The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games is one of my favorite set of books to ever read.  I am very excited to be reading the first book again but with a different perspective with keeping in mind all that we have talked about in class.  The book begins with introducing us to a few characters, one in particular Katniss Everdeen.  She is the main supporter of her family when it comes to meals.  She and Gale go out hunting past the fence for game to support their families and so they will not die of starvation.  Katniss and her family are from district 12 which is one of the poorest districts surrounding Panem.  The ruins of a place, once known as North America, lies the nation of Panem a shining Capital surrounded by twelve outlying districts.  As part of the surrender terms, each district has agreed to send one boy and one girl from their district to take part in the annual Hunger Games which is a televised fight until death.  Prim, Katniss's sister is originally the one chosen to enter the games but Katniss volunteers in her place.  Since district 12 is one of the poorest districts, when Katniss enters the games most of the people from her district think that it may be a loss cause. 

The book is set in some unidentified time in the future.  Reading these books and watching these movies, has put so many thoughts and questions into my head.  What if our economy becomes so bad this is what our lives would be like.  What if we had to fight to death to earn food so that our families will not starve.  I could never imagine living like this, but when it comes down to it you will do just about anything to survive.  I am excited to pick a part this book from a new perspective!

 

The Jungle - Ch. 14-20

 Chapter 14

Jurgis and his family know all the hidden secrets in the meat-packing industry.  He finds that spoiled meats are becoming sausage and sold to people and the work conditions are terrible.  The working members of the family begin to fall in a great diminution of sensibility while  Jurgis and Ona begin to grow apart, and Jurgis then develops a habit for drinking heavily.  Sickness and disease is affecting the family.  Antanas suffers from measles and Ona develops a bad cough while bearing a child.

 

Chapter 15

It is the winter arrives and with it comes the grueling rush season which include 15-16 hour work days.  Ona sometimes doesn't return home and uses the snow as an excuse and explains she stayed with a friend.  Turns out, Ona's boss has harassed and pleaded her to stay with him and become his mistress.  Ona tells Jurgis of this news and that her boss, Connor, has raped her after everyone has left the plant.  He had threatened her pay and her family.   He also threatened to prevent her or her family any work in Packingtown and he forced her into accompanying him to Miss Henderson's brothel in the evenings.  Jrugis is angry with this news and attacks Connor at his work and then is sent to jail.

Chapter 16 

Once Jurgis goes to jail, he is given a date for his trial and a bond that is set to $300.  He is forced to strip naked and walk the halls of the jail past inmates who make leer comments and remarks.  He is placed in tiny cell that contains a bug infested mattress.  He hears some bells in the distance and realizes that it is Christmas even and begins to feel guilty and think of his family.

 

Chapter 17

While waiting for his trial, Jurigs becomes friends with his cellmate, Jack.  Jack explains that he was cheated out by a big company of a lucrative invention which led him to become a safe breaker.  Jack gives Juris that address of his mistress and explains that he should turn to her if he is need of anything.  Jurgis's trial occurs and Connor explains that he fired Ona fairly and Jurgis attacked him for revenge.  Jurgis explains the truth of what really happened but the judge is not sympathetic.  He is sentenced to 30 days in prison.  While he is in prison, he finds that his family has been fired and can not find jobs or afford to buy food.  Marija is suffering from blood poisoning from an accident that occurred at work.

Chapter 18         

Towards the end of his 30 days in jail, Jurgis is forced to stay an extra day because he can not afford to pay the cost of the trial.  Once he is released he walks a great distance home.  Once he returns home, he finds a new family living in his house and he sends for grandmother for information as to where his family has went.  He finds that they could not afford rent and was evicted from their house and are staying in a boarding house.  Once he arrives to the boarding house, he finds that Ona is about to have her baby and is in extreme pain.  He sends for help. 

Chapter 19,20

They find a midwife that agrees to help but then sends Jurgis out of the house explaining that he will just be in the way.  Jurgis finds himself resorting to the saloon that he used to visit frequently and the owner gives him food, drink, and a place to rest.  Once he returns back to the boarding house, the midwife explains that the baby passed and that Ona is dying as well. He sits by her bedside while she passes.  Jurgis is upset and angry that he returns back to the bar to get drunk with the money he has.    

