The Mistreatment of Factory Workers Essay Sample

Prior to the industrial revolution, Farmers would grow crops and breed animals. Leading up to the revolution, many new inventions were created. Individuals created new inventions such as the spinning jenny to effectively create clothing. As well as this, trains and railroads were created in order to enhance transportation. Factories were able to produce a large amount of goods for a low price. As a result of this, Factory owners prioritized profit which led to harsh working conditions. Much of the working class were paid low wages and were unable to live in healthy living conditions. Thus, much of the working class was paid low wages and were unable to live in healthy living conditions. The Industrial Revolution led to immense dehumanization and mistreatment of the working class, as demonstrated in the common implementation of unsafe work hours and unbearable living environments.

During the Industrial revolution, workers were not given human dignity as identified with factory workers working long, and brutal work hours. The Vorst Sisters describe the reality of being a factory worker in “The Woman Who Toils Being the Experiences of Two gentlemen as Factory girls, 1903” “I am taking $4.20 a week and spending $3 for this board alone, and I dread not being strong enough to keep my job”. Vorsts’ description of factory workers shows how factory workers work in unsafe conditions, yet still worry about how they may be fired if they are not working hard enough. In a capitalist society the main goal of employers is to make a profit, which leads to workers being paid low wages and having an undesirable work environment. In Anchor Doc 2 “In The Factory” Rosenfeld expresses the brutality of the work given in the factory “And void is my soul.. I am but a machine / I work and I work, never ceasing;”. Rosenfeld uses repetition to repeat the phrase “I work and I work” which is used in order to convey the level of discomfort in the working environment around her. Rosenfeld’s metaphorical use of the amount of labor in factories shows the harsh reality of the working conditions for many who work in factories throughout the industrial revolution. For the multitude of workers, working in factories is their only option which forces them to work in unbearable conditions with low wages.

Many workers throughout the industrial revolution did not have a safe living condition, as seen with unsanitary streets and an increase in pollution. Fredrich Engles describes the living conditions of the working class in “The Conditions of the Working Class in England”, published in 1844 “The streets are usually unpaved, full of holes, and strewn with refuse” (Engles). Engles’ argument shows how workers live in unsanitary conditions which leads to the spread of cholera, as well as pollution.  The vast majority of the working class had low wages, which led them to live in poor areas with unsanitary living conditions which in turn caused disease and pollution. Nelly describes the reality of the living situation of many in the working class during the industrial revolution (Girls who make boxes) “The room may be only for two, in one bed, or it may have a dozen according to the size / They have no conveniences or comforts, and generally undesirable men board at the same place”. Bly uses imagery in order to convey the discomfort of many homes with very little conveniences. For the working class, many work in factories or mines and are paid low wages which impacts their ability to live in sanitary areas with adequate housing. In summary, the living circumstances for the working class in the Industrial revolution majorly affected them as they were unable to live normally with an unsanitary living environment.

Throughout the Industrial Revolution, the working class was treated unfairly as seen with poor working conditions, and unsanitary living environments. The way of life for the working class shows how they were mistreated, as they were unable to have a normal environment around them. Workers were not given human dignity in the industrial revolution, lasting impacts have been shown in the modern day as many citizens in America still cannot live a normal life due to low wages.