Lawrence Textile Strike of 1912

In Lawrence, Massachusetts, the textile industry had become the center of the towns economy. By the early 20th century, most of those employed were recent immigrants. They often had few skills other than those used at the mill; about half the workforce were women or were children younger than 18. The death rate for workers was high; one study by Dr. Elizabeth Shapleigh showed that 36 out of 100 died by the time they were 25 years old. Until the events of 1912, few were members of unions, other than a few of the skilled workers, usually native-born, who belonged to a union affiliated with the American Federation of Labor (AFL). Some lived in housing provided by the companies — housing provided at rental costs that did not go down when companies reduced wages. Others lived in cramped quarters in tenement houses in the town; housing in general was priced higher than elsewhere in New England. The average worker at Lawrence earned less than $9 per week; housing costs were $1 to $6 per week. Introduction of new machinery had sped up the pace of work in the mills, and workers resented that the increased productivity usually meant pay cuts and layoffs for the workers as well as making the work more difficult. Beginning the Strike Early in 1912, mill owners at the American Wool Company in Lawrence, Massachusetts, reacted to a new state law reducing the number of hours that women could work to 54 hours per week by cutting the pay of their women mill workers. On January 11, a few Polish women at the mills went on strike when they saw that their pay envelopes had been shorted; a few other women at other mills in Lawrence also walked off the job in protest. The next day, on January 12, ten thousand textile workers walked off the job, most of them women. The city of Lawrence even rang its riot bells as an alarm. Eventually, the numbers striking rose to 25,000. Many of the strikers met the afternoon of January 12, with the result of an invitation to an organizer with the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World) to come to Lawrence and help with the strike. Strikers demands include: 15% pay increase.54 hour work week.Overtime pay at double the normal rate of pay.Elimination of bonus pay, which rewarded only a few and encouraged all to work longer hours. Joseph Ettor, with experience organizing in the west and Pennsylvania for the IWW, and who was fluent in several of the languages of the strikers, helped organize the workers, including representation from all the different nationalities of the mill workers, which included Italian, Hungarian, Portuguese, French-Canadian, Slavic, and Syrian. The city reacted with nighttime militia patrols, turning fire hoses on strikers, and sending some of the strikers to jail. Groups elsewhere, often Socialists, organized strike relief, including soup kitchens, medical care, and funds paid to the striking families. Leading to Violence On January 29, a woman striker, Anna LoPizzo, was killed as police broke up a picket line. Strikers accused the police of the shooting. Police arrested IWW organizer Joseph Ettor and Italian socialist, newspaper editor, and poet Arturo Giovannitti who were at a meeting three miles away at the time and charged them as accessories to murder in her death. After this arrest, martial law was enforced and all public meetings were declared illegal. The IWW sent some of its more well-known organizers to help out the strikers, including Bill Haywood, William Trautmann, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, and Carlo Tresca, and these organizers urged the use of nonviolent resistance tactics. Newspapers announced that some dynamite had been found around town; one reporter revealed that some of these newspaper reports were printed before the time of the supposed finds. The companies and local authorities accused the union of planting the dynamite and used this accusation to try to stir up public sentiment against the union and strikers. (Later, in August, a contractor confessed that the textile companies had been behind the dynamite plantings, but he committed suicide before he could testify to a grand jury.) About 200 children of strikers were sent to New York, where supporters, mostly women, found foster homes for them. The local Socialists made their arrivals into demonstrations of solidarity, with about 5,000 turning out on February 10. Nurses — one of them Margaret Sanger — accompanied the children on the trains. The Strike in the Public's Eye The success of these measures in bringing public attention and sympathy resulted in the Lawrence authorities intervening with militia with the next attempt to send children to New York. Mothers and children were, according to temporary reports, clubbed and beaten as they were arrested. Children were taken from their parents. The brutality of this event led to an investigation by the U.S. Congress, with the House Committee on Rules hearing testimony from strikers. President Tafts wife, Helen Heron Taft, attended the hearings, giving them more visibility. The mill owners, seeing this national reaction and likely fearing further government restrictions, gave in on March 12 to the strikers original demands at the American Woolen Company. Other companies followed. Ettor and Giovannittis continued time in jail awaiting a trial led to further demonstrations in New York (led by Elizabeth Gurley Flynn) and Boston. Members of the defense committee were arrested and then released. On September 30, fifteen thousand Lawrence mill workers walked out in a one-day solidarity strike. The trial, finally begun in late September, took two months, with supporters outside cheering the two men. On November 26, the two were acquitted. The strike in 1912 at Lawrence is sometimes called the Bread and Roses strike because it was here that a picket sign carried by one of the striking women reportedly read We Want Bread, But Roses Too! It became a rallying cry of the strike, and then of other industrial organizing efforts, signifying that the largely unskilled immigrant population involved wanted not just economic benefits but recognition of their basic humanity, human rights, and dignity.

