Summary Of In The Strawberry Fields By Schlosser
The deplorable working conditions of illegal migrants In his article “In the Strawberry Fields” Eric Schlosser examines the illegal labor market of the strawberry industry. Thus, the author describes the main problems that migrants face while working in the fields of California. Thus, the majority of the workers are illegal migrants of Hispanic origin that are ready to work at any cost as they need to earn at least something for their living. Among the major problems that migrants suffer from it is possible to mention the following: poor working conditions, mistreatment, low wages and sharecropping. Living in the country illegally, these people have no rights and the ability to ask help from the authorities. …show more content…
Indeed, the problem of sharecropping is especially common in the strawberry industry. In general, in the strawberry business sharecropping means that grower shifts all the great risks that may appear in the business to the farm worker. At present time there is a tendency to sign sharecropping contracts with migrants. Thus, in order to reveal this problem, the author of the article describes the story of a farmer Felipe (pseudonym). So, when Felipe received a proposal to become a farmer from an ordinary worker, he signed the sharecropping contract without any hesitations. He didn't realize that he was responsible for all the risks that may appear in the business. He had to sell strawberries for extremely low prices because the terms of his contract required him to do so. In such a way, Felipe found himself with 50, 000 debt and no profit at all. It happened due to the fact that now growers lend some amount of their money to the sharecroppers for operating costs. Moreover, they do it at a high interest rate. And if something goes wrong, the sharecroppers would not only lose their money, but also find themselves with a huge debt. The main question here is why do migrants sign these contacts. Schlosser explains it in the following way: “the opportunities for upward mobility are so limited among farm workers, and the desire to have one’s own farm is so great, that farm workers are eager to sign such agreements” (Schlosser). The desire of migrants to have a good job is so great that they are ready to sign any contract. That is why it possible to call the issue of sharecropping a problem that requires further
Reconstruction Dbq
491 Words | 2 PagesAlthough slavery was declared over after the passing of the thirteenth amendment, African Americans were not being treated with the respect or equality they deserved. Socially, politically and economically, African American people were not being given equal opportunities as white people. They had certain laws directed at them, which held them back from being equal to their white peers. They also had certain requirements, making it difficult for many African Americans to participate in the opportunity to vote for government leaders. Although they were freed from slavery, there was still a long way to go for equality through America’s reconstruction plan.
Fresh Fruit Broken Bodies Chapter Summaries
1211 Words | 5 PagesSeth M. Holmes is the anthropologist behind the work Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies. This book is about an almost hidden world of migrant farm laborers in the USA. This group of hidden people is responsible for providing the United States with fresh fruit and for very little money and poor living conditions. Holmes has written this ethnography to shed light on the downside of agribusiness while showcasing the physical and social problems Mexican workers face in Washington and California while working in the fields providing the United States with fruit. Chapter 1 of Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies details the author’s trip from Oaxaca, Mexico to the border of the United States.
Slavery In The Post-Civil War
1806 Words | 8 PagesIn the post-Civil War South, the economic situation that followed the emancipation of slaves and therefore the loss of the labor force, forced the South to find a suitable replacement for slavery. This also meant enacting laws designed to keep former slaves tied to the land. The economic system, which replaced slavery, was sharecropping. To keep the former slaves tied to the land, however, laws such as the black codes ensured a steady stream of workers to harvest the crops. Furthermore, vagrancy laws, which were designed to punish vagrants by making them harvest crop for a plantation owner, were passed.
Invisible Indians Documentary Analysis
883 Words | 4 PagesThe documentary “Invisible Indians” argues that the Mixtec indigenous people of Oaxaca are both misunderstood and mistreated, when they are fighting to be seen and heard. Throughout the film, examples are given of how the Mixtecs are exploited for cheap labor forces, getting little to no benefits all for the hope of not only achieving a better life for themselves, but also to provided for those who they left behind in Oaxaca, as they travel north. The documentary starts off by describing some of the push factors that have driven the Mixtecs out of Oaxaca, so that the viewer can have a more indebt understanding to why the Mixtecs are here and what they are working towards. As stated in the beginning of the film, the Mixtecs have for years been
A Gringo In The Lettuce Fields Analysis
353 Words | 2 PagesIn “A Gringo in the Lettuce Fields,” Gabriel Thompson spends about two months cutting lettuce in the hot fields of Yuma alongside immigrants laborers. At first glimpse, the immigrants thought he was either crazy or an undercover immigration agent ready to deport them back to their home country. But within a few days just outside Watsonville, Thompson got to know some immigrants and sensed the backbreaking, harsh conditions work of these immigrant laborers. He would then get physically drained, and never became good enough to keep up with the machine that puts along with the rows of lettuce driving the pace of the crews. Thompson, in the end, shines a bright light on the underside of the economy, exposing injustices endured by low-paid laborers
The History Of Sharecropping In America
454 Words | 2 PagesThe first African American leaders in the South Came from the ranks of antebellum free blacks who were joint by norther blacks to support Reconstruction. Blanche K Bruce an ex slave established a school for freedmen and in 1874 he became Mississippi’s second black U.S. senator. African American speakers who were financed by the Republican Party, spread out into the plantation districts and recruited former slaves to take part in politics. In South Carolina, African Americans constituted a majority in the lower house of legislature in 1868. Over the reconstruction twenty African Americans served in state administrations as Governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, or lesser offices.
