Lesson 8Lesson 8Lesson 8Lesson 8

The worker as Creator or The worker as Creator or MachineMachine

by Erich Frommby Erich Fromm

Aims I. To know the author, Erich Fromm

II. To learn the writing technique of

expository writing: Cause and effect analysis

III. To appreciate the language features

IV. To appreciate some Creations of Man

Teaching Contents I. The author: Erich Fromm II. Creations of Man III. The thesis IV. Cause and effect analysis V. Structure of the text VI. Detailed study of the text VII. Language features VIII. Exercises

Erich Fromm (1900 – 1980)

Erich Fromm• German-American psychoanalyst and auth

or• Born in Frankfurt, Germany• Ph.D. University of Heidelbery 海德堡大学• In 1934, he came to the US, practiced psych

oanalysis and lectured at various institutions.

Erich Fromm• As a psychoanalyst, he applied

• psychoanalysis to social, political, religious, moral activities. He was particularly interested in the study of individual and society. He paid much attention to self human realization.

• He took views of Freud and he attempted synthesis (combination) and reformulation (systematical expression) of Freud and Marx.

Erich Fromm

He is also a self-styled Marxist, but his idea is against the theory of Marxism, for he used to view things from psychoanalysis, not from class struggle.

His point of view

• He held that man is a product of his culture. Social character is not determined by instinct (biological drive) but rather shaped by cultural training. – 个体的人格是文化的产物，而不是生物学的

产物。

His works• Escape from Freedom 《逃离自由》• The sane Society 《健全的社会》• The Art of Loving 《爱的艺术》• Psychoanalysis and Religion 《精神分析学与宗教》• May Man Prevail 《愿人类成功》• The Revolution of Hope 《希望革命》• The anatomy of Human Destructiveness 《人类毁灭之

分析》• Beyond the Chains of Illusions 《越过幻想之

链》

Detailed Analysis of the Text

• Writing style: expository writing of causation, i.e. fining the causes of a problem and solutions for it.

Theme: The worker is no longer a creator but has become a machine.

Textual Arrangement

Part Ⅰ (para1): the positive values of work

Part Ⅱ (para2-7): meaning of work to man 1). at the prehistoric times 2). at the beginning of modern times 3). at the present time

Part Ⅲ (para8-9): causes of the changes

Part Ⅳ (para10-13): results of the alienation

Detailed Analysis of the Text Part I: para 1

Questions:1) Why is man defined as “the animal

that produces”?2) What positive values does work have

for man? in other words, What functions do these values have upon man?

Creations of ManThe beautiful paintings in the caves of Southern Fran

ce:

paintings and engravings on the rock face

Buildings and Geographies of Southern France

• .

Ornaments on weapons among primitive people

The cathedrals of the Middle Ages

The statues and temples of Greece

Some creations by Chinese people

Words and Expressions

1. exploit: v. to treat sb unfairly by using one’s work or ideas and giving him very little in return 剥削

• e.g. Critics claim he exploited black musicians for personal gain

• we are infuriated at hearing the exploitation of the famine by local polititicians

v. to exploit a situation: to use a situation to gain an advantage, rather than trying to help other people or do what is right

e.g.The government and its opponents compete to exploit the troubles to their advantages.

v. to exploit sth. To use it well and achieve sth. To develop 开发 , 利用

e.g. So you feel that your skills have been fully appreciated or exploited?

I think we’re being very short sighted in not exploiting our own coal.

2.mold: (mould) to shape a soft substance by pressing or rolling or by putting it into a hollow container 造型 ; (fig.) guide or control the growth of; influence

e.g A teacher helps to mold the minds of his students

ParaphrasingPara 1: 1.by the very fact of production, he has

risen above the animal kingdom. Because of the fact itself that man produces,

he has developed far beyond all other animals .2.He emerges from nature by mastering her. As man develops, he gains more knowledge of

nature and becomes less its victim; his conquest of nature to serve his needs transforms him into her master. Thus he emerges from or rises above nature.

3.He separates himself from nature, … her master and builder.

the original unity with her: man’s earlier total dependence on and merging with nature like the lower animals

By becoming nature’s master, by stationing himself above nature, man separates from nature. But at the same time he connects himself once again to nature to further conquer her and develop his understanding of her.

4.…all are expressions of the creative transformation of nature by man’s reason and skill.

All the above-mentioned work shows how man has transformed nature through his reason and skill.

Part II (para2-7): meaning of work A. at the prehistoric times(para2) Questions: 1.What’s the meaning of work at the preh

istoric times? 2. What is the definition of an ideal kind of w

ork according to Mills? B. at the beginning of modern times(para3-

4) Questions: 1. How did the meaning of work change aft

er the collapse of the medieval social structure?

