A Young Boy Coal Miner (Romina Garakani)

My name is Sam. I am seven years old. I am a coal miner. I am just like my father and we even work together. We are trapped in the mines for twelve hours everyday. My older sister even works in the mine. She carries baskets of dug coal, which is too heavy for her too carry. These heavy baskets have caused deformities in many other women. I, along with my father and sister, each make two pennies a day. My family survives on 6 pennies. It is not enough money for us and usually my mother skips meals. We are so desperate to survive. Everyday my father, sister, and I come home, tired and in miserable moods. I feel so bad for my dear mother. The only time we are together, no one talks because we are in pain from our jobs. My heart breaks when I realize that my sister will not live a life like a real woman. One day, her body will become deformed just like all the other young woman working in the coal mines. She may not marry and she may not have children. She doesn't deserve that. Everyday when we step foot into the coal mine, we risk our lives. At any moment, something could fall on us and kill us. We cannot breathe correctly for twelve hours of every day. Our lungs are weakening and are not functioning properly. The inventions created in this Revolution include advanced medicine to lengthen the span of our lives. Unfortunately, as people's lives our increasing, my family's is decreasing. We would never in a million years be able to buy these medicines because we have no money. We don't even have enough money to feed my family. This Industrial Revolution has made my life miserable. Everyone around me is making money like it's growing off the trees and I am living a life of poverty with my people.