Student A
Professor Glaesemann
English 1301
6 March 2020
Summary and Analysis of “Heart and Sole: Detroiter Walks 21 Miles in Work Commute”
Summary
In Bill Laitner’s “Heart and Sole: Detroiter Walks 21 Miles in Work Commute,” Laitner
introduces us to James Robertson, 56, who leaves his home at 8:00 am, to get to his job in
Rochester Hills, 23 miles away. He uses a bus for half the trip and makes the other half on foot.
He makes this journey Monday through Friday.
Next, Laitner describes Robertson’s exemplary work record. He also sheds the light on
the challenges that Robertson and some metro Detroiters face in getting to work in a region with
limited bus service and overpriced cars.
In addition to that, the plant manager at Schain Mold & Engineering Todd Wilson, 53,
admires the determination of his loyal employee Robertson in comparison to other employees.
Moreover, Wilson and Robertson meet daily before the start of his shift and during dinner time
to eat the southern meals sent by Wilson’s wife.
Due to the above-mentioned challenges, Robertson is sleep-deprived, but manages to
power himself by drinking 2-liter bottles of Mountain Dew and cans of Coke. He gets some sleep
during the bus rides and on the weekends as well. For more than a decade, Robertson has been
living this life ever since his car broke down. He is not able to save money in order to buy,
Title of
article is
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Essay uses bolded subheadings for
each section
Full name and title
transition
Uses
author’s
last name
Writes in
present
tense
Uses
transition to
connect
paragraphs
Professor Glaesemann
English 1301
6 March 2020
Summary and Analysis of “Heart and Sole: Detroiter Walks 21 Miles in Work Commute”
Summary
In Bill Laitner’s “Heart and Sole: Detroiter Walks 21 Miles in Work Commute,” Laitner
introduces us to James Robertson, 56, who leaves his home at 8:00 am, to get to his job in
Rochester Hills, 23 miles away. He uses a bus for half the trip and makes the other half on foot.
He makes this journey Monday through Friday.
Next, Laitner describes Robertson’s exemplary work record. He also sheds the light on
the challenges that Robertson and some metro Detroiters face in getting to work in a region with
limited bus service and overpriced cars.
In addition to that, the plant manager at Schain Mold & Engineering Todd Wilson, 53,
admires the determination of his loyal employee Robertson in comparison to other employees.
Moreover, Wilson and Robertson meet daily before the start of his shift and during dinner time
to eat the southern meals sent by Wilson’s wife.
Due to the above-mentioned challenges, Robertson is sleep-deprived, but manages to
power himself by drinking 2-liter bottles of Mountain Dew and cans of Coke. He gets some sleep
during the bus rides and on the weekends as well. For more than a decade, Robertson has been
living this life ever since his car broke down. He is not able to save money in order to buy,
Title of
article is
in
quotes
Essay uses bolded subheadings for
each section
Full name and title
transition
Uses
author’s
last name
Writes in
present
tense
Uses
transition to
connect
paragraphs
Student A 2
maintain, and ensure a new car although his job pays him $10.55 an hour, which is above
Michigan’s minimum wage of $8.15 an hour.
Robertson works as an injection molder, and at the end of his 2-10 p.m. shift, he starts on
foot his 23-mile trip home located off Woodward near Holbrook. Catching a ride there is almost
impossible as none of his coworkers live there. Instead, Robertson gets to the first bus stop after
walking 7-miles; there he waits for the last SMART bus that is scheduled around 1 a.m.
Robertson gets off the bus on Woodward, then walks 5 miles to get home. Per Laitner, the fact
that voters opted not to pay the SMART transit millage, led to Robertson’s lengthy commute of
four hours to work.
Robertson believes that faith is the main thing that gets him home safe every night in
addition to his determination. This determination is driven by Robertson’s family history as well
as his father’s military background. During one of his commutes to work, Robertson becomes
friends with Blake Pollock, a 47 years old banker. Pollock picks up his new friend whenever he
gets the chance and drives him to the factory. During the cold weather, these pickups are more
frequent.
Analysis
An external factor that contributes to Robertson’s decision to walk to work is his car
breaking down. The reader reaches this conclusion immediately on page 273 when Laitner
informs us that “[i]t’s the life Robertson has led for the last decade, ever since his 1988 Honda
Accord quit on him” (273). From Laitner’s statement, we can infer that Robertson faced a
difficult dilemma. He could have either stopped working or walk to work. He cannot stop
Complete
s
summary
in 1.5
pages Identifies
the first
external
factor.
Adds quoted
text as
support.Adds
citation.
maintain, and ensure a new car although his job pays him $10.55 an hour, which is above
Michigan’s minimum wage of $8.15 an hour.
Robertson works as an injection molder, and at the end of his 2-10 p.m. shift, he starts on
foot his 23-mile trip home located off Woodward near Holbrook. Catching a ride there is almost
impossible as none of his coworkers live there. Instead, Robertson gets to the first bus stop after
walking 7-miles; there he waits for the last SMART bus that is scheduled around 1 a.m.
