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For your homework to be completed by Thursday, March 25th- Write a response to the following statement: Iqbal's parents were right to send him into bonded (slave) labour. Your response can be either a yes or no (no maybe's); you must include your thinking using your opinion or the opinions of others and evidence from the text or other resources - please ID your sources.
Thinking of all of you-
Hello All You Hum 9er’s!
The last official day of classes has come and gone and I already feel a void in my heart. I have had a great year teaching you and more importantly- learning from all of you. You all have taught me so much about yourselves as learners and what I can do as an educator, to better assist you in your learning journey.We have learned a lot about specific information in social studies, and how to write and read better in English, yet for me, this year was also about understanding and honouring who we all are as learners and how to advocate for ourselves. In reflection, I know that each of you have come far in both your personal and educational journey and I thank each one of you for allowing me to come along with you.
When you return next year, please do come find me and say hello, as I will miss you and how lovely it will be to hear from you.
I wish you all a summer filled with joy, happiness and most of all FUN!. Hopefully you'll pick up a something to read along the way and when you do, I hope you will stop and think of all the reading strategies you have learned and put them to use. I also hope that you continue to advocate for yourself and most importantly- Believe in yourself; I know I believe in each and every one of you. You are all capable of greatness. Be the change you want to see in the world (Mahatma Gandhi).
My best to you-
Most sincerely,
Ms. Minuk
PS: Keep Humming Along,
eminuk@sd38.bc.ca
Friday, March 13, 2009
Taking someone elses perspective
For your homework to be completed by Thursday, March 25th- Write a response to the following statement: Iqbal's parents were right to send him into bonded (slave) labour. Your response can be either a yes or no (no maybe's); you must include your thinking using your opinion or the opinions of others and evidence from the text or other resources - please ID your sources.
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I think that it is wrong for children to be working in place of their parents , but in the situation these families are in just to survive are harsh. I dont belive that the child should have to work hard to work off the parents debt. I talked about it with my family, and we dont agree that the children shouldnt be enslaved, but in these situations, what else can the family do? The goverment dosn't have financial support for them, and they belive that their debt can be erased. Also, some of the parents might be too weak to go work in brick factories and carpet factories. To sum things up, I think children should not be enslaved to help their families. They should not have sent Iqbal, for their debt will never be erased.
ReplyDeleteI don't think they should have sent Iqbal. If the parents have a debt to pay off they should do it themselves. If my parents said they were going to send me to do something like this to pay off a debt then I'd tell them they shouldn't get me involved with this. Also, Iqbal said his brother never got better, so what's the point of losing two children? They have a debt to pay off for nothing and it will never be erased so I think sending Iqbal into bonded labour was a bad idea.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is wrong for children to be working for their parents' debt. The parents are basically selling their children just to have some money, this sounds like human trafficing. But in Iqbal's case, I understand why his father got a debt, but why did his father chose this path and not another one? Is there no other option for these types of families?
ReplyDeleteIn overall, like what Alexa said, "I think children should not be enslaved to help their families." because there should be a better choice than this. The government soon do something.
Thank you Alexa, Daniel and Bettina for responding so quickly to the new reflection. Bettina, I am really pleased you were able to reference Alexa in your comment; I hope to see more of this- students talking to students via the blog. Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteI don't think that it is right for a child to become a slave. Even though the family may be having a hard time but there should be other options out there that the family could go to instead of forcing their child into bonded labor. It isn't right for a child to go through this some only being 4 or 5. Children aren't meant to have that big of responsibility to try and keep there family going. I think that iqbal's family was in hard time when his brother was sick and they had no other choice to send Iqbal into child labor. It seems to be almost torture for the child. There should be other options for families to pay off debts.
ReplyDeleteI think it is wrong to use children to make carpets,bricks etc. I think that Iqbal's father made a wrong decision to send Iqbal, because he will never pay off the debt. There is also a very high chance that Iqbal will never see his family again. Like Bettina said, "Is there no other option for these types of families?" I also agree with the others that the government should have done something because people shouldn't be using children for their own benefits when the children don't get anything in return. Although Iqbal's family probably did not know that he would never pay the debt, I still think they should not have sent him to work for the masters.
ReplyDeleteI really think it was wrong of Iqbal's parents to send him into bonded labour. No child should have to work in those circumstances(eg. weather, hospitality and such long hours). His parents should have tried to look for any other options they could. It's to bad that Pakistan's human rights aren't like other countries.
ReplyDeleteIt was an ethically repugnant move made by Iqbal's parents when they sent him to that carpet factory to pay off his family's debt, or more precisely, his father's debt. Child labor is a fairly prominent topic in the entire world, and I think most people on Earth will agree that it is immoral and unfair to the children. Children should be enjoying their lives, playing with their friends, hanging out with their parents and being educated. They should NOT be kept in unsafe conditions (as mentioned in our textbook, Crossroads), and forced to do the jobs that are not appropriate for children. Being kept in a carpet factory, coerced into cleaning chimneys with tight spaces, or being forced to work in poisonous mines not of their own volition (http://www.unicef.org/protection/index_childlabour.html), is a terrifying experience that no one should ever have to endure. Not to mention the fact that most of the masters of these children are inhumane and mostly apathetic toward the children (as can be proved by Hussein Khan from Iqbal) and will never cancel that child’s debt. Iqbal is just one of the many who would forever be enslaved to pay off an impossible debt. However, unlike Iqbal, some still seem to be clinging on to false hope that they would be liberated by their vile and cruel masters.
ReplyDeleteAs a side note, Iqbal did go to the carpet factory willingly, no matter that he said that "I'm not afraid," and it would have been one of Iqbal's sisters to go. So, although they had no choice, Iqbal's parents did not necessarily force him to go. And a question: Hypothetically, if a debt to someone could actually be void, would it be cancelled faster if two children were working off to pay one debt? ie. if Iqbal and another sister were sent to pay off the family's debt, would it be paid off faster?
