essay on orphan in english

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Why Do We Write About Orphans So Much?

Examining an eternal literary trope.

Until I was about eleven years old, I was plagued by one upsetting, obsessive thought: it was that, at some point in my childhood, I was doomed to become an orphan. In the week leading up to an evening out for my parents—which, of course, meant a babysitter for me—I would begin to make preparations for their inevitable death by automobile. I don’t remember where I got the idea that they would perish in this way, but I was convinced of it. I always wept bitterly upon their departure; and I always spent most of the rest of the evening in their bedroom, lying on their bed or sitting in their closet, clutching a keepsake that reminded me of my mother (a scarf, a jacket, the book she was reading). I shrugged off the poor babysitter’s attempts to lure me out and awaited the telephone call or the knock on the door that would bring with it news of the accident—which, I imagined, was preordained, fated, as certain as the turning of the hour.

Now, of course, my sympathies lie with the babysitter, and with my parents—who were not, by the way, frequent socializers, and who must have dreaded my dramatics as much as I dreaded their departures. But then, I thought only of myself, and of the world as I would know it once I had finally become an orphan.

I’m not sure when or why this started. But recently I’ve been wondering if it may have been the fault of the children’s literature that I liked best.

I loved The Secret Garden— first the Frances Hodgson Burnett novel, and then the televised 1993 BBC production that featured one of Beethoven’s satisfyingly morose Nocturnes as its theme song—but the part in which Mary’s parents die sudden and violent deaths of cholera (which is housed within a chapter titled, incidentally, “There Is No One Left”) implanted itself firmly in my imagination.

A parade of other orphans followed. Anne Shirley, of course; and Dicey from the Cynthia Voigt series about the Tillerman children; and, before them, the Boxcar children; and just about every character that Noel Streatfield ever invented for her wonderful Shoes books. And then some of the many Dickens novels that center on orphans, and then Jane Eyre, a book I stubbornly read when it was too hard for me, determined to get through it, ultimately scarred by the terrible treatment of poor Jane, the orphan, who had no one in the world to protect her. This, I knew, would be my fate too, once my parents were finally out of the picture. “There Is No One Left,” I would murmur, stoically, as I was carted off to the workhouse.

To my surprise, I made it out of childhood with both parents intact. But my youthful fixation has, I fear, become a writerly one in my adulthood, as so many youthful fixations do. Without meaning to, I have included an actually or functionally parentless character in each one of my three completed novels. (And, if I’m being honest, I’m in the very tentative beginning stages of a fourth with a similarly parentless adult protagonist.) Of course I’m not the only author to use orphan characters regularly, but I’ve begun to question why it has become, in a sense, my personal trope.

I could ascribe it, I suppose, to a sort of Generalized Anxiety Disorder that began in childhood (like many writers I know, I am possessed of a tendency to catastrophize, along with a somewhat melancholy disposition and a quick startle reflex whose upside is that I can usually catch a falling drink before it hits the floor). What, after all, is the worst fate a child can imagine? The loss of her parents is up there. And my current artistic interest in orphan characters may just be a relic of that time. I sometimes think that everything that inspires me to write was cemented for me by age thirteen.

Another theory: for many writers, including myself, I think there is a practical or functional component to writing about orphans. The orphan character—especially one who is an orphan before the novel begins—comes with a built-in problem, which leads to built-in conflict. And, as I am constantly telling my creative writing students, conflict is all.

Melanie A. Kimball, in a 1999 article in Library Trends titled “From Folktales to Fiction: Orphan Characters in Children’s Literature,” begins with an excerpt of an Algerian folktale:

Once there was a child wandering about on the earth who was an orphan. He had neither father nor mother, and he was very sad. Nobody paid any attention to him, and nobody asked why he was sad. Though he was sad, the child did not know how to weep, for there were no tears yet in the world.