Materialism - The Great Gatsby Essay - 1687 Words

Materialism nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;America has been labeled quot;The land of opportunity,quot; a place where it is possible to accomplish anything and everything. This state of mind is known as quot;The American Dream.quot; The American Dream provides a sense of hope and faith that looks forward to the fulfillment of human wishes and desires. This dream, however, originates from a desire for spiritual and material improvement. Unfortunately, the acquisition of material has been tied together with happiness in America. Although quot;The American Dreamquot; can be thought of as a positive motivation, it often causes people to strive for material perfection, rather than a spiritual one. This has†¦show more content†¦Fitzgerald uses the word grail to suggest that for Gatsby, marrying Daisy is a type of a religious quest. Yet, truthfully, Daisy herself is not the key, but the increase in status that she would bring him and the illusion that she carries with her. â€Å"He had thrown himsel f into it [the dream] decking it out with every bright feather that drifted his wayquot; (101). Gatsby is much more in love with the idea of Daisy, not the reality of who she is. He wants everything she has and stands for. Gatsby wastes his entire adult life trying to achieve this idealistic dream. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Indeed he loves Daisy, but through his fantasy he builds her up to be someone she is not. Lost in his idealistic world, he molds his images of her into a perfect specimen. Nick Carraway comments, quot;There must have been moments when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams, not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusionquot;, yet he refuses to acknowledge these momentsquot; (101). His state of reality is so greatly altered that he cannot believe she is not the absolute perfect woman he so desired five years ago. Jay Gatsby’s obsession with Daisy gives him a false illusion of her, much like the illusion of the American dream, both representing inevitable disaster. F. Scott Fitzgerald clearly uses Jay Gatsby to represent the materialistic attitude of the 1920’s. Literary critic Marius Bewley suggests that Jay GatsbyShow MoreRelatedMaterialism - the Great Gatsby1732 Words   |  7 PagesMaterialism America has been labeled The land of opportunity, a place where it is possible to accomplish anything and everything. This state of mind is known as The American Dream. The American Dream provides a sense of hope and faith that looks forward to the fulfillment of human wishes and desires. This dream, however, originates from a desire for spiritual and material improvement. Unfortunately, the acquisition of material has been tied together with happiness in America. AlthoughRead More Materialism in The Great Gatsby Essay1075 Words   |  5 PagesMaterialism may be defined as attention to or emphasis on material objects, needs or considerations, with a disinterest in or rejection of spiritual values. The acquisition of material wealth is often equated with happiness in this country. This is true today, and it was true during the 1920s, the setting of F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby. That the majority of Americans believe that wealth and happiness are the same is a result of our market economy that encourages consumption and conditionsRead MoreEssay on Materialism in the Great Gatsby905 Words   |  4 Pagessuch as money in The Great Gatsby. Daisy falls in love with Gatsby, who is a poor man at the time, and when Gatsby leaves for the war, Daisy marries Tom Buchanan, who is a rich man, because he is â€Å"old money,† meaning he will always have the money and status to support Daisy. When Gatsby returns from the war, his pursuit of Daisy’s love reveals his materialism and he eventually becomes rich for Daisy and believes that he can win her back because he now has money. The Great Gatsby demonstrates the wayRead MoreMaterialism In The Great Gatsby Analysis824 W ords   |  4 PagesMaterialism The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, illustrates the different lifestyles in regards to the upper and lower classes. The upper class is represented by â€Å"Old Money†, the people who inherited their wealth. Another part of the upper class is represented by â€Å"New Money†, the people who obtained wealth over time. Old money is more fancy and elegant, whereas new money is more showy and extravagant. Because of this, old money is considered superior to new money. The lower class isRead MoreThe Madness Of Materialism In The Great Gatsby996 Words   |  4 Pagesarticle â€Å"The Madness of Materialism† by Steve Taylor discusses psychological discord and talks about people always wanting certain objects, that they might not be a necessity (Taylor). This article is similar to the novel, The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald because both discuss the idea of wants versus needs. Gatsby is the main character, however Nick Carraway is the narrator througho ut the entire story. They have been neighbors ever since Nick moved to West Egg. Nick and Gatsby become close friendsRead MoreMaterialism in The Great Gatsby Essay515 Words   |  3 Pagessay that you are happy. Daisy Buchanans case in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald proves this to its entirety. When having to decide between an empty marriage with her husband Tom and Jay Gatsby, her love interest, she chooses Tom even though he doesnt make her truly happy. It is then evident all throughout the novel that materialistic properties of wealth and status triumphs over love. In 1917, Daisy became acquainted with Jay Gatsby from Louisiana. Though