Born into Coal

Born into Coal was a powerful documentary that talked about the effects on coal on families. It is portrayed as an example of both human-interest and standard narrative. The documentary does have focus of several families, but it also reflects on how other coal families are living.

            This was a topic that I have never really thought about before (other than the Hunger Games), but this documentary allowed me to understand the struggles or worries these families have when their father, son, brother, or anyone else that they love works at the coal mine every day, hoping to come back alive to see their families again. Here are some shots that I thought were most effective in the author’s argument.

 

This screenshot is a close-up of a lady, whose father is a coal miner, thinking about the day she heard about the explosion and was wondering whether he was alive. It shows many emotions and about how scared and upset she felt that day.  It is a touchy subject for her to this day.

 

This screenshot was taken by the end of the documentary, going back to Arianna Bailey after winning her pageant. It shows how willing she is to support her parents, especially since her dad is a coal miner. It shows her with her crown and dressed up as a pageant, with a background of the other side of her life (the big part of her life), the coal mine. It shows that though there may be times of upset and worry, it makes these families stronger in personality and in faith.

 

            Though I thought that the pageant scene in the beginning was misleading to me, it was still effective and touching. It effectively allows viewers to sympathize with families of coal miners. As an industrial nation, coal has been a resource for multiple uses, but have we ever thought about who is providing the coal for us? Who is doing it for a living?