GCSE English Coursework - Prose study Scrooge
Around the time when Charles Dickens wrote the now world famous novel a Christmas Carol, Britain was divided into 'two nations' - the rich and the poor. At the height of the industrial revolution many people had moved from the country to the city, making larger cities populations increase rapidly over a short period of time. As a result of this enormous population increase people were forced to live in extreme poverty; enduring cramped living conditions with little food and possessions. Many people were un-employed or found it hard to keep a reliable source of income as the population increase brought competition , however even the employed were made to work exceedingly long hours in dangerous conditions for insufficient pay. Victorian England was facing an uncontrollable crisis, yet the 'rich nation' was unwilling to help as they viewed the poor as the 'great unwashed' and saw them as inferior. Many of the rich, just like Scrooge, saw the poor as idle and believed that Union Work Houses were sufficient help to those dealing with severe poverty. However many of the rich had not fully seen or experienced the living conditions the poor had to cope with.
Up until the age of ten Dickens family was moderately wealthy, however, this time of prosperity came to an abrupt end when his father, after spending too much money entertaining and retaining his social position was imprisoned at Marshalsea debtors' prison. From then on, up until a long time after his father had been released, Dickens had to endure a working class life in order to help support his family. The resentment of his situation and the conditions under which working-class people lived then became major themes of his works. Dickens believed that the conditions in which the poorer classes had to cope with were unacceptable but also preventable if the upper classes were willing to help, and therefore as well writing he became a strong social campaigner.
Around the time when Charles Dickens wrote the now world famous novel a Christmas Carol, Britain was divided into 'two nations' - the rich and the poor. At the height of the industrial revolution many people had moved from the country to the city, making larger cities populations increase rapidly over a short period of time. As a result of this enormous population increase people were forced to live in extreme poverty; enduring cramped living conditions with little food and possessions. Many people were un-employed or found it hard to keep a reliable source of income as the population increase brought competition , however even the employed were made to work exceedingly long hours in dangerous conditions for insufficient pay. Victorian England was facing an uncontrollable crisis, yet the 'rich nation' was unwilling to help as they viewed the poor as the 'great unwashed' and saw them as inferior. Many of the rich, just like Scrooge, saw the poor as idle and believed that Union Work Houses were sufficient help to those dealing with severe poverty. However many of the rich had not fully seen or experienced the living conditions the poor had to cope with.
Up until the age of ten Dickens family was moderately wealthy, however, this time of prosperity came to an abrupt end when his father, after spending too much money entertaining and retaining his social position was imprisoned at Marshalsea debtors' prison. From then on, up until a long time after his father had been released, Dickens had to endure a working class life in order to help support his family. The resentment of his situation and the conditions under which working-class people lived then became major themes of his works. Dickens believed that the conditions in which the poorer classes had to cope with were unacceptable but also preventable if the upper classes were willing to help, and therefore as well writing he became a strong social campaigner.