they seemed very close with eachRead MoreEssay On Greed And Materialism In The Great Gatsby1014 Words   |  5 Pagesgrowth in an economic forum. This caused many Americans to move into the uncharted territory of the city, and make the transition into a prosperous and foreign â€Å"consumer society† (History.com). In addition, the traits of greed and materialism are ubiquitous in The Great Gatsby, as well as in the flashy 1920’s. These two characteristics give one confidence, but as demonstrated in the novel, it brings nothing but short-term satisfaction. After that, feelings of desperation to childish behaviors can accompanyRead MoreGreed And Materialism In The Great Gatsby Analysis1311 Words   |  6 Pagesprosperous and previously foreign â€Å"consumer society† (History.com). The traits of greed and materialism are ubiquitous in The Great Gatsby, as well as in the Art Deco era of the 19 20’s. These two characteristics can give one confidence, but as demonstrated in the novel, they bring nothing but short-term satisfaction. After which, feelings can run the gamut from desperation to childish behaviors. While greed and materialism have the power to seem favorable, bringing an amplification of social status, theyRead MoreEssay On Money And Materialism In The Great Gatsby1994 Words   |  8 Pages Money and materialism play a large role in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby, which takes place on Long Island in the summer of 1922. The book follows a man by the name of Jay Gatsby who centers his life around one goal, winning back the girl of his dreams, Daisy Buchanan, who he lost five years earlier. His quest leads him from rags-to-riches into the arms of the one he loves, and ultimately, to death. This book is written from a Marxist point of view based on the fact that the bookRead MoreEssay on Love vs. Materialism in the Great Gatsby1131 Wo rds   |  5 PagesVs. Materialism The Great Gatsby does not offer a definition of love, or a contrast between love and romance. Rather it suggests that what people believe to be love is normally only a dream. America in the 1920s was a country where moral values were slowly crumbling and Americans soon only had one dream and objective to achieve, success. Distorted love is one theme in the novel The Great Gatsby, present among all of the characters relationships; Daisy and Tom, Tom and Myrtle, Daisy and Gatsby, and

Titanic film review essay Example For Students

Titanic film review essay Today most people would rather watch a film than read a book. A film is a much more relaxing and, for some, enjoyable way of knowing a story, event, novel or play. Unlike a book, where you have to interpret the story and characters yourself, a film portrays the characters and scenery for you. The director is the person that makes sure the actors are portraying their part correctly and to their full potential, another main concern of the director is to make enough money from the film to pay for it, and still make a profit. For the film to make money it needs to be successful, and to be successful it needs promotion, good clarification of the story and of the characters, and to continue to be successful it needs to be passed on by word of mouth. We will write a custom essay on Titanic film review specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The way in which the camera is used is very important to the whole film because it can destroy the film or make it a success. It is vital that the cameraman uses the camera to its full capacity to get the expressions of the characters and the scenery around them.  The advantage that cinema has over video or DVD is that the cinema can create a much better atmosphere with its surround sound and special effects, and the fact that the screen is a lot bigger can add to the effect that the film has on the audience. Going to the cinema is also much more enjoyable because you get the chance to socialise more, whereas if you were to sit and watch a film in your home it is not as enjoyable. People also watch films to get a preview of what the film is like before they by it for themselves or another person. The lyrics are heard at the end of the film so that you subconsciously relate them to the times in the film. The song symbolises eternal love through life and death, and at the end of the film she joins jack at the famous clock in the Titanic to show that her love and her dreams still remain in the Titanic and with Jack.  Film has developed to a great extent in the 50 years or so. During the time of the sinking of the Titanic people couldnt go to the cinema whenever they wanted. The films were only shown at set times. In those times there were only silent movies with very amateur special effects. In fact film has only progressed in the last ten years. A Night To Remember, another version of the events, was made in the 1950s and was also very amateur. Today we can enhance the film with special effects and computer graphics. For my GCSE coursework I will be analysing the Titanic, directed by James Cameron. I will be looking at the historical facts and the sinking of the Titanic, whether James Camerons film is an accurate representation of the event, and the thinking behind the film. I will also be analysing two sequences from the film in detail, comparing the Titanic to A Night To Remember, and finally, I will be looking at what James Camerons intention was when he made the film. The Titanic is a love story intertwined with the events that took place in 1912. Jack and Rose find each other on the ships maiden voyage and instantly fall in love. When the ship collides with the iceberg their love becomes a battle for survival.  