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The Case Against Chores By Jane Smiley

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To Agree Or To Disagree Thinking back to when I was a kid, I agree with Jane Smiley’s statement in her story “The Case Against Chores”, Jane Smiley talks a little about alienated labor. I felt resentment towards all of the chores I had to do. I was not appreciated for the person I was, only for the tasks that I completed. However, I think children should have some sort of responsibility growing up. Jane Smiley states, “I wasn’t expected to lift a finger when I was growing up.” Not everything is black and white, on one side or the other, sometimes your viewpoints are in the middle like how I agree and disagree with “The Case Against Chores.” Jane Smiley talks about how children in some families get the grunt/hard work while the parents get the fun parts. As Jane states, “Mom cooks Sis does the dishes.” In my experience Jane is pretty spot on with her statement. Growing up I was given the dirty chores pick up the dog poop, clean the toilet, and pull the weeds in the backyard. While dad got the easy stuff like take the trash out or vacuum the living room. In most cases I ended up doing those on top of the original chores no real time really enjoy the luxuries to being a kid. But not every case is the same as mine. Consider chores as labor. Constructive labor consist of helping your parents while you learn new skills that will be useful in the future. It’s what you do as a family to spend real quality time and bond. Then there is Alienated Labor. Labor that single you out

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