Essay On David Copperfield

The father’s job was to be the head of the household, with the mother as his main assistant. Under the father's authority, she took care of the house and the children. Most of the men along with their sons spent days in the fields working while younger children were in school. People who had more money could send their children to school, but the people with less money were forced to make their sons/children work. On the other hand, mothers in more rural areas (where poorer people lived) farmed with the men, while richer woman stayed home and took care of the household along with their children. No matter what social class the mothers were, they all knitted and sewed. Their husbands were chosen by their parents. Children had few toys in their homes and boys played sports with their family. During their free time the girls played with dolls. The wealthier families had enough money to buy their daughter's porcelain

Single women would work as well, taking jobs like dairymaids or servants, or seasonal work on the fields. Women who were married did jobs to get extra money, for example baking and brewing of ale. Unlike beer, ale could not be contained for any amount of time before getting spoilt as such, it had to be produced almost

forced to work harder to make a living. Often times, the work the lower classmen are forced to

In most if not all cases, the class you are born into will determine how you will be raised, and who you will grow up to become. Whether you can speak up for yourself, if you are humble with what you have or you have a more hectic schedule or not, it all plays into what class you are from. No two childhoods are equal and Annette Lareau in her book, Unequal Childhoods explains why this is the case. I will be examining chapters four, five, and seven. These chapters examine poor and working children and teenagers and how their childhoods differ and relate to each other based on the class they were born in whether that be lower class to the poor. What can be learned from examining these three kids, Harold McAllister, Katie Brindle, and Tyrec Taylor is the advantages and disadvantages of having a childhood in the class of the poor or working class.

Firstly, the working conditions that the boys of the orphanage were subject to are not acceptable. Working in crowded areas with dangerous tools as young men put their lives at danger each time they worked every day. Furthermore, as orphans they were not being paid to work in these factories nor did they sign up to work for the bourgeoisie. While they were being provided with living arrangements and food, they were being deprived of the money and opportunities to go out into the world and make money from themselves. This type of enslavement is very similar to the injustices that Karl Marx refers to in his Communist Manifesto. Referring to the lives of the proletariat he explains that, “Masses of labourers, crowded into the factory, are organised like soldiers…Not only are they slaves of the bourgeois class, and of the bourgeois State; they are daily and hourly enslaved by the machine, by the overlooker,” (Dover-Thrift 131). Marx’s language and rhetoric very much describes the lives of orphans in this picture. They are meticulously organized by their supervisors and watched, but they have no outlet for a better life. One of the biggest ways that the proletariat was able to keep down their workers by not providing them education. Instead of going to school and learning how to become doctors or lawyers or factory owners themselves, these kids and even non orphans were stuck working so they can support their families or have a place to live. In fact, in cities like Berlin, workers were paid so little that they had to send their kids to work as well. It is this problem that Ernste Dronke refers to in his socialist novel “Berlin” when he explains that, “The barbaric modern custom of building small and tight chimneys into which only children can fit has created a huge increase in poor children for this industry. Moreover, they do not get an education, and

These women, once bought and married, were usually pregnant every two years until they died. In this way, they contributed to the family by creating children who could work for the family. These women worked in the homes while the men worked in the fields. But they could transform simple materials to useable products by spinning, working in gardens, or using the animals for dinner. This was impressive because not only could this be used for their family, but they could sell their products in the marketplace and this would provide them with additional income.

These women were responsible for tending house, bearing and caring for children, and domestic manufacturing. These women worked hard to care for their families and to turn the raw materials their husbands provided into useable goods.

Women were not equally treated. Their voting, pay, work conditions, all were unfair. The men were biased about the freedom for the women. Factory workers had horrible work conditions. Being exposed to lots of heat and no air, sharp and heavy objects surrounding them constantly. If a certain injury happened, they would most likely die from diseases. Children were forced to work at such a young age. These childrens were not

This quote I found from an online article explains what kids went through during this harsh time. It almost sounds like they were slaves by how low they were getting paid. Most of us have never even heard of kids working late at nights doing jobs that today no one can possibly do because they have been replaced with machines from the dangers they carry. Children worked some of the most dangerous factory jobs that existed and they didn’t by choice. They had no choice but to work because either their family was poor or they were orphans.

Low wage wasn't the only problem as women had to go through sexual harassment and were usually taken advantage of by their male employer. With barely enough money to feed their families each week, working class women lived and worked in dangerous and unhygienic conditions. Usually in the poorer parts of town such as the slums.

“Most girls were trained from childhood for the traditional roles of wife, mother, and housekeeper. They learned how to grind grain, how to cook and make beverages, especially beer, and how to spin and weave cloth for clothing. If a woman worked outside of her home, her job usually grew out of her household

These women cared for their children and worked in agriculture, where they harvested food for their families. Due to the fact that the rural areas where they lived struggled from water scarcity; consequently they consumed a great amount of their time during the day walking long distances to retrieve water. As harsh conditions continued to increase, they were forced to take up these roles

Women didn't have many options either in terms of work. Often times, working in a factory meant more freedom than becoming a servant because when they worked

Small rural communities were run in a semi-socialist manner. Inhabitants all had their homes or land, and some were wealthier than others but because of the community spirit within these small enclaves the children of your neighbor may as well be your children, and one would never consider withholding food or aid from a poorer neighbor. Women in these communities could choose their path and remain single and independent or marry and have children. A woman was also virtually unlimited in the number of children she could have. More children meant more hands to contribute to chores and farm work, which in turn meant there was more food for the family to eat. Extended family was also a large part of this lifestyle and as such there were always grandparents, and perhaps even great grandparents who would help to raise the communities’ children and allow the mothers to contribute more fully to community life.

Adapted from a novel by the infamous Charles Dickens, “David Copperfield” is a 1999 film that attempts to create an accurate representation of the Industrial Revolution. Following the life of a young David Copperfield, the film uses craftful writing and powerful emotions to put the viewer in the room with Copperfield, as he lives the typical life of a child during this period of both struggle and advancement. Painting the audience an accurate picture of life during the revolution, viewers are given an idea of the home lives, work lives, and hardships of all social classes in 18th century England.