“Factory Girls” by Leslie T. Chang provides an inside look on migration in the inner cities of China. The book follows the lives of women who have left their home villages to work in factories. Primarily, Chang focuses on the lives of two women, Min and Chunming. Min left her village at the age of sixteen with her older sister to chuqu, or to go out, and see the world. She often changed jobs while in Dongguan because she is never satisfied with her position. Chang met Chunming at a dating agency
Leslie T. Chang’s Factory Girls follows the trials and tribulations of a migrant class of Chinese workers: young women and girls who have left literally all their material possessions back in their origins in the hope of achieving greater economic freedom. Most of the stories are relayed to the audience through the factory girl’s first-hand account. Throughout the book, the frank, matter-a-fact tone these factory girls retell their stories draws a stark contrast to the actual content; the jarring
interactions between the core and periphery nations. In Factory Girls, Leslie Chang, a Chinese American journalist, writes about her experience following the lives of Chunming and Min, two migrant factory workers working in Dongguan a well known industrial city in Southern China. To express China’s economic growth, Chang utilizes her conversations with Chunming and Min about their history and future. Living in the city starts off as a culture shock for the girls, but it eventually wares off as they get assimilated
While Lyddie is provided a tour of the factory by overseer, Mr. Marsden, Lyddie finds the “murky air” (62)—which is quite a difference from the fine, clean country air she is accustomed to—hard to breathe in. It is the polluted air and the fact that many of the girls work in such cramped spaces, and most often board together with others, that sickness is able to spread rapidly, over short periods of time
Chang, the author of “Factory Girls” write about young women who work in the factories. The author wanted to look at the china point of view. She tell stories about their working conditions, lives, their hopes, their dreams and their whole emotional world (Chang, 2008). What is it like for these young girls who work for these factories? They are not thinking eight-hour shift or how much they make like people in the United States would think of when having a job. Factory girls are thinking “I want
Factory girls by Leslie Chang is a book that looks into the lives of two migrant workers in China, and the author carefully scrutinizes their journey in search for a better life. Having a sense of self-fulfillment, both of these characters desires success, and they will go above and beyond anything to reach their purpose in life---which is, transitioning into a higher class. With their independent-driven mind set, both are able to reflect upon themselves the necessity and extravagance appropriate
While, both are extremely dedicated to what they are doing. Chunming from “Factory Girls” and Guo Hulin from “Eating Bitterness” are both driven by extravagant situations but have their own personal challenges to overcome in their everyday life. Chunming being successful is spiritually driven while being morally confused. Yet, Guo Hulin is morally focused and clear, while being spiritually unsettled and confused. Chunming ‘s day to day tasks has brought her to the center of being spiritually driven
origins of his blue jeans, Timmerman meets Nari, a factory worker in Cambodia. Timmerman describes Nari’s living conditions as poor and crowded. Nari, and seven other girls, live in an 8’x12’ room with no air conditioning, and a squat toilet walled off in the corner. To gain a semblance of privacy, the girls use a sheet hanging from a sagging cord in the back corner as a changing room. Four of the girls sleep on a bamboo bed and the other four girls sleep on the floor. (Where Am I Wearing? pp.99-103)
in the industrial revolution, which increased the population in Britain. According to Document 3 it states, “I think that the factory is the best place for me and if any girl wants employment, I advise them to come to Lowell.” Mary Paul loves the factory work and expects all girls to join the job course because the teenage girls will indeed enjoy a job in the textile factory. As stated in Document 2, “Our houses are better built, your clothes are cheaper, you have an infinite numbers of domestic utensils
working soul, because if you didn’t have enough money to support yourself or family you were already dead. Unfortunately kids worked far faster than adults and most parents didn’t make the kind of money to send their children off to school so the rich factory owners seized the opportunity and tricked many children into working for free and they kept doing it. Education was difficult for most children to get because of the fact that most families could not afford it. During this time if you could afford
envisioning what factory work is like today, the picture we paint in our minds eye is often not a pleasant one; it is one of back-breaking work, loud and dangerous machines, child laborers, low wages. A sweatshop. A job only taken if one has no other choice. However, taking a look into the formative years of the industrial factory system shows that this was not always the case. Through Harriet Robinson’s Loom and Spindle, which gives a firsthand account of life as an early factory worker, it becomes
army and assisted to the troops. They acted as cooks, laundresses and nurses. There were even soldiers and spies that were women. After the revolution, women advocated for higher education. In the early 1800’s women aided in the increase of factories, and the changing of American society. Women in America were an important and active part of achieving independence and the framing of American life over the years. Women were activists for our country. During the years just prior to the Revolutionary
“How important was the role of women during world war 1” The early rush of volunteers and later the conscription of men led to a shortage of manpower on the home front. Women, already working in munitions factories were encouraged to take on jobs normally done by men. This was the start of major social change. Before the war, women had been content to stay at home to bring up the family and do domestic work. It was considered unbecoming for a woman to work. During the war it was considered unpatriotic
the mills, but are these views valid? The different opinions of the Lowell Girls were women should not work, women have the right to work, and women should work, because it is the right thing to do. The opinions on how women should enter the workplace varied. One opinion of the Lowell Girls are that women should not work. “Arranged to make the working time
mechanization of their cotton industry. Both countries provided their factory workers with low wages and increased the production rates; however they were not exactly the same. With the rise of female workers, Japan joined in, while India remained predominantly male. The workers also had harsher conditions than in India according to the documents given. Industrialization, as it did in other countries, caused the formation of factories and machines that sped up how much cotton products are produced. In
upon other individuals for livelihood. (Keys). Child labor existed before the Industrial Revolution in forms of domestic servants, apprentices, assistants, and farmers. In Britain, boys usually worked in fields and tended to drought animals. While girls did light tasks outside such as milking cows, they mainly did household work inside. Working was deemed as necessary as training for children for when they start their own business... ... middle of paper ... ...al upheaval caused by the Industrial
could only watch by the sidelines as 146 girls and boys perished. The vision of girls jumping from the windows to escape being burned alive, broke down even the most seasoned Fire Chief sending him down to the street with quivering lips. In 1910, 13 weeks on strike most companies accepted the unions’ demands but Triangle Waist Company denied the union, giving higher wages and shorter hours. If Triangle Waist Company had accepted the union, would the 146 girls and boys lived? The fire was a terrible
it is dark. You rush to get to the hot, muggy factory, knowing you will be there for the next fourteen hours. By the time you get your first break you are worn out for the day. You finally make it through the day, it is dark already. You go home, catch a few hours of sleep and do the same thing over again. If reading that made you miserable, you would not survive as a silk factory worker. Most girls were sold, by their parents, to the silk factories to help with the financial situation. These jobs
labor workers. Luckily, most jobs in cotton factories required neither great strength nor special skills, so for the first time, women were considered as equal as men in the field of labor (Bailyn 293). In addition, they were more compliant. Although there were many single young women in the New England area, farmers would refuse to allow their daughters to work due to the belief that the lowell mills would inevitably fail. On the other hand, the girls of which were allowed to work were forced to
the entire nation's population was involved. Everyone contributed to the war efforts from civilians working in factories making uniforms, guns, tanks and ammunition, to families with men at the front. Probably the most prevalent group that contributed a major role in World War I, were women. They took on many responsibilities not only at the home, replacing men in offices and factories but also serving in the arm forces. More that 25,000 women served in Europe in WW I, they helped nurse the wounded