Content Analysis
Religion
Hannah More was also known as an English religious writer. She wrote poems as well as topics on morals and religious subjects. More and her sister worked at a school wanting to help children learn. Many people disapproved of this as well as farmers, who thought that education may ruin many things like agriculture. Many people also thought that she was going against church. During 1785-1787, More converted herself to the Christian religious faith and afterwards she began her writings on religious moral and values. One of her main purpose of writing was slavery. More and along with her other Christian friends began to raise money and funding for opening a Sunday school where poor children and adults would be given an opportunity to get an education. She went to poor villages to encourage children and adults to join the school and follow the religious beliefs. Cheap Repository Tracts written by Hannah More can by compared to the type of lessons that ministers at churches provide to audiences. The main intention is for people to learn a valuable lesson rather than just an entertainment. In Strictures, More suggests to parents that they teach children about religion through telling stories just the way she does. (230) The Tracts show passages where “God like” figures are presented and the truth and justices of the purpose of the story being told. Her religious beliefs and dedication became an important part of her life and she also became well known for her Sunday school. Her writings on religion was significant and she impacted heavily on the Christian community.
Hannah More also instructed people who give charity, to make house visits of the poor people and see the way they are living. Find out how well they have maintained their home and what sort of charity they may be in need of. On the other hand, when making visits to the homes of middle class, things were seen different. A good example can be seen in the story of Betty Brown, the St. Gile’s Orange Girl, where Betty is told to “live hard for a little time, till you have saved five shillings out of your own earnings.” Give up that expensive supper at night, drink only one pint of porter, and no gin at all” (More, Tracts, 59). Through such scenes, More creates her own Christian ideology and for her readers to notice the ways of such immoral acts upon little children. They were being taken advantage of only because of their lack of education. The middle and upper class had their own belief that it was only them who deserved a better life however, More wanted to show that this is wrong and a complete misunderstanding.
The Blagdon Controversy was similar to any other debate during this time period, between Hannah More and the conduct book writer, prominent Christians, Thomas Bere, and the priest of Blagdon. It took place in the Mendip hills in Somerset, where More had opened her first Sunday school in 1795. The school went fine in the beginning until it became the most problematic issue of More’s life. It began to jeopardize the reputation that she held among the community. The two issues were: whether the lower class should be a part of Sunday school getting an education? And if they do, who should teach them? The other was if More was a Methodist and is the school a Methodist also? Some other questions raised was, did she take consent of the clergy and whom was in charge of the property where the Sunday school was set up in. This controversy became a national interest seeing the fact that a female speaking upon her own ideology. This controversy was also taken up by the Anti-Jacobin Review where More and along with others were accused of being part of a plan to destroy the Church of England. Even though the Blagdon school shut down, she still won the debate against such high church people. Afterwards, she was extra careful and cautious about opening her other schools.
Audience
Hannah More as a religious writer focused much of her children’s writing on showing children the effect religion could have on their lives. All of her stories had a moral behind them involving religious views as well as how income and vanity were not of importance when it came to god. For example, in The history of Hester Wilmot, our main character of Hestor is caught between practicing and learning about religion even though she is disobeying her parents. She never completely lets her faith down even if it’s not something her parents consider important. Her writings relate to her current life where she conducts Sunday School for children with her sister.
Her cheap repositories were written for families with low income that could afford to purchase these tracts. They were sold for one penny each. They were also written in common language, so woman and children who were not educated could easily read and understand. She encouraged children to work for their money. In Hester’s story we see how she refuses the money her father is repaying her with this response, “instead of accepting it, Hester told him that as she herself was young and healthy, she should soon be able to clothe herself out of her own favorings, and begged him to make her mother a present of this gown.” (15) By teaching the poor to become educated and turn to religion was her way of a solution to her home country. We also see how More educates and reinstates how parents shouldn’t raise children in such vanity. That what’s more important is virtue. Vanity wasn't something that would last very long. Families were raising these girls with no education and no say, but raising them to believe money, status, and looks is what got you far. More wanted this to change and wanted the low income children to believe and see that they were as deserving of an educated life as the upper and middle class.
