The conversation between Tubby and Mr. Snook in this book really got my attention. Tubby represent the traditional Japanese character who believe in traditional Japanese thoughts like pecking order and filial duty is important in the society, where as Mr. Snook represent a character form new world who believe in western enlightenment of individual development and removing social misbelieves like pecking order.
Japanese people and people from different part of Asia and Europe came to Hawaii in 1930s started migrate to work on the sugar cane plantation. Traditional Japanese believed in the pecking order which is the social hierarchy within the people of certain group. Due to this reason they did not support the Filipino workers of the Frontier Mill Plantation during strike for the proper pay rate. When the plantations are unable to pay them new rates, other people will be able to get their jobs. Here, we can see the total selfishness among the people and contend to earn money in expense of others. People are accustomed to humiliation from top and to humiliate less fortunate. Mr. Snook wants his students to see these immoral practices of the society and improve them.
Mr. Snook believed that the big bosses of the plantation are like the feudal lords who divide the workers and make them work for less. They forbid the process of bargaining for pay. Since there are more people than job, people are willing to work for less. This is the point when these feudal lords like bosses exploits them and keep them underpaid. He just wants his students to become active and point out where things are wrong. Not just sit around and become happy with the minimum pay they get. He wants them to fight for then rate of bay they were suppose to get, not by pulling each other’s leg but by helping each other by disregarding the pecking order.
Sujan,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your response to this reading. People are usually selfish and greedy by nature. We can see that these workers were happy to earn more money even though others were harmed in the process. Everyone has a price and money brings out the worst in people. It doesn't matter how honest they are, eventually there's a point where they're willing to throw that honesty out the window in exchange for something.
Maybe on rare occasions this isn't true. I'm sure there's people out there that are genuinely good people and they want to help others. This doesn't happen very often, but we should all strive to be this way. Money isn't everything there is in life. If anything, it's useless. Sure it pays our bills, but it can't buy us anything that's truly important.