“The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work” by Alain de Botton

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Chapters Review
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work is the book by Alan de Botton. His work has been highly appreciated by the critics. The workplace and its role in the individual’s life is the central theme of the book.

Chapters Review

Cargo Ship Spotting, the first chapter of the book is devoted to the description of the navigation in London. The chapter starts with the brief introduction to the London way of life giving to the readers the feeling of the city mood and providing the understanding of its daily life. I think this part is the most interesting one although the main point which the author tries to emphasize in this chapter is not the city itself but rather the cargo shipping industry. The author describes the cargo ship The Goddess of the Sea. The role of the Thames in the British navigation is touched upon in the chapter.

It is here that vessels slip in continuously, during humid summers and fog-bound winters, night and day, to deliver the bulk of London’s gravel and its reinforced steel, its soya bean and coal, its milk and its paper pulp, the sugar cane for its biscuits and the hydrocarbons for its generators – an area as noteworthy as any of the museums of the city, but about which the guidebooks are always silent (de Botton 19).

However, I find the place which the author provides to the description of the cargo ship somewhat confusing. As a reader I would prefer obtaining more information about the industry as a whole.

Logistics, the second chapter of the book, is devoted to the description of the warehouses in the centre of England. Their historical background and role in the British and European distribution network are explained. “The warehouses together make up one of the largest and most technologically advanced logistics parks in Europe” (de Botton 37). Overall, the information presented in the chapter is interesting. However, I have found the chapter a little bit overloaded with the details on the warehouses functioning.

Biscuit Manufacturer is the third chapter of the book. It is about the biscuit industry in the United Kingdom, the industry which represents an important part of the national economy as the British spend 1.8 British pounds a year on biscuits (de Botton 57). I think this chapter is one of the most interesting. It tells a lot about British food habits and national culture. However, the chapter lacks the comparison of the biscuit production with the other food industries.

Career Counseling is the fourth chapter of the book. The main point which the author has addressed in the chapter is the history of views on the job satisfaction and its determinants as well as the work of Career Counseling International, the firm advising clients who are vulnerable in making their occupational choices (de Botton 79). The chapter describes the impression of the author from his new acquinatnt Robert Symons who is the employee working at Career Counseling International. As the author mentions, “I would accompany him on his travels and, via a video monitor in the administrative office, observe his consultations with his clients” (de Botton 80). I think the author pays too much attention to the opinion of one person on the issue. It would be more interesting if the author has referred to the different views.

Conclusion

The first four chapters of the book are devoted to the description of the certain industries. The author describes the work of the navigation, logistics, and the biscuit industry. He also tells us about the understanding of the concept of job satisfaction in different time periods. The motivation to success and its roots are also touched upon in the fourth chapter with the reference to their interpretation by Robert Symons, the specialist of one of the British career counseling firms.

Works Cited

de Botton, Alan. The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work, New York: Vintage Books, 2009. Print.

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“The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work” by Alain de Botton

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