Chapter four Sweet Nexus Sugar and origins of the Modern World

Reflection:

          The chapter goes into talking about trade and how important this was to society. Through routes people would trade new items/materials. Some of these items were rare that only upper class would have the opportunity to buy. Trade and other factors have brought the economy of countries advanced. From these economies would bring together commercial, military expansion, and colonial conquests. How? Well, by exploiting natural resources and much more. The chapter really gets into the detail and explains the background very well for readers to bring out their feelings/emotions when reading. The text also goes into sugar and how it was used in certain countries (South Asia to Caribbean). From sugar everything interconnects from consumers -> merchants -> manufacturers -> laborers -> etc... (commodity chain). The author provides letters that pertain to sugar and how sugar is portrayed...negatively and positively during this time period. I like how the author put these letters in the chapter. It gives the reader an understanding that sugar was not all that great and that there were not any beneficial sides to have sugar and what not. The pictures provided as well gave the reader an idea of how plantation was like and the living during the time period.