Hello Everyone, my name is Josh Greenberg and I am a Senior studying English as a major and a dual minor in Theater Arts and Asian Studies (how these three connect is an enigma, but I am pursuing them nonetheless). My hearty ambitions will hopefully lead me to becoming a famous movie star (HA!) but until then I am hoping to apply to a program that allows me to teach English abroad in Japan to younger students. So that seems to be my future so far, and after that, who knows! So I am taking this course, yes because it is a requirement (and my last one) but also because I never took a course on London specifically. So I thought it would be interesting to learn more about the city, and the country in general I suppose, and expand my knowledge on our lovely “mother land” that exists today.
Anyway, I read the article and I found myself very fascinated. I found it amazing that all of these industrial changes and societal changes happened after the crazy-violent-and deadly medieval era that plagued the nation. Beyond that however, the crazy divide of social power and bureaucratic hierarchy grew and blossomed into the power it is today, and how the certain districts have these powers distributed. The West and East became a blooming point for aristocrats and the poor had job opportunities there, but were naturally abused and exploited. The South seemed to have been abandoned because of that river that had been a barrier for centuries. So the people are poorer and the area is smoggy, decaying, dangerous, and not an appealing place to live. Meanwhile, the rich get richer and as commerce and trade envelops the attention of the world, exploitation and future expansion of the country increases.
It is crazy how a nation starts small and gets large, but, it is even crazier when it is in a state of turmoil, despair, and death for centuries; and now it is a booming metropolis that literally took over the world. But the pros and cons are the most important aspects of which to look when expanding a country for the future. And while commerce grows, homes are destroyed to make way for big businesses. As the rich get more money and power, the poor, naturally, wallow away and get poorer. But that is the cyclical nature of revolutions I believe. Some will benefit, but others will be hurt, sometimes extremely, by it. I guess that is how it is.
I agree that every revolution inevitably mean things will be beneficial to some and detrimental to others. Somehow, the pros always end up being in favor of the rich while the poor are left out in the cold. In this case the aristocrats drove the country to change and embrace capitalism (more wealth for them) while 120,000 people (likely all poor people) lost their homes to accommodate more businesses. Which means these displaced poor people were quite literally left out in the cold.
Josh you really hit the nail on the head when you state that the rich getting richer, and the poor getting poorer is just “cyclical nature of revolutions .” In order for anything to get better, it needs to hit rock bottom first and that’s basically what happened in London before it became the superpower it did. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger right? When these things happen, it is ridiculous that those who can give don’t and instead let the nation suffer. I’m very curious to know how England goes from rags to riches and how they were able to become one to basically taking control. However, you’re right about pros and cons of a country. In order to understand where you’re going, you need to reflect on where you been. I wish the cons weren’t as dark as they were for the citizens of London.
Also, I really love talking like a fortune cookie, so excuse me for that.
I’m glad you are so ambitious! I really admire your goal to teach English to children in Japan. That sounds very cool! Best of luck in reaching your goals 🙂
I wish you the best of luck with your plans of teaching abroad, Joshie! And really great reading of the article surrounding on the scales of justice tipping in the favor of the rich. The constant theme in history is that the rich do, in fact, get richer and the poor unfortunately cannot dig themselves out of the rut that poverty creates. Glad you enjoyed the article and you are taking this class!
Hi Josh,
Glad to have you in the class! It’s great that you mentioned so many of the central themes we’ll be addressing throughout the semester (industry/technology, class, poverty, pollution, violence, and location)!