WORK BY JOHN RUSKIN SUMMARY

Ruskin delivered his lecture “Work” before the working men’s institute, at Camber
well. In this speech he addresses the working people there at the institution of
working men. This speech is a socio-economic criticism on the contemporary life of
England. In the very beginning of his speech, he tries to bring forward all the harsh
realities and destruction of industrial revolution in the life of working class.

He talks about the class distinction caused by this industrial revolution. Ruskin
takes up some glaring issues of poor people. He doesn’t care for that society in
which the poor end up noticeably poorer and the rich wealthier. The upper class
enjoy by making poor people work for them and to accommodate them. So far as
poor working people concern there is no contrast between male ruler of ancient
time and modern aristocratic class. He develops several analogies to differentiate
between idle men and working men, upper class and lower class.

He tries to make distinction between idle poor and idle rich, busy poor and busy
rich. He says that there are many beggars, they are as lazy as they have ten
thousand a year and many there are rich men as busier than their servants. Here
he gives few recommendations for healthy society as he says if rich idle people
observed and admonished the idle rich people, all would be correct. If the busy
deprived people took notice and reprimanded idle poor, all would be okay.

But unfortunately, these classes only look for the faults of other class. Only the
depraved poor consider rich as their enemy and want to sack their houses, divide
their wealth. Only the dissolute rich people use disgusting language of the wrong
doings and follies of the poor people. Here he criticizes the industrious people and
points out the tremendous existing distinction among industrious people; the
distinction of low and high, lost and won etc. Ruskin draws distinctions between the
two classes in four major respective.

• work and play

• poor and rich
• work by hand and brain
• wise work and foolish work

Here he defines the work and play. He says that play is a physical and mental effort,
which has no resolute end, self-pleasing. On the other hand, work is something
which has determined end and to earn benefit. He criticizes some of the famous
plays of London as cricket, snooker and calls them a game of money making but
useless money. He says that it’s like the runs of cricket has no use.

He says London is a city of play, very hard and unpleasant play. He places shooting
and hunting in the category of game; costly and expensive game. He says that
those who earn money by these games are earning money blindly. They do not
know why they earn money and what they will do of it. As hunting is a game for
gentlemen for women, we have ladies’ game of expensive dressing. He gives the
example of a brooch at jeweler’s shop ago; cost of 3000 pound. He criticizes the
costly dressing of English, French and Russian men and women. While on the other
hand poor people have no proper dress to wear. And he says this is the first
distinction between upper and lower.

For his second distinction between poor and rich, between upper class money
donors (Dives) and lower-class money acceptors; beggar (Lazarus), he compares
two articles from newspaper to illustrate this distinction. He reads the first article
which is about the lavishness of a rich Russian at Paris. He spends fifteen francs
only for two peaches. Another article is about the dead man beside a dung heap.
The Thames police constable finds a dead body of an aged man beside the heap of
dung in Shadwell Gap. The cadaver was of a bone picker. He was extremely poor.
The inspector finds some bones and a penny in his pocket. Then he goes on talking
about the lawful and unlawful bases of wealth.

The lawful basis of wealth is that the working man should be paid the handful value
of his work and should be given a complete liberty over his possession. If today he
does not spend the day after he will spend it. The lazy people who do not work but
stay at home only breaking bread in the end will be doubly poor with nothing in
possession.

Next, Ruskin talks about the false basis of distinction. He says such people who
earn money on false basis are poor, uneducated, coward and inferior in intellect.
Their only purpose is to make money nothing else. He defines the false basis of
wealth as those who prefers money than their duties.

Ruskin says that the primary objectives of a soldier are to fight and win battle. The
duty of a clergyman is to baptize and preach as the doctor purpose is to cure
patient. If they prefer money than their work this is false basis of accumulation
wealth. This is a huge distinction and can be compared the distinction between
heaven and hell, between life and death for there are no two masters can be
served.

He compares the duty the first lord as God and fee the second master as devil. If
you prefer first, you are servant of God and if fee first you are the devil’s servant.
The next he says such kind of Satan’s servant to be found in every nation, who has
making money, is principal objective of their life. They are very mean and stupid
people.

To explain this stupidity, he talks about a biblical reference of Judas Iscariot. He was
a money lover and like all money lover he deceived Jesus Christ and did not
understand him. In modern time there many Judas’s bargainers who are fee-first
men. The modern capitalists are violating the rights of working class. They take all
the production themselves, except laborer’s food and that is modern Judas’s way of
betraying others.

