Live Free And Starve Chitra Divakaruni
“Live Free and Starve”
Chitra Divakaruni
Purpose:
Chitra’s purpose was to question if America wanted to bear the responsibility of leaving child workers unemployed.
Thesis:
“…are we willing to shoulder that responsibility? “
Summary:
A bill was passed that banned America from importing to countries where child labor was involved. Some of her friends agreed and cheered as the bill was passed, but Chitra wondered if this was the best way to help out the children. The kids may get sold into forced labor with poor conditions, but it is the only way the family can not only feed themselves, but their kids get shelter and food. A free kid in a Third World country cannot support himself or others. Chitra concludes by stating that the
bill is meaningless unless something is done physically with the bill. The bill just creates jobless children going around looking for food.
Reaction:
I agree with Chitra. I could care less about foreign countries starving. America has problems of its own. The bill does help in the advancement of human rights, but the bill does not stop child labor altogether. It is just a short term solution to end child labor which leads to children going unemployed and eventually back to where they started. If the government really cared, they would work more to freeing and feeding the children, but, the government does not really care; which is something the government and I have in common.
“Probing Disease”
Gina Kolata
Purpose:
Kolata’s purpose was to show that it is hard to prove if disease clusters are random or if there is a direct link to the cause of the clusters.
Thesis:
“People—and I, too—find it hard to accept that it is just random chance that brought this horrible consequence,”
Summary:
Kolata starts out saying a town in New Jersey is getting more kids developing autism. Whenever an outbreak occurs, people crack down trying to find the source. Some are easy to locate: coal miners develop black lung and asbestos workers get mesothelioma. Common diseases such as cancer and autism are harder to find
Reaction:
Chitra Divakaruni
Purpose:
Chitra’s purpose was to question if America wanted to bear the responsibility of leaving child workers unemployed.
Thesis:
“…are we willing to shoulder that responsibility? “
Summary:
A bill was passed that banned America from importing to countries where child labor was involved. Some of her friends agreed and cheered as the bill was passed, but Chitra wondered if this was the best way to help out the children. The kids may get sold into forced labor with poor conditions, but it is the only way the family can not only feed themselves, but their kids get shelter and food. A free kid in a Third World country cannot support himself or others. Chitra concludes by stating that the
bill is meaningless unless something is done physically with the bill. The bill just creates jobless children going around looking for food.
Reaction:
I agree with Chitra. I could care less about foreign countries starving. America has problems of its own. The bill does help in the advancement of human rights, but the bill does not stop child labor altogether. It is just a short term solution to end child labor which leads to children going unemployed and eventually back to where they started. If the government really cared, they would work more to freeing and feeding the children, but, the government does not really care; which is something the government and I have in common.
“Probing Disease”
Gina Kolata
Purpose:
Kolata’s purpose was to show that it is hard to prove if disease clusters are random or if there is a direct link to the cause of the clusters.
Thesis:
“People—and I, too—find it hard to accept that it is just random chance that brought this horrible consequence,”
Summary:
Kolata starts out saying a town in New Jersey is getting more kids developing autism. Whenever an outbreak occurs, people crack down trying to find the source. Some are easy to locate: coal miners develop black lung and asbestos workers get mesothelioma. Common diseases such as cancer and autism are harder to find
Reaction: