Matewan Essays

At work, Ramon and the other Chicano miners are forced to take on the most dangerous jobs while working alone, while white miners were allowed to work in pairs, doing some of the less life-threatening jobs. The Chicanos become indebted to the company through high prices, as the only stores in the town are those owned by the company. Ramon and Esperanza, along with the other community members fight against verbal abuse and discriminatory practices in the working and living conditions they encounter on a daily basis.

In the film, Matewan, director John Sayles paints a 1920’s picture of a small, West Virginia coal-mining town. Over the course of the film, this seemingly American Township reveals itself as the site of feudal hardship for its citizens. The Stone Mountain Coal Company was the sole employer in Matewan. The company’s laborers struggled for autonomy and for freedom from the company’s grasp. The ideal method for this achieving such autonomy was organization of a union. This idea of union struck a cord with the company, and the conflict between employer and employee soon escalated into a battle. The laborers began to realize, in certain terms, that the Stone Mountain Coal Company is not simply a corporation but a

Kazan highlights how the mob exploits their position at the expense of the longshoreman. The union has instilled fear into all of the union

This eventually makes the reader realize countless of possessions and benefits that every citizen uses daily was in fact from the hard work of immigrants. But not many truly knows this with how many claim that ‘immigrants will steal their jobs’. Also many don’t realize how easy immigrants can lose their jobs. Because companies are aware of the fact who is illegal or not, when an employee, who came in illegal, is not seen useful to them anymore, the company will easily deport them right back to the country they came from. Now this where similarities of slavery start showing up. First, there’s the jobs themselves, the work immigrants do is described as dirty, unpleasant, heavy, and dangerous. This is very much how slave’s jobs were detailed to be like as well. Another parallel between these ideas is the income these groups make, or rather how very little they made. When slavery was declared illegal, congress start a new labor code called Free Wage Labor where former slave owners had to paid former slaves in addition housing, food, and healthcare, like many companies presently to provide for immigrants. But what those former owners did back then is they’d barely pay their workers anything and with addition of taxes, former slaves were in too much debt to live on their own and find a different job. Essentially they were trapped in working for the

According to mom, Dad thought all I was good for was working there as a clerk” (Hickam 45). Sonny realizes his father thinks nothing of him and only expects him to live upto the norm in their society. His mom tells him that no matter what he does, he needs to prove to his worth to his dad and proves that he belongs with everybody. The mine’s cruelty firmly describes the importance to its residents. It represents their daily hard work and desire to make a living and to support their families. The mine, essential to the residents, holds the town together. Many people get the chance to work for the mine, but they simply do not meet the standards while working. As the superintendent, Sonny’s dad bears the duties of announcing the men whose services are futile to the mine. In Chapter 4, Sonny’s dad makes the announcements that could possibly change the lives of some men forever. “Twenty-five men were cut off from the company. The phrase was apt. Not only were the men separated from their work, they were cut off from their homes, credit at the company stores, and identification as a Coalwood citizen. The miners cut off were required to leave their houses within two weeks” ( Hickam

An ideal society encourages open systems of stratification. It supports mobility by recognizing those who are hardworking and, as a result, show their achievements. In simpler words, higher and powerful status is given to those who earn it unlike closed systems of stratification where individuals are born with their status. However, the society of Matewan is classified as closed systems of stratification. The Baldwin-Felts detective agency who were hired by the Stone Mountain Coal Company showed an immense amount of power threatening the lower class of the coal miners of cutting their payment and replacing them when trying to join the labor union. Contrasting to this powerful status, the coal miners were the minority who had no power over their decisions and had to obey those who were in a higher social position.

