Throughout different texts an author can help show the lives of the poor and the diets they lived off, through the use of language and descriptive words included in the articles written. Often an author can use images such as graphs, photographs and drawings to help show the reader of the article just how poor the characters are in the book written, and this helps give the reader a clear image of what life will have been like for the real life people the characters have been based on in the book. This also helps the descriptive language come alive on the page, without the reader having to use much imagination. In this assignment I will write about and compare how the writers of text 26 and text 27 in the anthology use food to convey the lives of the poor.
Text 26 is a semi-autobiographical article that is a piece of social history, which is written about the different foods eaten by the working class citizens possibly during the Victorian times or the World War. In the article the writer tries to convey the poor diet of the working class people and how the barely health beneficial diet effects them. This is done through the use of descriptive words and sentences, along with non-specific adjectives, which help represent the food eaten by the ‘working class people’ and the older generation. The authors choice of words help to build up a documentary about the diet of the working class and the older generation, while using some personal experience in the article at the same time. This helps people of different ages which may mostly span from young to mature adults, understand the story and be drawn to it because of its interesting facts.
In the writing of text 26 we find out about the different types of foods the poor working class people eat, and some examples include: cowheel, tripe, chitterlings, liver and black pudding. These are all cheap and not highly nourishing foods which are made from the parts of animals people will not normally want to buy, but the working class people will. The author describing these foods helps show how poor the working class people really are, in contrast to higher class people who can afford the better cuts and organs of the slaughtered animals at the butcher shop. The author also uses very non-specific adjectives to help represent the food eaten by the working class. One example of an adjective used in the article is ‘has no body’, which translates as stingy, and a lack of meat. This adjective shows how the food the working class and older generation have to eat, is very measly, and is not even slightly efficient to help keep them well fed.
The grammar of the article is that it is written in long, structured sentences which are mainly suited to more adult and mature readers. There are no paragraphs in the article which show that the piece of writing is written in an auto-biographical layout. In each of the paragraphs simple, yet mature and professional language is used, telling the reader that this piece of literature has been written by an educated writer, who has knowledge of the English language. The grammar of the piece of writing also include a number of different adjectives and nouns which help describe the lives of the poor people of the working class, and the food they ate. One example of an adjective includes, ‘a few coppers’, this describes how the working class people can only afford foods which cost a few coppers with an amount most likely adding up to £0.50, and in the sentence this adjective is included in tells us that the older generation only eat bread dipped in Oxo beef cube dissolved in water, because this substitutes for a main meal.
The form of this piece of writing is that it is an auto-biography type written piece of literature, with a small amount of historic documentary writing included. The structure that the literature is written is similar to that which is found in a novel, or auto-biography which makes it easy to read and easy to follow. The article is not eye catching but with its historic information it will draw a reader to it by making them want to read about how the working class and older generation ate in the olden eras of the 20th century. The reason this piece of writing is written in a novel type format is so that because there are no images included like a magazine article, the reader must use their imagination to picture what the writing is telling them, which will broaden the experience of finding out about their ancestors’ diets.
The literatures layout and presentation as described in the above paragraph, is set out as an auto-biography/novel. There are no pictures which is common in many adult books, and has a simple Times New Roman style font making it easier to read. The presentation of the literature is professional and old fashioned in that it does not have any pictures, and is written without paragraphs to help split different parts of the words up. This helps the reader collect all the information from the article without having to stop and re-read everything.
The attitudes towards the food that the working class and older generation, is that the food is a negative impact on the people’s lives, and their lifestyles that they live. We find out that the older generation eat bread dipped in Oxo cube blended water, and the working class eat the leftover meat and trimmings from the butcher shop that no one wants. One example of a sentence which portrays the attitude towards the food eaten by lower class people would be: ‘A husband will complain that the food there ‘has no body’ and the wife has to ‘pack something up’, which usually means a pile of sandwiches with ‘something tasty’ in them, and she prepares a big hot meal in the evening’. This sentence shows that the food in the workplace for the poor working people is so bad, that they will resort to eating home prepared food, which may contain foods which are not nutritious and appetising to the human taste.
The extract written about is from a book called ‘The Uses of Literacy’ written by Richard Hoggart. No date is included in the anthology of this book.
Text 27 is a copy of an hourly/daily feeding plan, which may have been used in a Victorian work house, business, hospital or care home for the elderly or mentally ill. The plan shows different foods which are consumed by men, women and children and these foods include: Gruel (porridge), Bread, Cooked Meat, Potatoes or other vegetables, Soup, and Cheese. In the plan the weeks of the days are listed with both genders (male and female) written beside them, and through a graph the amount of each food allowed to the men and women each day for Breakfast, Dinner and Supper is listed. Underneath each graph there is a small paragraph stating information for the feeding of older generation people and children. The plan and its graphs are easy to follow, and are similar to those used today in schools, hospitals, institutes and prisons. Text 27 is also a descriptive document on how much food is rationed to people of a working class state, which shows the comparison between the working class and the higher class people. The contrast is shown by listing very simple, cheap and versatile foods which alone are not nutritious enough for a person to live on a healthy diet, which makes the reader of the feeding plan think about what the upper class people of the Victorian age will be eating, as they will be able to afford the best foods from soups, buns, steak, fruit and sugar.
The language used in the hourly/daily feeding plan is very simple, with only short sentences used in the paragraphs under each graph. This will have been because in the Victorian times many people such as middle class people could not read or write English, and so an educated man or woman will have written the notes. The sentences are simple so that any person on feeding duty will be able to understand the instructions given, and follow them out to the letter without difficulty. One example of use of simple language is in the sentence: ‘Sick to be dieted as directed by the medical officer’, this simple sentence tells the person on duty that those who are unwell are to be fed what the Doctor has recommended that the patient should eat.
The grammar of the literature is that the sentences are written in simple sentences which can be followed easily, and can be understood by people whose reading ability ranges from amateur to expert understanding of all texts. For example the sentences are written in the manner of a GCSE student, who has a grade of about C, which can be easily read and understood. ‘Old people, of sixty years of age and upwards, may be allowed once ounce of tea, five ounces of butter and seven ounces of sugar per week, in lieu of gruel for breakfast, if deemed expedient to make this change’. This sentence is grammatically structured to inform the reader in a professional manner that older people in the work place or care placement are allowed an ounce of tea (around 8-10 cups), five ounces of butter (11.94 tablespoons) and seven ounces of sugar ( 7-8 cups), instead of gruel for breakfast.
The form of the article is that it is an feeding plan, which is written out in a chart with small descriptive paragraphs to help give extra information which is required to correctly feed the people who the list regards, by the laws given by the government at the time of the charts printing. The charts writing and the paragraphs under them, are written in a simple neat font which is professional and easy to read. This helps make the chart seem more professional and official, and to make it easier to read.
The articles layout and presentation is very professional and neat, and this is because it is a official document written by the Government at the time of printing. There is no color in the printed document which shows that it is mainly for adults to read, not for young children who will not be able to understand the mathematical statistics of the chart.
The attitudes conveyed in this article is that food should only be given to women and men, in small amounts even if they are fully grown or if they are children be given only a little bit extra because they are growing. Older people get a choice of better foods because they are older, and so need more energy to work and live their everyday lives.
There is no date or name of source where this article came from.
In conclusion texts 26 and 27 use food to convey the lives of the poor, by describing how little the poor and working class people had to eat, and by describing the foods they were forced to eat. This gives the reader a idea of what the poor had to live off, and makes the reader think about how lucky they are to have a wide choice of different healthy foods to live of.
Text 26 is a semi-autobiographical article that is a piece of social history, which is written about the different foods eaten by the working class citizens possibly during the Victorian times or the World War. In the article the writer tries to convey the poor diet of the working class people and how the barely health beneficial diet effects them. This is done through the use of descriptive words and sentences, along with non-specific adjectives, which help represent the food eaten by the ‘working class people’ and the older generation. The authors choice of words help to build up a documentary about the diet of the working class and the older generation, while using some personal experience in the article at the same time. This helps people of different ages which may mostly span from young to mature adults, understand the story and be drawn to it because of its interesting facts.
In the writing of text 26 we find out about the different types of foods the poor working class people eat, and some examples include: cowheel, tripe, chitterlings, liver and black pudding. These are all cheap and not highly nourishing foods which are made from the parts of animals people will not normally want to buy, but the working class people will. The author describing these foods helps show how poor the working class people really are, in contrast to higher class people who can afford the better cuts and organs of the slaughtered animals at the butcher shop. The author also uses very non-specific adjectives to help represent the food eaten by the working class. One example of an adjective used in the article is ‘has no body’, which translates as stingy, and a lack of meat. This adjective shows how the food the working class and older generation have to eat, is very measly, and is not even slightly efficient to help keep them well fed.
The grammar of the article is that it is written in long, structured sentences which are mainly suited to more adult and mature readers. There are no paragraphs in the article which show that the piece of writing is written in an auto-biographical layout. In each of the paragraphs simple, yet mature and professional language is used, telling the reader that this piece of literature has been written by an educated writer, who has knowledge of the English language. The grammar of the piece of writing also include a number of different adjectives and nouns which help describe the lives of the poor people of the working class, and the food they ate. One example of an adjective includes, ‘a few coppers’, this describes how the working class people can only afford foods which cost a few coppers with an amount most likely adding up to £0.50, and in the sentence this adjective is included in tells us that the older generation only eat bread dipped in Oxo beef cube dissolved in water, because this substitutes for a main meal.
