Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum, read the essays “Learning from Ladakh,” “Live Free and Starve,” “Amigos,” “The Restaurant Owner,” and “Flavio’s Home” in your course text. In addition, read the poem Scribbles on the Poverty Line (Links to an external site.), the webpage Poetry and Economics: Maintaining Our Link to Humanity (Links to an external site.), and the article “Why I Quit the Company (Links to an external site.).”
In this discussion, you will choose three of the written texts assigned for this week and compare how the authors address the theme of “working lives.” You will consider how cultural context and values influence views about work and choices of work.
In your initial posting, address the following questions:
How does work, or a specific occupation, define the individuals described in the three texts?
How do economic pressures influence an individual’s work choices?
How do economic pressures reflect the cultural context, values, and traditions of a specific country, region, or group? Do economic pressures influence or change those values?
How does a specific genre (e.g., essay, creative non-fiction, poetry, newspaper or magazine article, etc.), and the literary conventions of that genre, enable authors to evoke the working environment and to make a larger point about the relationship between cultural values and work?
Remember to refer to specific examples, passages, and quotes from your chosen essays in your discussion.
Your initial post is due by Day 3 and must be at least 300 words in length.
