Analysis of "salvation army - socialist bull" written by O'Neill

"Salvation Army—socialist bull". He defiantly states that the firemen are superior to the first class passengers because they are physically stronger and they "belong" to the ship. Paddy emerges from his stupor and cries out, "We belong to this you're saying? We make the ship go, you're saying? God have pity on us!" Paddy persists in a lengthy and passionate speech, detailing his former life on the sea. Paddy explains that in his youth men had reason to be proud to work on ships. The tall clipper ships, powered by sails rather than coal were, "clean" and "free". The ship gave Paddy a fantastic feeling of freedom and speed, rather than entrapment and slavery in the coal steamers. Paddy argues that working aboard the clipper ship required skill and guts. Men could belong to clipper ships, but do not belong to steamers. Paddy concludes that the men aboard the steam ship shoveling coal are caged in by steel, without the sight of land or sea like "apes in the Zoo!"