Education
As evident from the Strictures, Hannah More envisioned a way to bring education to the poor labor class. Her motives were to some less than admirable. She triggered rage and speculation that she wished to start a Revolution with political propaganda aimed at alarming the newly educated poor. While More expresses her pious intentions, there are so many reasons (rational or irrational) for doubt, that she faces relentless criticism. (Strictures, page 145) In actuality, her intentions are best portrayed by the statement, “
…education is of course ‘a school to fit us for life,’ she is far more concerned to show
that life itself is nothing more than ‘a school to fit us for eternity’ (Nardin, page 213)
The wealthy class had enjoyed a lack of economic competition from the working poor, and More’s anticipation of elevating the status of the poor, even if only to middle class, was indeed at threat to the wealthy. Religious leaders feared that More was usurping their power by taking it upon herself to communicate biblical concerns to the poor, and using the bible as a source of teaching material in her Sunday school classes. It would render the ministers less formidable in their ability to shape the opinions of their congregations. Also, Ms. More was mistakenly accused of championing Methodists’ religious ideas in her teachings (evidenced from her Cheap Repository tract, Shepherd of Salisbury Plain, where the good but very poor Shepherd is humbly faithful yet feels his work of being a Shepherd is part of his calling and worship of God), she categorically insists that good, hard work go hand in hand with faith. Her Anglican critics would argue that faith alone guarantees salvation. (Daubeny, page 5) Her argument that good, faithful work is imperative to the poor, because they must become educated AND work hard if they hope to raise up to join the middle class, which More feels is the proper solution to the problems of poverty. She is particularly concerned for the poor in England, after watching the uprising of the poor revolting in France. She is hoping for a peaceful and more virtuous solution in her home country. (Nardin, page 214). In this manner, her education reform also took on the role of social reform. Despite these many disapprovals, she continued the course of progress; and through her schools and publications, she formulated and shared a form of thinking that spawned a new era in education.
Hannah More was also known as an English religious writer. She wrote poems as well as topics on morals and religious subjects. More and her sister worked at a school wanting to help children learn. Many people disapproved of this as well as farmers, who thought that education may ruin many things like agriculture. Many people also thought that she was going against church. During 1785-1787, More converted herself to the Christian religious faith and afterwards she began her writings on religious moral and values. One of her main purpose of writing was slavery. More and along with her other Christian friends began to raise money and funding for opening a Sunday school where poor children and adults would be given an opportunity to get an education. She went to poor villages to encourage children and adults to join the school and follow the religious beliefs. Cheap Repository Tracts written by Hannah More can by compared to the type of lessons that ministers at churches provide to audiences. The main intention is for people to learn a valuable lesson rather than just an entertainment. In Strictures, More suggests to parents that they teach children about religion through telling stories just the way she does. (230) The Tracts show passages where “God like” figures are presented and the truth and justices of the purpose of the story being told. Her religious beliefs and dedication became an important part of her life and she also became well known for her Sunday school. Her writings on religion was significant and she impacted heavily on the Christian community.
Hannah More also instructed people who give charity, to make house visits of the poor people and see the way they are living. Find out how well they have maintained their home and what sort of charity they may be in need of. On the other hand, when making visits to the homes of middle class, things were seen different. A good example can be seen in the story of Betty Brown, the St. Gile’s Orange Girl, where Betty is told to “live hard for a little time, till you have saved five shillings out of your own earnings.” Give up that expensive supper at night, drink only one pint of porter, and no gin at all” (More, Tracts, 59). Through such scenes, More creates her own Christian ideology and for her readers to notice the ways of such immoral acts upon little children. They were being taken advantage of only because of their lack of education. The middle and upper class had their own belief that it was only them who deserved a better life however, More wanted to show that this is wrong and a complete misunderstanding.
