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The importance of personal responsibility
Essay on the role of religion and church in the Victorian period
Essay on the role of religion and church in the Victorian period
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1.Q:What do I find interesting, revealing, or strange about my topic? In what ways are my observations significant? The thing that shocks me the most about victorian morality is that men and women were required to have very good etiquette. This is very abstract to me because today men and women do not necessarily have the standards they did back then. This is important because when we read the book it is necessary that we remember people had much higher standards. One thing revealing about victorian morality is the aspect of religion. Religion played a huge part in morality. People were considered immoral when they were not participating in church or not active in their religion. This is significant especially when reading a book during a different time to have the mindset of religion. Even though in these days religion is a choice and morality is not based off religion you have to remember in the past it was an extravagant part of society during those times. Finally the thing strangest of them to me was the sexual morality part of their society. Prostitution was considered immoral. Now obviously people still consider it immoral today but the thing that catches you off guard is that 3% of the population of london had to do with the prostitution business. This is very odd that this scenario …show more content…
Religion was a huge part and shaped what people believed. It gave them a different mindset or gave them a set of values that they went by. Also the etiquette completely changed the way Victorian England was. It made everyone very proper and gave the idea that all manners must be at the top of their game. Everyone must being wearing their best clothes and should always remember what is considered proper for them. Also, Victorians believed in self responsibility. Self responsibility ties into etiquette but it really had a big effect on the way people thought, felt, and acted in
Judith R. Walkowitz is a Professor Emeritus at John Hopkins University, specializing in modern British history and women’s history. In her book City of Dreadful Delight, she explores nineteenth century England’s development of sexual politics and danger by examining the hype of Jack the Ripper and other tales of sensational nature. By investigating social and cultural history she reveals the complexity of sexuality, and its influence on the public sphere and vice versa. Victorian London had upheld traditional notions of class and gender, that is until they were challenged by forces of different institutions.
Upon hearing the term, “The Victorian Woman,” it is likely that one’s mind conjures up an image of a good and virtuous woman whose life revolved around the domestic sphere of the home and family, and who demonstrated a complete devotion to impeccable etiquette as well as to a strong moral system. It is certainly true that during Victorian England the ideal female was invested in her role as a wife and a mother, and demonstrated moral stability and asexuality with an influence that acted as her family’s shield to the intrusions of industrial life. Yet despite the prevalence of such upstanding women in society, needless to say not all women lived up to such a high level of moral aptitude. Thus, we must beg the question, what became of the women who fell far short from such a standard? What became of the women who fell from this pedestal of the ideal Victorian woman, and by way of drunkenness, criminality, or misconduct became the negation of this Victorian ideal of femininity?
When Victorian Era, England is brought up in most context’s it is used to exemplify a calm and more refined way of life; however, one may overlook how the children of this era were treated and how social class systems affected them. Samuel Butler’s The Way of All Flesh is a novel written to take a closer look at the life of children growing up in the unfair social hierarchy of Victorian Era England. Butler’s main characters are Theobald and Ernest, who grow up during the time period; Overton, who is Ernest’s godfather, is the narrator of the novel and provides insight into Theobald and Ernest as they mature through the novel. Theobald is the son of a wealthy, strict, and abusive father who treats him with no mercy, but leaves him with a rather significant inheritance from his Christian publishing company, at his death. Ernest is the son of Theobald, who beats him with a stern fits over even the pettiest things in
Victorian Women were highly held back in their full potential. Their main role in the household was to “be happy - a sunbeam in the house, making others happy” (Hardy, E.J. 1887). On top of this, Women in the Victorian era were not allowed to display their sexuality or “tempt” men in public; they were meant to be submissive and meek (Causey S., 2008). The Victorian era lasted from 1837 til 1901, with women being punished everyday for crimes that are nowadays just part of living for a woman. Bram Stoker was born during this era and wrote his most famous novel, Dracula (Miller, E. unknown). One of the main discourses in this novel is that of Women and their Morality of the time.
Victorian society dictated harsh restraints on sexuality, especially female sexuality. Members of Victorian society believed that sexual repression was a sign of good breeding. This was the time of the “cult of true womanhood,” the “code of chivalry,” and the Social Purity Movement.
The Victorian Era had lasted from the years 1837-1901. People in this era were known through their social class and how efficiently they were able to present themselves. Those who were obligated to carry themselves is such a proficient manner, were the women of Victorian Era. Although they had been expected to perform and execute many tasks, they were never recognized just as equal to the men in society. They were never acknowledged to make judgments or decisions, rather were best known for marriage, prostitution, and motherhood. As the men, dominated and took control of every decision possible. They were known for their aggressive and independent attitude. This led an extraordinary women named, Charlotte Brontë to begin a revolution of change and improvement in the social standings. As her living in the Victorian Era, set her upon a journey of many hardships but her well-known classics, Jane Eyre, depicted her strength and courage to step up for women equality and portray who she truly was in society.
