Poetry Interpretation.

Poem: I, Too. Author: Langston Hughes.

The poem I read is called "I, Too." by Langston Hughes. In this poem, Langston Hughes expresses how he feels about being treated differently because of his color. He says "Tomorrow, I'll be at the table when company comes. Nobody'll dare say to me, Eat in the kitchen, then." By this he's saying that he feels it isn't fair he's being sent to the kitchen to eat when company comes just because he's black, and that he too one day will be able to eat with the company at the table. He uses the table as a metaphor, instead of saying tomorrow I'll have equal rights, he says tomorrow I'll eat at the table with everyone else. This does relate to some of the feelings from the factory workers may have because they might feel that they too, one day will be able to work in normal working conditions and not have to work long hours just to be able to get a decent pay. Just like Langston Hughes' goal is to be treated just like everybody else, so is theirs.

Nike Factory Workers > = l

Factory Workers Then and Now.

"Nike" has to be one of the most known name brands all over the world. The company sells millions of products, but who would of guessed that the factories in which those products are made are very much alike to the Triangle Factory. Nike has factories in Vietnam, Haiti, China, and many other places around the world. Nike illegally pushes their workers to work about 40 hours of overtime and pays them less than $5 an hour, which is almost the same as the Triangle Factory workers who made about six to seven dollars a week.

The working conditions are extremely bad too. In the Vietnam factories people commonly faint from exhaustion, heat, fumes, and poor nutrition, some die without medical attention after collapsing on the job, a typical 20-hr./day factory with 6000 workers has only one doctor, for 2 hrs./day , and people are fired immediately if they take sick leave.

I find these conditions horrible and I don't think people should suffer this way just because they need the money. Nike is a great company, but they shouldn't be treating workers like this especially if they have the money to pay them more.


Sites: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~lormand/poli/nike/nikelabor.htm