Gavin Joaquin O.

Cuartero Dec 16, 2022

EQ4 ID: 12211796

I. Summary of Plot

A rickshaw driver in Bhopal, India, lands himself a job at the Union Carbide plant.
It is a chance to prove his worth to his family and pull them out of poverty. The
job is tough with long hours; everyone is desperate to hold on to their pay cheque
and so the main character keeps quiet when he notices managers at the plant
ignoring safety standards. Some safety standards not followed by the manager
are improper protective clothing along with the improper way of storing that
chemical by not putting it at the desired temperature. That is why he consulted
his long time friend, Motwani, a tabloid journalist, who knows that Bhopal
residents complain of the constant stench in the air and wake up at night choking
from the gas. He is on a mission to expose what he believes is a deadly time
bomb ticking away in his home town. He feels as if no one will listen but when he
meets feisty American journalist, Eva, he sees a ray of hope and persuades her
to confront Carbide executive Warren Anderson. As Eva and Motwani endeavor
to delve deeper into Carbide's activities, the main character is using every
resource necessary to pay and plan for his sister's wedding. When the wedding
night arrives the family are full of joy and celebration as two families join together
as one. But as the music plays an invisible catastrophe is working its way
throughout the town and wedding party. One by one the guests start to feel
unwell. The largest tower at the Carbide plant spews poisonous gas into the night
air; one by one they collapse; and one by one they unknowingly become a
statistic in the world's largest chemical disaster to date. Nearly thirty years later
as the plant stands as a ghost-like constant reminder, the water in Bhopal is still
contaminated and one person a day dies as a direct result of the tragedy, Eva
visits the now retired Anderson.

II. Reaction Paper/Film Review

1. Methyl isocyanate appears as a colorless low-boiling liquid (b.p. 39 °C) that is

denser than water. Flash point is less than 20 °F. Very toxic by inhalation. Can be
absorbed through the skin. Has a sharp odor, but the sense of smell cannot be
relied upon to warn of the presence of vapors at low concentrations. Main use:
Intermediate in manufacturing; reacts with H20. Also used in the production of
insecticides, herbicides, polyurethanes, and other plastics. Must wear protective
clothing when handling acids to ensure it doesn’t harm the skin. It is also
important that the workers wear masks so that they wouldn’t be able to inhale the
gas form of that chemical which can give them acute respiratory problems.
2. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a self-regulating business model that
helps a company be socially accountable to itself, its stakeholders, and the
public. Based on the movie, I believe that Union Carbide has social responsibility
towards the people who were illegally squatting and building shanties around
their facility because the majority of the workers are the ones that live in that part
of the country which also includes our main character who works and lives there.
The amount that Union Carbide paid to the victims is not enough for them
because it didn’t meet the desired amount the victims wanted, which was
supposed to be 2 million dollars worth of damages. Another way for the company
to satisfy the victims of the deadly chemical is to set up a hospital for them to
ensure that when they receive symptoms of inhaling the deadly gas chemical.
The company can also pay for their hospital bills of everyone who died due to the
toxic gas fumes that came from the factory.

3. I expect that as a worker working in this company it pays me for any accident that
happens during the job and will not cease my job most importantly if I need to leave work
to go to an important event like a holiday. If this company doesn’t hear my demands I
must terminate my job since it will not only cause the company to slow their production
but it will hurt the reputation of the company when I discuss their social terms to the
public which can cause people to not work for that company. Although this technique will
not benefit the workers already there which is why the only way I can help is to make the
workers form a union so that the company can attend to their demands in order for them
to continue working for the company.