The Blagdon Controversy was similar to any other debate during this time period, between Hannah More and the conduct book writer, prominent Christians, Thomas Bere, and the priest of Blagdon. It took place in the Mendip hills in Somerset, where More had opened her first Sunday school in 1795. The school went fine in the beginning until it became the most problematic issue of More’s life. It began to jeopardize the reputation that she held among the community. The two issues were: whether the lower class should be a part of Sunday school getting an education? And if they do, who should teach them? The other was if More was a Methodist and is the school a Methodist also? Some other questions raised was, did she take consent of the clergy and whom was in charge of the property where the Sunday school was set up in. This controversy became a national interest seeing the fact that a female speaking upon her own ideology. This controversy was also taken up by the Anti-Jacobin Review where More and along with others were accused of being part of a plan to destroy the Church of England. Even though the Blagdon school shut down, she still won the debate against such high church people. Afterwards, she was extra careful and cautious about opening her other schools.
Audience
Hannah More as a religious writer focused much of her children’s writing on showing children the effect religion could have on their lives. All of her stories had a moral behind them involving religious views as well as how income and vanity were not of importance when it came to god. For example, in The history of Hester Wilmot, our main character of Hestor is caught between practicing and learning about religion even though she is disobeying her parents. She never completely lets her faith down even if it’s not something her parents consider important. Her writings relate to her current life where she conducts Sunday School for children with her sister.
Her cheap repositories were written for families with low income that could afford to purchase these tracts. They were sold for one penny each. They were also written in common language, so woman and children who were not educated could easily read and understand. She encouraged children to work for their money. In Hester’s story we see how she refuses the money her father is repaying her with this response, “instead of accepting it, Hester told him that as she herself was young and healthy, she should soon be able to clothe herself out of her own favorings, and begged him to make her mother a present of this gown.” (15) By teaching the poor to become educated and turn to religion was her way of a solution to her home country. We also see how More educates and reinstates how parents shouldn’t raise children in such vanity. That what’s more important is virtue. Vanity wasn't something that would last very long. Families were raising these girls with no education and no say, but raising them to believe money, status, and looks is what got you far. More wanted this to change and wanted the low income children to believe and see that they were as deserving of an educated life as the upper and middle class.
Education
As evident from the Strictures, Hannah More envisioned a way to bring education to the poor labor class. Her motives were to some less than admirable. She triggered rage and speculation that she wished to start a Revolution with political propaganda aimed at alarming the newly educated poor. While More expresses her pious intentions, there are so many reasons (rational or irrational) for doubt, that she faces relentless criticism. (Strictures, page 145) In actuality, her intentions are best portrayed by the statement, “
…education is of course ‘a school to fit us for life,’ she is far more concerned to show
that life itself is nothing more than ‘a school to fit us for eternity’ (Nardin, page 213)
The wealthy class had enjoyed a lack of economic competition from the working poor, and More’s anticipation of elevating the status of the poor, even if only to middle class, was indeed at threat to the wealthy. Religious leaders feared that More was usurping their power by taking it upon herself to communicate biblical concerns to the poor, and using the bible as a source of teaching material in her Sunday school classes. It would render the ministers less formidable in their ability to shape the opinions of their congregations. Also, Ms. More was mistakenly accused of championing Methodists’ religious ideas in her teachings (evidenced from her Cheap Repository tract, Shepherd of Salisbury Plain, where the good but very poor Shepherd is humbly faithful yet feels his work of being a Shepherd is part of his calling and worship of God), she categorically insists that good, hard work go hand in hand with faith. Her Anglican critics would argue that faith alone guarantees salvation. (Daubeny, page 5) Her argument that good, faithful work is imperative to the poor, because they must become educated AND work hard if they hope to raise up to join the middle class, which More feels is the proper solution to the problems of poverty. She is particularly concerned for the poor in England, after watching the uprising of the poor revolting in France. She is hoping for a peaceful and more virtuous solution in her home country. (Nardin, page 214). In this manner, her education reform also took on the role of social reform. Despite these many disapprovals, she continued the course of progress; and through her schools and publications, she formulated and shared a form of thinking that spawned a new era in education.