Friedrich Nietzsche’s “On the Genealogy of Morality” includes his theory on man’s development of “bad conscience.” Nietzsche believes that when transitioning from a free-roaming individual to a member of a community, man had to suppress his “will to power,” his natural “instinct of freedom”(59). The governing community threatened its members with punishment for violation of its laws, its “morality of customs,” thereby creating a uniform and predictable man (36). With fear of punishment curtailing his behavior, man was no longer allowed the freedom to indulge his every instinct. He turned his aggressive focus inward, became ashamed of his natural animal instincts, judged himself as inherently evil, and developed a bad conscience (46). Throughout the work, Nietzsche uses decidedly negative terms to describe “bad conscience,” calling it ugly (59), a sickness (60), or an illness (56); leading some to assume that he views “bad conscience” as a bad thing. However, Nietzsche hints at a different view when calling bad conscience a “sickness rather like pregnancy” (60). This analogy equates the pain and suffering of a pregnant woman to the suffering of man when his instincts are repressed. Therefore, just as the pain of pregnancy gives birth to something joyful, Nietzsche’s analogy implies that the negative state of bad conscience may also “give birth” to something positive. Nietzsche hopes for the birth of the “sovereign individual” – a man who is autonomous, not indebted to the morality of custom, and who has regained his free will. An examination of Nietzsche’s theory on the evolution of man’s bad conscience will reveal: even though bad conscience has caused man to turn against himself and has resulted in the stagnation of his will, Ni...
Buzard, James, Linda K. Hughes. "The Victorian Nation and its Others" and "1870." A Companion to Victorian Literature and Culture. Ed. Herbert F. Tucker. Malden: Blackwell Publishers, 1999. 35-50, 438-455.
Mrs Warren's Profession gives us an insight into the corruption which was at the heart of Victorian Society1. Mrs Warren forced by the economic realities of 19th Century London becomes a prostitute, and by the exploitation of her sex she gains financial freedom and independence. This in its self shows us that society is despaired off as Mrs Warren had to resort to prostitution in order to gain the freedoms she now has, this reinforces society's oppression of women. In his preface to Mrs Warren's Profession Shaw states that “starvation, overwork, dirt and disease are as antisocial as prostitution – that they are the vices and crimes of a nation and not merely its misfortunes”2, this view is also represented by Mrs. Warren when she explains of her difficult childhood and her struggle to gain a comfortable life for herself. Mrs Warren also describes the fate of her sister and how all this impacted on her decision to follow her sister into prostitution instead of working herself to death, she asks Vivie “Do you think I did what I did because I like it, or thought it right, or wouldn't have rather gone to college and been a lady if I'd had the chance?”.3 Mrs Warren was despairing of her society in that because of her social and economic stature she was given no chance to better herself and was exploited by men like Croft who are wealthy and belong to the upper/middle classes.
Writers have different motivations on why they decide on what they write about. It must be something that will grab the reader’s attention and make them want to read their works. Often writers include situations that are not considered appropriate for the era when the piece was written. Some subjects are too sexually explicit. In two such short stories, Kate Chopin’s “The Storm” and Anton Chekhov’s “The Lady with the Little Dog,” both writers chose to involve adultery in their stories. Whatever motivation there is to cheat on a spouse, there is not an acceptable reason to do it. This controversial subject was not common and both authors chose to break the rules. Although equally successful in their writings, Chopin’s “The Storm”, was not published until many years after her death.
Mustapha Mond is the most powerful character in Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Mond keeps scientific and historic documents from reaching the people. Mond believes that science, religion, and art threaten Brave New World if let out, but religion would be bane of Brave New World.
The underbelly of this society showed what Victorian society was really like. Though it's polite and well-groomed exterior, we find people committing sins and going against the moral codes. These sins were however well hidden from the society and although they acknowledged some of the 'evil' that was happening, they still just shrugged it off saying that only the people committing 'evil' were the 'sick individuals'. The 'sick individuals' also seemed to belong to the lower class society. Victorian people were very physiognomous as they judged people by their physicality and the word 'sick' seemed to describe the lower class society very well according to Victorian times.
sexuality. The Victorian culture had very rigid roles for women, and their reputation was almost
The Victorian Era in English history was a period of rapid change. One would be hard-pressed to find an aspect of English life in the 19th century that wasn’t subject to some turmoil. Industrialization was transforming the citizens into a working class population and as a result, it was creating new urban societies centered on the factories. Great Britain enjoyed a time of peace and prosperity at home and thus was extending its global reach in an era of New Imperialism. Even in the home, the long held beliefs were coming into conflict.
... were usually about movement up the social ladder or because of the fact that the woman was "worthy of the work, and competent to accomplish it." Love was a factor, which many people negated. Brontë condemned this negation. The patriarchal religious system, Calvinism, instilled a view in its members that men were far superior to women in many respects, including morality. In Victorian society the most 'moral' people seemed to be figures like Brocklehurst, who were in reality hypocrites. They were seen as pious and likely to be the chosen few to enter the gates of Heaven. Brontë conveys Brocklehurst's character as being shallow and he eventually loses his business because of lack of humanity.