As briefly introduced in class, Victorian Age is a quite long and complex period and thus full of contradictions.
Victoria became queen at the age of eighteen and was a determined, strong-willed young woman but as most teenagers, she needed advice.
She then met Albert who became her husband and together they had a relatively short but intense and happy life.
These are three videos about her life
Read this short summary about the key features of the period Summary
For an in-depht look at the complexity of Victorian age I recommend this awesome website created by Cristiana Ziraldo, a friend and colleague, who actually inspired this page.
http://cristianaziraldo.altervista.org/the-victorian-age-the-age-of-contradictions
DAVID COPPERFIELD by Charles Dickens
Prezi
CHILD LABOR
Steam was the number one source of energy during Victorian times. Steam powered everything from trains and steamships to factories that used steam to power their machines. In order to make steam, you must have water and heat. To provide heat they had to burn coal, and lots of it. Therefore coal mines used a large part of the Victorian Child Labor force in the 1800’s.
The thought of using children in coal mines was very attractive to mining companies. Children were much smaller, could operate in tight spaces and demanded a lot less pay. Useless to say that they had to work in dreadful conditions.
But working in coal mines was just one of the possibilities.
Laundry for pay, scaring the birds from the fields, chimney sweeper, factory worker, farm worker, rat catcher, seller in the streets, pick pocketer were popular “jobs”.
LINK TO FIND OUT MORE: Victorian Children and/or BBC Primary History
THE CHIMNEY SWEEPER: WHEN MY MOTHER DIED I WAS VERY YOUNG
BY WILLIAM BLAKE
Which contrasts/contradictions can you identify in this poem ?