Now that you’ve had a chance to explore the evidence, write a short essay (four to five paragraphs) on the following topic:

Create a comparison of industrial and preindustrial conditions written from the perspective of a nineteenth-century observer. Your observer can come from any social background: he or she could be a scholar like Gaskell or Guest, a factory owner like Owen, or an actual factory worker. As you write, be sure to consider the influence of your observer’s background on his or her characterization of the changes brought by industrialization. What differences would your observer highlight? Why?

You may find it helpful to review the section “New Patterns of Working and Living” in Chapter 23 of your textbook before you begin.