B2 – Upper Intermediate
The Industrial Revolution had led to a need for workers and in the pursuit of cheap labor, many companies hired children. This, in turn, had put them in dangerous conditions for long hours and low pay. As the outcry against this practice grew, the National Child Labor Committee hired Lewis Wickes Hine to travel the country and photograph and interview child laborers. His images are powerful, and his careful documentary work gave them more context and helped spur the passage of legislation.
Check out the video below on his outstanding work and be able to answer the questions that follow:
Discussion Questions:
- How do feel about what’s discussed in the video?
- What are your thoughts on how Hine carefully shot his photos to shine a light on the problem in child labor?
- What do you think of Child Labor? Do you think it still exists today?
- Do you like taking pictures? What is your purpose in taking them?
- What do you think is the importance of photography in our life? How powerful is it?