Monday, October 1, 2007

Assignment for Blog #6 (Group #2)

Two options this time.

#1) Beyond the scope of what we talked about in class, analyze in detail a particular way in which Hank prefigures/anticipates Frederick Winlow Taylor, using examples from both Twain's text and Taylor's -- my discussion of Hank's inability to conceive of working 30 days in relationship to Taylor's discussion of manual laborers as ox-like is one example.

#2) Use Taylor, _including details from the text_, to analyze some particular aspect of your life, or some cultural artifact. Try to focus on one of Taylor's key words - "efficiency" is a good one. My favorite episode of "Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law" is open to such analysis, as is much of Futurama, for example.

On a more serious note, if you've ever worked in a factory or office, signs of Taylorism (and our refusal of Taylorism) are everywhere.

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