2.What part did religion play? Familiarize with Protestant belief in work.

3.How did different classes view work differently?

c. at the present time(para5-7) Question: What’s the meaning of work at the presen

t time?

Words and Expressions

lucidly: adj. clear to the mind, readily understood He paraphrased the sentence lucidly.ulterior: beyond what is expressed, implied, or evi

dent; undisclosed 隐蔽的detach: v. unfasten and take apart 拆开 , 使分离 the link is detached from that chain. You should take a detached look at the whole m

atter, so you can make a correct decision.

infuse: v. put (quality, idea, etc) into, as if by pouring ; instill; impart 灌输

subdue: v. bring into subjection; conquer; vanquish 使屈服 , 征服

amass: v. gradually collect a large amount of money, knowledge or information

You should select rather than amass details.succinctly: adv. (approving) express sth. clearly in a few w

ords stultify: v. to make seem foolish, stupid, inconsistent, etc;

make absurd I hate this stultifying exercise

slovenly: adj. lazy and untidy and not caring about your appearance, dress, habits, etc. 邋遢的

place /put a premium on ---• emphasis

I put a premium on punctuality.Work paid according to the amount puts a pr

emium on speed and not on quality. 按件付酬是导致重速度、轻质

量的原因– Encouragement, enhancementGiving money to beggars may put a premium

on idleness.Does high taxation put a premium on busines

s dishonesty?

asceticism: the principles of living without any physical pleasures or comforts, esp. for religious reasons; the practices of such a life 禁欲主义 ; 苦行

an ascetic lifeascetic. noun , a person who practices. [countabl

e]an ascetic 禁欲主义 , 苦行者Ascetical adj. 苦行的 , 禁止享受的AsceticallyAscetic n. 禁欲者 , 苦行修道者 adj. 修道的 , 苦行的Ascesis n. 苦行 , 禁欲

C.Wright. Mills: An American sociologist, known as one of the very few outstanding social critics during the McCarthy period.his best known work is White Collar (1951), from which his quotation is taken, and The Power and Elite. He died in 1962.

Max Weber (1864 -1920): German sociologist, economist, and political writer. On the origin of capitalism in the West, his famous theory was as follows: Calvinism, Anabaptism, and their various combinations consider that man’s economic success, achieved by an industrious

life, proves that he is a chosen child of God. These religions thus provide an impulse to build up capital and to develop a capitalistic society, as occurred especially in the United States

P. Drucker: Renowned management consultant

ParaphrasingPara 2: 1.There is no ulterior motive in work

other than the product being made and the processes of its creation.

The worker is only interested in how and what he is going to make. He has no further motives.

2.There is no split of work and play, or work and culture.

The worker found pleasure and satisfaction in his work and through work he also developed and improved his mind. Therefore pleasure and work went together; so also the cultural development of the worker go hand in hand with the work he was doing.

Para 3: 1.Man, being afraid of his newly won freedom, was obsessed …

newly won freedom: freedom from feudal restrictions. The craftsman felt safe and secure in his guild and profession, but became afraid now that he was entirely on his own in a highly competitive society.

2.Work became , in Max Weber’s terms, the chief factor in a system of “inner-worldly asceticism,” an answer to man’s sense of aloneness and isolation.

Work was the only thing that brought relief to those who felt alone and isolated leading this kind of ascetic life

Para 4: 1.among the “chosen ones”. religious term, favored by God; chosen by G

od to heaven after death.2.Middle class in the text, it refers tothe new growing bourg

eoisie that developed with the breakdown of feudalism. In its current sense, it refers to the broad and diverse strata under advanced capitalism, encompassing many services occupations, professions, small businesses.

Para 5: work has become alienated from the working person.

In capitalist society the worker feels estranged from or hostile to the work he is doing.Para 6: He is concerned neither with the whol

e product in its physical aspects nor with its wider economic and social aspects.

He does not care about the end product itself or the part it plays in the overall econo

my or the way in which it serves the needs of society.

Para 7:1.no wonder…less work: it’s no surprising then that the worker’s objective at work is to do as little as possible to get his pay.

put a premium on: place an unusual or high value on…

slowdown: deliberate decrease in the speed of production.

2.A pay check is not enough to base one’s self-respect on

Just earning some money is not enough to make a worker have a proper respect of himself.

Part Ⅲ: Para 8-9Questions 1.What is the root cause of the alienation?2.What is the difference between “industrial problem of human beings” and “the hum

an problem of industry”?3.What is the current concern of the industrial psychology? Why? 4.Do you agree with their theory?

