The book entitled Heavy Burdens on Small Shoulders The Labour of Pioneer Children on the Canadian Prairies, written by Rollings-Magnusson, discusses the economic value placed on the labor efforts exerted by the first wave of children that settled in the Canadian Prairies. The discussion focused on the contributions of the children to the family farms, which was established by the settlers coming from different areas around the globe. Through the efforts of the government and other organizations, immigrants and migrants were encouraged to venture into new opportunities that were presented through massive information campaigns in the form of brochures and print materials. Unfortunately, the information contained in the materials is often exaggerated, which served to mislead the immigrants into thinking that transferring in the area was relatively easy coupled with abundant opportunities for livelihood. The difficulties faced by the settlers paved the way for the participation of children in activities in the family farm, which started from the establishment of the homes to the engagement in agriculture-related tasks. The book serves as an important source of information with regard to the economic contribution, and implicitly shows the importance, of children in the agricultural production in the Canadian family farms, as seen through the experience of the first wave of settlers.
In the earlier parts of the book, the author argued that the functions of the children in the family farms situated in the Western Canadian prairie region have contributed to the management of the farms. There are a variety of factors that paved the way for the need of childrens participation that includes compliance with government regulations for acquiring properties, expectations from the society and the families, and the labor-intensive work that needs to be accomplished by the families. In addition to this, the author argued that the economic contributions of the children are unrecognized as shown through the insufficiency of theories and literature that describes and brings significance to child labor in the family farms (x 11). Thus, the author proposes that the experiences of children should be incorporated into the larger umbrella of feminist theories. The general picture offered by the author shows that the children are often considered as co-workers and not simple apprentices who deserve lesser loads of work (19).
The author presented answers to the questions of who, what, when, where, and how with regard to the childrens participation in the family farms by a comprehensive introduction that provides the relevant details. The details that correspond to the above mentioned descriptive inquiries, being placed in the first chapters of the book, successfully respond to the need for relevant information with regard to the arguments posed by the author. Likewise, the structure and clarity of the presentation of the information immediately equips the readers with relevant knowledge on the facts that are useful throughout the paper. After presenting the answers to the descriptive questions, the author proceeds with answering the aspects of why, which in this book is related to a) why there is a need for the participation of children in farming activities and b) why the contributions are deemed significant for the success of the settlers in establishing the family farms. The answers to the last question is continuously built through the different sections of the book that focused on the specific relationships between the children and the family farms. In other words, the author is able to develop the arguments by providing the important details in the beginning and presenting the analytical aspects in different organized sections.
The author provided one general argument but further supported this by listing additional sub-arguments. The author is able to establish that the children made their own respective contributions in accomplishing tasks in the family farms through the different narratives presented. However, there are smaller ideas that also sprung along the way that support the major argument. The existence of smaller details related to the general argument sometimes lead to inconsistencies as there is a tendency for the data presented by the author in support of particular arguments to go against the principles of another argument. For example, the author states that there is no numerical value or remuneration provided to the children in exchange for the labor spent as they accomplish activities within the family farms (11). However, the entrepreneurial type of child labor, one of the categories offered for the measurement of childrens participation in the family farms, mentioned that children are given payment in exchange for the work they accomplished. In fact, the data gathered for entrepreneurial labor showed that 37 of the boys and 27 of the girls engaged in such activities in order to earn money and make financial contributions to their family.
Likewise, the author mentioned that children are often considered as co-workers instead of mere apprentices, which forces the children to bear the same kind of workload as the adults (19). Through this statement, it is shown that the children seemed to be treated as adults and are expected to pursue the same kind and quantity of tasks. The picture drawn presents children to be at par with the adult workers despite physical differences. A thorough reading of the narratives shows that it is not true for all instances. Indeed, there are children who are expected to perform the responsibilities of the adults. However, there are still considerations made by parents before they allowed or expected their children to work, according to a survey conducted among the mothers in the prairie. From the responses, it is found that women took consideration of the physical strength of their children before they are introduced to the world of labor and production but did not discount the need to bring children because of their positive contributions to the family (23).
