A kind reminder this Christmas:
As I've been doing work with my son on A Christmas Carol, I just thought I'd share some history.
The Poor Law was amended in 1834, sending anyone suffering from poverty to prisons and workhouses, and many families were split up.
Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol in December 1843, because he himself found himself struck by poverty when his father (middle class family) was arrested due to debt.
He had to work at Warren's Blacking Factory when he was 12 years old, during the period his father was imprisoned for debt, his job was to paste labels onto the blacking pots.
Because of this he felt that EDUCATION was the best way to TACKLE poverty and not people being penalised when they were already at their lowest.
This inspired the five staves of A Christmas Carol and the tale of redemption.
Remember not everyone is lucky enough to stay safe and warm these winter months and poverty is still a huge issue in modern day society.
Remember that the poor aren't poor by choice and thankfully we have a benefit system to help support people back on their feet.
The false and negative stigmas and stereotypes, ("lazy, selfish, leeches on the system", amongst other false and unfair affiliations) are however still attached to the less fortunate, disabled and poor and unless we tackle these negative and false attitudes in modern day society we will be exactly the same as the Scrooge's of the Victorian era.
When the meagre and pale children, want and ignorance, were brought to light by the ghost of future yet to come, the ghost stated that "ALL children are the responsibility of mankind."
And as Charles Dickens demonstrated in his wonderful A Christmas Carol, redemption is available for anyone willing to change how they look at the poor and vulnerable.
S.
Kawaii Doll Decora 🩷✨
#stigma #poverty #poor #charlesdickens #remember #redemption
Image credit: Britannica