Words and Expressionsagent: n. sb. or sth. that affects or changes a situation.

作用者 , 动因 Rain is one of the agents which help plants to grow.

Catalytic agentformulation: n. an act or the product of choosing part

icular words to express one’s thoughts or feelings clearly 明确地表达 , 确切地陈述

His idea was good but his formulation of it was unsatisfactory.

The underlying idea can be formulated like this.

friction: 摩擦 ( 不可数 ) He pushed the box very hard down the slope ,

but friction gradually caused it to slow down. Oil is put in machinery to reduce the friction. -- 摩擦 , 矛盾 , 不和 ( 可数 , 不可数 ) Mary is neat and Jane is careless; if they have t

o share a room there’ll probably be friction. There are always friction(s) between parents w

ith old-fashioned ideas and their children with newer ideas.

.

psyche: n. (technical or formal) the human soul , the mind, or their basic nature, which controls their attitudes and behavior 心智 , 精神

The image of the independent pioneer lies at the heart of the American psyche.

Routinization: the act of establishing a routine for sb. or sth.

Routinization increases efficiency but makes workers bored.

spontaneity: n. the state of happening or being done from natural impulse without being planned or organized . Spontaneous

The painting has a refreshing spontaneity and sparkle. 这幅画自然优美 , 充满活力 , 令人耳目一新 .

Paraphrasing. Para 8: This relationship of the worker to his work is

an outcome of the whole social organization of which he is a part.

The relationship of the worker to his work is decided by the whole organization, in other words, the capitalist sociey.

Para 9:1.psychology has lent its services to “human engineering”,…when it is well oiled.

Human engineering: management of human beings and affairs especially in industry with a view to securing satisfactory adjustment especially in terms of maximum work efficiency and job satisfaction.

The science of psychology has been applied to “human engineering”.

well oiled: a simile, more smoothly and efficiently.

2.It is going to pay off in cold dollars and cents to management.

Better relations with the public will yield larger profits to management.

3.One speaks of happiness and means theperfect routinization which driven out thelast doubt and all spontaneity. What are called human relations andhappiness are in reality the opposite. Theyare inhuman relations amongde humanized,robotized people. People are forced intorepetitive patterns which breed acceptanceof their own manipulation and eliminates anyindependent thought or action.

Detailed Analysis of the Text Part IV: Para 10-13

Questions 1. The alienated nature of work today has re

sulted in what two reactions, according to Fromm?

2. How does Fromm illustrate his point in this part?

3. Give your own comments on Fromm’s points of view?

Words and Expressions

deep-seated: adg. Deep-rooted; firmly established

This is a deep-seated idea of the Chinese people. You can hardly change it in a couple of days, or weeks.

The causes of this problem are deep-seated. gadget: n. any small, esp. mechanical contriva

nce or device ( 尤指机械装置的 ) 小发明

drudgery:n. work that is hard, menial, or tiresome, uninteresting

When can I get rid of the household drudgery?

bliss: n. great joy or happinessfraudulency: n. deceit,; trickery; cheating The local newspaper disclosed the fraudule

ncy of their plan.intoxication: n. s feeling of wild excitement; ra

pture; frenzy; the state of being drunk The feeling of intoxication that followed her v

ictory was cut short by her father’s sudden death.

ParaphrasingPara 11: But this usefulness often serves only as a rat

ionalization for the appeal to complete passivity and receptivity.

The fact that many gadgets are indeed useful is often used by advertisers as a more “high-minded” cover for what is really a vulgar, base appeal to idleness and willingness to accept things.

Para 13: 1.He has a feeling of fraudulency about his product and a secret contempt for.

The businessman knows the quality or usefulness of his product is not what it should be. He despises the goods he produces, conscious of the deception involved.

2.This hatred…, is mainly unconscious, and only occasionally comes up to awareness in a fleeting thought, which is sufficiently disturbing to be set aside as quickly as possible.

The businessman hates himself because he finds life passes by meaninglessly. Only for a short moment does he feel excited over his success. All these feelings, according to Fromm, generally are dormant in the unconscious. Only occasionally he becomes aware of them, and then because they are so disturbing, he puts them aside as quickly as possible.

Writing Style• Expository writing of causal analysis• Objective• Long sentences• Passive voice• Abstract nouns• Rhetorical devices: 1. metaphor 2.  analogy 3.  repetition

4. balanced structures 5. ellipsis6. rhetorical questions 7. use of quotations from authoritative peopl

e

Topic for oral work

What are your suggestions to solve the problems in the management of our industry?