Symbolism is another aspect of the film that Cameron decided to concentrate on. One example is the way that he makes the Titanic look even huger than it really is at the beginning of the film when he shows the contrast in size of the Titanic to a small yacht. The Titanic overshadows the yacht and engulfs it almost. When the iceberg strikes the ship is made to look small and powerless because the camera looks up to the berg and daunting music starts. The ice berg looks as though it is twice the size of the Titanic, yet the men who were actually in the crows nest said, .u659f9df1f9c27ee457a042e02c55a8c3 , .u659f9df1f9c27ee457a042e02c55a8c3 .postImageUrl , .u659f9df1f9c27ee457a042e02c55a8c3 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u659f9df1f9c27ee457a042e02c55a8c3 , .u659f9df1f9c27ee457a042e02c55a8c3:hover , .u659f9df1f9c27ee457a042e02c55a8c3:visited , .u659f9df1f9c27ee457a042e02c55a8c3:active { border:0!important; } .u659f9df1f9c27ee457a042e02c55a8c3 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u659f9df1f9c27ee457a042e02c55a8c3 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u659f9df1f9c27ee457a042e02c55a8c3:active , .u659f9df1f9c27ee457a042e02c55a8c3:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u659f9df1f9c27ee457a042e02c55a8c3 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u659f9df1f9c27ee457a042e02c55a8c3 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u659f9df1f9c27ee457a042e02c55a8c3 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u659f9df1f9c27ee457a042e02c55a8c3 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u659f9df1f9c27ee457a042e02c55a8c3:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u659f9df1f9c27ee457a042e02c55a8c3 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u659f9df1f9c27ee457a042e02c55a8c3 .u659f9df1f9c27ee457a042e02c55a8c3-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u659f9df1f9c27ee457a042e02c55a8c3:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: A Trip to the Moon EssayThe berg was not as high as the crows nest, but it was higher than the forecastle head  Cameron also focuses on the fact that the captain wanted to break the speed record for sailing across the Atlantic as he says in the film. This is because this could have affected whether the ship would have collided or not.  At the end of the film we see Rose and in the background is the statue of Liberty. This statue was and still is a sign of new hope and freedom. I believe that Cameron purposely placed Rose in front of the statue to show that Rose was free of Cals grasp and could start a fresh new life without him. There are also various themes carried through the film. The most obvious one being Never let go. This theme is started at the point where Jack and Rose meet, as she is about to commit suicide and ends when Rose and Jack are in the water, Rose says,  Ill never let go Jack, Ill never let go  In fact the theme doesnt end until the actual end of the Film when Rose meets Jack on the Titanic because she has always held on through every stage in her life through the worst and best of times until she was 101.  The theme of the hands is carried from the point where Rose begins to tell her story. We see a close-up of Roses old hands and then we travel back in time to 1912 and see a close-up of Roses young hands, this is why we know who Rose is instantaneously. The HMS Titanic set sail on the 10th April 1912 from the docks of Southampton on her maiden voyage to New York. After 4 days at sea the Titanic collided with an iceberg, which caused a huge gash in the side of the ship, resulting in its sinking. I have learnt many other facts about the Titanic and its journey, and have listed them bellow.  When looking at the events that took place on April 14th 1912 there is a very fine line between the words Tragedy and Disaster. A tragedy is misfortunate event, and a tragic hero is a character who dies as a result of his/her heroism, whereas a disaster is a failure of a project that usually affects a large group of people. When considering who was responsible for the sinking of the Titanic we have to take into account the argument for whether it was a man made or natural disaster. In my opinion it was slightly man made and natural. The actual ship was a man made object and therefore the death of many people was indirectly man made. The fact that it was an iceberg that caused the sinking of the ship makes it half a natural disaster. If we were to consider the design of the ship I believe that it is very hard to collect enough sufficient evidence that puts the sinking down to the design. This is because if a person was to design a ship I believe that he or she would not consider the fact that it might collide with a gigantic iceberg, especially if they were instructed to design the ship so that it would be the most luxurious ship in the world as the designers of the Titanic were instructed. Therefore it cannot be determined whether the sinking of the ship was a tragedy or disaster. If the sinking had been completely caused by man made attributes it would have been a disaster, and if it had been naturally caused it would have been a tragedy. I believe that the sinking of the ship was a disastrous tragedy because it was caused by both natural and man-made problems.  I believe that James Cammerons representation of the disaster is as accurate as it needs to be. He has made sure that he has included critical historical facts and has also included a storyline within the film, which could have actually happened. I think that the way he has portrayed the film is very good because he shows that a lot of people know very little about the Titanic, this makes us want to know what happened and therefore he can go into the events in more depth because he has the viewers interest.