The next he talks about the power of capital and the disadvantages of capital in first
priority. He says that when the principal object of life becomes the fee or capital of
any nation or man, “it is both got ill and spent ill”; and it does hurt in spending and
getting both. When money becomes the principal object of life it becomes a curse
for the man and nation.

Next, Ruskin talks about the work by hand and work by head. Both types of work
are important and necessary for the maintenance of life. Everyone should be
honest to his work. Rough work can be done by rough men and gentle work can be
done by gentle people. The same men cannot do both work at a time. He tells the
working men a grand proverb of Sancho’s that nothing is achieved by empty
promises or flattery. Both class of working should respect each other work because
a man setting in a room with all facilities does have no idea about the work of a
man sitting in front of furnace or a driver driving against the wind.

But the problem is that the rough work is real and honest and though generally no
useful but the gentle work accompanies deceit and cheating. When both works are
equally done with honesty then head’s work is honorable than hand’s work. All
work should be done with orderly manner, lawful way and human way not in the
doggish way or disorderly. He criticizes the war and recruitment of war once again.
We enlist people for labor that kills. We should enlist people for labor that feed.
Then he talks about justice in great detail. He emphasizes on justice between
people, between working class in every action of life.
In the fourth section of his speech, he talks about the wise work and foolish work.
Here tries to differentiate between sensible work and non-sensible work in daily
occupation. In bold words he says that wise work is that which is done for and work
with God. But on the other hand, the work which is against God is foolish work.
Work with God means to enforce God’s law of order and ensure justice. Order and
justice are two great human deeds; there are two deeds against that are devil’s
inequity and devil’s disorder.

A sensible human must fight against these two Satan’s deeds. So far if a person
does not fight against means work for him. All wise works can be described by
threefold in character. The very first character of wise work is HONEST. Honesty is
very much important aspect of wise work. Ruskin implores to the working men to
be honest with their work. He says that without honesty we will not be able to do
anything for you and you yourself will fail also to do anything for yourself. All things
are vain without honesty. So, you must put your heart together. Put your hand in
hand and you will win at all.

The second attribute of wise work is USEFUL. Wise work is useful. There must be
something in the end of your hard work if nothing comes this is hardest. If all your
bee's business turns to spiders; this is the unkind result for the worker. It would be
the greatest waste for a worker if he commits the waste of his labor.

The next of wise work is CHEERFUL. It is as cheerful as child’s work. He says that
God’s kingdom is not to come outside but it lies inside of our hearts. It is within us.
If we want to enter into the kingdom of God or bring it into our life, we must adopt
the character of children. If we want our work to be cheerful, we must adopt child’s
character. These characters of children we want.

The first character of a child is that it is Modest. Modest child does not think that it
knows everything, always ask question, and wants to know more. Well like the child
the first character of a wise and good workman is that he knows very little ask
questions and tries to learn more and more. The second important character of a
child and wise workman is to be faithful. A good child always perceives that his
father knows better what is best for it. it trusts him wholly, and this is the genuine
characteristic of good and wise working man in any field. They must be faithful to
their captains. The third one character of a good child is to be loving and generous.
All these characters of a good child is the characters of good and great workers.
WORK BY JOHN RUSKIN LITERARY ANALYSIS
The recent essay Work is one from the speeches of Ruskin’s book “Crown of wild
olive”. He delivers this speech to workingmen in the working institution at
Camberwell.

The essay is the socio-economic criticism of European industrialization and

outcome of the industrialization. This essay shows Ruskin’s rage against the
machine and it dehumanization in an industrial era. When machines were invented
and factories and industries were established there was no value for workers
working by hand. This industrialization created a competition among industrial
people.

Ruskin gives value to product by hand and he says the thing created without toil is
worthless and “Machine ornaments are no ornaments at all”. The industrialization
of Europe created class distinctions among people. Here Ruskin talks about to
eliminate this class differences by the justice and honesty with the work

Work by John Ruskin

John Ruskin (1819 –1900) was an English art critic and social thinker, also remembered as a
poet and artist. He wrote a number of essays on art and architecture that became extremely
influential in the Victorian era. He takes material for his lecture “Work” from the existing
economic revolution which is generally referred to as “Industrial Revolution”. Apart from its
advantages and benefits it brought a great destruction for the poor people. The writer reveals
the general facts and harsh realities which were ignored even by those who themselves were
the main victim of revolution.

