Two Accounts of the Same Strike
You read two short texts about a 1912 mill strike. Text A is a letter from the mill owner: 'The disturbance was instigated by a handful of outside agitators. Our workers are content and well paid. We closed the gates only to protect those who wished to work.' Text B is a diary entry from a mill worker: 'Eight hundred of us walked out on Monday. We asked for a ten-hour day and a wage that covers bread. The gates were locked against us, not for us. My sister was among those turned away.' Both texts mention the closing of the gates and the number of people involved. A classmate says, 'These texts basically agree - they both say the gates were closed.'
1. Explain why the classmate's conclusion is a misreading, using specific details from both texts.
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The classmate has noticed a shared fact - the gates were closed - but mistaken a shared event for a shared meaning. The texts agree on what happened and disagree on why and who was affected.
Text A frames the closure as protective: the owner says he closed the gates 'to protect those who wished to work'. Text B frames the same closure as exclusion: the gates 'were locked against us', and the worker's sister was 'turned away'.
The texts also differ on scale and cause. Text A calls the disturbance the work of 'a handful of outside agitators'; Text B says 'eight hundred of us walked out'. A handful and eight hundred cannot both describe the same group. Text A says workers are 'content and well paid'; Text B says they asked for a wage that covers bread. The classmate should ask, for each text, who wrote it, what they gain from this version, and which details they include or omit.
2. Which text is more likely to be reliable about the number of strikers, and what further evidence would you want?
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Text B is more likely reliable on the number, but not automatically. The diarist was a participant and gives a specific figure, 'eight hundred of us walked out', which suggests direct observation of the crowd. The owner writes at a distance and uses a vague, dismissive phrase, 'a handful of outside agitators', that serves his argument rather than counting anyone. Vague language that supports the writer's interest is a warning sign.
However, a participant can also exaggerate, and a diary is a single person's view. Further evidence would include: a police or newspaper crowd estimate from the day, mill payroll or attendance records for that week, and accounts from workers who did not strike. Comparing an independent record with both texts would let you judge which figure is closer to the truth.