The Really Hard School: An Analysis Of School Hardships During The Victorian Era

The Really Hard School

An Analysis of School Hardships during the Victorian Era To say that life was rough during the Victorian area would be an understatement. For the poor that lived during this era, it was a living nightmare. This could probably be said for the children more so than others. While modern schools may be wonderful places, “Many schools were quite grim places, often with windows high up so that children could not see out” (victorianschools.org). This was something that several very famous authors of the period took to heart, so much so that they wrote long essays over the subject. Bronte’s Jane Eyre and Dickens Hard Times both illustrate the struggles and hardships of the education system during the Victorian Era. Being creative and imaginative was something that was looked down upon. This is something that probably wouldn’t be expected with so many creative people, such as Charles Dickens, thriving and producing incredible art. Yet, it was incredibly discouraged in schools. They wanted only facts, strict facts and discipline. A prime example occurs during Dickens’ essay when a young girl tries to be creative. In Dickens Hard Times the gentleman states, “You are to be in all things regulated and governed”. They wanted cookie cutter

There was not much tolerance for being undisciplined during this period in time. Physical punishment was not uncommon, and in certain schools they severely disciplined things such as: being unorganized, not being clean, not focusing, and not working hard enough. The punishments for such things were often cruel. In Bronte’s Jane Eyre, she writes, “The teacher instantly and sharply inflicted on her neck a dozen strokes with the bunch of twigs” Physical punishments were often met with much yelling and scolding. Children were treated like slaves and punished as such. In one example, “On the other hand, they believed firmly in stiff punishments” (Victorian Children in