When the moon saw the orphan child going about, he felt compassion: since it was night, the moon came down from heaven, lay down on the earth in front of the child and said, “Weep, orphan child! But do not let your tears fall on the earth, from which people get their food, for that would make the earth unclean. Let your tears fall on me. I shall take them with me back to the sky.”

The orphan child wept. Those were the first tears in the world, and they fell on the moon. The moon said: “I shall now give you the blessing that all people shall love you.” After the child had wept his heart out, the moon went back to the sky. From that day on the orphan child was happy. Everyone gave him whatever delighted and gladdened him. To this day people can see on the moon’s face the stains of the orphan child’s tears, which were the first tears in the world.

–The First Tears (Algeria:Kabyle)

This idea that the orphan’s tears are the “first” and therefore most important tears in the universe, that the pain of the orphan occupies a place of precedence among all other types of pain, feels instinctively true, and makes writing about orphans tempting for a novelist. It is the solution to a technical question; it propels both the author and the reader into the story.

My question—one that’s on my mind as I begin my next novel—is whether it is facile to rely on this trope. Am I simply using the easiest problem that exists? And is this problem—more troublingly—even mine to write about? It does not escape me that there are people in the world, many of them, who did lose both parents in childhood: whose real pain dwarfs any youthful anxiety I might have experienced.

If I can attempt to make an excuse for myself, and for all the writers from Charles Dickens to J.K. Rowling who find themselves drawn, over and over again, to the orphan trope, it might sound like this: For me, at least, writing about orphans is a way to write through the terror of being alone in the world. My characters offer a vision of a future beyond a catastrophic event. Whether these characters are better-off or worse-off at the end of my books, they have, at least, moved beyond their orphandom. It is no longer the central, controlling problem in their world. And generally they have become empowered in some way.

In my last novel, Heft, one of the main characters contemplates his alcoholic single mother’s mortality while sitting in a hospital waiting room:

My mind goes toward places I don’t want it to go. I feel superstitious about letting it go there. Skipping ahead toward scenes I don’t want to imagine. When I was a boy I did this sometimes. In elementary school I imagined her dead and then pinched myself to prevent it from happening. Always the same way: I imagined being called out of gym class, called to the principal’s office, where Mr. Carty would sit me down to give me the news. I would react stoically at first and then run from the school. These were mixed fantasies. There was some pleasure in them someplace. The pleasure of feeling sorry for myself. The pleasure of making a clean break into misery after always dangling above its canyon. Then the pinch: stop it, I told myself. And this I also tell myself now.

In the soon-to-be-published The Unseen World, a twelve-year-old character begins to come to terms with the idea that her single father’s mind may be failing him:

He still ate dinner with her each night but recently had seemed abstracted, or in a fog: she tried to engage him with questions about history or physics or mathematics, but the answers he gave were short ones, not the usual lengthy monologues he formerly delivered with such gusto, and these days he never asked her questions afterward to make sure that she had understood. But her lessons were still regular enough, and interesting, and with very little effort Ada could easily persuade herself that he was fine. She told herself that he must be working on something quite important, something he didn’t yet feel ready to share with anyone, even her. Convincing herself of this was in every way an act of self-preservation, because her world revolved entirely around her father, and any disturbance in this orbit threatened to send her spinning into space.

Both characters contemplate, at one point or another in their respective novels, the possible death of their parents with a mix of terror and perverse anticipation. To at last be plunged into what they deem the inevitable, after worrying about it for so long, offers them—and seemed to offer me as a child—a kind of sick relief. It also offers them, later in their novels, the chance to exert their independence. I sometimes wonder if underlying my obsession with the death of my parents was a wish to become somehow self-actualized, no longer in the thrall of the same perpetual fear. As Kimball writes, “Because orphans are without the natural protection of family, they must stand on their own to conquer their problems.”

I spent a long time, when I was younger, worrying about the moment when I’d have to stand on my own to conquer my problems. The fear at the front of my brain was my parents’ deaths, but I wonder if underlying this fear was anticipation of a different, less tragic fate: was I simply anticipating adulthood? And is this what all of us innately fear—the state of being in charge of our destinies, the only ones responsible for our own actions and decisions?

