Studs Terkel #8

This Terkel reading stood out by showing the negative side of being an American. Mike Lefevre was a steelworker who hated his job. Lefevre enjoyed manual labor. He used the example of building a house to explain why he liked manual labor; he said that the build would see what they have created and take pride in the process of seeing the house develop. In his job in the steel industry, where the products are mass-produced, "you don't see where nothing goes" (319). As a result he did not get any satisfaction out of his job. This relates to the working class during WWII because the workers were as motivated as they've ever been in American history because everyone was proud of the fact how powerful America was and how productive each company was. Lefevre also showed how powerless he felt. The lack of freedom for factory workers who were forced to work such long hours made him feel like he had no control over his life. He had to work a job that made him miserable in order to support a family. Maybe lowering the hours would actually create a more effective working environment.

Roberto Acuna faced great struggles. He was a farmer whose father passed away which left his mother with him and his brothers to make a living through hard work, endless hours, and nothing to show for it. His mother had a difficult time at her other job at the restaurant and was disrespected. Acuna and his brothers had to work early before school, run to school in dirty clothes, and run home for more work. The lack of sleep, clean clothes, or time to do homework caused them to be a target of bullying from their white peers. Acuna struggled to be accepted most of all, and unlike Lefevre, did not complain about the amount of work or money, but the normal life that was taken away from him. He noticed, "Everything was so wrong" (342). He explained that there was water for irrigation but no running water in the farmers' homes; there was heating for livestock but not for workers' homes. Society wanted the best conditions for the crops and the products that were being produced but did not care about the farmers’ life and living conditions. While Acuna was willing to do hard work, he was not willing to be treated like he was not a person because of his race or job. He joined a union because he thought it would lead to people liking him and respecting him more, and they became worth much more than they had to show for in their quality of life. Both of these stories could be connected to the labor unions that fought for less hours and better conditions.