Moreover, there are experiences that demonstrated the relatively little degree of help extended by the children to their parents in different tasks. In one of the experiences gathered from the memoirs of a child, the following is stated father did the loading, but I kept him company and thought I helped (38). The statement demonstrates the varying degree of expectations with regard to the level of participation exhibited by children, which is associated with their physical capabilities. Aside from this, expectations of society and families are not inherent factors that affect the ability of the children to engage in labor during the earlier parts of their childhood. For example, the account taken from one of the children who lived during the period showed that children requested permission to engage in activities and saw the novelty in the tasks (54). As soon as the tasks become routine and repetitive, the children start to reduce these to mere chores (54).
The arguments and ideas presented by the author are mostly qualitative in nature and are supported by the subjective responses gathered through primary and secondary sources. The author gathered the relevant data from 260 children who were part of the early settlers in the Western Canadian prairie from 1871 to 1913 (12).
The author consulted historical records written by these children that includes diaries and memoirs, family histories, stories, autobiographies, poems, letters, and published documents (13). Aside from these, the author also used information from the census and other official records (ix). The use of primary resources enhances the credibility of the information included by the author because it shows the actual experiences of the children who were active participants in the phenomenon studied. The inclusion of personal narratives, experiences, perspectives, and opinion serves the purpose of the author, which is to illustrate the contribution of children in the family farms.
The quality and quantity of the information presented suffices the goals of the author. Practically, the entire book is built to narrate the specific experiences of people who have lived during the settlement period and allows the readers to imagine the important roles of children during that time. Likewise, enough information is included to prove the point of the author in each of the sections presented in the book. However, there are instances when the author spends too much time presenting data regarding certain aspects of the prairie that interrupts the focus and flow of the discussion. An example of this is the information provided for the construction of houses and its impact on the familys way of life and farming activities.
In terms of presentation, the author systematically divided the relevant information into four important sections based on the types of labor that children engage in. In so doing, it becomes easier to access information because data is systematically arranged according to their commonalities. The narrative approach of the client in presenting the data also keeps the interest in reading despite its length.
Since the focus of the author is on presenting the economic labor performed by the children, a significant portion of the data is obtained from personal accounts of children. Most of the time, the other members of the family are kept in the background to reinforce the need for help from the children. The focus on the perspectives of the children did not allow the author to pursue the research from a holistic view, which should have been achieved by gathering relevant information from the parents and other members of the family. Thus, it lacked relevant attention towards the experiences of the observers, who might have contributed important data as they are able to work with the children in different terms. Likewise, the outside observers are usually the source of expectations that encouraged or pushed the children to work in the family farms.
With regard to the illustrations included in the book, there is a great relevance seen for some where it is intended to support the arguments of the author. However, there are instances when the pictures shown simply illustrate the same ideas seen from the last pictures. Aside from illustrations, the book also contains tables that show important statistics or data gathered by the author. The use of tables is limited to the purpose of supporting the arguments through numerical representations as evidences.
The economic contributions of children is discussed using a variety of theories and is explained through different approaches. Different fields of studies, including sociology and psychology, have contributed towards establishing the argument that children have respective economic values in terms of the labor they are able to provide to help their parents and other family members. However, as mentioned by the author, there is little, if none, information that focuses on the childrens participation in agricultural endeavors. More importantly, the settlement period, which entails labor-intensive activities, served as a critical point for the roles of children in agriculture because of the difficulties that the group of immigrants and migrants faced. In this aspect, the study contributes towards shedding light on the specific contributions of the children in the settlement period. The information presented in the book is a step towards giving life to the specific experiences of children and shows the value of their labor in the success of the settlements in the region.