Perhaps this—more than literal orphandom—is what I am obsessed with writing about: the first fumbling attempts at self-actualization for my characters. Perhaps this is what obsesses me personally, too.

I was always awake when my parents returned at the end of the night. I never, that I recall, fell asleep before their return. Instead I lay in my child-sized bed, a ball of knotted muscles, and listened for their car in the driveway, and then their key in the door. I listened for the low murmured transaction—paying the babysitter, checking to see if she needed a ride home. Only then could I fall asleep.

In the morning, I greeted them as if seeing ghosts.

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Essay on Orphanage

Students are often asked to write an essay on Orphanage in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Orphanage

What is an orphanage.

An orphanage is a place where children without parents are taken care of. It is like a big family home where children live together.

Life in an Orphanage

In an orphanage, children get food, shelter, education, and love. They play, learn, and grow together. They also celebrate festivals and birthdays.

The Importance of Orphanages

Orphanages play a crucial role in society. They provide a safe place for children who have lost their parents. They also help children to grow up in a caring environment.

Orphanages are essential as they provide love, care, and support to children who need it the most.

250 Words Essay on Orphanage

Introduction.

Orphanages are institutions designed to house children who have lost their parents or guardians, or whose families are unable to care for them. These establishments are critical in providing a safe haven for vulnerable children, offering them shelter, food, education, and emotional support.

The Role and Importance of Orphanages

Orphanages serve a pivotal role in society. They are the backbone of support for children who have been orphaned or abandoned, providing them with a semblance of a normal life. They not only cater to the basic needs of these children but also focus on their overall development, ensuring they grow into responsible and independent adults.

Challenges Faced by Orphanages

Despite their noble intentions, orphanages face numerous challenges. These include limited resources, overcrowding, and sometimes even allegations of abuse or neglect. The children, despite having their basic needs met, often lack personalized care and attention, which can affect their emotional and psychological development.

Reforming the Orphanage System

There is a growing consensus that the traditional orphanage model needs reform. Emphasis is being placed on family-based care, where children are placed in foster families or adopted, rather than being raised in institutional settings. This approach is believed to offer a more nurturing environment for children to grow and thrive.

While orphanages play a crucial role in safeguarding the welfare of orphaned and vulnerable children, it is essential to continually reassess and improve their functioning. By focusing on reforms and promoting family-based care, we can ensure that every child receives the love, care, and opportunities they deserve.

500 Words Essay on Orphanage

An orphanage is a residential institution dedicated to the care of orphans—children whose biological parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them. Orphanages have been in existence for centuries, providing refuge and protection for vulnerable children. However, the concept of orphanages has evolved significantly over time, influenced by societal changes, policy shifts, and advancements in child psychology.

The Historical Context of Orphanages

Orphanages were initially established as a response to societal crises such as wars, epidemics, and natural disasters, which left many children parentless. During the Middle Ages, religious institutions often took on this role, providing basic care and moral instruction. By the 19th and early 20th centuries, large, institutional orphanages became common, particularly in Western societies. However, these were often characterized by overcrowded conditions, strict regimes, and a lack of individual attention to children’s needs.

Modern Perspective on Orphanages

Today, the traditional concept of an orphanage has been largely replaced by alternative child care systems. This shift has been driven by a growing recognition of the importance of family-based care for children’s development. Research has shown that institutional care can have detrimental effects on children’s physical, emotional, and cognitive development. Consequently, many countries have moved towards deinstitutionalization, favoring foster care, adoption, and kinship care.

The Role of Orphanages in Developing Nations

Despite the global trend towards deinstitutionalization, orphanages continue to play a significant role in many developing nations. In these contexts, they often serve not only orphans but also children from impoverished families who cannot afford to care for them. These institutions face numerous challenges, including limited resources, inadequate staff training, and a lack of oversight and regulation.

