Evolution in the Attitude Toward Child Labor
Evolution of the Attitude toward Child Labor
Henry Mayhew 's "Watercress Girl" and William Blake 's "The Chimney-Sweeper" both focus on the child labor that was prevalent during the Romantic and Victorian time periods. Throughout both of these time periods, poverty provided the fuel that burned the fire of child exploitation. Due to the differences in the two periods, the attitudes and perceptions concerning child labor had distinctive variations. These works provide a brief look at the evolution and change of the attitudes and perceptions surrounding child labor. Poverty provided the basis for the need of children workers. For instance, the narrator of "The Chimney Sweeper" states that his father sold him before he, "could scarcely cry " 'weep! 'weep! 'weep! 'weep!" (3). He establishes that his father subsequently sold his childhood and innocence. He even mentions when his friend, Tom Dacre, lost his innocence along with his childlike curls in the quote, "There 's little Tom Dacre, who cried when his head,/ That curl 'd like a lamb 's back. was shav 'd" (5). Poverty also provided the basis of the exploitation of the protagonist of Henry Mayhew 's "Watercress Girl." She is described as wearing "a thin cotton gown" (1069) in severe weather.
The loss of a childhood because the need to work provides a basis for the outlooks of the youth mentioned. The little boy in "The Chimney Sweeper"describes a dream in which he plays in a field. This is his only method of enjoyment because working as a chimney sweep does not allow for simple pleasures such as playing with his friends. The speaker in "Watercress Girl" shows the young girl 's detachment from her childhood by stating, "Her eyes brightened up a little as I spoke; and she asked, half doubtingly, "Would they let such as me go there¯ just to look?" (1068). Her extreme detachment from children her own age presents itself because she does not consider playing with them; she only wants to look.
Due to the
Henry Mayhew 's "Watercress Girl" and William Blake 's "The Chimney-Sweeper" both focus on the child labor that was prevalent during the Romantic and Victorian time periods. Throughout both of these time periods, poverty provided the fuel that burned the fire of child exploitation. Due to the differences in the two periods, the attitudes and perceptions concerning child labor had distinctive variations. These works provide a brief look at the evolution and change of the attitudes and perceptions surrounding child labor. Poverty provided the basis for the need of children workers. For instance, the narrator of "The Chimney Sweeper" states that his father sold him before he, "could scarcely cry " 'weep! 'weep! 'weep! 'weep!" (3). He establishes that his father subsequently sold his childhood and innocence. He even mentions when his friend, Tom Dacre, lost his innocence along with his childlike curls in the quote, "There 's little Tom Dacre, who cried when his head,/ That curl 'd like a lamb 's back. was shav 'd" (5). Poverty also provided the basis of the exploitation of the protagonist of Henry Mayhew 's "Watercress Girl." She is described as wearing "a thin cotton gown" (1069) in severe weather.
The loss of a childhood because the need to work provides a basis for the outlooks of the youth mentioned. The little boy in "The Chimney Sweeper"describes a dream in which he plays in a field. This is his only method of enjoyment because working as a chimney sweep does not allow for simple pleasures such as playing with his friends. The speaker in "Watercress Girl" shows the young girl 's detachment from her childhood by stating, "Her eyes brightened up a little as I spoke; and she asked, half doubtingly, "Would they let such as me go there¯ just to look?" (1068). Her extreme detachment from children her own age presents itself because she does not consider playing with them; she only wants to look.
Due to the
Bibliography: 1. Blake, William. "The Chimney Sweeper." Nimbi. 1 December2006. 2. Childs, Michael J. "Boy labour in late Victorian and Edwardian England and the remaking of the working class." Journal of Social History 23 (1990): 94-95. Academic Search Premier. University of Houston Downtown, W.I. Dykes Lib. 15 Nov 2006 3. Daglish, Neil. "Education policy and the question of child labour: the Lancashire cotton industry and R.D. Denman 's Bill of 1914." History of Education 30 (2001): 291-308. Academic Search Premier. University of Houston Downtown, W.I. Dykes Lib. 15 Nov 2006 4. P, Master. "Dope Man." Ghetto Dope. No Limit Records. 1995 5. Galbraith, Jennifer. "Drug Trafficking Among African-American Early Adolescents: Prevalence, Consequences, and Associated Behaviors and Beliefs." Pediatrics. 1 December 2006. < http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/93/6/1039>