LIB316: Historical Contexts and Literature, history homework help

Your discussion prompt this week is about literature as social criticism. In order to respond to this discussion, you will read the excerpt from Charles Dickens’ Hard Timesand Jack London’s “The Apostate” in Chapter 2 of our textbook. The first part of the discussion prompt asks you to consider what we can learn from these 2 literary texts about the effects of the industrial revolution in the 19^th century on the common worker.  What were Dickens’ and London’s concerns? In addition to reflecting the impact of the industrialization of Europe and America on the common man, social critics also aspired to influence political policy and economic practices.  The second part of the prompt asks you to discuss what social reforms are suggested by these stories of exploitation. How do these implied reforms advance the ideals of democracy? Finally, why do you think the works of social critics like Dickens and London still popular today? What is their appeal in an increasingly sophisticated technological world?