Modern Slavery

LD

Modern Slavery

Adapted from: http://www.freetheslaves.net/Page.aspx?pid=301

1.

Although slavery has existed for thousands of years, changes in the world’s economy and societies over the past 50 years have enabled a reappearance of slavery. Three trends have contributed most to the rise of modern slavery. The first, a recent population explosion, has tripled the amount of people in the world, with most growth taking place in the developing world. The second, rapid social and economic changes, has displaced many to urban centers and their outskirts, where people are powerless and without job security. The third, government corruption around the world, allows slavery to go unpunished, even though it is illegal everywhere. In this way millions have become vulnerable to a new form of slavery. This new slavery has two prime characteristics that differentiate it from the slavery of the past: slaves today are cheap and they are disposable.

Questions

1. What factors are responsible for the existence of “slavery” today? Fill in the chart with the factors and their explanations.

Factor Explanation

1._____________________ The number of people in the world has become TWICE

_______________________ / THREE TIMES / FOUR TIMES as high in recent years. This has happened mostly in

_______________________________ countries.

________________________________________________________________________________

Text: Modern Slavery / 1

2._____________________ Many people today live in

_______________________ __________________________________. They cannot find ______________________ (ONE WORD) there.

3._____________________ Modern slavery is not _______________________

_______________________ (ONE WORD) by the __________________________

(ONE WORD) around the world.

2. According to paragraph 1, what are two major differences between modern slavery and slavery of the past? a. ____________________________________________________________ b. ____________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

2.

In Old Slavery, also called chattel slavery, slaves were extremely expensive to purchase and often yielded low profits for their owners. Since there was always a shortage of potential slaves, and enormous costs associated with transporting them from one continent to another, those already enslaved were considered investments and held for generations. Their health was generally maintained (at basic levels) and it was of enormous importance to assert ownership over this valuable ‘property’. Slaveowners took great pains to emphasize the ethnic differences between themselves and their investment.

3. New Slavery turns each of these characteristics on its head. An average slave in the

American South in 1850 cost the equivalent of $40,000 in today’s money; today a slave costs an average of $90. In 1850 it was difficult to capture slaves and then transport them to the US. Today, millions of economically and socially vulnerable people around the world are potential slaves. This “supply” makes slaves today cheaper than they have ever been. Since they are so cheap, slaves are no longer a major investment

________________________________________________________________________________


worth maintaining. Thus, they are often maltreated. If slaves get sick, are injured, outlive their usefulness, or become troublesome to the slaveholder, they are dumped or killed.

For most slave-holders, actually owning the slave is an inconvenience since they already maintain total control over the individual’s labor and profits. The slave-holder cares more about these high profits than whether the holder and slave are of different ethnic backgrounds; in new slavery, profit is more important than skin color. Finally, new slavery is directly connected to the global economy. As in the past, most slaves are forced to work in agriculture, mining, and prostitution. From these sectors, their exploited labor flows into the global economy, and into our lives.

Questions

3. What is another term for “old” slavery? ____________________________________

4. According to the information in paragraph 2, why did slave owners in the past take better care of their slaves than today’s slave owners? ( Find as many answers as possible .)

______________________________________________________________

5. a. Which 2 words are used in paragraph 2 to refer to slaves?

____________________________ ______________________________ b. What does this show about their status?

______________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________


6. Fill in the following table to explain the differences between old and modern slavery.

OLD SLAVERY MODERN SLAVERY

Cost of slaves shortage of slaves Supply of slaves

Health care of slaves

Ethnic background ethnic background doesn’t matter

7. Which kind of slaves yield a better profit? Circle your answer and explain.

SLAVES IN THE PAST SLAVES TODAY

Why? ______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

8.

In addition to the slave owners, who/what benefits from the “new slavery”?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________


II. Post-reading

Examine the following cartoon.

1. What problem is the cartoon addressing?

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

2. What do the buildings represent?

According to the cartoon, what is their role in the problem?

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

3. According to the cartoon, who/what are the victims?

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

4. How is this cartoon related to the article?

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________


Modern Slavery – Vocabulary

Study the following words as they appear in the article.

