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What Is The Difference Between The Steam King And The American Dream

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The Victorian Era in England was similar to many other eras in various countries that experienced rapid industrial and economic growth—a period marked by rampant class warfare, child labor, and other social injustices. The texts of the era are plentiful, written by the factory workers and other laborers, as well as the factory owners, along with individuals outside of these constraints. Many describe the horrid working conditions, the monotony and lifeless character of day in, day out factory work, the effects this work has on families, and the progress, or the perceived notion of progress, by the business owners. Edward Mead 's "The Steam King," offers insight to the undefeatable industrious machine, recognizing the hardships the working class is burdened with, though the poem ends with some skewed hope—a vision astoundingly similar to what Andrew Ure sees in The Philosophy of Manufactures. These two texts differ, in an extreme way, in tone and the perception of life in the factories—Mead showing the human cost for economic advancement, Ure blind to the suffering of the factory worker—but both works hint that the suffering may be worth the industrial growth, thus ensuring prosperity for all. On the surface, "The Steam King" is a cry from the working class for reform within a factory system that abuses children until their death. Considering the nature of this child sacrifice, it is fitting for the poet to reference Moloch. Considered a Pagan god, Moloch is associated with

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