The Idea of an Essay, Volume 3

14 The Idea of an Essay: Volume 3 The Misrepresented American? Sophia Zervas Sophia Zervas is a freshman double majoring in piano and vocal performance. When she’s not practicing, you’ll find her running or hiking in her home state of Colorado, spending time with family and friends, or curled up with a book by her favorite author, C.S. Lewis. In the excerpt from her book The Overworked American, economist Juliet Schor notes the consistent increase in Americans’ hours of labor over the past two decades. Attributing this trend to the concurrent increase in productivity, she argues that prosperity and leisure are inversely related. Later in the article, she examines the effects of overwork onAmerican society and traces the inflammation of social issues to the “stress” phenomenon. Schor’s purpose is two- fold: first, she analyzes why Americans have lost their leisure time and second, she cautions against a continuation of the current trend. On the surface, Schor’s arguments are authoritative, logical and convincing. A closer examination, however, reveals a lack of focus and several lines of faulty reasoning that undermine her impressive credentials. Two implicit subdivisions outline Schor’s general purpose. The opening paragraphs introduce the rise in work time and analyze why American prosperity has contributed to the sharp decline in leisure. The centrality of words such as “market,” “productivity” and “consumer” highlights the economic focus of her initial argument. She approaches her topic from a mainly logical standpoint and adopts an objective tone. Approximately halfway through the article, the focus shifts from economics to social issues and their relation to overwork. Schor digresses from logical argumentation to emotional persuasion, evidenced by the consistent repetition of the word “stress.” Other word choices, including “squeeze,” “casualty” and “plaguing,” evoke fear in and effectively warn readers against the danger of overwork. Overall, the paper aims to persuade through analysis and a warning.