На данной странице представлена статья, в которой исследуется динамика сиротства в Англии, а также условия жизни сирот в эпоху Чарльза Диккенса и в наши дни
Introduction
An orphan is defined as a child whose parents have died or who has been deprived of parental care and has not been adopted.
The orphans of Victorian period did not earn a status in the society but they were prevalent in literature as respectable but troubled heroes and heroines. The descrip-tions of the orphans in this literature are to be relied upon as it is probably the only source which narrates the history of Victorian orphans.
One of the famous literary works which attend public attention to the problem of orphans is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens, which is called Oliver Twist.
It is one of the most famous novels Charles Dickens ever wrote. It’s a classic story about an orphan who has to find his way through a city full of criminals. People read Oliver Twist in Dickens's day, and are still reading it now, for the gritty real-ism with which Dickens portrays working class people and the horrible living con-ditions of London slums.
An early example of the social novel, the book calls the public's attention to vari-ous contemporary evils, including child labour, the recruitment of children as crim-inals, and the presence of street children. So, what were living conditions of or-phans in Dickens’ times and how have they changed since then?
The objective of the research work is to observe living conditions of orphans since Dickens’ times up to the present days; to do some researches about it; to find out methods of resolving problem of orphans and to attract people’s attention to this.
During the work I’ve come to review many sources including English books and web-sites. I tried to do the best processing the information in English and combin-ing it in my research work. The list of the used sources is possible to find at the end of the paper.
What has changed in living conditions of orphans
since Dickens’ times
Great Britain witnessed technological and economic advancements during Victori-an era. A separate distinct class called the middle class evolved apart from the masses and the wealthy aristocrats. But those who were excluded from this Victo-rian model were the abandoned children without a past and without relations – or-phans.
Workhouses
Most people nowadays know about workhouses from Oliver Twist - whether from the book, film or the musical. The image of the skinny neglected little boy asking for more has become a classic.
Workhouses were the place where poor people who had no job or home lived. They earned their keep by doing jobs in the workhouse. There were also orphaned and abandoned children in the workhouses.
A workhouse boy Oliver Twist, reported on the living conditions there, including work picking out old ropes, harsh discipline and punishment by whipping.
The workhouse era ended, officially at least, on 1st April 1930; the 643 Boards of Guardians in England and Wales were abolished and their responsibilities passed to local authorities. Some workhouse buildings were sold off, demolished, or fell into disuse. Many, however, became Public Assistance Institutions and continued to provide accommodation for the elderly, chronic sick, unmarried mothers and vagrants.
Orphans in modern England
A lot of orphans live in orphanages. Is it good? As for me, there are better ways of placing children.
It should be noted that the living conditions in modern orphanages are much better than in orphanages of Dickens’ times but, nevertheless, they leave much to be de-sired.
Об авторах
Анастасия Бондарчук