The Jungle

 

 



The Jungle is a story of hardship and survival of Jurgis Rudkus and his family.  They are Lithuanian immigrants who come to America to work in the meatpacking industry in Chicago. On their journey towards to living in the "country of the free" they experience harsh working and living conditions, poverty, starvation, and corruption.  Jurgis is invited into the life of crime during one of his visits to jail by Jack Duane.  Becoming involved in crime, Jurigs begins to develop an understanding of the corruption in the cities politics, various industries, and the packing-plants.  Eventually Jugis has an explanation for his suffering and a way to change it.  He realizes that Capitalism is the bane of society, constantly keeping the common worker in poverty while enriching the wealthy. He beings to develop knowledge about Socialism   and becomes obsessed with it after finding a job in a hotel that is ran by Socialists. 

The first couple chapters of this novel describes in great detail of what is occurring in the meat-packing industry.  The novel doesn't hold back when describing in great detail of what happened at each station at the plant, how the visitors reacted, and what exactly each part of the animal was used for.  I never realized that various parts of an animal can be used for various items other than eating.  For example, "Out of the horns of the cattle they made combs, buttons, hairpins, and imitation ivory; out of the shinbones and other big bones they cut knife and toothbrush handles, and mouthpieces for pipes; out of the hoofs they cut hairpins and buttons, before they made the rest into glue."


 

Migrant Workers

As I began to read Cajas, the biography about Francisco Jimenez,  I could never imagine going to work for the day then coming home to your whole world changed in a matter of seconds.  I never realized how little education a migrant worker received due to the constant moving around to find work.  Their living conditions seemed so simple and poor, probably because they were constantly on the move.  I wonder if in some areas the living/housing conditions have to be approved or checked by the state.  Once the little boy finally was able to go to school, I had hope for him.  As a future educator, I wanted him to succeed and be able to receive a proper education.  He was so thrilled to finally make a friend and begin to learn until he went home to find they were moving once again. 




   The conditions that these young children have to work in are terrible! Always hot, long hours, little breaks just so we as citizens can receive fresh fruit and products.  I could never imagine putting such a small child in the danger of working with the possibility of passing out due to heat exhaustion. Although there are state laws and regulations of child labor, I wonder how much of it is enforced, especially if the family is in need.

Ending Hunger One Obese Citizen at a Time

Hunger and obesity has been a rising problem in America.  How do we end hunger and decrease the occurrence of obesity you may ask? 

I propose that grocery stores provide affordable and accessible food for those who are in need of assistance, malnourished, or those who can not afford .  There are however, requirements that must be met to receive this service.  Since obesity is a rising problem in America, citizens that would like to shop at these grocery stores must weigh in prior to entering the store.  Once your weight has been determined, you are awarded points which indicates how much and what food you are allowed to shop for. 
 
 If you are underweight than the average American, you will receive the maximum allotted points possible.  There will be no restrictions as to what your points can go towards and the choices of food. 
If you are overweight than the average American, you will receive a certain number of allotted points depending on your weight.  For example, if you are 50 lbs over weight, you will receive only 60 points and if you are 30 lbs over weight you will receive only 40 points.  In reality, the more you weigh the less points you get to go towards your food.  Also, your points will be broken down into the food pyramid which will dictate what you have to put your points towards.  You can not transfer your points to the different parts of your food pyramid.

Not only will this proposal provide food for those who are in need, it will also regulate and reduce the rising problem of obesity in America. 

Rigoberta Menchu

After reading the story about Rigoberta Menchu and her family, it made me realize how blessed and fortunate I am.  I could never imagine growing up the way her father or the way Rigoberta did.  Due to the lack of food and hunger, her grandmother was forced to give away Rigoberta's father to another man just so he was able to survive and have food.  I could never imagine having to give up or being given up by my other. This to be is such a heartbreaking decision.  Giving away your children kind of reminds me of A Modest Proposal and how Swift proposed families to eat their children or sell them for money.   From the story, it sounded that giving him away didn't benefit him the way he probably hoped since he did not get paid anything because he was given away although he was doing hard labor.  Rigoberta had experienced hard labor and work at such a young age.  The type of conditions she was put through when she traveled to the fincas were unbelievable!  This makes me feel guilty for complaining about riding in the care for 6+ hours or more!

