Danielle Slay

Dr. Phil

English 122

January 10, 2019

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 5-4 Milestone One: First Draft of Critical Analysis Essay

"Some Lessons from the Assembly Line" is an article written by Andrew Braaksma for

Newsweek magazine and is a story about his time spent as an automotive factory worker during

his summers away as a college student. The article alludes to the advantages of being able to

receive a college education and the opportunities it affords, while simultaneously appreciating

his college experience through the eye-opening and labor-intensive factory he works at during

his holidays from college. While the advantages of a higher education are heavily implied,

Braaksma’s real purpose and claim to his article is about the life lessons of the everyday

employee working the blue-collar lifestyle and his choice to work in such conditions that taught

him about the workforce but also taught him to appreciate the simplicity and redundancy of

college life.

As Braaksma states in his article, "There are few things as cocksure as a college student

who has never been out in the real world, and people my age always seem to overestimate the

value of their time and knowledge. " (Braaksma, 2005) He is emphasizing on the arrogance of

the average young adult who always seems to know everything yet knows nothing about labor-

intensive work with little take home to show for their hard work. Braaksma identifies with this

typical college kid attitude by confessing that this was him before he began working at the

factory. It is easy to mark Braaksma’s change of heart when he compares the working conditions

of the factory to the opulent and vast college campus he spends most of his time. (Braaksma,

2005)

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 Braaksma insinuates a feeling of displacement but also almost inquisitorial and

investigative in his need to gain skills and work ethic. He states, "At times, I feel almost

voyeuristic, like a tourist dropping in where other people make their livelihoods. " (Braaksma,

2005) He feels lucky because, at the end of his two months, he will get to return to his laid-back

college life while others continue their labor-intensive and unstable work to make a living.

Braaksma takes advantage of his time spent in the factory by using it as a motivational force that

allows him to appreciate each time he steps foot on campus after his time spent in the factory.

His theory is that just when classes become too mundane, and he becomes just a bit lazier, he

will return to the factory, which will ultimately remind him of what the other side is like. College

then will not seem so banal and unimportant.

When Braaksma states, "My friends who take easier, part-time jobs never seem to

understand why I am so relieved to be back at school in the fall or that my summer vacation has

been anything but a vacation. " (Braaksma, 2005) His friends are uneducated on the hardships

and daily life of the blue-collar working individual; an experience exemplified by Braaksma,

which his friends could have learned from. It is his friend's comments that point out the

differences between college life and the workforce, and how his experiences have taught him to

appreciate his fortunate college opportunity.

"Some Lessons from the Assembly Line" is an educating and eye-opening article

explaining the hardships of the everyday blue-collar workforce and how Andrew Braaksma uses

his experience to motivate him through the mundanity of college life. He highlights aspects of

his experience, including feeling out of place in the factory, but also feeling relieved and

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appreciative of his experiences after returning to college. Braaksma shares his story about what

he believes to be a prosaic, day-to-day college experience and how hard work and dedication

taught him to appreciate his college opportunity, and help teach his readers what life could be

like without higher education.

References:
Braaksma, A. (2005). Some Lessons from the Assembly Line. Newsweek, 11.