Low Wage Proposal

For my hypertext I have chosen to focus on the low wage lumberjack. Firstly, I want to expand on my experience as a lumberjack. I learned that lumberjacking is both physically and mentally taxing on one’s body and therefore can cause many struggles in other aspects especially given the fact that these people are working for a low wage. Additionally, I would like to expand on the growing trend in our society where people have begun to take this kind of work for granted. Many people, especially in the higher socioeconomic level of society, assume that things such as lumber, textiles, and other common materials will always be around. They do not, however, think of the people involved in making these materials available to the public. Another part of lumberjacking, which I would like to discuss, is what happens when lumberjacks are injured both in a severe and minor way and how that affects their lives. Every aspect of lumberjacking involves physical work, so I would like to assess how they deal with injury financially and if there are any other opportunities for them to make money.

The most persistent concept that I have found in both The Working Poor and Nickel and Dimed is the use of real life examples. I would like to use real life examples in three ways. First, I want to use my own experience as an example and my perception of lumberjacking. Second, I want to find examples of lumberjacks and their perception of their job and whether or not they are struggling with it or are content with it. Lastly, I want to use my father as an example. He is a hand surgeon and is very accustomed to the types of injuries lumberjacks face as well as the fragility of the human body. With these concepts, I think my hypertext will give a very good insight into the life of a person working in the low-wage lumber industry.