The Seventh Man

Justin Lee Lohman
Professor Johanna Schuster-Craig
German 117
2 October 2013
A Seventh Man
A Seventh Man portrays the disturbing circumstances the migrant worker experienced in the medical examinations through pictures.
Numbers serve to label the identities of the migrant worker. For example, the man in the medical examination room with the number “3” written on his chest symbolizes the anonymity of the migrant worker (55). He is just a number, and society treats him as just another replacement worker to meet the economic demands of the society. Furthermore, the fact that the number is odd shows that the migrant worker is perceived as different from society. The racial identity of the man gives the country the excuse to discriminate and despotize the migrant worker. Similarly, in the poem The Seventh the migrant worker is repeatedly labeled as “the seventh” man. The number seven recalls the day of rest held that is valued in society. However, the migrant workers never rest because they continually work.
Another troubling image is the line of men in underwear undergoing a medical examination in Istanbul (52). The viewer sees that a man is violated when the doctor pulls down his underwear to examine his sexual organs (50). The man shields his gaze with his hand from the doctor’s objectifying examination. The medical procedure is done to the migrants to prove that they possess the necessary skills for employment in the German firm. Yet, this mortification only degrades the man’s self-esteem.
In conclusion, the reader realizes disheartening images of the migrant worker being examined.