I Am a Plow?

I am a plow? With all due respect, I do not consider myself a plow.  I do not see myself with any similarity to a large, old, cumbersome piece of machinery, forced to work and labor all day in the hot sun. There is no powerful horse dragging me towards something with out any power of my own being. Instead of the hopeless and helpless plow, I am the horse that drags the plow.

I am the one in control of the machine that does the work. I go at my own pace, completely at my own will. I can stop when I choose, and start again when I choose. When I complete my task, I am allowed freedoms. I can rest, I can play, I can eat, I can work again. I am unlike the plow in the sense that I am pulling my own destiny, rather than being forcefully dragged behind something else. I am able to go in my own direction, than be led to a place that I might find undesirable. I make the decisions instead of following behind someone who is leading me.

Am I a plow? No. I am much different than that.

A Direction the Class Needs

My blogging this year is because of my third period American Literature class. My teacher, Mr. McCarthy, is having us blog once a week as an assignment instead of writing essays or typical writing assignments. I really enjoy this class - and I'm not just saying that to suck up, I truly do. Although it is a fun and more free form class, I believe there could be some changes to the class.

First of all, I don't see many problems with the class. We receive a fair amount of homework and do enough class work to help us understand the concepts being taught. One thing I think needs a change is the amount of reading we are assigned at a time. Usually, we are assigned at least 25-50 pages of reading a night, sometimes more. This may not seem like a lot, but when you can up to six other classes with assigned homework, not to mention projects, tests to study for, and extra curricular activities, it can seem like a load.

Besides the sometimes monotonous amounts of reading, the class is good. As students, we are given much more freedoms than in other classes, such as being able to sit wherever we would like and work with partners we are allowed to choose, which is a refreshing change. I hope the class remains the same all year because I am really enjoying third period American Literature.

Modern Slavery

When many people hear the word "slavery," the first reference they think of is African American slavery during the 1800's in America. Although the Emancipation Proclamation has been addressed and the 13th amendment has been added to the constitution, slavery still exists in our world today. 

In many communist and third world countries across the globe, there are many people who are forced to work and labor in a modern day slavery. When I think of modern slavery, I think of China. In the United States everything we own seems to have a "Made In China," sticker somewhere on it. Most of our imported goods come from China which are made by migrant workers.

Today, there are approximately 136 million migrant workers in China. On average migrants work 12 hours a day, 26 days a month. Living conditions are poor with up to six people sharing small, cramped bedrooms. Factory conditions are dangerous, and basic health and safety protections are rarely provided to workers. Many thousands of workers die every year as a result of contracting some kind of disease at work.

If this doesn't seem  like modern slavery, then I don't know what is. These people are forced to work for little to no pay, for long hours, to try to make a living for their families and themselves. All this labor and hardship, for what? The next "My Little Pony," horse or a "Nerf," football. We are forcing people to work for us who have nothing, to make us the things we take for granted.