Orphanages and Child Rights

The role of orphanages must be considered within the broader context of child rights. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child emphasizes the right of every child to grow up in a family environment. This has implications for the operation of orphanages, which must strive to provide a nurturing and protective environment for children, while also working towards family reunification or alternative family-based care wherever possible.

In conclusion, while orphanages have played a significant role in child care throughout history, their function and operation have evolved significantly. Today, the focus is on ensuring that all children, including those in orphanages, have the opportunity to grow up in a loving, secure, and supportive environment. Despite the challenges, it is crucial to continue advocating for the rights of children and striving for improvements in the way we care for our most vulnerable populations.

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Essay Samples on Orphanage

Reflection on international adoption as possible solution for orphans.

International adoption, a process where children from one country are adopted by families residing in another, has long been a subject of global attention and controversy. While the concept of offering a loving home to a child in need transcends borders, the practice of international...

• Child Protection

How to Solve the Problems Orphans Face Within Orphanages

The children of our country are South Africa’s future. A major issue that desperately needs to be addressed are the challenges faced by orphans and by NGO’s who manage the orphanage. Statistics show there are an estimated amount of 3.7 million orphans within South Africa....

• South Africa

Overview of Organizations Willing to Help the Children in Need

Children in need referred to those kids from rural communities, urban poor areas, and low-income families as well as their parents are dead. Most of them are categorized as orphans, illegitimate children, abandoned children, and street children. They are normally lacking support in term of...

Reflective Essay on the Lessons I Learned from Visiting the Orphanage

On the 1st of May 2019, My friends and I went to a community service place called Agathian’s Shelter for orphanage. It was a sunny day the weather was hot and swelter. At first sight when I looked at those kids they were sweaty and...

• Family Values

They Cage the Animals At Night: An Authobiographical Novel about the Story of a Strong Orphan

The novel “They Cage the Animals At Night”, portrays the heartbreaking story of a young boy named Jennings Micheal Burch. Left at an orphanage when he was only nine, Jennings was thrown into a world full of grief, sorrow, and despair while he was shuttled...

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Regulating Australia’s participation in the Orphanage Industry

Australia is the largest funder of residential care for children in South East Asia (Knaus, 2018). In 2017, Australia became the first country to declare orphanage trafficking a form of modern slavery (Australian Government, 2017). As a result of an Inquiry into whether Australia should...

Psychological Analysis the Significance of Memory as Linked to Trauma in The Orphanage

Memory and trauma have an immense power over the human psyche. The effects of a traumatic event can last well into a subject’s life, and may affect them in ways in which they are not aware of. The Orphanage (2007) by J.A. Bayona examines how...

Best topics on Orphanage

1. Reflection on International Adoption as Possible Solution for Orphans

2. How to Solve the Problems Orphans Face Within Orphanages

3. Overview of Organizations Willing to Help the Children in Need

4. Reflective Essay on the Lessons I Learned from Visiting the Orphanage

5. They Cage the Animals At Night: An Authobiographical Novel about the Story of a Strong Orphan

6. Regulating Australia’s participation in the Orphanage Industry

7. Psychological Analysis the Significance of Memory as Linked to Trauma in The Orphanage

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How to Describe an Orphanage in a Story

By A.W. Naves

Are you wondering how to describe an orphanage in a story? Below are 10 words you use to create a dramatic setting that will capture the attention of readers .

Confined, restricted ; tightly packed together.

“The orphanage was cramped with far too many children overpopulating the space available.”

“The tiny bedrooms were so cramped that the children could barely move around in them.”

How it Adds Description

The word “cramped” suggests that the living space is too small and limited for the number of occupants. It creates an image of a place where children are forced to live in tight quarters, unable to move around and play. This description enhances the overall bleakness of the orphanage and my lead characters to crave space and privacy in their later lives.

2. Desolate

Barren, empty ; devoid of life.

“The orphanage was located in a desolate part of town, where there were few signs of life.”

“The playground outside the orphanage was desolate , with broken swings and rusted slides.”

