The Company Man is a generic description of a man that sacrificed his life to his work. In this article Goodman uses several rhetorical devices (I’m saving the more detailed analysis of them for my essay) in order to criticize the image of the ‘company man’ of the 1970s. Although the 1960s are more often attributed to being a time of change and tumult, the 1970s could also be described in this way. The 1970s saw the protest of and eventual end to the Vietnam War, the Watergate Scandal, and most importantly (to the text anyway) shifts in working class America.
Goodman portrays the ‘company man’ as empty and piteous. In this way she presents her view on corporate Americans. I chose this particular essay because I liked the way that her message was presented. She never explicitly stated her opinion, rather she used an archetypal representation to exemplify her criticisms. I also chose it because it was written during and criticized a much forgotten era – the 70s.
I look forward to further analyzing The Company Man in our upcoming essay.
I’m looking forward to reading more of what you have to say about this article. The working class has always been the backbone of America; however, it is now frowned upon to be grouped in this section of society. I’m excited to read how the shift in the working class impacted the American population.
This sounds like a really interesting analysis. The 1970s are often thought of as a simple black period in American history which was rooted in the radical liberalism. I look forward to reading your analysis and hope to learn some more about the nuclear family’s changes during this time. I have always been very interested in looking at the changes in the working class throughout history, so this will be a lot of fun to read.