Summary Response Of “Work Is a Blessing” 

         “Work is a Blessing,” by Russell Honoré illustrates to readers to see a strong argument for why work of any kind is a blessing. The narrator was one of twelve kids raised in Lakeland, Louisiana. Although they raised cotton, sugar cane, corn, hogs, and chickens on their parents' subsistence farms, they didn't make any money from it. When Honoré was twelve, he obtained a part-time position at a dairy farm, where he assisted cows every morning and late afternoon. Honoré complained to his father and grandfather one Saturday morning before about having to go milk cows, to which Honoré ‘s father replied, "Ya know, boy, to work is a blessing." He further stated, "Even having a job you detest is better than having no employment at all."

         In order to help pay for college, Russell Honoré joined the ROTC program despite wanting to be a farmer. It took a long time for the idea that attending college was a rare luxury to sink in. During a trip to Bangladesh in the late 1980s, Honoré witnessed a woman cracking bricks with a hammer while carrying a baby on her back. A military escort from Bangladesh responded that utilizing a machine would make her job obsolete when Honoré questioned why they weren't employing one. That reason brought to Honoré’s mind his father’s wise words, “having a job is a blessing.”

         In Bangladesh, Honoré encountered a lot of individuals like that woman who was cracking bricks with a hammer while carrying a baby on her back, and he concluded that joblessness does not grant one's freedom. They suffer from social turmoil, bad health, depression, and terrorism ideology in addition to criminality. Individuals who have jobs can own a home, send their children to school, develop a sense of pride, serve others, and contribute to the welfare of their communities. Although Honoré doesn’t think he’ll ever stop working, he will still work to aid in disaster preparedness with the hope of someday doing some farming. Russell Honoré considers work to be a blessing.