Robertson gets off the bus on Woodward, then walks 5 miles to get home. Per Laitner, the fact
that voters opted not to pay the SMART transit millage, led to Robertson’s lengthy commute of
four hours to work.
Robertson believes that faith is the main thing that gets him home safe every night in
addition to his determination. This determination is driven by Robertson’s family history as well
as his father’s military background. During one of his commutes to work, Robertson becomes
friends with Blake Pollock, a 47 years old banker. Pollock picks up his new friend whenever he
gets the chance and drives him to the factory. During the cold weather, these pickups are more
frequent.
Analysis
An external factor that contributes to Robertson’s decision to walk to work is his car
breaking down. The reader reaches this conclusion immediately on page 273 when Laitner
informs us that “[i]t’s the life Robertson has led for the last decade, ever since his 1988 Honda
Accord quit on him” (273). From Laitner’s statement, we can infer that Robertson faced a
difficult dilemma. He could have either stopped working or walk to work. He cannot stop
Complete
s
summary
in 1.5
pages Identifies
the first
external
factor.
Adds quoted
text as
support.Adds
citation.
Student A 3
working because he must support himself and his girlfriend. So, a 21-mile walk at this point was
his only option.
Another external factor that pushes Robertson to make his long journey to work is his
low income. He does not have the financial means to buy and maintain a new car in Detroit. We
can get to this conclusion on page 2 when Laitner says, “His job pays $10.55 an hour, well above
Michigan’s minimum wage of $8.15 an hour but not enough for him to buy, maintain, and ensure
a car in Detroit” (2). It is clear now that although Robertson gets paid an amount higher than the
minimum wage, it is still insufficient because car ownership in Detroit is priced beyond
Robertson’s reach, which led him to one solution: walking to work.
In addition to the two external factors mentioned above, a third factor pushes Robertson
to take this commute every day with a positive attitude. This routine makes him feel independent
and reconnects him to his family. It makes him proud by reminding him of his father’s military
service. Laitner highlights this part of Robertson’s personality on page 6 when he states,
“Robertson has simple words for why he is what he is and does what he does. He speaks with
pride of his parents, including his father’s military service” (6). Although the commute is
excruciating especially during the cold weather, we can conclude that there is some type of
satisfaction and accomplishment while walking to work that relates to Robertson’s family
heritage.
Moreover, there are internal factors that influence Robert’s decision to walk to work; one
of them is the anticipation of the homemade dinners that the plant manager’s wife sends him
daily. She treats him like family and considers him a personal favorite. This is clearly cited in the
text where Laitner mentions, “ ‘I look at her food, I always say, ‘Excellent. No, not excellent.
working because he must support himself and his girlfriend. So, a 21-mile walk at this point was
his only option.
Another external factor that pushes Robertson to make his long journey to work is his
low income. He does not have the financial means to buy and maintain a new car in Detroit. We
can get to this conclusion on page 2 when Laitner says, “His job pays $10.55 an hour, well above
Michigan’s minimum wage of $8.15 an hour but not enough for him to buy, maintain, and ensure
a car in Detroit” (2). It is clear now that although Robertson gets paid an amount higher than the
minimum wage, it is still insufficient because car ownership in Detroit is priced beyond
Robertson’s reach, which led him to one solution: walking to work.
In addition to the two external factors mentioned above, a third factor pushes Robertson
to take this commute every day with a positive attitude. This routine makes him feel independent
and reconnects him to his family. It makes him proud by reminding him of his father’s military
service. Laitner highlights this part of Robertson’s personality on page 6 when he states,
“Robertson has simple words for why he is what he is and does what he does. He speaks with
pride of his parents, including his father’s military service” (6). Although the commute is
excruciating especially during the cold weather, we can conclude that there is some type of
satisfaction and accomplishment while walking to work that relates to Robertson’s family
heritage.
Moreover, there are internal factors that influence Robert’s decision to walk to work; one
of them is the anticipation of the homemade dinners that the plant manager’s wife sends him
daily. She treats him like family and considers him a personal favorite. This is clearly cited in the
text where Laitner mentions, “ ‘I look at her food, I always say, ‘Excellent. No, not excellent.
Student A 4
Phenomenal,’ “(4). Robertson’s menus sound like something from a Southern café that can fuel
his exhausting commutes back home. This makes him motivated to take daily walks to work.
Phenomenal,’ “(4). Robertson’s menus sound like something from a Southern café that can fuel
his exhausting commutes back home. This makes him motivated to take daily walks to work.
Student A 5
Works Cited
Laitner, Bill. “Heart and Sole: Detroiter Walks 21 Miles in Work Commute.” Everyone’s An
Author, edited by Andrea Lunsford, 2nd ed., W.W. Norton and Company, 2017, pp. 273-
79.
appears on a
separate page
with hanging
Works Cited
Laitner, Bill. “Heart and Sole: Detroiter Walks 21 Miles in Work Commute.” Everyone’s An
Author, edited by Andrea Lunsford, 2nd ed., W.W. Norton and Company, 2017, pp. 273-
79.
appears on a
separate page
with hanging