Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times although funny at times does make some very accurate criticisms about life during that time. The life of a factory worker was not one of ease. Workers could not falter on the task at hand. If one person messed up, it caused people performing succeeding jobs to be backlogged as well. They also had to deal with very dangerous working conditions as seen in the scene when Charlie gets sucked into the machinery. Although it was presented in a comical way, it reminds us that workers had to always be mindful of the machines that they were using or working on.
Besides these day to day hazards, workers also had to be physically and mentally tough to withstand the monotony of factory work. Chaplin comically presented this by pretending he was still on the assembly line even though he was already on break. This funny little dance brings to mind the harmful ailments which occur over time due to monotonous factory work such as exposure to toxic chemicals or carpal tunnel. Aside from these physical ailments, workers could also suffer from mental breakdowns. As seen in the film once a worker had one of these breakdowns, they were no longer of any use to the company. They were just fired and cast aside as just another broken machine.
Despite being made years prior to the present Modern Times offers criticisms about life which still ring true to this day namely the unpredictability of life. For example, when Charlie tried to do a good deed and return the flag to the truck, he ended up getting arrested for leading a protest. Although life takes unexpected turns at times, we just need to keep trying our best. Eventually things will work out for us as they did for Charlie.
FASTER THAN THE WRITTEN WORD 
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