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DBQ example working class and middle class

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DBQ example working class and middle class
Jenn Pascalis
Mr. Busby
AP European History Period 3
29 September 2014 The middle class felt depreciation towards labor and the working class while the working class were overburdened and exhausted by their occupation and felt resentment for other employees; however a few middle class citizens crossed the social class line to tell of the burden the working class had to carry. Although the working class pulled off their jobs, they were belittled and ignored. If they were thought of, it was usually in a poor way. At least there were some middle class citizens who believed in the plight of the working class. The middle class’s attitude towards labor was not as strong as the working class’s attitude towards their own work. This is most likely because the working class had many more jobs to do than the middle class. Workers described their occupations as grueling and tiresome due to their long laborious hours. Even family could not provide relief due to their own fatigue (Doc 7). It came to a point where the vocation began to sicken the employees. Some become sick, anemic, or dizzy as a result of all the effort (Doc 9). Some of the poor children suffered from the burden of overworking with little play (Doc 8). Others may believe that the labor did not affect the children too much, but it clearly shows the pain they felt. On the other hand, the middle class never had to endure the terrible feelings of exhaustion. They tended to feel a sense of disgust towards work. It is as if they were perfect role models who performed with great effort and the working class was just lazy and always getting into trouble (Doc 1). But their attitude towards their work is close to nothing compared to their feelings towards each other. The middle class and the working class both felt contempt for the working class. The working class did show some anger towards the middle class, but not much. The middle class looked down upon the working class, believing they were simply

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