Queen Victoria

(1819-1901)

Victoria was the daughter of Edward, the Duke of Kent and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg. She was born in London, Kensington Palace, May 24th, 1819.

In 1837 Queen Victoria took the throne, just eighteen, she refused any influence from her mother and ruled in her own will. She wished to be informed of political matters, although she had no influence in its decisions. She worked well with Lord Melbourne (Prime Minister in the first years of her reign) and England grew socially and economically.

On Feb 10th, 1840, Victoria married her cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Together they had nine children - four sons and five daughters.

The general public did not like the German prince. On Dec. 14th 1861 Albert died from typhoid fever at Windsor Castle. Victoria became depressive and rarely appeared in public.

In 1876 she was crowned Empress of India by Disraeli. In 1887, in name of Victoria, there was a big national celebration of her 50th year as Queen.

Victoria died at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, on 22 January 1901 after a reign of almost 64 years, the longest in British history

Victoria's long reign made an evolution in English politics and the expansion of the British Empire. Queen Victoria is associated with Britain's great age of industrial expansion, economic progress and empire. At her death, they say that Britain had a worldwide empire on which the sun never set.

Ines Buekenhout, nº5
Rafaela Matos, nº14
Raquel Batista, nº15
10ºC


Adapted “www.victorianstation.com” (link)

Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution started in England in the 18th century. The main factors that gave priority to England in the industrial start were the Agricultural Revolution, the abundance of labour, the existence of an enterprising middle class and aristocracy, the development of manufactory and the existence of a huge external and internal market. England also had some favourable geographic conditions (rivers, canals and docks) and abundance of resources (coal, iron, cotton, wool, etc).
The starting sectors of the Industrial Revolution were textile industry and metallurgy. The textile industry was an important sector because there was a big demand of textile products and this industry neither required big investments nor specialised labour. The metallurgy also had a dominant position because of the Transports Revolution. This revolution and the mechanisation of industry caused a large scale mining exploration.
This was a time of big inventions like the steam engine that revolutionised the industry. Its inventor was James Watt and this invention permitted the production of artificial energy.
During that time, an economy based on manual labour was replaced by one dominated by industry and the “manufacture” of machinery.
The Industrial Revolution led to a population increase. Industrial workers (blue collar clerks) were better paid than those in agriculture. With more money, women ate better, had healthier babies, who were themselves better fed. Death rates declined and the distribution of age in the population became more youthful. There was limited opportunity for education and children were expected to work. Employers also liked the fact they could pay a child less than an adult.
Living conditions during the Industrial Revolution varied from the splendour of the homes of the owners to the squalor of the lives of the workers. Poor people lived in small houses in cramped streets. These homes would share toilet facilities, have open sewers and would be at risk of damp. Conditions did improve during the 19th century as a number of public health acts were introduced covering things such as sewage, hygiene and making some boundaries upon the construction of homes. Not everybody lived in homes like these. The Industrial Revolution led to a larger number of middle class professionals such as lawyers and doctors (white collar clerks).
In the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution spread to other european countries like Germany, France, Sweden, and also to Russia, U.S.A., Japan, Canada and Australia.


Marco Dias Nº11 10ºC
Joel Andrade Nº7 10ºC
Marcelo Abrantes Nª10 10º C

LONDRES

Oliver foge da sua cidade natal e ruma até Londres à procura da sua fortuna. Muitas outras pessoas seguiram os mesmos passos de Oliver no século XIX.Com uma população superior a 2 milhões de pessoas, Londres era a maior cidade de Inglaterra e provavelmente a maior do mundo naquele tempo.

De muitas maneiras, Londres era o centro do mundo. A Bretanha estava a começar a ficar a maior nação industrializada e, ao mesmo tempo, o império britânico estava em constante crescimento. Londres, que era a residência da rainha Vitória e das Casas do Parlamento, era o centro de todo este poder. Embarcações de todo mundo chegaram ao porto de Londres carregados de uma enorme quantidade e variedade de produtos. Muitos homens de negócios enriqueceram em Londres e acumularam enormes fortunas.
Em várias partes da cidade havia casas magníficas, parques extensos e ruas e lojas elegantes. A classe média londrina, de que fazia parte Mr Brownlow, levava uma vida bastante confortável.
Mas, no outro lado da cidade, mais especificamente em “East End” perto das docas, existia uma enorme comunidade de pobres. Esta era a área de Londres para a qual Artful Dodger encaminhou Oliver para conhecer Fagin. Neste local, as casas eram velhas e estavam em ruínas, as ruas eram estreitas, escuras e sujas.
Nestas áreas não existia nenhuma infra-estrutura que é natural encontrar nas cidades modernas, como a inexistência de transportes públicos, nenhuma polícia devidamente organizada, nem corporação de bombeiros, a iluminação não era suficiente durante a noite, não existia nenhum fornecimento de água potável nem sistema de esgotos, assim como também não havia nenhuma limpeza e recolha do lixo. As condições sanitárias eram muito fracas. O lixo e os desperdícios acabavam a maior parte do tempo por ficar na rua ou ir para o rio.
Londres era suja e caótica, mas era uma cidade fascinante. O seu tamanho, as multidões, o barulho e a sua incrível variedade de pessoas e espaços deveriam ter sido um choque para um miúdo de uma pequena aldeia, como Oliver.
Mesmo Dickens, que nasceu fora de Londres, nunca perdeu o interesse pela cidade e escolheu-a como local da acção em muitas das suas obras.



