1900 House Essay, Research Paper

The mother had the most difficult job in the 1900 house. This is evidenced by her continuous laboring (viz., sweeping, laundry, cooking, dressing, etc.). Eventually, she hired a maid to do the housework for her, but the laundry and cooking remained her tasks.

The top two difficulties of the family during the three-month experiment were most definitely cleanliness and food. Cleanliness was hard to achieve given the options available (no hot water, no shampoo) until they fixed the stove and used the Household Guide to concoct hair cleanser. Food was also somewhat of an impediment during their stay; the little boy didn t like the food, it was frequently over- or under-cooked, and the vegetarian mother had to sacrifice her principles for nourishment.

The two most difficult aspects of being a young man at that time were the dress code and the family role. Young men at the time were expected to be in proper dress all the time (or so the video portrayed). They were also entrusted with the responsibility of their family. Men in general had jobs where they traveled a lot and couldn t spend much time with their families.

The phrase the good old days is a misnomer. This is suggested by the temperamental stove, limited selection of foods, orthodox etiquette, and the mother s workload. The pros of living in 1900 were that life was generally much simpler, viz., no computers to confuse the technologically illiterate and no pollution from cars. However, the costs outweigh the benefits. The salary was unacceptable and budgeting was tight for middle-class families. The stress that women had to go through was unbearable (i.e., corsets, servants, cooking, cleaning, etc.). Nowadays, modern conveniences that we take for granted (gas ranges, temperature setting ovens, vacuum cleaners, computers, cars, telephones, and many others) would have certainly helped out people living in the beginning of the century.

Two things in present-day life that I would absolutely not go without are computers and telephones (consequently, electricity). They aren t really small items like shampoo, gas ranges, clothes, or anything, but they are very convenient and would prove to be useful in life in 1900.

I wouldn t have volunteered to live in the 1900 house because I wouldn t be able to sacrifice all of our present-day conveniences. I would certainly have been unable to keep to the pact that they adhered to and I would have broken many rules of social and political etiquette. I m simply not cut out for 1900 living.