The form of this piece of writing is that it is an auto-biography type written piece of literature, with a small amount of historic documentary writing included. The structure that the literature is written is similar to that which is found in a novel, or auto-biography which makes it easy to read and easy to follow. The article is not eye catching but with its historic information it will draw a reader to it by making them want to read about how the working class and older generation ate in the olden eras of the 20th century. The reason this piece of writing is written in a novel type format is so that because there are no images included like a magazine article, the reader must use their imagination to picture what the writing is telling them, which will broaden the experience of finding out about their ancestors’ diets.
The literatures layout and presentation as described in the above paragraph, is set out as an auto-biography/novel. There are no pictures which is common in many adult books, and has a simple Times New Roman style font making it easier to read. The presentation of the literature is professional and old fashioned in that it does not have any pictures, and is written without paragraphs to help split different parts of the words up. This helps the reader collect all the information from the article without having to stop and re-read everything.
The attitudes towards the food that the working class and older generation, is that the food is a negative impact on the people’s lives, and their lifestyles that they live. We find out that the older generation eat bread dipped in Oxo cube blended water, and the working class eat the leftover meat and trimmings from the butcher shop that no one wants. One example of a sentence which portrays the attitude towards the food eaten by lower class people would be: ‘A husband will complain that the food there ‘has no body’ and the wife has to ‘pack something up’, which usually means a pile of sandwiches with ‘something tasty’ in them, and she prepares a big hot meal in the evening’. This sentence shows that the food in the workplace for the poor working people is so bad, that they will resort to eating home prepared food, which may contain foods which are not nutritious and appetising to the human taste.
The extract written about is from a book called ‘The Uses of Literacy’ written by Richard Hoggart. No date is included in the anthology of this book.
Text 27 is a copy of an hourly/daily feeding plan, which may have been used in a Victorian work house, business, hospital or care home for the elderly or mentally ill. The plan shows different foods which are consumed by men, women and children and these foods include: Gruel (porridge), Bread, Cooked Meat, Potatoes or other vegetables, Soup, and Cheese. In the plan the weeks of the days are listed with both genders (male and female) written beside them, and through a graph the amount of each food allowed to the men and women each day for Breakfast, Dinner and Supper is listed. Underneath each graph there is a small paragraph stating information for the feeding of older generation people and children. The plan and its graphs are easy to follow, and are similar to those used today in schools, hospitals, institutes and prisons. Text 27 is also a descriptive document on how much food is rationed to people of a working class state, which shows the comparison between the working class and the higher class people. The contrast is shown by listing very simple, cheap and versatile foods which alone are not nutritious enough for a person to live on a healthy diet, which makes the reader of the feeding plan think about what the upper class people of the Victorian age will be eating, as they will be able to afford the best foods from soups, buns, steak, fruit and sugar.
The language used in the hourly/daily feeding plan is very simple, with only short sentences used in the paragraphs under each graph. This will have been because in the Victorian times many people such as middle class people could not read or write English, and so an educated man or woman will have written the notes. The sentences are simple so that any person on feeding duty will be able to understand the instructions given, and follow them out to the letter without difficulty. One example of use of simple language is in the sentence: ‘Sick to be dieted as directed by the medical officer’, this simple sentence tells the person on duty that those who are unwell are to be fed what the Doctor has recommended that the patient should eat.
The grammar of the literature is that the sentences are written in simple sentences which can be followed easily, and can be understood by people whose reading ability ranges from amateur to expert understanding of all texts. For example the sentences are written in the manner of a GCSE student, who has a grade of about C, which can be easily read and understood. ‘Old people, of sixty years of age and upwards, may be allowed once ounce of tea, five ounces of butter and seven ounces of sugar per week, in lieu of gruel for breakfast, if deemed expedient to make this change’. This sentence is grammatically structured to inform the reader in a professional manner that older people in the work place or care placement are allowed an ounce of tea (around 8-10 cups), five ounces of butter (11.94 tablespoons) and seven ounces of sugar ( 7-8 cups), instead of gruel for breakfast.
The form of the article is that it is an feeding plan, which is written out in a chart with small descriptive paragraphs to help give extra information which is required to correctly feed the people who the list regards, by the laws given by the government at the time of the charts printing. The charts writing and the paragraphs under them, are written in a simple neat font which is professional and easy to read. This helps make the chart seem more professional and official, and to make it easier to read.
The articles layout and presentation is very professional and neat, and this is because it is a official document written by the Government at the time of printing. There is no color in the printed document which shows that it is mainly for adults to read, not for young children who will not be able to understand the mathematical statistics of the chart.
The attitudes conveyed in this article is that food should only be given to women and men, in small amounts even if they are fully grown or if they are children be given only a little bit extra because they are growing. Older people get a choice of better foods because they are older, and so need more energy to work and live their everyday lives.
There is no date or name of source where this article came from.
In conclusion texts 26 and 27 use food to convey the lives of the poor, by describing how little the poor and working class people had to eat, and by describing the foods they were forced to eat. This gives the reader a idea of what the poor had to live off, and makes the reader think about how lucky they are to have a wide choice of different healthy foods to live of.