The word “desolate” depicts an orphanage that is located in a remote area, with few amenities or connections to the outside world. It can increase the children’s feelings of loneliness and hopelessness, making it harder for them to form meaningful relationships or find their purpose, traits that may create personal issues for their character as an adult.

3. Dilapidated

Run-down, decayed ; in a state of disrepair.

“The orphanage was a dilapidated building, with crumbling walls and leaky roofs.”

“The dilapidated furniture showed signs of wear and damage such as torn cushions and broken legs.”

The word “dilapidated” portrays an orphanage in disrepair, with broken windows, leaky roofs, and crumbling walls. It can emphasize the neglect the orphans experience from the adults in charge. It may present physical dangers to the children, such as the risk of injury from falling debris or exposure to the elements that cause them harm or lead them to seek retribution.

Dreary, unhappy ; lacking any sense of pleasure.

“The atmosphere of the orphanage was joyless and gloomy, with no laughter or smiles to be found.

“The children’s faces as they went about their daily routines were joyless , with no guarantees for the future.

The word “joyless” implies that the children in an orphanage experience little happiness, creating a sense of emotional detachment and numbness among them. This can make it harder for the orphans to form healthy relationships or develop a sense of identity, perhaps leading their character to be introverted or form sociopathic or psychopathic tendencies.

Harsh, bare ; plain in appearance.

“The orphanage was a stark place, with no decorations or personal touches to make it feel like a home.

“The stark walls and cold floors of the orphanage only added to the children’s despair.

The word “stark” depicts an orphanage that is lacking in tenderness or comfort. A stark orphanage can emphasize a shortage of emotional or physical resources, making it harder for the orphans to feel protected. It can highlight the lack of concern for the children’s psychological growth and well-being and drive their character to either seek or reject love in desperate ways.

6. Institutional

Bureaucratic, formal ; characteristic of an institution.

“The orphanage was a cold and institutional place, with no love or humanity to be found.

“The institutional rules and regulations of the orphanage made it difficult for the children to feel like they had any agency or control over their lives.

The word “institutional” implies that an orphanage that is cold and impersonal, emphasizing the bureaucratic nature of the system. It can make children feel like they are simply part of a system rather than human beings with unique needs and aspirations. It can explain a character’s desire for individualized care and attention when fostered or adopted.

Unhappy, cheerless ; without enjoyment.

“The bleak atmosphere of the orphanage was reflected in the sadness of the children’s eyes.”

“The bleak orphanage was hardly a good place for a child to live but it was better than the alternative of being out on the streets alone.”

The word “bleak” adds a sense of misery and gloom. It can emphasize the children’s lack of faith, that they’ll find a positive future for themselves. Children may find themselves in dire need of adult support after receiving so little positivity and nurturing at such an orphanage. Their character may seek a sense of achievement they never had.

Unfriendly, unfeeling ; lacking in warmth.

“The staff at the orphanage were cold and unfeeling, showing no compassion or care for the children who lived there.

“The cold and unfriendly atmosphere of the orphanage made it difficult for the children to feel any sense of comfort or safety.

The word “cold” describes an orphanage that is lacking in affection and compassion. A cold orphanage can leave children feeling emotionally disconnected. Orphans may seek love and adoration they were lacking in ways that are harmful to them or others or they may lack the ability to form attachments leading their character to create chaos or learning to grow.

9. Repressive

Oppressive, tyrannical ; inhibiting the freedom of a person or group.

“The orphanage was a repressive place, with strict rules and punishments for even minor infractions.

“The repressive nature of the orphanage made it difficult for the children to find freedom or autonomy.

The word “repressive” adds a sense of oppression and control to the story. It can make it harder for the children to express themselves freely and can leave them feeling powerless and voiceless, leaving them to seek out personal agency later in their lives in ways that may be harmful to themselves or others.

10. Forsaken

Abandoned, deserted ; rejected by all or most.

“The orphanage felt like a forsaken place, with no signs of life or promise.

