Julie Borrego
English 48A
Journal for Davis

" "Do you know boy, you have it in you to be a great sculptor, a great man?-do you understand?" (talking down to the capacity of his hearer: it is a way people have with children, and men like Wolfe)...) (Rebecca Harding Davis, Life in the Iron-Mills)

“North and South were equally confident that God was on their side, and appealed incessantly to Him.”


Summary:

This quote from Life in the Iron-Mills is when Dr. John May is speaking to Hugh Wolf and trying to inspire him to become something better than he is. To transcend out of the steel mill and his current lot in life. That with his talent he was capable of being a better person, because of his ability to create.

Response:


My personal feeling is that when the doctor is talking to Hugh it is not so much for Hugh's benefit, but for his own. It was his form of charity and good deed for the day. He could walk away feeling good about himself.

This story was very eye opening. The movies that I have seen have always romanticized the 1800's, but with Davis's words she has made the life of the poor steel worker so real and depressing. What a horrible life to live from working in deplorable conditions and home is no different. The ironey is in the end that Hugh would rather be living his deplorable life than to be locked up. How much sweeter his life seemed from the barred window of a prison cell.

I have some first hand knowledge of factory life, because for 5 years I worked in-side sale for two Printed Circuit Board Companies(You know those green things that go into everything from your computer to your Ipods) The factory or "shop" as we call it is always next door. The last company I worked for was very small, and the "shop" was not in the best conditions. The workers worked hard and long for very little money in very toxic environment. Of course if an order was not done correctly if there was mistakes, they heard about, always being threatened with the the ideas that they might loose their jobs. So people must open their eyes, yes the conditions of factory workers has improved, but they are still being worked to the bone for little money for our Ipods.