Mercury Reader: The Analysis of the Role of Jobs in Society

In the book named “Mercury Reader”, there are three articles writing about the work experience and the importance of job. In the article entitled “Workers”. Richard Rodriguez narrates his story of having a summer job as a construction worker among some Mexicans. It is Rodriguez’s first time working as a manual laborer which offers him a chance to get in touch with a group of Mexicans which is treated unfairly because of their illegal status. One of the three articles, The Importance of Work, demonstrates that Job is a demand for people even if they are not short of money. The author of this article, Gloria Steinem, firstly illustrates why women should acquire jobs in her article and then gives us an idea that everyone need a job. Both of articles deliver readers an information that citizenship and gender are two great factors can influence one’s opportunities to getting jobs.

Rodriguez sees a group of illegal Mexican immigrant , who are hired to cut trees and haul off debris on the construction site, acts weakly due to their illegal status compared to those American workers. During summer, Rodriguez starts to realized that those Mexicans are labeled “disadvantaged” by Americans due to their citizenship. In the article, Rodriguez indicates that the American contractor and workers ignore these Mexicans when they were working on the same construction site by writing “Anonymous men. They were never introduced to the other men at the site. Immediately upon their arrival, they would follow the contractor’s directions, start working-rarely resting-seemingly driven by a fatalistic sense that work which had to be done was best done as quickly as possible.”(Rodriguez 10) No one ever cares who these Mexicans are. In contrast to Rodriguez’s first day on the construction, these American workers taught Rodriguez how to use his body properly while doing work. However, for these Mexicans, American workers even do not want to know their names. These Mexicans are simply expected to finish all the work and that would be all. Similarly, those Mexican immigrants alienate themselves from American people as well. Rodriguez writes “The Mexicans sat apart when they ate, just as they worked by themselves. Quiet. I rarely heard them say much to each other. All I could hear were their voices calling our sharply to on another, giving directions. Otherwise, then they stood briefly resting, they talked among themselves in voices too hard to overhear” (Rodriguez 11) to describe that these Mexicans are isolated because they do not communicate with Americans. Mexicans with illegal status always act weakly on the construction, admitted that they are disadvantaged. On account of their vulnerability, Americans started to label these illegal immigrant “disadvantaged” by default as Rodriguez did before he met the group of Mexicans. From Rodriguez’s article, we know that legal status can influence people’s attitude of living which determines how others would treat these people who are either citizens or illegal immigrant.

In the article “The Importance of Work”, Steinem gives us another commonly talked idea that gender influence people’s job opportunities because people admit that men should acquire jobs but women have no need to work. Steinem believes that people need to get jobs not only because they need money to make lives but also work is a demand for some people. In our society, we admit that women should stay at home, taking caring of children and do the housework. Steinem also proves this point in her article by writing “When a woman who is struggling to support her children and grandchildren on welfare sees her neighbor working as a waitress, even though that neighbor’s husband has a job, she may feel resentful. And the waitress may feel guilt.”(Steinem 15) It is really hard for people to give up the negative defense that being competent housewives are women’s main goal. And if some women know their ability and want to work, people always doubts why women need to get job. Steinem writes “Job interviewers and even our own families may still ask salaried women the big ‘Why?’ If we have small children at home or are in some job regarded as ‘men’s work’, the incidence of such question increases.”(Steinem 5) to demonstrate that women are leveled “housewives” so that acquiring jobs is hard for them. What people believe is that we work because we have to, not take account of our demand to work. Steinem gives a really important point that people should go to work because they are able to work. I totally agree with this because everyone has their own talents which can devote to the society. People should not only consider their economic needs for their lives but also think about their ability of working. Even if a family has a employed husband and enough welfare, women still can go to work because they are capable of working and they want to work. Women should believe “Womenworkbecausewehaveto”. Because gender can be determined simply by people based on the appearance, gender influence people’s job opportunities severely if we keep believe that women should stay at home to be a good housewives instead of working.

People’s job opportunities are limited by various factor. From the two article we read, citizenship and gender are factors that confine people’s job opportunities. Through Rodriguez’s article about his summer work experience as a physical worker, we can conclude that citizenship determines how people behave when they work. Steinem tells us that women should go to work if they want to or they are able to work. Although it will not be easy for people to give up the idea that men should work, we can not take ways the right to work from women.