The poem “Steerage” and the article “Voyage of Hope, Voyage of Tears” portrays the lives of immigrants who are living in the streerage. The steerage is the part of a passenger ship reserved for those traveling at the cheapest rate. These places would not have any luxury or any special accommodations, just your basic cot or hammock, and if you were lucky enough, there might be multiple bathrooms. There were no doors or seperate rooms, it was mainly hallways with rows of bunks for sleeping. There were no windows and little ventilation, so the air would build up a musty and putrid smell. There was no fresh water down in the steerage, so if you wanted clean water you would have to go to the upper parts to drink. The conditions were less than sanitary, and due to the low ventilation and sanitation, bacterial and fungal outbreaks could ravage the population. All these things made living for the immigrants tiring, unclean, and miserable. But although they felt sad at times, they were sometimes happy too. …show more content…
In the article voyage of hope, voyage of tears, the article states “Hope was the one guiding star that led millions of people to immigrate to America.” The immigrants hoped that in America they would be able to find a job and earn the revenue to buy a house and start a family, and escape the poverty that they faced back in Europe. They knew that even though the living might be tough in the steerage, they would make it to their destination, and start a new life here in America. No longer would the depressing grip of poverty hold them down from opportunity, once they arrived they could finally release its binding hold and run free from poverty, across the land of golden opportunity, as if the country itself had said--“come with me--to