David Costa Nº3 10ºC
Juliana Pessoa Nº9 10ºC



Oliver escapes from his hometown and makes his way to London to seek fortune. Many others followed the same road in the 19th century. With a population of over 2 million, London was the greatest city in England and probably the biggest in the world at that time.
In many ways London was the centre of the world. Britain was becoming the first great industrial nation and, at the same time, the British Empire was growing. London, the home of Queen Victoria and the Houses of Parliament, was the focus of all this power. Ships from all over the world arrived there carrying an enormous variety of goods. Many businessmen grew rich and some up fabulous fortunes.
In parts of the city there were magnificent townhouses, extensive parks, and elegant streets and shops.
Middle-class Londoners, such us Mr Brownlow in the story, lived very comfortable lives.
But, on the other side of the city, especially in the “East End”, near the docks, there was also terrible poverty. This was the area of London where the Artful Dodger brought Oliver to meet Fagin. Here the houses were old and broken-down, and the streets were narrow, dark and dirty.
In these areas there were none of the facilities that we expect in a modern city. There was no public transport, no properly organised police force or fire service, no effective street lighting at night, no proper water supply or sewage system, no service to remove rubbish. Sanitary conditions were very poor. Rubbish and waste often ended up on the street or in the river.
London was dirty and chaotic, but it was a fascinating city. Its tremendous size, the crowds, the noise, and the incredible variety of people and places must have been a shock for a boy from a small town, such as Oliver.
Dickens himself, who was born outside London, never lost his interest in the city and set many of his stories there.


David Costa Nº3 10ºC
Juliana Pessoa º9 10ºC


[ “…London was the centre of the world.”
“…Londres era o centro do mundo.”

[ “…the first great industrial nation…”
“…a maior nação industrializada…”

[ “…the British Empire was growing.”
“…o império britânico estava em constante crescimento.”

[ “…carrying an enormous variety of goods.”
“…carregados de uma enorme quantidade e variedade de produtos.”

[ “In these areas there were none of the facilities…”
“Nestas áreas não existia nenhuma infra-estrutura…”

[ “There was no public transport, no properly organised police force or fire service, no effective street lighting at night, no proper water supply or sewage system, no service to remove rubbish.”
“…a inexistência de transportes públicos, nenhuma polícia devidamente organizada, nem corporação de bombeiros, a iluminação nas ruas não era suficiente durante a noite, não existia nenhum fornecimento de água potável nem sistema de esgotos…”

[ “Sanitary conditions were very poor.”
“As condições sanitárias eram muito fracas.”

[ “Rubbish and waste often ended up on the street or in the river.”
“O lixo e os desperdícios acabavam a maior parte do tempo por ficar na rua ou ir para o rio.”

[ “London was dirty and chaotic,…”
“Londres era suja e caótica,…”



David Costa Nº3 10ºC
Juliana Pessoa Nº9 10ºC

A Exposição

O livro e ... o filme

(clica sobre o livro para veres clips relativos ao filme Oliver Twist, de Roman Polanski)

O painel

OLIVER TWIST, Charles Dickens

De 15 a 30 de Novembro, o painel permanente da Biblioteca, irá expor o livro Oliver Twist, de Charles Dickens.

A obra integra-se no subtema A Cultura Anglo-saxónica, que manter-se-á ao longo do 1º período. Nos períodos seguintes, o painel dedicará espaço e tempo às culturas francesa e espanhola.

O painel divide-se em quatro áreas distintas: A OBRA, O AUTOR, OBRAS AFINS e O CONTEXTO. Os conteúdos são da responsabilidade simultânea dos seus autores, alunos e professores em contexto de sala de aula, e dos docentes que apoiam a biblioteca.

Paralelamente ao painel, será desenvolvido este blog, com a participação de todos os envolvidos, que poderão expor os seus textos e imagens, sejam ou não os mesmos do suporte físico, e de todos os interessados no tema ou para ele despertados pela exposição.