Exam 2: Victorian Era
Short Answer
2. The Great Towns - Friedrich Engels. This work is written to make a point about the current situation of the society within the early Victorian Era. This particular selection explains that the conditions for the working class are awful and is trying to shed light on the awful truth that is the life of workers. During this time period the important thing are the machines and the industrial revolution. The workers were packed into tight quarters together that only have a life consisting of working, going home to a cramped living space, going to sleep, and the repetition of the same mundane existence. He is explaining that people make little difference all that matters in this society are the machines and that they continue to run smoothly in order to make money and have success. The passage pointed out is all about trying to show the world about the conditions and fix the problems that the industrial revolution put into place.
5. Science and Culture - Thomas Huxley. This work has Huxley explaining his focus on the scientific and belief that science is more important than literature. During the Victorian Era there was shift in focus to that which is real, part of which was science and the industrial revolution which makes Engels' belief that science is more important over that of literature. He was all about the progress of science and the industrial progression. Huxley believed in truth through words, not necessarily thru texts. This excerpt expresses the idea that natural knowledge, or science is the answer to the natural world around us. That our daily lives are shaped by that of science and that that is where true knowledge comes from science and the natural world around us.
6. Past And Present - Thomas Carlyle. This was Carlyle's way of stating what was wrong with the current situation with he goes on to explain is the inequalities of the labor force and too much freedom with no direction. The leaders neglect the workers who are making the success possible. The people who should be in control are the ones who provide common good to the people, security, and only the bravest and best have a right to govern. This particular section is saying that in order to have the people follow you, you must make them loyal to you. They need to have strong ties to you and thus trust you, you must be good, and you must be worthy of following into where ever you lead.
9. The Angel in the House - Coventry Patmore. This one gives an interesting debate about authorial intent. While some people viewed this piece as placing women on a pedestal, others say it is a piece dedicated to the ultimate love he had. In the piece, however, the narrator must write a hymn to honor the woman that is to be his future wife - as she is, in his opinion, perfection and wonder. The hymn is meant to be something worthy of a woman's praise, one with perfect words and is equal in grace to the woman. It is also possible that the narrator is saying that a perfect woman depends on the paradigm of femininity put into place by biblical and classical specifications. It can be argued that it is a perception of the perfect woman that isn't achievable, or it is possible that it was meant as merely a sign of affection for the love he had for a specific woman. Though it is unclear if the qualities he lists are his ideal of perfection in women or if merely the woman he fancied had these qualities.
2. The Great Towns - Friedrich Engels. This work is written to make a point about the current situation of the society within the early Victorian Era. This particular selection explains that the conditions for the working class are awful and is trying to shed light on the awful truth that is the life of workers. During this time period the important thing are the machines and the industrial revolution. The workers were packed into tight quarters together that only have a life consisting of working, going home to a cramped living space, going to sleep, and the repetition of the same mundane existence. He is explaining that people make little difference all that matters in this society are the machines and that they continue to run smoothly in order to make money and have success. The passage pointed out is all about trying to show the world about the conditions and fix the problems that the industrial revolution put into place.
5. Science and Culture - Thomas Huxley. This work has Huxley explaining his focus on the scientific and belief that science is more important than literature. During the Victorian Era there was shift in focus to that which is real, part of which was science and the industrial revolution which makes Engels' belief that science is more important over that of literature. He was all about the progress of science and the industrial progression. Huxley believed in truth through words, not necessarily thru texts. This excerpt expresses the idea that natural knowledge, or science is the answer to the natural world around us. That our daily lives are shaped by that of science and that that is where true knowledge comes from science and the natural world around us.
6. Past And Present - Thomas Carlyle. This was Carlyle's way of stating what was wrong with the current situation with he goes on to explain is the inequalities of the labor force and too much freedom with no direction. The leaders neglect the workers who are making the success possible. The people who should be in control are the ones who provide common good to the people, security, and only the bravest and best have a right to govern. This particular section is saying that in order to have the people follow you, you must make them loyal to you. They need to have strong ties to you and thus trust you, you must be good, and you must be worthy of following into where ever you lead.
9. The Angel in the House - Coventry Patmore. This one gives an interesting debate about authorial intent. While some people viewed this piece as placing women on a pedestal, others say it is a piece dedicated to the ultimate love he had. In the piece, however, the narrator must write a hymn to honor the woman that is to be his future wife - as she is, in his opinion, perfection and wonder. The hymn is meant to be something worthy of a woman's praise, one with perfect words and is equal in grace to the woman. It is also possible that the narrator is saying that a perfect woman depends on the paradigm of femininity put into place by biblical and classical specifications. It can be argued that it is a perception of the perfect woman that isn't achievable, or it is possible that it was meant as merely a sign of affection for the love he had for a specific woman. Though it is unclear if the qualities he lists are his ideal of perfection in women or if merely the woman he fancied had these qualities.
11. A Voice from the Factories - Caroline Norton. This piece is written to open the eyes of society to a vision of truth about what was happening around them. Poetry is the language of emotion, yet she doesn't necessarily go into detail of the negative aspects of child labor, just explains what happened which is common for the Victorian Era. She also brings in the idea of slavery by comparing it to child labor in this piece. It's interesting that she uses poetry to get this point across, yet it remains to be effective.
13. My Last Duchess - Robert Browning. In this section the Duke is explaining that his late duchess seemed to show him no special attention in particular. He mentions that his wife was kind to all and seemed to not bear too much mind to the fact she had gained a high-status name by marrying him. This poem is an interesting piece considering it is a dramatic monologue with an unreliable narrator. This poem paints the image of a man who is jealous, possessive, and controlling. He is a collector of art and wives, which is akin to the tale of Bluebeard. When the Duke was unhappy with his late wife because she didn't seem to worship him the way he believed he should be worshipped he had someone get rid of the problem. Once the woman was gotten rid of, he moves on to a new woman who he believes might worship him right. He would rather start over with a new woman than to just communicate with his wife. He is using his power and status to get what he wants, which is similar to what the Victorian Era was working to ward against.
13. My Last Duchess - Robert Browning. In this section the Duke is explaining that his late duchess seemed to show him no special attention in particular. He mentions that his wife was kind to all and seemed to not bear too much mind to the fact she had gained a high-status name by marrying him. This poem is an interesting piece considering it is a dramatic monologue with an unreliable narrator. This poem paints the image of a man who is jealous, possessive, and controlling. He is a collector of art and wives, which is akin to the tale of Bluebeard. When the Duke was unhappy with his late wife because she didn't seem to worship him the way he believed he should be worshipped he had someone get rid of the problem. Once the woman was gotten rid of, he moves on to a new woman who he believes might worship him right. He would rather start over with a new woman than to just communicate with his wife. He is using his power and status to get what he wants, which is similar to what the Victorian Era was working to ward against.
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