Question

working for change (short story)
1 thirteen - year - old katie griffen gazes across the new york harbor at the statue of liberty, with its huge, green torch piercing the blue sky. standing beside katie are her parents, mary and aidan, and her three younger siblings, maude, john, and fiona. mary takes katie’s hand and squeezes it. aldan gives her a wink. the year is 1910, and the griffens have spent days traveling across the choppy atlantic ocean on a giant steamship. originally from cork, ireland, they, along with thousands of other irish, have immigrated to new york city in hopes of a better life.
2 after being processed by immigration officials, katie and her family move into a tenement on henry street in new york city’s lower east side. katie had been so excited about her new home. however, the conditions in the tenement are deplorable. the griffens’ two - room apartment is tiny, dirty, and infested with pests. there is constant danger of fire from the gas pipes in the walls and the wood - burning stoves. many of the apartment buildings in the neighborhood are poorly lit. they lack indoor plumbing, and without proper ventilation, clean air is unable to circulate. what’s more, living in such close, unclean quarters might cause the spread of diseases such as cholera and typhoid. although katie has many friends in the building, she hates being in the tenement. mary does, too. she also worries constantly about the health of her children. but what can she do to protect them? aidan hates to see his wife so anxious. he tells her that everything will be okay, trying to hide his own disappointment in their living conditions.
3 one day, katie learns about the nearby henry street settlement house, which provides services to people in need. it has a gymnasium and one of the very first playgrounds in new york city! katie is inspired by the sight of people helping one another. she starts attending lectures given by a group called the tenement house committee. here, she learns more about her family’s and neighbors’ housing rights. all of this lights a fire under her. katie may be young, but she knows that she wants to contribute to making her new city more livable. she wants to study city development and better building methods. she wants so much more for herself, for her family, and for her neighbors.

Explanation:

Since no specific question is provided about this short story, it's not possible to give a targeted answer. If you have questions like analyzing the theme, character development, historical context (related to immigration and tenement life in early 20th - century New York), or vocabulary in the story, please clarify your question so that I can assist you.

Answer:

Since no specific question is provided about this short story, it's not possible to give a targeted answer. If you have questions like analyzing the theme, character development, historical context (related to immigration and tenement life in early 20th - century New York), or vocabulary in the story, please clarify your question so that I can assist you.