English Task 1

Interview (Victorian Time)


I: Today Prof. Lamont from the University of History is here and will answer some questions about the Victorian age. He is an expert at this age.
Hallo Prof. Lamont! Welcome to the RADIO-EVENING-TALK. The auditors and I are much exited.


L: Good evening. I am also much exited. I hope we will start soon!


I: Let start us now! My first question is: Can you try to define the Victorian age? Tell us some facts!


L: The Victorian Time was reigned by Queen Victoria from 1837 till 1901. Today we would say that it was a prudish, repressed and old- fashioned time. But it was also the time of brilliant invention.
There were some men, like Darwin, Marx and Freud, which
played a decisive role in the Victorian Time. This means, it was
the age of Feminism, socialism and Marxism.


I: Can you tell us something about the people at this age?


L: Sure! First you have to know, that the life between the people was very different. On the one hand there were many really rich and powerful people on the other hand there were also many poor people. Of course both were very religion and the women had the same position, but their lives were from scratch different. The houses, the food, the clothes, the education and the work, that all was different.


I: Can you tell more about a woman’s life?


L: Ever women, special the rich ones, had a life-task called a woman’s “mission”. They had to play a model mother, wife and daughter. With other words, they had to be the ideal woman. Women were seen as moral and spiritual guarding. A good wife had to be pious, frugal, patient and industrious. Rather it was the living and working based on religion beliefs about importance of the married, the family and woman’s moral goodness.


I: What about the children? Could they go to school?


L: As opposed to rich children, poor ones weren’t allowed to go to school. Poor children had to work hard, because the whole family needed the money.
Schools were run by the church or small 'Dame' schools usually run by one woman. The school were very strict and religion. In this time it was normal that the pupils were hit by the teachers. If they did something wrong they were punished. There were also some places called school, which were in fact workshops. Most of the children never saw a classroom, because they had to work their whole life.


I: What kind of work they do?


L: Children as young as five worked for a living. They did unpleasant and dangerous jobs. They worked hard and with little pay.
Children often worked in coal mines. They had to open and shut the doors to allow air to the tunnels. They often worked without any light. Other children worked in factories, where they had to repair broken threads in cotton mills. Most of them died very early because they became ill or had accidents. It’s unbelievable, but the factory and mine owners didn’t think anything was wrong with giving nasty jobs to them.
Even small boys were made to climb up big narrow chimneys to clean them. A very hard and dangerous job!
One day Queen Victoria made a new low to make it illegal to employ young children. So they started to work with nine instead of five.


I: You said that poor children have worked hard! So I have to ask: Did they never play?


L: They woke hard but they still play. The poor children had no toys, so they made them themselves. They were very creative. The children made footballs from old rags and bats from pieces of wood. They shared toys like skipping ropes, marbles and hoops with friends in the same street. Children played often with other children games like tag or catch.
Rich children played diverse. They stayed at special rooms called Nursery. In this room a nanny was looking after them. It was a room for eating, playing and sleeping. Rich Children only played with expensive toys like rocking houses, toy trains or wonderful dolls.


I: I notice that our airtime is nearly over. But I think it is enough time for a last question: If you can choose, would you like to live in the Victorian age!


L: No! Our time is also full of mistakes, although I think the Victorian age wasn’t so easy than the life today.


I: We thank you so much for this informative interview! It was really great!
I hope you will turn on the radio again to listen to me and the RADIO-EVENING-TALK!


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