg. 18). This is the earliest and first form of waiting on work. You have to go and get it, and golden opportunity will never only fall into your lap; you have to work mighty hard to earn it in the first place.
History is full of working people. It shows that hard work and dedication will get you the result that you want; whether it be in work only, or in life in general. A specific example of this would be with Martin Luther King. He dedicated his life to trying to find a way to end racism and slavery in the United States. His work in life as well as in a historical role show how significant work is in any one persons life. In his life's work, Martin Luther did not in any way see an immediate change. Instead, he had to wait; and while waiting he worked as hard as he could. Not being stalled by not having any immediate results to his fulfilling his dream. The dream he once had is achieved; African-Americans do indeed have rights the same as any other Americans. They are not treated as though they do not have equal rights and opportunities; or as though they are different in any way at all. Work is now the same thing to African-Americans as it is to anyone; not slavery or mills.
Looking at and thinking about general 'work' does not give an indication of the waiting that it involves. Many would think that if you work and do something, you immediately get something in return. You may get money and benefits; but the real satisfaction and understanding takes time to build. It takes time to get credibility for hard work, and some people may not like waiting for their satisfaction; many want instant gratification, which is hard to come by most times. The people who work hard for a long time without expecting immediate results will be the most satisfied when all is said and done. The hard part is, in fact, the longest part as well; waiting.
In conclusion, the most general term here is waiting. It is what every good worker must do at some point during their career as well as their lives. The term 'work' does not have the best reputation with many people; those people being workers. This may be in part because of the key word here, 'waiting'. So many people are impatient and want to get by and do things the way that they want to and at the speed and time that they want to. It is important to know and remember that work is much more than only trying to get a paycheck. It is the foundation on which a person is able to build their life; and what is life worth at all other than the effects of hard work finally paying off? Nothing, you should know, almost positively nothing.