In addition to this, the contents of the book can be used to understand the business and labor history in Canada because of its focus on production and labor. The discussions can be used to analyze the historical underpinnings of labor in the agriculture setting, more specifically in relation to child labor during the settlement period. The book does not provide a comprehensive perspective on business but touches some aspects of production during the particular period. A better insight is gained with regard to the complexity of establishing and operating the family farms in order to produce agricultural products. As for labor, the discussions show a different perspective with regard to child labor from a particular period in Canadas history. The information contained in relation to this can be used to better understand the current labor policies involving the employment of children in different industries. The historical understanding derived from the book can be used to evaluate the current business and labor practices in Canada.
In the earlier parts of the book, the author argued that the functions of the children in the family farms situated in the Western Canadian prairie region have contributed to the management of the farms. There are a variety of factors that paved the way for the need of childrens participation that includes compliance with government regulations for acquiring properties, expectations from the society and the families, and the labor-intensive work that needs to be accomplished by the families. In addition to this, the author argued that the economic contributions of the children are unrecognized as shown through the insufficiency of theories and literature that describes and brings significance to child labor in the family farms (x 11). Thus, the author proposes that the experiences of children should be incorporated into the larger umbrella of feminist theories. The general picture offered by the author shows that the children are often considered as co-workers and not simple apprentices who deserve lesser loads of work (19).
The author presented answers to the questions of who, what, when, where, and how with regard to the childrens participation in the family farms by a comprehensive introduction that provides the relevant details. The details that correspond to the above mentioned descriptive inquiries, being placed in the first chapters of the book, successfully respond to the need for relevant information with regard to the arguments posed by the author. Likewise, the structure and clarity of the presentation of the information immediately equips the readers with relevant knowledge on the facts that are useful throughout the paper. After presenting the answers to the descriptive questions, the author proceeds with answering the aspects of why, which in this book is related to a) why there is a need for the participation of children in farming activities and b) why the contributions are deemed significant for the success of the settlers in establishing the family farms. The answers to the last question is continuously built through the different sections of the book that focused on the specific relationships between the children and the family farms. In other words, the author is able to develop the arguments by providing the important details in the beginning and presenting the analytical aspects in different organized sections.
The author provided one general argument but further supported this by listing additional sub-arguments. The author is able to establish that the children made their own respective contributions in accomplishing tasks in the family farms through the different narratives presented. However, there are smaller ideas that also sprung along the way that support the major argument. The existence of smaller details related to the general argument sometimes lead to inconsistencies as there is a tendency for the data presented by the author in support of particular arguments to go against the principles of another argument. For example, the author states that there is no numerical value or remuneration provided to the children in exchange for the labor spent as they accomplish activities within the family farms (11). However, the entrepreneurial type of child labor, one of the categories offered for the measurement of childrens participation in the family farms, mentioned that children are given payment in exchange for the work they accomplished. In fact, the data gathered for entrepreneurial labor showed that 37 of the boys and 27 of the girls engaged in such activities in order to earn money and make financial contributions to their family.
Likewise, the author mentioned that children are often considered as co-workers instead of mere apprentices, which forces the children to bear the same kind of workload as the adults (19). Through this statement, it is shown that the children seemed to be treated as adults and are expected to pursue the same kind and quantity of tasks. The picture drawn presents children to be at par with the adult workers despite physical differences. A thorough reading of the narratives shows that it is not true for all instances. Indeed, there are children who are expected to perform the responsibilities of the adults. However, there are still considerations made by parents before they allowed or expected their children to work, according to a survey conducted among the mothers in the prairie. From the responses, it is found that women took consideration of the physical strength of their children before they are introduced to the world of labor and production but did not discount the need to bring children because of their positive contributions to the family (23).
Moreover, there are experiences that demonstrated the relatively little degree of help extended by the children to their parents in different tasks. In one of the experiences gathered from the memoirs of a child, the following is stated father did the loading, but I kept him company and thought I helped (38). The statement demonstrates the varying degree of expectations with regard to the level of participation exhibited by children, which is associated with their physical capabilities. Aside from this, expectations of society and families are not inherent factors that affect the ability of the children to engage in labor during the earlier parts of their childhood. For example, the account taken from one of the children who lived during the period showed that children requested permission to engage in activities and saw the novelty in the tasks (54). As soon as the tasks become routine and repetitive, the children start to reduce these to mere chores (54).
