In The World Of The 1700s

In the world of the 1700’s people were working tremendous hours everyday with the wage of $1.50 a week. In the novel, Lyddie, by Katherine Paterson, Lyddie had to work so many hours at a factory mill to pay off the debts of her family’s farm. Lyddie also needed that money to keep her family together and to take care of them. Lyddie had to decide to sign the petition or not. The petition was a paper that where the factory workers had to sign so that they can get better working conditions, work less hours and to get a higher wage from the one they had. Some may say that Lyddie should not sign the petition because she could get fired and be blacklisted. The reasons Lyddie should sign the petition are because the working conditions were terrible and she worked too many hours. Lyddie should sign the petition because the working conditions were terrible. In chapter 9 it says, “ how could she say she could hardly see anything in the morning gloom of the huge, barnlike room, the very air a soup of dust and lint” on page 63. This shows that the air could barley be seen and that makes it a health hazard. Another reason why Lyddie should sign the petition is because in chapter 10 it says, “now that she thought of it, she could hardly breathe, the air was full with laden and moisture” on page 75. This means that Lyddie is working at an area where and any time she could feel light headed, dizzy, and she could faint. In conclusion, the terrible working conditions make it necessary for Lyddie to sign the petition. Lyddie should sign the petition because she worked too many hours. According to the text, “were working longer hours, tending more machines all of which have been speeded to demon pace, so the corporation can make a packet of money” on page 92. This means that Lyddie is working more hours and is being pay less. Another reason that Lyddie should sign the petition is because “ she had done so well on her two, then three, machines that Mr. Marsden gave her a fourth