Introduction
“God’s Bits of Wood” is a book that was released in 1960 just when Senegal had achieved independence. This probably has a historical significance i.e. a strong theme that stresses on unity is emphasized probably because of its importance by then, specifically so when it come towards building the new nation that had just attained independence. This pre-independence novel in Senegal is following African train workers struggles. They strike again the French, who are their employers, so as to have equal compensation and other types of benefits. The strike in 3 cities leads to shifting of chapters between Thies city, Dakar and Bamako city. Growth and the action of women and men alike who have had their lives transformed due to the strike are tracked. Significantly, the writer labels the chapters by city of occurrence and main character of the chapter rather than the conventional way of using numbers.
Enforcement and Maintenance of Solidarity
The solidarity in this novel comes from the fact that all the striking Africans are suffering from the same fate. A socio-political and economic imbalance is created from the fact that the Africans do not receive any pension among other things. This leads to a situation in which the rich white farmers get richer while them, they continue becoming poor with each coming day. This clearer common goal for all the workers creates a solidarity bond on it own. Bakary while explaining to Sounkare the strike purpose tells him that the children are as well wondering why they are not pensionable (Sembene, pg 18).
There is determination and portrayal of collective will by these workers. To them the most important thing is to ensure that the laborers dignity is extolled no matter the cost. One of the striking workers tells his collogues that the important thing is that they should be standing together. He encourages his colleagues that while some of them are forcefully taken, it is only those who accept their situation as it is both physically and morally that are to be considered slaves (Sembene, pg 20). This clearly is a portrayal of solidarity towards achieving a clear common goal and also doubles up as a call for perseverance towards all the troubles that come with this strike.
Thought the workers are experiencing a lot of suffering, they solder on. Ramatoulaye enlightens them that the goods produced are for profit and not as they previously though that they were only for consumption (Sembene, pg 53). The workers show of solidarity is even stronger even though they are deprived of the basic human needs for life survival e.g. water and food. Solidarity is even extended to their wives and family back at home because although they suffer from the deprivation by their oppressors, they encourage their husbands not to give up the fight through their actions. To this effect, a certain woman protests to the police and say to them that no one would go to the police in that house. She further claims that although she cannot read there is certainly not a single book out there that supports the killing and deprivation of the rights of honest people (Sembene, pg 122). This show a clearly dislike of the actions of the police and a clear defiance that she would encourage further strike by the workers since they rightfully deserved the rights that they were fighting for.
Although Bakayo has had his mother killed while his father was arrested and imprisoned, he fearlessly fights foe the workers’ rights. Not even the wounding of his daughter can stop him. This has even made him an embodiment representing new Africa. It is no wonder that the women call him “The Morning Light” (Sembene, pg 174).
To ensure that this solidarity is maintained and ensure no defectors, the leaders of the union try to prove existence of democracy in their union. They also tried to show that decisions in his union were not made by a single person. This is especially show during the open trial of a Diara a traitor who was spying for their oppressors.
Challenges Faced By the Strikers and Women from Other Africans
One of the challenges faced by the striking workers is the issue of traitors. These traitors like Diara are seen to be giving some information that was considered vital to Dejean. They further were not showing any kind of solidarity for this strike as they would often go back and continue working though secretly of course. Another one of the challenging statistics for the striking workers was Bachiroa who just decide to go back to working. Leblanc on the other hand was constantly supplying information to the director of the company.
Mercenaries are also employed by the company to quench this strike and it is heart breaking that these mercenaries are still droned form the African community of striking workers. One such fine example is El Hadji Mabigue. He is seen to be secretly meeting with strikebreakers: another challenge of the strikers. At their meetings, they are busy at finding ways of disrupting this strike before any of the demands that behave been demanded is ever met (Sembene, pg 30) for his efforts, Mabigue is in constant receivership of various benefits like food and others from the authorities.
For the women there were also various kinds of challenges that they faced. One of the challenges was that credit facilities were not advanced to them. This especially was targeted to women that their husbands were striking. Penda, who has been installed as one in charge of food distribution to families that were striking faces some challenges. This is seen when she becomes in violation of tradition for directly counting women. The women also do face challenges from men from the fact that they have to force their respective husbands to resoluteness if they consider defection (Sembene, pg 242).
Class
Michael Zweig defines class as just pertaining natters of power that is found in places of work. Therefore, a huge majority of United States of America workers are actually part of the working class. This is because of the fact that they do not have powers at their various work places. To Michael therefore, a class is an emergent dynamic socially created interaction. This is usually established at the production of services and goods. Consequently, these classes dictate wealth, income and output distribution in the population. Eventually, this doubles back and puts an influence on production patterns (Zweig, pg 219).
Characteristics of Working Class Members
A major characteristic of this class is that it contains a majority of people. It usual has both women and men alike in this class. Both skilled and unskilled individuals do end up in this class without the exception of whether it is a white, pink or blue-collar job. It also encompasses all the industries and nationalities again with no slight exception to any race.
All people who fall under the working class have the disadvantage of having bosses who watch their every move. They themselves however do not have anyone calling them “boss” and thus are always answerable to discipline and their employers needs at work. These people in this class characteristically bear little form of control on content and pace of the work that they do. Forming 62 % of all of the United States labor, this class shares a relation with the class of capitalism: exercise powers through control of businesses that are employing the people in the working class (Zweig, pg 217).
Characteristics of Middle Class Members
Unlike otherwise thought that the majority f United States of America citizens fall in this class, i.e. due to their employment stability coupled with high consumption ability of both services and goods, they on the contrary do not belong to this class. This is because this class is made majorly of owners of small-businesses, supervisors and other professionals with a much higher position of authority economically. Their economic authority usually lies between capitalist and working class. They usually have experiences that are contradictory and mixed e.g. they may be akin their workers or sometimes might be capitalist reminiscent (Zweig, pg 218). The number of people in this class is however lower and forma only up to 36 % of the whole population of the United States according to Zweig (218).
Characteristics of the Capital Class
They form the smallest population in the United State i.e. only 2 %. The capitalist consists of a group of individuals who are said to be controlling business operations according to Zweig (218). This class also has the uppermost hand towards controlling employment of the working class. They in actual sense are the bigger bosses’ often with no bosses over them. Their basic work is usually to offer the company’s strategic direction. They are known to have varied interaction with various agencies of the government and executives of other corporations. They thus leave operation of companies that they own to the workforce and squarely on management that operates on intermediate level.
Importance of Class
The importance of class is in its reassertion in study of process governing distribution, exchange, and all the way to production. It especially becomes so with the understanding of class something that relates directly to power other than styles of life and income. In economics, economic power operations that define the dynamics of a class will always often be a determinant of the outcomes of the market (Zweig, pg 217).
The Class of Indiana University College Students
These students would reside in the working class. This is because they are yet to earn any kind of professionalism, a characteristic of the middle class. Also from the fact that most of the student would be working part time jobs and hence are bound to take instructions from their employers while they give none. Although there might be some students who actually fall in the middle class as owners of small businesses, they would be a bare minimum. However it is almost certain that there is no existence of a single capitalist class member in this university. This is because these individuals usually need to acquire lots of knowledge and experience before they are ever in such a position to run the multi million or billion dollar business.
Works Cited
Sembene, Ousmane. God’s Bit of Wood. London: Heinemann Educational Publishers, 1995.
Zweig, Michael. The Working Class Majority: America’s Best Kept Secret. New York: IlR Press, 2001.