The arguments and ideas presented by the author are mostly qualitative in nature and are supported by the subjective responses gathered through primary and secondary sources. The author gathered the relevant data from 260 children who were part of the early settlers in the Western Canadian prairie from 1871 to 1913 (12).
The author consulted historical records written by these children that includes diaries and memoirs, family histories, stories, autobiographies, poems, letters, and published documents (13). Aside from these, the author also used information from the census and other official records (ix). The use of primary resources enhances the credibility of the information included by the author because it shows the actual experiences of the children who were active participants in the phenomenon studied. The inclusion of personal narratives, experiences, perspectives, and opinion serves the purpose of the author, which is to illustrate the contribution of children in the family farms.
The quality and quantity of the information presented suffices the goals of the author. Practically, the entire book is built to narrate the specific experiences of people who have lived during the settlement period and allows the readers to imagine the important roles of children during that time. Likewise, enough information is included to prove the point of the author in each of the sections presented in the book. However, there are instances when the author spends too much time presenting data regarding certain aspects of the prairie that interrupts the focus and flow of the discussion. An example of this is the information provided for the construction of houses and its impact on the familys way of life and farming activities.
In terms of presentation, the author systematically divided the relevant information into four important sections based on the types of labor that children engage in. In so doing, it becomes easier to access information because data is systematically arranged according to their commonalities. The narrative approach of the client in presenting the data also keeps the interest in reading despite its length.
Since the focus of the author is on presenting the economic labor performed by the children, a significant portion of the data is obtained from personal accounts of children. Most of the time, the other members of the family are kept in the background to reinforce the need for help from the children. The focus on the perspectives of the children did not allow the author to pursue the research from a holistic view, which should have been achieved by gathering relevant information from the parents and other members of the family. Thus, it lacked relevant attention towards the experiences of the observers, who might have contributed important data as they are able to work with the children in different terms. Likewise, the outside observers are usually the source of expectations that encouraged or pushed the children to work in the family farms.
With regard to the illustrations included in the book, there is a great relevance seen for some where it is intended to support the arguments of the author. However, there are instances when the pictures shown simply illustrate the same ideas seen from the last pictures. Aside from illustrations, the book also contains tables that show important statistics or data gathered by the author. The use of tables is limited to the purpose of supporting the arguments through numerical representations as evidences.
The economic contributions of children is discussed using a variety of theories and is explained through different approaches. Different fields of studies, including sociology and psychology, have contributed towards establishing the argument that children have respective economic values in terms of the labor they are able to provide to help their parents and other family members. However, as mentioned by the author, there is little, if none, information that focuses on the childrens participation in agricultural endeavors. More importantly, the settlement period, which entails labor-intensive activities, served as a critical point for the roles of children in agriculture because of the difficulties that the group of immigrants and migrants faced. In this aspect, the study contributes towards shedding light on the specific contributions of the children in the settlement period. The information presented in the book is a step towards giving life to the specific experiences of children and shows the value of their labor in the success of the settlements in the region.
In addition to this, the contents of the book can be used to understand the business and labor history in Canada because of its focus on production and labor. The discussions can be used to analyze the historical underpinnings of labor in the agriculture setting, more specifically in relation to child labor during the settlement period. The book does not provide a comprehensive perspective on business but touches some aspects of production during the particular period. A better insight is gained with regard to the complexity of establishing and operating the family farms in order to produce agricultural products. As for labor, the discussions show a different perspective with regard to child labor from a particular period in Canadas history. The information contained in relation to this can be used to better understand the current labor policies involving the employment of children in different industries. The historical understanding derived from the book can be used to evaluate the current business and labor practices in Canada.
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