"No Job? Get Lost!" Non-fiction Response

         The article, “No Job? Get Lost!” by Andrew Higgins talks about the northernmost part of Norway, called Svalbard. The territory is described as being a small quiet community, in which unemployment amongst citizens is illegal. To live in the association, individuals must obtain and fulfill a job that can well support them and their family. If a member of the town does not have a profession, or cannot support themselves, it is considered a crime, and they are thrown out. The author takes a biased approach to this topic, stating his beliefs that these enforced laws in Svalbard are what cause such courteous conduct. Higgins seems to believe that ruling out citizens without jobs and incomes is the correct way to prohibit crimes and lawlessness.

            Throughout the article, a craft choice the author used was loaded words. To drill his central point that the way of life in Svalbard, Norway is good and should be mentored, Higgins uses exaggerated words to positively display this community. For example, at one point in the passage, Andrew states, “In total, the police in Svalbard handle about 100 cases a year, most of which involve infractions like reckless driving on snowmobiles and shoplifting.” The author’s use of the word infraction demonstrates his misrepresentation of the topic. He is depicting the crimes in Svalbard to be extremely miniscule and irrelevant in attempts to upgrade the status and laws of the society. To add on, later in the article, Higgins states, “The county (the rest of Norway) prides itself on being a “welfare state”, in which the government provides cradle-to-grave-support.” The term “cradle-to-grave-support” is used to portray the rest of the country, the part that does not follow Svalbard’s regulations, to be weak and feeble. Higgins is refuting the other side of this argument by exaggerating their position to be almost childish. This shows the authors use of loaded words to better establish his opinion on the town of Svalbard.

            Overall, I believe there are many positives and negatives to the town of Svalbard. The behavior of the town is very orderly, and it seems like a safe place to live. However, the laws seem very restricted, and they could be taken too far. To constantly keep your profession running and always watch your income could eventually become very stressful. More attention could be focused around jobs, and the community sense and livelihood could be taken away. Although their locality may be different from the one I live in, Svalbard seems like a great place to get started with a profession and pursue your work life, just like the people who inhabit it.