"The lorry holds about forty people. But in with the people, go the animals.....During the trip the animals and the small children used to dirty the lorry and you'd get people vomiting and wetting themselves."     

I would never imagine traveling in this type of condition, and I could only imagine how packed it must have been.  She also described how people were covered in mosquito bites all over their body and inside their mouths.  I kind of felt as if they were treated like slaves when they were being punished and yelled at while they worked.  When they would either take a little rest or if you were a slow worker, you quickly were insulted and yelled at.  Their pay also varies.  I can relate to this when I serve because when it is slow I usually make nothing and only get paid 2.65 an hour, but not as extreme as her conditions.  They  are either paid by the day, and sometimes for the amount of work done.  They are paid in Centavos which 100 centavos are equivalent to one US dollar.  This to me is unbelievable!  When she mentioned that her father earned 30-40 centavos a day, that is almost .50!   I could never imagine earning only .50 for a days worth of work.   

A Modest Proposal

"that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricasie, or a ragoust"  I was quite appalled when I read this statement from A Modest Proposal about how children were going to be used for food.  I had no idea this was what A Modest Proposal was going to be about when I read the first couple lines.  I originally thought that it was going to discuss the financial burden those faced during these times and how they had to bed for food.  He talks about the children as if they were just "items" and determines how each of the  benefit him and the city.  He proposes that out of the 120,000 Irish children born each year, "humbly offer it to publick consideration, that of the hundred and twenty thousand children, already computed, twenty thousand may be reserved for breed, whereof only one fourth part to be males; which is more than we allow to sheep, black cattle, or swine, and my reason is, that these children are seldom the fruits of marriage, a circumstance not much regarded by our savages, therefore, one male will be sufficient to serve four females."  A Modest Proposal openly discussed how one individual saw those, mostly female mothers, suffering from hunger and sees how these mothers "are forced to employ all their time" panhandling for food.  Swift eventually develops this proposal to end hunger in the city he is from.  I was very surprised to discover what exactly he was going to propose to end hunger, and that was to eat the infants.  He described it as an "advantage" to certain mothers "that it will prevent those voluntary abortions, and that horrid practice of women murdering their bastard children, alas!"  After reading this, this is a very strange and messed up way to end hunger in a country or city.  This proposal that Swift writes is very sarcastic way of helping the overpopulated country of Ireland but the people take his proposal literally and eat their children or sell them.  These parents seem very desperate. 

Above is a funny and sarcastic video of A Modest Proposal that I had found on youtube.  Enjoy :)

Loaves and Fishes

 

I have never heard of Loaves and Fishes and was very intrigued when we talked about it in class and decided to take a field trip.  I also did not know that this type of service was so close to me right here in Kalamazoo. Loaves and Fishes mission is to develop a hunger-free community.  I amazed to hear that it was first developed by various churches downtown that experienced many requests for food assistance.  I think that this is a wonderful idea that allows our community to provide such assistance to those in need, especially those who are local.  Sometimes, those who need help the most are embarrassed to even ask for help or assistance.  Many of these programs have expanded, and with the Grocery Pantry being the largest, in 2012 127,000 people were assisted.  This was an increase of about 13% since 2011

Where does this type of  program get all of the food to help out those in need and try to end hunger? This was my question when I began exploring the website.  I found that Loaves and Fishes receives food from community donations and from larger food drives, which is approximately 300,000lbs of food each year.  Over 2 million lbs of food is distributed annually, therefore, money needs to be raised to make sure that the food is available! KLF allows one to receive food every 30 days and an appointment is needed.  I think that this is a wonderful program to help out those in need and believe that there should be one in each city.  This type of program should only help out those who really are in need rather and are struggling rather than those who are just looking for hand outs.  One thing that I found shocking after searching their website is that there is no paperwork to fill out and no income requirements to be able to receive food from KLF or any of the five key programs.  I found this shocking because, how do they know an individual really needs the assistance or if they are abusing the system?  This would be a question I would want to ask.