“The forsaken nature of the orphanage made it difficult for the children to feel like anyone cared about them.

The word “forsaken” suggests an orphanage that is abandoned or neglected. It can emphasize a neglect of the children’s basic needs, making it harder for them to feel safe or secure. The children may feel forgotten and left behind by society, which can lead to feelings of anger and resentment that lead their character down a dark path.

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In This Article Expand or collapse the "in this article" section Orphans

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Orphans by Cheryl Nixon LAST REVIEWED: 22 April 2013 LAST MODIFIED: 22 April 2013 DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780199791231-0121

Bereft of parents, the orphan is a child who requires protection, care, and guidance. The orphan thus reveals his or her culture’s understanding of both the underage child’s essential needs and society’s responsibility for meeting them. Because debates about the importance of the child often crystallize around the orphan, the orphan proves to be a figure of concern across cultures, throughout history, and in the contemporary world. The orphan is defined by the deprivation of parents, and is commonly understood to be a child who has lost both parents to death. However, historians and organizations such as UNICEF include the child who has lost one parent, often termed a “half” or “single” orphan, in the definition of “orphan.” The category of “orphan” can thus encompass numerous types of parentless children, ranging from children who have lost both parents to children who have living parents but live separate from them, such as the foundling (typically an abandoned child found and cared for by non-kin or an institution), the ward (typically an orphan cared for by a legal guardian), the pauper apprentice (typically an orphaned or abandoned child consigned to labor and cared for by an apprentice-master), and the street child (typically a child who has left his or her family to live and work on the streets). The research defining each of these types of orphans, among others, is detailed in separate categories in this article. The questions asked of the orphan are often defined by the time period and geographical area under investigation, and this bibliography is organized to address historical and contemporary orphaning by region. Past orphaning is the focus of historical and literary studies emphasizing Europe, Great Britain, and America, while contemporary orphaning in Africa and Asia is often approached from a sociological or psychological perspective or is the focus of governmental and agency studies. Many studies of the orphan emphasize orphaning’s causal factors. Historically, orphaning resulted from high mortality rates, and it remains common in areas ravaged by war or disease. Child abandonment’s contribution to past and present orphaning has also been an area of extensive research. Alternatively, many studies examine the solutions proposed for orphaning, investigating institutions such as the orphanage. The solution of adoption is explored briefly in this biography, as the subject has its own article within Oxford Bibliographies Online , titled Adoption and Fostering . In addition to being a figure of social concern, the orphan is a figure of imaginative possibility, serving as a character in numerous fictional plots. The focus of extensive literary study, the fictional orphan offers insight into changing cultural understandings of the child. The study of the orphan must take into account the different types of orphans, the historical shape of orphaning, national and regional differences in orphaning, responses to orphaning, and literary fascination with the orphan.

No comprehensive cross-cultural, transhistorical general overview of the orphan exists. Orphaning will sometimes appear as a subtopic in general overviews of the history of childhood. For example, Cunningham 2005 and Heywood 2001 , two wide-ranging histories of childhood, mention orphans, foundlings, and pauper apprentices, while King 2007 , a review of research in childhood studies, covers child abandonment and foundling homes. Focusing on America, Ashby 1997 offers an insightful examination of the orphan, tracing the historical changes in the cultural position of the dependent child. Askeland 2005 provides the most comprehensive overview of orphaning in America, collecting primary and secondary source materials that cover both the historical and contemporary situation of the orphan. The orphan is often discussed as a unique aspect of a more general children’s issue, such as adoption or family structure. When a study focuses on the orphan, it will typically provide a detailed examination of the orphan within a specific historical period, geographical area, or institutional setting; those studies appear in the other sections of this bibliography.

Ashby, LeRoy. Endangered Children: Dependency, Neglect, and Abuse in American History . New York: Twayne, 1997.

Taking dependent children as its topic, this book provides a good introduction to the social position of the orphan in America. Chapters explain the colonial apprenticeship of orphans, the 19th-century use of orphanages, the “placing out” structures of orphan trains and fostering, and the 20th-century interest in child welfare.

