Guerrero
Humanities
4 March 2009
The Industrial Revolution that was Heard Around the World
Imagine a world where scientists find out how to bring people back to life. Everyone is excited, and ready to see their lost loved ones again, when suddenly, it all goes horribly wrong. Years later, the well known ‘zombie virus,’ has ravaged the earth, leaving little to no survivors. Is something like that really possible? A situation such as this is unlikely. But, with continued research and breakthroughs in science, anything is possible. New technology and innovations are not bad things. They help everyone around the world with work, diseases, and many other things. Where would we be if there had never been an Industrial Revolution? It did have some drawbacks, but it also created so many new technologies and inventions during that technological era. But, what if we go too far, and delve into researching something that would best be left alone? In Mary Shelley’s book, Frankenstein, she shows how major scientific advancements, such as bringing someone to life, can drastically change the way we live and how we think, whether it be for better or for worse.
In the book Frankenstein, a scientist by the name of Victor Frankenstein makes the discovery of how to re-animate lifeless material. But no one could have been prepared for the horror that Victor unleashed upon himself, and those around him. “How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavored to form?” (Shelley 55) After so much work and research, Victor finally brings his creation to life, only to realize the horrible mistake he has made at making such a gruesome monster. He runs away from his work, hoping to leave it all behind him. Unfortunately for Victor, the monster comes back later in the book, to kill Victor’s youngest brother, William. “Nothing in human shape could have destroyed that fair child. He was the murderer! I could not doubt it.” (80-81) The creature continues to kill his friends and family throughout the book, as revenge for mistreating his own creation, and leaving him to rot. “Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow.” (50) Victor takes the secret of bestowing life to the grave, realizing too late that such knowledge was far too dangerous. Even when we have the best intentions, things can still go horribly wrong. But, much scientific advancement was made during the Industrial Revolution that helped the entire world.
The new innovations in technology that happened during the Industrial Revolution changed how everybody lived and worked. It started the age of machine work, which started in Britain between 1780 to1850. (Arnold, Wiener 4-5) While many people were replaced with machines in factories, many new jobs were created, because the factory owners needed people to run the machines. With faster production, there were more products at lower prices. (45) Along with mass producing machines in factories, there were a lot of other new innovations as well, some of them even acting as a domino effect. New agricultural methods led to industries in textiles, pottery, and metal. Fermentation led to beer and sourdough bread, which in turn, led to a need for new methods of transportation. (9) This wasn’t the first Industrial Revolution to happen, and it probably won’t be the last. “Industrial Revolutions constitute those rare occasions when the human species alters it’s framework of existence.” (Stearns, Hinshaw vii) Industrial Revolutions have happened in many different places, and a variety of different developments have happened across the globe. (xi) The human race continues to advance, with new technologies and inventions that will help people all over the world, so who knows if the last Industrial Revolution ever actually ended? It was a grand time for machines and innovations, but, its history has more than a good side to it. While it had many upsides to it, the Industrial Revolution also had many downsides.
While it greatly affected the world, it also brought about a very hard time for all the workers in the factories, including women and children. The factories they worked in were “poorly ventilated, noisy, dirty, damp, and poorly lighted working areas. These factories were unhealthy and dangerous places to work. Normally, workers put in twelve to fourteen hours daily.” (Labor) Considering the poor working conditions, children had the worst jobs in the factories. Due to their small stature, they could move around the smaller, usually more dangerous, areas of the factory, and could be forced to work up to 19 hours a day with little time to rest. “They used to get 3 or 4 pence a day. Now a man’s wages is divided into eight eights; at eleven, two eights; as thirteen, three eights; at fifteen, four eighths; at twenty, a man’s wages about 15 shillings.” (Child labor) Around the time of the Industrial Revolution, death rates were quite high in most factories. Of course, this didn’t last forever. Eventually, workers realized that they were the ones made the factories work, and after a lot of work, they were given the right to organize into unions. Even later on, political leaders wanted to address the problems in the factories. (Labor) This led to the Factory Acts, which gave more rights to workers, and kept the factory owners from abusing their laborers. The Factory Act of 1819 limited the hours worked by children to a maximum of 12 per day. The Factory Act of 1833 banned children under the age of 9 from working in the textiles industry and 10-13 year olds limited to a 48 hour week, while the Factory act of 1847 made it so women and children could only work a maximum of 10 hours a day. (Working conditions) It was wrong of the factories to take advantage of their workers, and when they revolted against them, they were left without people to run the machines. The creature in Frankenstein was abused and mistreated, solely on his looks, and after being pushed around for too long, revolted against all of humanity. Of course, with new technologies comes new problems, but, they are eventually fixed. In fact, modern science has its own problems too.
Even today we are having trouble with new sciences. More, ethical troubles to be exact. We’re researching cloning, genetic manipulation, and the human genome. But, is it right? Should we have the power to play god, like Victor Frankenstein did? One of these new sciences is cloning. It began when Scottish scientists cloned a sheep by the name of “Dolly” around 1997, who was the first mammal cloned from the cell of an adult animal. Dolly was just one success out of 276 tries, but today there are many cloned animals big or small, however there are still many animals that are too difficult to clone. One day, after a lot of research and testing, scientists hope to use cloning to reproduce entire human organs and repair damaged cells. (Cloning) However, people still express that human cloning would not be ethical. Whether it is religious people saying that a cloned human would be born without a soul or that a child cloned from his parent’s DNA would essentially be a much younger version of one of their parents, but there is still much work to be done before human cloning becomes completely successful. Many modern sciences can relate to Victor and his creature in the book Frankenstein. Victor dreamed of making man immortal, and almost completely invulnerable, like how scientists try to find new ways to help extend a person’s life, or make him more physically fit, or super intelligent. Victor’s dreams came true, in the form of his grotesque creation, who was faster, stronger, and more resistant to the elements than a normal man, with all the emotions and intellect of one, but so hideous that people ran at the sight of him. Angered at peoples’ hatred of him solely based on his looks, including his own creator, he plots his revenge, making Victor as miserable as possible, leading to his early demise.
In conclusion, the Industrial Revolution was an era of innovation and new inventions that helped make peoples’ lives easier. There were some problems that were involved with it, but they were eventually fixed. Today, the human race continues to advance in different technologies and sciences. But, is there a line somewhere that we just cannot cross?
Works Cited
Arnold, James and Roberta Wierner. A Turning Point in History. Danbury, Connecticut: Scholastic Library Publishing, 2005.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: Pocket Books, 2004.
Stearns, Peter and John Hinshaw. The Industrial Revolution. Santa Barbara, California: ABC – Clio Inc., 1996.
“Cloning Fact Sheet.” Human Genome Project Information. March 4 2009
“Child Labor in Factories.” Child Labor in Factories. March 4 2009
“Labor.” The Indsutrial Revolution. March 4 2009
“Working Conditions in the Industrial Revolution.” Schools History. March 4 2009
