Victorian England

1. Scrooge sarcastically asks the Portly Man if the Union workhouses are still in operation. Read about why workhouses were built at the Victorian Powys web site. What were the true causes of poverty?

2. Read "Social Classes" on pages 56-58 of the book Victorian England. List one detail about life for members of each of the following classes:

a. Working

b. Middle

c. Upper

3. Read the section titled “Slums and Sweat” on pages 38 and 39 of the book The Industrial Revolution. Name two examples of the poor conditions found in factories in Victorian England.

4. Spend a few minutes exploring the Victorian England website from English Heritage. What is one thing that you learned? How does it relate to A Christmas Carol?

5. Based on what you've read in the first four questions, why do you think Scrooge says on page 14 of the play, "If they had rather die, then they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population"?

6. “The sun never sets on the British Empire.” What does this famous quote mean? Look at the globe and the maps on page 244 of the Times Atlas of World History to discover the answer.