I don`t think it was a right thing for Iqbal`s family to send him off to the factory for bonded labour. First, because it`s not really fair, it`s the responsibility of the parent to care for their child. It shouldn`t be the children working to pay off their parents`debts, they weren`t the ones that caused the troubles. They`re too young to understand the rights of a human and are easily intimidated. Like how Fatima stays silent and obeys Hussein Khan`s every demand. They really need another way to pay off debts rather than selling their children off to factories...
ReplyDeleteI understand the situation that Iqbal`s parents were in, and although their decision was foolish, what else could they have done? Money doesn`t fall from trees.
I think it was a bad decision, it did no good to the family, especially Iqbal. Even though they were recieved a sum of money, it wasnt like a steady amount of money, once it was used, it would be gone forever. They would be stil in debt and lost a great child for nothing. There was prob another way to make money.
ReplyDeleteprobably*
ReplyDeletei think that Iqbal parents shouldn't have sent Iqbal to be a bonded slave because no matter that hard time you should never send your child to do labor knowing that you will never ever see him again no matter how hard he worked and when he grows up and become useless to the master he will be tossed away like a snot covered tissue onto the streets and with no where to go and no skill left the chance of survival is very low to nothing.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that its right for a child to work for the parent just knowing that they can take advantage of them and giving them less pay and also the fact that even though Iqbal's parents were in debt, they should have never sent him to pay off the debt because no matter how hard Iqbal tries, the debt will not be paid off. As a parent, they have the respondsibilty to look after their kids, so I don't think it was right to make Iqbal a bonded slave, they ruined his life.
ReplyDeleteI think it was right for Iqpal's parents to send him into bonded labour. If he didn't go, then his brother would have no hope, and would've died of the sickness. His parents also believed that Iqbal was just going to leave for a few months, and once the debt was paid off he could come back, but that was not the case and they weren't aware of that. In the setting he is in, children were just tools. I think his parents were fair enough to ask his opinion on this instead of just forcing him to go. It was Iqbal's own decision to go.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it was very honorable of iqbal's parents to let him be a child slave...i mean, yeah there were debts to be paid and his dad couldn't do it on his own and his other brother he medically unable to do work; but honestly i think it's still wrong. they could've at least sent him to work at a market or something!
ReplyDeleteI know that he (Iqbal) chose to go to the carpet factory himself so that his little sister wouldn't have to, but there should've been a better AND faster way to pay their debts.
Hussein Khan was just using them ofr his own profit, it's obvious. And yet no one speaks up because they are so intimidated by him...and his oily fattyness =-="....ANWAYZ... yeah
all in all i think it was a bad decision that was made with good intentions that might never be acomplished.
its hard to say because they did not have much of choice they were in debt and had no other way.
ReplyDeletei would like to add that they dont have a choice of were to send him
Child labour seems inhumane and repulsive today. However, Iqbal was one of the many who were enslaved to pay off their parents' debts. As it was described from one of the teachers, a family had to sacrifice parts of their children to maintain others. Forced to work at a carpet factory, away from home, it seems unjust. Despite this fact, this was considered normal during that time. There was scarce income or a job. As Iqbal has stated, "I am not afraid." It was his duty to take his sister's place. The cruel fate has reached its lowest to force innocent children as bonded slaves.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Andrea,
ReplyDeleteChild work is wrong in every way.
But Iqbaul willingly went.
I think that getting a child to work for their parents is not a very nice thing to do.Iqbals parents should of tried to find some other possible way to get money.Just because the children have smaller hands does not mean that they are ready to work even though they could work faster than the adults.
ReplyDeleteThe first response came to my head, was a definite NO . Like what Andrea and the other students said, child labour is inhumane,and wrong, despite of the situations. I wonder, if the parents even know what kind of life Iqbal is living..! And what if, the money would not cure his brother.. resulting in his death... and possibly Iqbal's. (Who wouldn't die from so much stress and work?!) Sure they need money, but it's a preposterous, insane, unintelligent idea! Even though it was Iqbal's choice, come on.. who refuses their parents when they knew there was no choice!
ReplyDeleteIn addition, "I am not afraid" is just something said to reassure his parents... remember he was actually frightened in the book ?
With so much prove from the "Crossroads" textbook, websites, and even the realistic fiction book "Iqbal", it's obvious the parents shouldn't have sent him.. even if it was his own choice. =O
at first, when i heard why iqbal had to come work, i was thinking...why would his parent do that. But now, my thinking has changed, i think it's both good, and bad, because the good part is that iqbal can work for his family, and help give more medication money to his sick brother. The bad part is that iqbals parents shouldn't have agreed to whatever the doctor told them, so iqbal would still be with the family, and even if his brother dies, he would have his whole family beside him, not having one brother missing, and working for the family to cure his sick brother
ReplyDeleteI think even though his family was in this situation and they are desparate it is not Iqbal's responsibility to pay off their families debt it is his father because iqbal is only a kid he should never have such a huge responsiblilty. His father should find a way to get money and should never even choose to sell his son even if they cant get money.
ReplyDeleteI think it is really wrong to send the kids to be enslaved instead of the parents. We're not talking about teens who can handle the job but kids who can barely talk or walk. What Iqbal did, which was take his sister's place was very brave and heroic for me. But then again, it's not his responsibility at all to pay off his families debt for me it would have been way better for either the father or the mother to do it.
ReplyDeleteI think it's wrong to send their kids to work because when they first had them, they cherished them and hoped that they would become successful. Even thought his family was in debt, i thought that it wasn't right for his parents to sell him to Hussain.
ReplyDelete