Lesson 4 The Winds of Change
Pictures Worth a Thousand Words
As quickly as a camera captures a scene, an image can grab ____ of our emotions.
Through ____ or written text, it can be difficult to convey a complex message quickly.
Yet photographs can change ____ hearts and minds in an instant.
And when the ____ of photography sparks an emotional reaction in a great number of people, it can change history.
The Burning River That Started a Movement
In the 1880s, industry began to grow rapidly along the Cuyahoga ____ in the city of Cleveland.
This industrial growth provided ____ jobs to people in the area.
Meanwhile, steel mills and factories started ____ large amounts of waste into the river.
Although the river became polluted, most people simply regarded this as a sign of the area’s economic ____
In June 1969, the polluted river caught ____
The likely cause was a burning flare falling from a train, which set fire to oil-soaked ____ beneath a bridge.
At that time, ____ people in Cleveland cared.
This was because fires had been recorded on the Cuyahoga more than ten times before, and ____ of them had been much worse.
However, it ____ long before the 1969 fire became famous.
This was thanks ____ an article published in Time magazine that year.
The article featured ____ shocking photograph of flames and smoke rising from the river.
But this was not a ____ of the 1969 fire, which was put out so quickly that nobody took a picture of it.
In fact, it was a picture of a much worse fire that ____ occurred on the river several years earlier.
Still, the ____ had a great impact on people.
Around that time, ____ attitudes of Americans toward environmental problems were starting to change.
More and more people were becoming aware of the need to protect the environment, and the shocking image of the burning river sparked public anger about ____ pollution.
As a result, ____ Cuyahoga River fire of 1969 became a symbol of pollution.
A national environmental awareness event was held on April 22, 1970, which later ____ known as the first Earth Day.
And in 1972, national water quality standards were established with the passage of the Clean ____ Act.
Exposing the Harsh Reality of Child Labor
In the 19th century, the ____ Revolution led to a dramatic increase in factory production in the United States.
The demand ____ workers increased, and many new positions were filled by children.
By 1900, about twenty percent of all children in the United States ____ employed, and some of those working in factories were only four years old.
The work was difficult and dangerous, leaving many ____ laborers with health problems.
Factory owners turned to child labor for ____ reasons.
For example, children could be paid ____ than adult workers.
____ were also less likely to go on strike.
Lewis Hine, a teacher and photographer, wanted to reveal how cruel this system ____
So he quit his ____ job and started to work for the National Child Labor Committee as an investigative photographer.
He ____ access to factories by pretending to have different jobs like insurance agent or fire inspector.
Once ____ he would photograph the children working there.
____ would also ask their names and ages and record information about their living and working conditions.
From 1908 ____ 1912, he secretly gathered information and took photographs to expose factory owners who were taking advantage of helpless children.
Hine’s photographs captured young children doing all ____ of jobs.
These included picking ____ weaving baskets, and even handling dangerous equipment.
What is more, the children’s faces showed the tragic impact of hard ____
When people saw the children’s joyless expressions, they could ____ help but feel heartbroken.
The ____ were later shown in exhibitions, lectures, magazine articles, and so on.
As a result, the public realized just ____ serious the situation was.
Soon, ____ states passed stronger laws to ban the employment of children.
In 1938, the United States Congress passed an act that made it illegal for children under sixteen to work in factories during ____ hours.
These examples show that photographs can bring ____ change to society.
They prove that, sometimes, a picture truly is ____ a thousand words.