Understanding
Capitalistic Ideologies: Interpreting What Work Is by Phillip Levine
The
poem “What Work Is” by Phillip Levine is laden with capitalistic ideologies. In
the poem, ‘we’ is representing the working class people. The poem is set in
industrial city of USA where those people are shown to be queuing up for the
work. And the speaker of the poem is trying to define what is work?.
We stand in the rain in a
long line
waiting at Ford Highland Park. For
work. (1-2)
In these first two lines of first stanza , we
can see how those people are waiting over there in the line for the work
besides the uncertainties of employment. The Poem was written in the era of
massive industrial production during 19th century. They are waiting
in a long line in front of Ford Highland Park which is currently known as Ford
Highland Park Plant. Here in this poem, Ford Highland Park stands for
Capitalism, because it is the true employer over there. Ford Highland Park was
previously manufacturing company of biggest car company Ford in USA. The name
of the company Ford is synonymous to cars all over the world. Similarly, cars
are the part of the American Dream.
