In the 19^th Century life wasn’t easy; Industrial Revolution caused the creation of more factories that, itself, caused long hours of work with bad conditions and even child labor. People of this time lived in tiny semi-detached houses with their big families and didn’t have a big economic power. Because of this lack of money, not everyone had access to school. School wasn’t the same as we know it today. It was strict with strong rules and it had poor conditions, which made many children learn in the same class and no one could make a question because of the number of students present. 

Charles Dickens is one of the authors that portrayed this time and the people who lived then. He wrote “Hard Times”, a story set in a fictional industrial town, called Coketown. It talks about this dirty and noisy place and the hard life of the population. Mr. Gradgrind was the representative of the people of that town and he set up the school there.

Overall, it may be said that school changed a lot from the 19^th Century and we can observe those changes by reading Charles Dickens novel.

Group work made by:
Maria João nº13
Maria Clara nº12
Mariana Viana nº17
Rita nº23