London Life in 1850s

29.08.18

In Social Studies we were asked to do a creative writing about you being in London in 1850s and we had to write our story according to the following information.

• You are living in London, it is the 1850s and you hated it. You see posters promoting a new life in a distant land called New Zealand. There are job opportunities and a promise of a new start.
• Your story needs to include, your life in London and why you hated it.
• The journey on the ship and what's it like.
• What life is like when you arrive. Click the image to get an idea.
• Go and create a story and make your PUSH and PULL FACTOR CLEAR.

And this is my story.

                             LONDON LIFE IN THE 1850s….
 My family has gone through a hard life in London (1850s), life is miserable and raising my family was not very easy. We couldn’t afford anything because we did not have enough money and the people were very poor. If their families won’t work they would not eat anything or they could not afford to travel anywhere, and they might not survive, my sister’s and brothers did not attend school either. We had to work very hard for our family to survive and finding a job was a very difficult thing but we had to try our best just for our family.

 Life was not that easy because we had to live in a very small place which was noisy and crowded with lots of people, some people did not have any privacy and it was hard to get your own house cause housing was very expensive the worst thing was we did not have any electricity we had to use candles only. The air was not very nice for breathing. We had to work long hours in coal mines and factories in order for my family to survive. One day I was looking through a poster and a post caught my eye. Promoting a new life far away from London, away from all the distress so I decide to travel to New Zealand.

 I know it was going to be hard because I knew I was going to a far place with so many different people and different cultures, but I want to do it for my family. We waited for the boat to arrive when the boat arrived we say goodbye to our families and friends then get on the boat ready to travel to New Zealand. The sea journey was halfway around the world it took four to five months but depending on the wind and weather. The sailing ships were overcrowded and uncomfortable, with little fresh food available. Illnesses spread quickly and some people, especially children, died at the sea.

 The poorer passengers cooked their meals on wood stoves, with no stop for fresh meat. We had to sleep in an area that was crowded and cramped with only curtains for privacy. Passengers filled in the long hours by cooking, cleaning, washing, reading and playing cards. Older children attended school. In the evenings there were dances and musical entertainment. When we arrived, many were disappointed to see thick forests instead of a green field, but we were happy that we have reach paradise. We had to live in the forest and we had to build our own home, some of the people went back to London and some stayed for good knowing that they had to work hard so that they can bring their family to New Zealand.
                                    THE END.