The author of these letters was Robert Southey (12 August 1774 – 21 March 1843), a lake poet, or someone who lived in the Lake-district in England and did not follow any school of thought, who also wrote the original story of Goldilocks. It was published in 1808, in Letters from England, under the pseudonym Don Manuel Alvarez Espriella , and he took the stance as a foreigner looking at England, and it was said to be the most accurate literary work about the early 1800s in England.
Apart from this specific excerpt is also present in the book England from Wordsworth to Dickens, by R.W. King, published in 1928, University of Wales. This book has excerpts from the 1800s and is dedicated to give the reader a glimpse of England through the collected dozens of primary documents.
In this article he seems to portray the hardships of child labor and the hardships the people of England go through because of the Industrialization through the view point of a Manchester gentleman and a anonymous Mr.----------. The children are gradually given rights to restrict their work time as well as being educated. He also uses the word “evil”, which Robert Southey is known to have used because he wrote many articles against the evils that the factorization of England. He was actively against the malevolent effects that the industrial age had brought upon the people. He sharply contrasts the caring of children to the reality that was occurring upon the cotton fields, where their blistered hands and lack of intelligence. It also hints that in the early 1800s medicine was yet to be developed from the people dying of consumption, and the deaths of children were as if they were dispensable. In a way they were, as a child would prance at any chance to earn a few pence to increase their standard of living. He conveyed his messages to the general populace through different works that he had created, such as reviews from the Quarterly Review.
Those this excerpt is from a series of articles that are biased, it does contain the benefits of the industrial revolution, such as the increase of manufacturing and the increase of the people’s standard of living. Yet along with increased living standards and more convenient manufacturing also came the cruel reality of rights being ripped from children as they were forced to work for landowner’s capital gain in the capitalist state of England, as “There is no idleness among us[well them, duh]”.
The biggest limitation Robert probably has is self experience, as he was not part of the child labor and under the living conditions a child in need for money who was under the current regime. Thus a child may be in fact thankful of the work, though thankful due to ignorance and dire need.
My research on this particular work is quite interesting, here’s a cool web with the whole book after being translated from Spanish, and some of it is quite fun to read :D.
Here’s the link to England from Wordsworth to Dickens by R.W.King
England from Wordsworth to Dickens
1. a) Which main topic does the artifact relate to:
It mainly portrays the hardships that industrialization brought with the increased production and demand.
b) Which other main topics does it also relate to:
This also dealt with the growth of rights and foreshadowed the incoming Factory Acts in the future to guarantee health rights of children. It also touched on medicine as seen with the consumption and the death rate the article described. Education was also touched briefly.
2. Why did you choose this artifact, and how much time did you spend creating and/or processing it:
I choose this under the current iron clad of 19th century humanities. I processed it for about two hours but more time was devoted to the whole selection of articles “Letters from England” which was more amusing to read.
3. What insights and understanding have you gained from the creation and/or processing of this artifact
It’s a primary document. You see the world as a normal person would 200 years ago. Its much like a magazine article that would appear in Times or the Economist.
4. Does this artifact reflect your best work and/or ideas Why, or why not
No, as time was still limited, much to my dismay.
5. Rate this artifact on a scale of -5 to 5(0 is neutral) for the following 4 criterion:
a) Impact on the quality of your Portfolio. 4
I wouldn’t choose this as a primary source if it weren’t mandatory.
b) Impact on your level of happiness/enjoyment. 4
It is interesting to read a certainly a good way to start things (artifacts) off
c) Impact on your learning. 3
Primary sources can be taken many ways by the reader, since it doesn’t only tell what exactly happened, it leaves enough space for you to imagine.
d) Level of creativity and originality. 4
It is quite creative for past standards by kind of arid when read by modern readers. Then again it shows the diversity of literature before the Victorian Era, where the realism and the Romanism. It is kind of fiction based on true events and experiences.
6. Any additional comments.
I wouldn’t read this for fun, although it is a similar experience to reading a newspaper—explaining history 200 years ago.
