QUESTION
Economic Determinism
Please choose 1 of the following essay topics and
compose an essay for it.
Requirements are as follows:
A cover page with a picture---it can be a picture of anything related to your paper
MLA style paper (12 font, header,double space)
Introduction /body 1/ body 2/ body 3/ Conclusion style.
Works Cited page necessary
MLA documentation throughout the paper...yes, the (parentheses).
1. “Henry Ford and Abner Shutt are foils for one another.” Choose three passages with
quotes from The Flivver King that support this claim. Analyze each passage, explaining
in what way Ford and Shutt are foils for one another and the significance of this
relationship for the novel.
2. Compare and contrast the three women who marry into the Shutt family: Milly,
Annabelle, and Dell. What are their lives like? What does each woman value? What
views, if any, do they have about the labor struggle and how did they come to hold
those views?
Must pull out 6 quotes from the book to support your essay and
document them correctly.
3. What is Sinclair’s definition of Ford’s ‘economic determinism’? Pull 3 passages with
quotes from The Flivver King in which this concept is exposed, revealed or displayed.
4. Henry Ford seems to start off with great intentions, brilliant ideals, and hopes for his
company and the workers in it.
However, as the book continues, Sinclair's vision of Ford
starts to sway. Pull passages that shows the progression and change of Ford's
vision. Must pull out 6 quotes from the book to support your essay and document
them correctly.
ANSWER
Economic Determinism
Sinclair’s Definition of Ford’s Economic Determinism
Economic Determinism
In the reading the Flivver King, we encounter a hardworking Henry Ford who is very approachable at his young age. He is focused on making the first self-propelled engine, a dream that soon bears fruit, and he becomes the founder of Ford motors. Ford is friendly and spends much of his time explaining to children his goal of making an engine, and it is working a dream that soon sees him commercially producing Ford motors for sale soon, making him a billionaire (Sinclair 51). In his neighborhood during his childhood, we encounter Abner Shut, a young boy who likes watching Ford working on his automobiles.
Economic Determinism Later as Abner was growing, he secured a job at the Ford company, where he has worked for over 30 years, from where he earns a good living. As he realized his fortunes, Ford soon grew inhumane and began mistreating his employees, which soon saw him detached from his wealth. Sinclair considers the socio-economic forces observed by Ford as his economic determinism in his automobile discoveries and ventures.
Economically, Ford was a hardworking young man in his early stages of life when his dreams looked impossible to many. In one instance, we encounter young Abner telling her mother of Ford's dreams of making a self-propelled engine, but her mother brushes off the claims as impossible and even advises his son to keep off Ford as he could spoil his mind with nonsense.
"Mom," said little Abner, "there is a feller down the street who says he is goin' to make a wagon that'll run without a hoss.' "He is crazy," said Mom .Economic Determinism "He does not look like he is crazy," argued the boy. "He looks like a nice feller." "Well, you keep away from him. You don’t want to go foolin’ round no cranks (Sinclair 56).” Despite the discouragements that Ford faced, he pushed on with his dream. He did rigorous research until he came up with a self-propelled engine that soon led to the Ford automobile industry's emergence, which dominates the market to date.
Socially, Ford was friendly during his childhood, which saw him teach children of his dreams of automobiles, a trait that changed once he matured. In his adult ages, when he was already successful, he forgot his humble beginnings and began taking his employees as enslaved people rather than as helpers. He was rude to them and even ensured their working conditions were unfriendly in that they had minimal compensations and many exhaustive duties (Sinclair 59).
Despite the approaches attempted by his employees to make the working conditions better, Ford was rude to the point that he had a gang that would rough up the employees that did not meet his expectations and those that attempted to oppose him. He managed the company with much force, denying people their rights triggered by his massive wealth as he had already turned a billionaire from selling cars.
In conclusion, Sinclair considers the socio-economic forces observed by Ford as his economic determinism in his automobile discoveries and ventures. Ford is economically hardworking and innovative in that he overcomes all the odds to come up with a self-propelled engine leading to the emergence of the Ford automobile company that soon makes him a billionaire.
Socially, Ford was friendly to people and even taught children his inventions until he was already wealthy when his character changed, making him mistreat his employees. Economic Determinism Generally, the reading points to the need for being hardworking and maintaining good interpersonal relationships to ensure success and happiness .Economic Determinism Ford was successful because he was hardworking, and despite being humble during his younger ages when he was working towards his dreams, once he became rich, he became proud, an issue that denied him happiness as he was soon detached from his wealth.