Desolate Times : The Industrial Revolution

"Human progress isn't measured by industry. It's measured by the value you place on a life. An unimportant life. A life without privilege, that life's value is your value. That's what defines an age."

This slightly distorted quote, from the 12th Doctor in one of his best episodes "Thin Ice", is something each one of us ought to know. And yet, in a vastly materialistic world, we continue to base our progress on power and wealth. Quite recently, I also came across a poem called "Laburnum Top" written by Ted Hughes, who is not new in terms of writing on the subject of the Industrial Revolution. Having seen both seemed less like a coincidence. And so, I set down to write about the effect of the Industrial Revolution on the commoners.

By the time Ted Hughes wrote 'Laburnum Top', the industrial revolution was a part-and-parcel of everyday life and had taken England by storm. Hence it is no surprise that Ted Hughes refers to technical terms, (for instance, 'machine' and 'engine') in his poetry for expansion of meaning. If we interpret the goldfinch as a symbol of the industrial revolution, we can see that, like the goldfinch, it entered rural, calm and serene England and quickly brought thrill and excitement. However, the poet claims that this revolution hid its real face behind a mask. When the initial impact of the revolution phased out, the people were left more desolate than ever before. 

Pertinent themes in the revolution in England involved poverty, long work hours, child labour, disease, famine and pollution. The demand for housing was astronomical, and the cramped, overpopulated conditions that stemmed from this need became a breeding place for diseases; especially cholera. Children had no choice but to face the cruelty of being part of the workforce as they needed to support their families. These are only a small example of the many indecencies done to society during the Industrial Revolution. Perhaps one of the most horrendous cases was the scapegoating of vulnerable migrants. All of these factors attribute to the most critical social change brought about by the Industrial Revolution; a widening of the gap between the rich and the poor. This widening of the social divide was beneficial to none but the highest of classes leaving the majority to despair and strive to survive. 

Also, in the fore-mentioned episode "Thin Ice", the idea of hierarchy is challenged. Industrial England saw the height of social stratification, where society categorised each other into groups based on factors like wealth, income, race, education, gender, occupation, and social status. This era saw the most immoral views in civilisation and managed to bring its ugliest form out. The only people who fit into the aristocracy were white males whose social status was derived, like Lord Sutcliffe in the episode. We are now standing amid an era where white supremacy, nationalism, sexism, homophobia, and any other number of prejudices stand to become the rule of law because too many have embraced the thinking that Sutcliffe propagates: that having more makes a human worth more. By uttering those words, Doctor Who is explicitly questioning what defines us. Are we placing value on lives without privilege? Or are we continuing to base our progress on stuff and power and wealth? And if we're wrong, how do we turn in the right direction?