A Tribute to Charles Dickens....A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens was already an accomplished writer of novels at the time when "A Christmas Carol" was first published on December 19th, 1843.
His most recent novel had not sold well however, and Dickens feared his success as a writer had peaked.........
In 1843, Charles Dickens had come into some personal financial adversity, yet, what was even more alarming to him....the misery of the working poor....in "jolly ole England."
Dickens earlier that year visited a growing industrial city of Manchester, and was heart-wrenched at the conditions the working poor were living in.
It was in September of the year 1843 that Dickens heart could no longer remain silent....too much suffering...too much pain....too much death... were all around him.
Charles Dickens became inspired to send a message that would condemn the greed for wealth among the upper 5% of the entire population of England...while the rest of society suffered in tremendous horror. And what better way could Dickens promote a "national protest" than to use his talent in the form of a novel...through a man we have all come to know as "Ebeneezer Scrooge"...or " Mr. Scrooge"...as "Tiny Tim" so eloquently spoke.
The writing of "A Christmas Carol" provided Dickens with a "national protest" that exposed the enormous monetary gap, educational gap, and social gap that existed between the rich and the poor in "Victorian" England.
On October 5th, 1843, Dickens gave a speech at a benefit to raise money for the " Manchester Athenaeum", an organization committed to bringing education and a total culture change to the working poor of England's society.
"A Christmas Carol"...was about to be born!
Charles Dickens was deeply disturbed with the British Victorian lifestyle ...not because of the rich having lavish lifestyles, rather, their lifestyles coming at a great price...the suffering of the poor. Dickens himself had experienced the pain of the poor as a child, at one point having to leave school because his father had been imprisoned for debt.
In the early 1800's, the population of England had grown rapidly. The Duke of Wellington had defeated the great French leader Napoleon at Waterloo, and by 1815 Great Britain had become the richest and greatest power in Europe.
In the same year (1815), the population of Great Britain was 13 million, and London became one of the largest cities in Europe, consisting of over 1 million inhabitants.
Because of such rapid growth of the general populous, combined with the diminishing agricultural work and wages, by the year 1850, half of the entire population in England now lived in cities, and London had doubled in size since 1815...now over 2 million people residing in this large city. In fact, between the years of 1750 to 1850, England's population had tripled in number. During Charles Dickens own lifetime, he witnessed incredible changes amidst his own life and that of general society.
One thing of note: the agriculturally base of England had experienced a major shift. After the defeat of Napoleon, England went from a major exporter of agricultural products...to a major importer of agricultural products as grain and wheat.As a result, many in the rural community were forced to go to "the city" to find work, and manufacturing wages....however cruel and hard it was to work under...were higher than the wages offered in farm labor.
And yet, with all this suffering around him, with personal financial adversity facing him, and with the earlier struggles of his childhood growth....all this became personified.
In only a 6 week period commencing in October of 1843 and concluding in early December of the same year ...hope came to the working poor of England... through fictitious characters named Ebeneezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchett, and of course...the beloved Tiny Tim.
The growing industrial prosperity of England, continually improving new inventions to thrust the Industrial Age forward, enabled various products to come from England in massive quantities.
The "achille's heel" of all this prosperity growth...was the element we call "Greed"..and Greed has no compassion...for human life.
The people of Dicken's England suffered much. The working poor were subject to disease outbreaks like the cholera, their housing conditions were deplorable, numerous people finding solace and rest in one room shared together, sanitary conditions that only welcomed more disease and various types of sickness, and meager wages that demanded long hours of work.
Many of the working poor were subject to 16 hour a day work, 7 days a week. Women were also a part of the labor force, and even with all these conditions abounding, women were still expected to raise their young, prepare food for their families, and continue in domestic duties. Many women died during this era...physically exhausted from overwhelming conditions, or trying to escape their hardships through alcohol.
And then there were..the children.
One example were children being sent to work in tin mines, at ages beginning 4 to 5 years of age. The reason being small children could crawl into the crevices of tin mines to retract the metal. They too were not exempt to the 16 hour 7 day work week...and did...until they died.
At one point, London funerals were rampant and extremely high (1840's), and over 50% of these funerals were...children..10 years or younger.
Although it was a great time for economic and industrial growth in England, the transition from an agriculturally based society to an industrial society was at the sacrifice...of the working poor.
And Charles Dickens saw this...all unfold before his very eyes. The Victorian society of England had offered a solution to the working poor's dilemna...as in the question given by "Mr. Scrooge" in Dicken's novel: "Are there not workhouses, and the treadmills...are they not in full operation?"
And from his heart, Charles Dickens wrote his protest...in the form of a novel "A Christmas Carol"...and the entire world...heard him. The working poor...now had someone on their side!
"A Christmas Carol" written by Charles Dickens had 6000 copies initially published on December 19th, 1843...in only 3 days...they were sold out. Since it's original publication, "A Christmas Carol" has NEVER gone out of print...the world is still hearing Dicken's protest...even today!