Word

Paragraph 1

1. contribute (v.)

2. recent (adj.)

3. rapid (adj.)

4. urban (adj.)

5. corruption (n.) corrupt (adj.)

Also in par. #

Word

11. profit (n., v.)

12. shortage (n.)

13. associated (with) (v., adj.)

association (n.)

14. investment (n.) invest (v.)

3

15. maintain (v.)

maintenance (n.)

16. emphasize (v.)

emphasis (n.)

3

Also in par. #

3

6. vulnerable (adj.)

7. prime (adj., v.)

primary (adj.)

primarily (adv.)

8. characteristic (n.)

Paragraph 2

9. purchase (v., n.)

10. yield (v.)

yield (n.)

III. Vocabulary Exercise

3 Paragraph 3

17. equivalent (adj.)

18. exploited (adj.)

exploit (v.)

3

3

Fill in the following sentences with words from the word list. Note: the underlined words are also from the word list.

1. The _____________________________ of teachers has led to schools closing.

2. In frightening situations, one should try to _______________________ a calm attitude.

3. Sweatshop workers sometimes receive $1 a day for their work. This demonstrates how they are ___________________________ by corporations.

4. Smart investments will _________________________ a big

____________________________.

5. Ido made a wise ________________________ at the store today: he bought an electronic dictionary.

6. Reading is of ____________________________ importance in improving language skills; its

_____________________________ to education must be emphasized by teachers.

7. One common _________________________ of Bar-Ilan students is that they study hard.

________________________________________________________________________________


8. People in poor countries are often _________________________ to exploitation because they have no power.

9. Corruption is often ____________________________ with Third World countries; however, it also exists in First World countries.

10. Sarah doesn’t like small towns. She prefers ___________________________ areas.

11. The teacher ___________________________ to the students the importance of participating in class discussions.

12. In _______________________ years, we have seen ________________________ changes in technology.

13. Some Hebrew words have no good __________________________ in English. For example, the word “ davka ” is difficult to translate.

IV. Reference Questions

Write down the word(s) that each of the following refer to.

1. it (par. 1, line 7) ______________________________________________________

2. they (par. 1, line 10) ___________________________________________________

3. them (par. 2, line 3) ___________________________________________________

4. themselves (par. 2, line 7) ______________________________________________

5. they (par. 3, line 9) ____________________________________________________

6. these sectors (par. 3, line 13) ___________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________


V. Affixes

Fill in the words by adding the necessary prefix or suffix. Then, explain the function or meaning of the affix, and define the word.

Prefixes:

Out-

Il-

Mal-

Suffixes:

In-

Trans-

En- (used twice)

Dis-

Re-

Un-

-ful

1. _______abled (par. 1 )

-Iess -iate

Function/meaning of affix:____________________________________________

Definition of word:__________________________________________________

2. _______appearance (par. 1)


Definition of word: _________________________________________________

3. _______placed (par. 1)



4. power_______ (par. 1)



5. _______punished (par. 1)



6. _______legal (par. 1)



7. different_______ (par. 1)



8. _______porting (par. 2)



9. _______slaved (par. 2)

________________________________________________________________________________




10. _______treated (par. 3)



11. _______live (par. 3)



12. use_______ness (par. 3)



13. _______convenience (par. 3)


Definition of word: _____________ ____________________________________

VI. Affix Vocabulary Enrichment Activity

Choose one of the options below.

A: Choose 6 words from the above list and write sentences for completion (cloze). Then, trade with a partner and try to fill in the blanks with the correct word.

B: Using the list of affixes from your book, see if you can make more words from some of the stems below.

1. ________abled (par. 1)

2. ________appearance (par. 1)

3. ________placed (par. 1)

4. power________ (par. 1)

5. ________porting (par. 2)

6. ________live (par. 3)

7. use________ness (par. 3)

________________________________________________________________________________


Modern Slavery

Related documents

Products

Support

Modern Slavery

Related documents

Add this document to collection(s)

Add this document to saved

Suggest us how to improve StudyLib