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My Defining Moment Essay

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My arms are aching and my back is in a tremendous amount of pain. I force my unwilling body out of bed and begin getting dressed for work. The sky is still dark and the world is silent. My head is throbbing, and I feel absolutely exhausted. I scribble a simple “I love you” on a napkin for family and take one last look at my house. I am hesitant, but I let the money motivate me and try to ignore the immense pain I’m in. The drive seems a lot shorter than it is, but that’s because I dread the destination. The coal mines are frigid, dusty, and loud. Furthermore, everytime I step into that mine, I am gambling my life. Just a mere 22 years ago, a mining incident occurred, killing 12 people. The incident was preventable and if the company hadn’t done the bare minimum for safety, it probably wouldn’t have happened. I can’t help but wonder how my company shortcuts safety, and if today is the day I’ll be trapped or an explosion will happen. I push these …show more content…

I want to be able to pay my father’s bills and travel. I want to see the mountains, before they’re all destroyed for industrialization. I spend so much time under the ground, I deserve to see what’s above it. The day is finally over, and every bone in my body aches. Breathing is difficult, and I feel too exhausted to drive home. As I’m complaining to a coworker about my fears for our safety, I bump into one of my employers, which sends him off into a lecture. “Safety is our number one priority,” he snaps, “We have respirators for a reason. We’re trying. We’re not at fault if you choose not to wear them.” I would respond, but that would be unnecessary trouble. I’m pretty sure the respirators are the same ones from about 20 years ago. They’re uncomfortable, inefficient, and make breathing almost impossible. The mine owners don’t care if we stop breathing, we’re replaceable. It’d be a “waste of money” to invest in practical and useful respirators to protect us from the dangerous air we breathe in

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