Toward the end of 1948, the Harpenau’s realized that the new technology was advancing past their old mining practices; the crew began to remove the equipment and track from the Christmas Mine. The once believed, “safe mine,” now shows signs of just the opposite. One story that proves the mine unsafe was that a wooden pole propped gently against the ceiling one day wouldn’t budge just days later. On the calm morning of December 16, 1948, the 12 employees of the Christmas Coal mine, continued to remove the expensive metal track along with the last layer of coal. Jacob Harpenau, in charge of the Christmas Mine, had a reputation that is one to look up to. He was known to never send anyone to do a job that he wouldn’t do. He held true to his reputation

Holmes’ emphasizes the segregation among the people working on the farm and the clear distinction in the hierarchy on the farm. There is also a correlation between the hierarchy and labor, race, and class. This leads to inequality and mistreatment. Holmes also makes sure to share the perspectives of both sides of the spectrum of the hierarchy. Holmes explains that, as for the farm executives, “...instead of blaming the growers, it is more appropriate to understand them as human beings doing the best they can in the midst of an unequal and harsh system” (Pg 53). The farm executives elaborate the problems facing a family farm, such as its vulnerability in trying to expand in a competitive market while also keeping it a personal family farm. On the opposite side of the spectrum, some of the migrant workers shared their experience of the many difficulties of formwork in Washington. The common experience of the migrant workers was that they felt mistreated mentally and physically. They were often castigated by supervisors, living off less than minimum wage, afraid of speaking up, and living in unhealthy

Cold Mountain’s strength lies in its articulate and heartfelt description and thoughtful characterization, owing to the author’s unlimited power to inform the reader about any character’s deepest feelings and inclinations. By telling Cold Mountain in the omniscient point of view, Frazier has freedom to provide the reader detailed and rich accounts of the characters’ innermost thoughts and

The closure of big factories and the like ravished the Union industry, which had previously negotiated rather lofty compensation deals with the corporations. Clerical jobs also garnered about 30% lower in wages, which added to the growing plight of poverty. Women traditionally staffed the new clerical jobs and were aided with the rise in women’s’ rights. On the other hand, these men, primarily African-American as will be discussed later, had almost no alternatives or any light at the end of the tunnel, considering the many obstacles in their path adapting to the changing world.

One side supports the idea of building unity among workers, irrespective of their races. However, there remains parts of the old view that are opposed to immigrant workers, especially undocumented workers. These can be best explained by three general patterns: Exclusion, Modified inclusion and Inclusion. The xenophobia phenomenon and racial discrimination also play important roles in establishing two opposing ideas among organized unions in the United States.

With a profit to be made in crops people looked for a way to mass produce and harvest them. A “solution” was presented to them in the form of slavery where they capture many to work for them. This created a vicious system where a lot of corruption spread rapidly. Through this system the circumstances immersed a role which lead to the dissipation of a person’s real self. An evil system which in the institution of slavery, corrupts everyone involved no matter what part they play. A corrupts that makes the white greedy for more money and the blacks desperate for freedom.

Once again, many of these issues can still be reflected upon and compared to in modern day society. For example, the book details the horrible conditions that factory workers endured in the early 1900s. However, for the most part, working conditions such as the ones in the book have been eliminated from America, but are still prevalent in other countries that ship products to the US. Many companies in America use sweatshops and factories in other countries to make their products because it is exponentially cheaper for the company, but the workers still suffer poor wages and working conditions. Reading the gritty details in the book makes one think of the conditions faced by people in other

Within the hierarchy Asian Americans and U.S. Citizens are the top and undocumented indigenous Mexicans are the bottom (page 84).” The Primary fault lines of power. Hierarchy of the Tanaka farm, is also segregated by race, class, and citizenship (page.50). Homes, reveals that market pressure and concerns for the fare of family farming shapes the actions of the executives and how the work demands and perceptions of those is the middle of the hierarchy like the administrative, crop managers, supervisors, and checkers; They influence how they treat the field workers and their hourly pay. This shows the true inequalities that are at the farm and how the Mexican migrants are inferior to everyone else. Racialized labor Hierarchies naturalize social injustice, especially in the food

Germinal, based on the landmark novel by Emile Zola, presents a startlingly authentic and powerful look into the tumultuous, tragedy-riddled lives of 19th century French coal miners. Forced to endure hellish conditions, risk death and dismemberment, and work from before dawn until after dusk, these men and women had only one alternative to mining: starvation. Germinal is not a happy story, but it is impossible not to sense the realism that pervades the project.