I Came a Stranger The Story of Hilda Satt Polacheck
1. Describe at least five jobs that Hilda held. What conditions did she face at those jobs? Look at conditions broadly. This can be actual physical conditions, but also policy and rules, discrimination, arbitrary firings, etc. Don’t simply say, long hours, low pay, bad working conditions because that does not show me you read the book. After looking at her experience, compare it to working conditions you learned about while taking notes for Test 1. Do you think her experience was typical of most immigrants? Explain.
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2. Explain Hilda’s life as a child. Compare her childhood to the life she will have as an adult. Include in your answer the fact that both Hilda and her mother were widows with small children to raise. What did Dena, her mother, do to take care of her family? What did Hilda do? How did Hilda follow her mother’s example and how did she do things differently? (You may use some examples of jobs from question 1 to demonstrate how Hilda provided for her children.)
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3. Hilda told Jane Addams, “Bill would not have noticed me if I had not learned what I did at Hull House.” (p. 148) Using specific examples from the book, what were at least three Hull House activities that would have made her more interesting to Bill. Explain why those activities would have impressed Bill. (That means you will be explaining activities at Hull House plus activities that Bill and Hilda did together. Show a connection between those two parts of Hilda’s life.) What were some activities that Hilda participated in that were more radical than Jane Addams would have supported?
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Jane Addams Questions
4. When Jane Addams died, a newspaper called her “Chicago’s first citizen.” (p. 177) Name at least 3 (three) things that Addams did for Chicago to earn that title? (Don’t just say she was nice to immigrants! Give me some specific activities from the book so I can tell you read instead of just looking up Addams in Wikipedia or another online source.)
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5. In the Lecture Video about the Progressives, we learned about several interpretations for why the Progressives tried to help working class people. Those reasons were Altruism, Social Control, Maintain Status Quo, Creating a place for women. Jane Addams had enough wealth and status that she did not have to live in the poor working class the neighborhood where Hull House was located. Do any of those reasons describe the reason Addams spent her life in that neighborhood? Does Hilda’s book give you hints about other reasons she devoted her life to helping the poor? Explain your answer.
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