The Bitter Cry of Children (1906)

question 45

Multiple Choice

The Bitter Cry of Children (1906)
John Spargo
Work in the coal breakers is exceedingly hard and dangerous. Crouched over the chutes, the boys sit hour after hour, picking out the pieces of slate and other refuse from the coal as it rushes past to the washers. From the cramped position they have to assume, most of them become more or less deformed and bent-backed like old men. When a boy has been working for some time and begins to get round-shouldered, his fellows say that "He's got his boy to carry round wherever he goes."
The coal is hard, and accidents to the hands, such as cut, broken, or crushed fingers, are common among the boys. Sometimes there is a worse accident: a terrified shriek is heard, and a boy is mangled and torn in the machinery, or disappears in the chute to be picked out later smothered and dead. Clouds of dust fill the breakers and are inhaled by the boys, laying the foundations for asthma and miners' consumption. . . .
Boys twelve years of age may be legally employed in the mines of West Virginia, by day or by night, and for as many hours as the employers care to make them toil or their bodies will stand the strain.
-Why did Spargo use such vivid images and graphic language to describe coal manufacturing?

• A) to expose dangerous practices in coal mines
• B) to entertain his audience
• C) to defend the treatment of coal workers
• D) to sell more books

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Definitions:

Social Media

Platforms for sharing and creating content to foster social networking, communication, and sharing among users.

Greatest Appeals

The most compelling or attractive features or aspects of something that draw interest or desire.

Social Media

Platforms and websites that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking, fostering community and communication.

Hard Sell

Hard sell is an aggressive sales technique that applies pressure on the customer to make a purchase decision quickly, often using forceful language or tactics.