What is Working Class?

Ruskin, in the very beginning, is going to clarify the matter that what it is meant by “working
class”. Most probably it is the opposite of “idle class”. Then “idle class” will be the synonym of
“upper class”. At this point, Ruskin asks question to his audience whether he is correct in
drawing this distinction or not. The question is asked only with the intention to gain the
sympathy of his audience so that to convince them about his own arguments.

Then, he rejects the above-mentioned distinction because the idle people may be found in both
rich and poor classes. There is a working class among both rich and poor and there is also an
idle class among both rich and poor. So, the distinction between working class and upper class
has been proved to be wrong. As the topic of his lecture is work, the writer sticks to the
working class.
He draws organized distinction between the two classes in various respects. The following are
the major distinctions vividly drawn by the author.

First Distinction

This distinction is between two classes; those who work and those who play. It can be
understood easily after knowing the difference between work and play. “Play” has been
derided for the purpose of pleasure with no determined end while work is something totally
different which is intended to earn benefit and is done with some determined end. The writer
critically analyzes some popular work of England that are worthy to be called “games”.

“The first English game is making money”

This is an ironical statement for those who earn money blindly. Such people don’t know why
they are earning money and what they will do with it? They are in fact players, playing the
game of minting money.

The aristocratic ladies of his time were also indulging in the most expensive game of “dressing”.
Ruskin satirically encodes their behaviour saying these are the “poor women” with no proper
clothings. Had the garment-budget of these ladies distributed among the poor people of third
world, it would have sufficed them to fulfill their basic needs. However, the distinction between
work and play is not exclusively mutual; a single thing can be equally “work” and “play”
according to its primary and secondary purposes.

Second Distinction

The writer draws another distinction between the rich and poor. The first spends a large
amount of money even on cheap and ordinary things while the latter has to endeavor his basic
needs.

Ruskin quotes two instances from a newspaper. The first says that in Russia a man of good
fortune entered into a hotel to take his breakfast. He paid there fifteen francs only for two
peaches. The second story states the miserable state of a dead person whose body was lying on
a dung heap with no person paying any heed towards him only because he belongs to the poor
class. Some dried pieces of “bones” were taken out of his pocket thus intensifying the misery of
the poor person.

Lawful Bases of Wealth

The lawful basis of wealth is that a worker should be paid a fair amount of his work and he
should also be given liberty regarding his money; whether spends or saves for some rainy day.
After implementing this law in a true sense there would be no “poor person” except for those
lazy people who stay at home lazily instead of doing some work. Such kind of poor are doubly
poor; lacking not only worldly possessions but also the moral strength. Those who follow this
law are really rich irrespective of money they have in their possessions.

False Base of Minting Money

Duty is the main thing that should be given priority. Those who cares more about their salary or
fee than the work they have been assigned, though, can become rich but on the false basis.
Ruskin critically refers to such kind of people terming them “uneducated class”, “inferior in
intellect” and “coward”.

At this point Ruskin has proved his philosophy by giving an analogy. He says the primary
purpose of a soldier’s life must be to win battles. Similarly teaching goodness should be the sole
purpose of a clergyman’s life. Both of these persons are paid well for their duties but that is at
secondary level. If this becomes their primary objective then they would be “coward” and
“stupid”.

Third distinction

Some people work with their hands while some other with their brains. There is rough work to
be done, and rough men must do it. There is also gentle work to be done and gentlemen must
do it.

Both works are important in that the maintenance of life depends on manual as well as mental
work. Every person should do honestly his own job, mental or physical.

Nevertheless, it is a true fact that the dignity of labour and hard work is recognized only by his
own class. A man working in a quiet and serene room with everything comfortable is unlikely to
be aware of the hardships of train-drivers who have to drive against cruel winds with no
difference of day and night in their life.

The rough work is generally honest, real and useful whereas the gentle work often accompanies
dishonesty and cheating. When both the works are worthily done, the hand’s is noble work and
the hand’s is ignoble. Again, Ruskin criticizes the rich class who persistently thinks of providing
relief and comfort to the working class but do nothing practically.

The essay tells us that both kinds of work should be done properly but he problem surfaces
when people don’t work willingly. The main reason of this attitude is they don’t know which
work they can do better. This “will” can be promoted only when they select the appropriate
profession in accordance with their ability. Ruskin says, “in order that a man may be happy, it is
necessary that he should not only be capable of his work, but a good judge of his work”.