" For the Lord hears, for the Lord listens, when the poor , the needy, and the homeless...cry out! The Lord will not despise, neither will He walk away, He does not forget those who live in dire misery, those we call "the walking wounded". He has come...and will free all those...held captive." Psalm 69:33
Charles Dickens was already an accomplished writer of novels at the time when "A Christmas Carol" was first published on December 19th, 1843.
His most recent novel had not sold well however, and Dickens feared his success as a writer had peaked.........
In 1843, Charles Dickens had come into some personal financial adversity, yet, what was even more alarming to him....the misery of the working poor....in "jolly ole England."
Dickens earlier that year visited a growing industrial city of Manchester, and was heart-wrenched at the conditions the working poor were living in.
It was in September of the year 1843 that Dickens heart could no longer remain silent....too much suffering...too much pain....too much death... were all around him.
Charles Dickens became inspired to send a message that would condemn the greed for wealth among the upper 5% of the entire population of England...while the rest of society suffered in tremendous horror. And what better way could Dickens promote a "national protest" than to use his talent in the form of a novel...through a man we have all come to know as "Ebeneezer Scrooge"...or " Mr. Scrooge"...as "Tiny Tim" so eloquently spoke.
The writing of "A Christmas Carol" provided Dickens with a "national protest" that exposed the enormous monetary gap, educational gap, and social gap that existed between the rich and the poor in "Victorian" England.
On October 5th, 1843, Dickens gave a speech at a benefit to raise money for the " Manchester Athenaeum", an organization committed to bringing education and a total culture change to the working poor of England's society.
"A Christmas Carol"...was about to be born!
Charles Dickens was deeply disturbed with the British Victorian lifestyle ...not because of the rich having lavish lifestyles, rather, their lifestyles coming at a great price...the suffering of the poor. Dickens himself had experienced the pain of the poor as a child, at one point having to leave school because his father had been imprisoned for debt.
In the early 1800's, the population of England had grown rapidly. The Duke of Wellington had defeated the great French leader Napoleon at Waterloo, and by 1815 Great Britain had become the richest and greatest power in Europe.
In the same year (1815), the population of Great Britain was 13 million, and London became one of the largest cities in Europe, consisting of over 1 million inhabitants.
Because of such rapid growth of the general populous, combined with the diminishing agricultural work and wages, by the year 1850, half of the entire population in England now lived in cities, and London had doubled in size since 1815...now over 2 million people residing in this large city. In fact, between the years of 1750 to 1850, England's population had tripled in number. During Charles Dickens own lifetime, he witnessed incredible changes amidst his own life and that of general society.
One thing of note: the agriculturally base of England had experienced a major shift. After the defeat of Napoleon, England went from a major exporter of agricultural products...to a major importer of agricultural products as grain and wheat.As a result, many in the rural community were forced to go to "the city" to find work, and manufacturing wages....however cruel and hard it was to work under...were higher than the wages offered in farm labor.
And yet, with all this suffering around him, with personal financial adversity facing him, and with the earlier struggles of his childhood growth....all this became personified.
In only a 6 week period commencing in October of 1843 and concluding in early December of the same year ...hope came to the working poor of England... through fictitious characters named Ebeneezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchett, and of course...the beloved Tiny Tim.
The growing industrial prosperity of England, continually improving new inventions to thrust the Industrial Age forward, enabled various products to come from England in massive quantities.
The "achille's heel" of all this prosperity growth...was the element we call "Greed"..and Greed has no compassion...for human life.
The people of Dicken's England suffered much. The working poor were subject to disease outbreaks like the cholera, their housing conditions were deplorable, numerous people finding solace and rest in one room shared together, sanitary conditions that only welcomed more disease and various types of sickness, and meager wages that demanded long hours of work.
Many of the working poor were subject to 16 hour a day work, 7 days a week. Women were also a part of the labor force, and even with all these conditions abounding, women were still expected to raise their young, prepare food for their families, and continue in domestic duties. Many women died during this era...physically exhausted from overwhelming conditions, or trying to escape their hardships through alcohol.
And then there were..the children.
One example were children being sent to work in tin mines, at ages beginning 4 to 5 years of age. The reason being small children could crawl into the crevices of tin mines to retract the metal. They too were not exempt to the 16 hour 7 day work week...and did...until they died.
At one point, London funerals were rampant and extremely high (1840's), and over 50% of these funerals were...children..10 years or younger.
And Charles Dickens saw this...all unfold before his very eyes. The Victorian society of England had offered a solution to the working poor's dilemna...as in the question given by "Mr. Scrooge" in Dicken's novel: "Are there not workhouses, and the treadmills...are they not in full operation?"
And from his heart, Charles Dickens wrote his protest...in the form of a novel "A Christmas Carol"...and the entire world...heard him. The working poor...now had someone on their side!
"A Christmas Carol" written by Charles Dickens had 6000 copies initially published on December 19th, 1843...in only 3 days...they were sold out. Since it's original publication, "A Christmas Carol" has NEVER gone out of print...the world is still hearing Dicken's protest...even today!
" For the Lord hears, for the Lord listens, when the poor , the needy, and the homeless...cry out! The Lord will not despise, neither will He walk away, He does not forget those who live in dire misery, those we call "the walking wounded". He has come...and will free all those...held captive." Psalm 69:33
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