Down and Out in Victorian London from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens questions I don't understand.
1. What is a parish? (not in religious content)
2. How did social values affect the treatment of the poor?
3. What were "workhouses" and how did they operate?
1.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/parish
2. Many people believed (and some still do) that we'll always have poor people and they're not worth much.
3.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workhouse
Thank you Ms. Sue!
You're welcome, Bethany.
1. To understand what a parish is in the context of Victorian London, we need to explore the idea of a "poor law" system that was in place during that time.
In Victorian England, a parish was the basic administrative unit of local government. It was an area within a town or a rural district, usually centered around a church. The parish had certain responsibilities, one of which was the administration of the poor relief system.
In terms of the poor, the parish was responsible for providing assistance to those who were unable to support themselves. This assistance often took the form of monetary relief, food, shelter, or employment. The parish was funded through local taxes, and its officials, such as overseers of the poor, were responsible for managing the distribution of relief.
2. Social values during the Victorian era greatly influenced the treatment of the poor. The prevailing belief was that poverty was primarily the result of personal moral failings or laziness, rather than broader structural issues. This perception resulted in a harsh and unsympathetic attitude towards those in poverty.
The poor were often stigmatized and viewed as deserving of their circumstances, which led to a lack of empathy. This perspective influenced the treatment of the poor, as assistance was often provided sparingly and with harsh conditions attached. The goal was to deter people from relying on assistance and encourage them to find work.
3. Workhouses were institutions established under the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, designed to deal with the problem of poverty. Their primary aim was to provide relief to the destitute, but they were also intended to be deterrents against dependency on public support.
The workhouses were intended to be a place of last resort for the poor, with conditions deliberately made unpleasant to discourage people from seeking assistance. Families were separated upon entering, and strict rules were enforced. The workhouse became a symbol of the harsh treatment of the poor, where inmates were subjected to hard labor and meager living conditions.
Inmates of workhouses were typically assigned tasks such as breaking stones, picking oakum (fibers from old ropes), or performing menial labor. The workhouse system aimed to make life inside the institution worse than life outside, in the hope that individuals would choose to find alternative means of support.
It is important to note that these explanations are based on historical context and may not fully capture the complexities and nuances of the time period. Dickens' works, like Oliver Twist, provide valuable insights into the experiences of the impoverished and shed light on the social issues prevailing in Victorian London.