The Strawberry Fields By Eric Schlosser - 1306 Words

Bethany Beaudoin Professor Byrne English 1510 9/24/17 Farmers and Their Fields Strawberries are treasured by numerous throughout the world, but feelings may transformation after the unveiling of some dark secrets of strawberry farms. â€Å"In the Strawberry Fields† by Eric Schlosser brings up many concerning realities about what life is truly like for strawberry pickers. Many of these farm workers are illegal migrants from Mexico. Because of their illegal status, they are far less probable to go to the authorities with complaints of unfair treatment. Many strawberry field owners are more than willing to take advantage of this. Strawberry pickers are often overworked, poorly paid, and not treated fairly. Most are Mexicans searching for work so†¦show more content†¦These Mexican workers will work strenuously in hopes of earning more money, yet despite the extra hours of labor, their income hardly increases. This unfair treatment is far too common for workers such as these. On average, a strawberry picker works 12 hours a day. Not only is this cons idered working overtime, it is also extremely strenuous on one s body. Bending down low to pick the faultless strawberries is challenging for anyone, and hours of this can be tremendously painful. When forced to work like that several days a week for months at a time, permanent spinal impairment is common. Overworked, underpaid, and all around mistreated, these field workers deserve better treatment. Improved living environments could possibly come about merely by reasonable salaries. If everyone got paid the accurate amount for the work accomplished, money would not be such a struggle. It may not pay well, but minimum wage would be sufficient to at least help workers find places to live. The demanding hours and low pay makes life far more challenging than it ought to be. â€Å"Paying less than minimum wage brings the greatest savings of all† (Schlosser). While paying less than minimum wage saves the farm owners money, it turns these poor migrants work into something that is nearly slave labor. Often, Spanish speaking workers will sign an English contract, even though they comprehend nothing about it. While this may benefit the owners, it is cruel and unfairShow MoreRelatedIn The Strawberry Fields Eric Schlosser1289 Words   |  6 Pageskids. Eric Schlosser in his article In the Strawberry Fields honestly assessed the conditions of the migratory work force in California straw berry fields while providing facts and evidences to support his observations. In his article the author mainly focused on three aspects of immigrants problems. The first one is lack of legal status and depressed living conditions. The second is wages and the third is hazardous health conditions that the workers face while working. Eric Schlosser in hisRead MoreIn The Strawberry Fields By Eric Schlosser2000 Words   |  8 Pagesillegally, by travelling on foot for several days, crossing deserts, mountains and the southern border of USA, to get a decent and secured better lif e for them and for their kids. Eric Schlosser in his article In the Strawberry Fields honestly assessed the conditions of the migratory work force in California straw berry fields while providing facts and evidences to support his observations. In his article the author mainly focused on Living and working conditions, wages and hazardous health conditionsRead MoreAnalysis Of Eric Schlosser s The Strawberry Fields 1615 Words   |  7 PagesAmerican dream. However, the way, does not always possess the same innocent light of the optimistic saying. In Eric Schlosser’s article, â€Å"In the Strawberry Fields† he discusses exactly that. Immigrants often end up doing the laborious farm work most Americans are unwilling to do with good reason. 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In the 90’s, consumers beganRead MoreThe Plight Of The Immigrant Farmer Worker Essay1356 Words   |  6 PagesEnglish 1510 November 20, 2016 The Plight of the Immigrant Farm Worker Have you ever wondered how really bad it is to be an immigrant farm worker? The article â€Å"In the Strawberry Fields† by Eric Scholsser, he looks at the hardships that face immigrant farmers. Though there are laws to try and help the immigrants Schlosser observed â€Å"The temptation to break the law can be great. The punishments for doing so are rarely applied† (86). From sharecropping and low wages to deplorable living conditionsRead MoreEssay Reefer Madness Summary1366 Words   |  6 PagesReefer Madness Eric Schlosser To start off, the main driven idea of this book is the black market, or what they refer to as the underground and â€Å"shadow economy†. The underground has its choices and consequences as well as any other type of economic system do. But, in this case the underground can be a country’s main economy for survival such as, â€Å"In Bolivia the underground economy is responsible for an estimated 65 percent of GDP. In Nigeria it accounts for perhaps 76 percent.† (7) This type ofRead MoreThe 9 / 11 Attack Essay1599 Words   |  7 Pagestheir situation. One can find mostly Mexican immigrants working in crop fields picking all sorts of fruits and vegetables, considering that the hardest job is as a strawberry picker, and it all being unjust in the way that they treat and pay them. Eric Schlosser in his book â€Å"Reefer Madness† includes the condition on how an immigrant man by the name of Felipe was working and the way that he felt about the job as a strawberr y picker. â€Å"They use us all year as slaves,’ he said. ‘They pay us whateverRead MoreFast Food Industry By Eric Schlosser3535 Words   |  15 PagesEstrella Introduction 1. 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Most of its money is earned not only by selling hamburgers, but