Documentary Analysis Of The Film Rape In The Fields
750 Words | 3 PagesSexual harassment is a common problem for women in the workplace. The trauma they suffer as a result is extensive. More than half a million women work in the fields and a majority are undocumented immigrants. The documentary Rape in the Fields, addresses some of the struggles these workers face. Due to their immigrant status the women are powerless, subject to unwelcome sexual advances and unable to seek help from the authorities.
Compare And Contrast Sharecropping And Slavery
625 Words | 3 PagesTo keep this from happening farmers made the sharecroppers indebted to them keeping the sharecroppers from having any money to support themselves. As stated, sharecropping had drastic effects on the relationship between black people and white people. Examples of this are shown when the article states: “Well, I’ve had so much trouble with these black people, I’m going to employ white people” (Painter para. 13) Additionally, the overall actions between black and white people rose wages (Painter para.
The Crucible American Dream Analysis
357 Words | 2 PagesWhen America was built, its character and identity was established by The Declaration of Independence, providing its citizens equality, liberty, and equal opportunity. The premise of the composition of USA became known as the American Dream, with the aspiration that one’s achievement is not constrained by his/her social class or fortune but is determined by endeavor. This delusion of harmony was greatly contradicted by two novels: The Crucible and The Grapes of Wrath. In The Crucible, under constant hallucination of evil and corruptness, people for their own greediness began making false accusations on each other.
Rhetorical Analysis Of In The Strawberry Fields By Eric Schlosser
251 Words | 2 PagesIn the article "In the Strawberry Fields", Eric Schlosser uses an abundance of rhetorical strategies to influence the audience. "In the Strawberry Fields" is honest and gets to the point of the illegal immigrants working. His in depth description of the migratory workforce in California proves how farmers who pick strawberries for a living are the lowest-paid, and hardest working, which makes it an unfavorable job amongst farmers. The author uses eloquent details to get the message across that California has also become one of the most dependent states to have the availability of cheap labor. He descriptively details the backbreaking work migrants perform and the financial unsteadiness to make readers aware of their hardships and motivate a
Cesar Chavez Movie Analysis
477 Words | 2 PagesI chose the movie Cesar Chavez because is about an labor organizer and activist man of the civil rights. Scene ---In 1965 many grape farm workers march 300 miles from Delano, California to Sacramento. Demanding labor rights for farm workers and increasing their wages and to improve their work place conditions. Mexicans and Philippine’s got united and they strike for five years until they got to sing a contract were The scene that I choose is when growers were telling the workers in the vine yards that anyone that follow the strike will stop working there and they were not going to be higher from anybody else and workers were really afraid to strike against the growers.
Immigration To California Essay
1565 Words | 7 PagesImmigrants bring many benefits to the California when it comes to business. Immigrants are more likely to start their own businesses and create more job opportunities for Californians and foreign workers. Immigrants offer manpower that America really needs. Immigrants take up labor jobs that Americans dislike to do for example: factory workers, maids and cleaners. So if immigrants don’t work at low wages, then the Americans would have to pay more, which the immigrants also end up doing.
Essay On Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
1576 Words | 7 PagesAs a result, from 1860 to 1900 alone, the number of urban areas in the United States expanded fivefold (Source 2). The immigrants who desperately needed employment and the greed of factory owners made the rise of sweat shops astonishing. Around the country low-paid immigrants, including women and children, worked for excessively long
Human Trafficking Literature Review
1505 Words | 7 PagesIndustries that demand cheap labour, such as agriculture, fisheries, manufacturing and construction, encourage migration of unskilled workers. In the absence of standards to protect their human rights, migrants become particularly vulnerable to
Pestle Analysis Of Pick N Pay
2082 Words | 9 PagesDue to the fact that there is also a lot of desertification (especially in Botswana) in many of the southern African countries, it not only makes it difficult to farm produce there, but over such long distances, delivery to the stores become more expensive as well as more difficult. Pick ‘n pay also need to keep in mind the suitability of their product due to the physical influence on them, for example, it is known that in Southern African countries, there is mainly the wet season and the dry season and that products need to be sold accordingly. Strategies: in order for Pick ‘n Pay to get around these problems, they need to take out
More about Summary Of In The Strawberry Fields By Schlosser
Reconstruction Dbq
491 Words | 2 PagesFresh Fruit Broken Bodies Chapter Summaries
1211 Words | 5 PagesSlavery In The Post-Civil War
1806 Words | 8 PagesInvisible Indians Documentary Analysis
883 Words | 4 PagesA Gringo In The Lettuce Fields Analysis
353 Words | 2 PagesThe History Of Sharecropping In America
454 Words | 2 PagesDocumentary Analysis Of The Film Rape In The Fields
750 Words | 3 PagesCompare And Contrast Sharecropping And Slavery
625 Words | 3 PagesThe Crucible American Dream Analysis
357 Words | 2 PagesRhetorical Analysis Of In The Strawberry Fields By Eric Schlosser
251 Words | 2 PagesCesar Chavez Movie Analysis
477 Words | 2 PagesImmigration To California Essay
1565 Words | 7 PagesEssay On Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
1576 Words | 7 PagesHuman Trafficking Literature Review
1505 Words | 7 PagesPestle Analysis Of Pick N Pay
2082 Words | 9 Pages