Literary notes about Labor (AI summary)
The term "labor" in literature carries a wide range of connotations, from the physical and pragmatic to the metaphorical and ideological. In historical narratives, labor is often depicted as a force for tangible benefit and societal progress, as seen when ministers are urged to labor for public good rather than idle curiosity ([1]), or when organized labor is examined within the framework of political and economic development ([2], [3]). At the same time, authors contrast the noble labor of self-love and passion ([4], [5], [6]) with the drudgery and exploitation of forced or harsh labor ([7], [8], [9]), highlighting its dual role as both a source of human dignity and a symbol of oppression. In poetry and prose alike, labor is not simply about work—it can also be a metaphor for persistence, struggle for reform ([10], [11], [12]), or even the intricate interplay between human effort and destiny ([13], [14]), thereby enriching our understanding of everyday life and the larger societal machinery.
- But the ministers of Justinian, were instructed to labor, not for the curiosity of antiquarians, but for the immediate benefit of his subjects.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon - I’m in favor of division of labor.
— from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy - These are labor-saving inventions.
— from The Religions of Japan, from the Dawn of History to the Era of Méiji by William Elliot Griffis - The labor of self-love is a heavy one indeed.
— from The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer - But the philosopher pursued his labor of love.
— from Bacon's Essays, and Wisdom of the Ancients by Francis Bacon - It is a labor of love—but worth the doing.
— from Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome by Apicius - Forced labor on the government plantations was naturally apt to be slow, careless, and indifferent.
— from All About Coffee by William H. Ukers - He was sent for trial and condemned to hard labor, I believe.
— from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy - He kept 36,000 men employed daily on it, and the labor was so unhealthy that they used to die and be hauled off by cartloads every night.
— from The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain - .... There are plenty of women, as well as men, who can labor for reforms without neglecting business or duty.
— from History of Woman Suffrage, Volume I - The elective franchise is now the one object for which we must labor; that once attained, all the rest will be easily acquired.
— from History of Woman Suffrage, Volume I - For peace he would labor and struggle—for peace he would pray!
— from Complete Prose Works by Walt Whitman - We slowly drove, he knew no haste, And I had put away My labor, and my leisure too, For his civility.
— from Poems by Emily Dickinson, Three Series, Complete by Emily Dickinson - What message does it contain for daily labor?
— from English Literature by William J. Long
