Chapter 4:
Sample of a Quote Interpretation
“And before you finish eating breakfast in the morning, you’ve depended on more than half the world.” –Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
What this quote means to me is that we are all dependent on each other,
as a global community, for our survival. Our world is a global community that is
similar to a spider web or a tree of inter-connectedness. For example, as soon as
we wake up, we depend on construction workers and plumbers for shelter and
water, who in turn depend on the earth's resources. Our food is grown and
transported from all over the globe by farmers here in the United States and
abroad. The clothes we wear are also created by people from all over the world,
who also depend upon the earth's resources for their jobs. In conclusion, we all
depend on each other and the earth, no matter what nationality, race, or class,
for our survival. Therefore, we need to treat each other and the earth more
equitably to ensure a better quality of life for ourselves and future generations.
"People were easy to hire for these jobs, easy to fire, and unlikely to demand a big paycheck.” (chapter 1, page 23)
What this quote means to me is that fast food restaurants do not care about their workers. When the McDonald's brothers converted their kitchen to an assembly line, they made their kitchens into a factory, where everyone did the same thing. Therefore, it does not matter who is doing the job, anyone can be hired to do the same thing over and over again all day long. People who work in these conditions do not learn any real skills. This relates to the theme of justice because it is unfair to treat workers this way. Workers should be treated more fairly, rather than treated like parts in a machine. They should be given better pay and treated as valuable contributors to their company. Any country that treats their employees with respect is bound to have a better work environment and a better product.