Askeland, Lori. Children and Youth in Adoption, Orphanages, and Foster Care: A Historical Handbook and Guide . Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2005.

This informative collection of primary sources, critical essays, and bibliographies examines orphaned, fostered, and adopted children. Focusing on the United States, the materials trace changes in the care of orphans, from Native American forms of adoption to colonial practices of apprenticeship, the 19th-century reliance on orphanages, and the 20th-century use of foster care. The book has sections devoted to orphanages, orphan trains, and orphans in literature.

Cunningham, Hugh. Children and Childhood in Western Society since 1550 . 2d ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2005.

An accessible overview of Western culture’s changing ideas about childhood. Cunningham addresses the orphan in sections that detail the institutional care of orphaned and abandoned children. Within his larger argument that children were valued and loved, he discusses the widespread philanthropic and governmental interest in “saving” the child.

Heywood, Colin. A History of Childhood: Children and Childhood in the West from Medieval to Modern Times . Cambridge, UK, and Malden, MA: Polity, 2001.

Offering a comprehensive history of childhood from the Middle Ages to the present, Heywood’s study discusses the plight of orphaned or parentless children. The chapter “Caring for Infants?” examines abandoned children and the institutional solution of the foundling hospital, while the chapter “Children at Work” discusses pauper apprentices.

King, Margaret L. “Concepts of Childhood: What We Know and Where We Might Go.” Renaissance Quarterly 60.2 (2007).

This article provides a concise overview of the major debates defining research on the history of childhood. Orphanages and foundling hospitals are mentioned, as is child abandonment, poverty, and the care of children outside of the family. A comprehensive bibliography points to sources for further research on these topics.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Orphanage — Behavioral and Emotional Damage of Children in Orphanage

Behavioral and Emotional Damage of Children in Orphanage

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Paragraph on Visit to an Orphanage- by Anand

Introduction:

An orphanage houses children of various ages who either have no family or have lost their families in natural calamities.

The home usually has a care-taker who monitors the children of the orphanage and a few helpers to take care of the residents.

A visit to an orphanage is a life-changing experience as it is filled with emotions and sentiments. I had an opportunity to visit an orphanage as my cousin was a volunteer for a local non-governmental organization and it was the occasion of The International Day of Service.

Description of the Orphanage:

The orphanage house was situated in the outskirts of the city and was close to the national highway. It was a two-storey building with a garden out in the front and a small temple just on its east boundary. The walls of the home were old and the paint had worn off. It looked like the house was without maintenance for years together. There was a small girl who was peeking through the window on the first floor when we opened the gate.

Meeting the Children:

ADVERTISEMENTS:

When we entered the home, we were taken by surprise as there were more number of children than we had imagined. There was a common room where the children both boys and girls ranging from the ages of 3 to 21 years were seen. Some of them were indulged in watching the television, some were sipping soup from their bowls, some girls were busy playing with their dolls and others were staring at us.

We had brought with us food, blankets, drawing books, crayons, pencils etc. which we distributed amongst the children. They were ecstatic to have food from outside and were even more elated when they received the stationary from us. We segregated ourselves and went to talk individually to everyone.

My Personal Experience:

I went over to a small girl, about 6 years of age, who was sitting at the corner of the room staring at the glass window. I introduced myself and took a seat besides her. She greeted me with a smile and gave me a toffee which she had in her bag. She told me how her parents drowned in the flood which swept away their home and everything they had.

She was with her uncle at that time who left her in the orphanage because he was unable to attend to her. She started sobbing while narrating the story and then asked me about my parents and other things. I talked with her for quite some time and then gifted her set of drawing books, story books and crayons and she promised to paint something for me.

Conclusion:

The visit to the orphanage was a fulfilling experience for me as I came back home with not only memories but also some valuable lessons. When I reached home, I ran straight to my mother and hugged her tight saying that I loved her very much and also my father. She held me tight with teary eyes.

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orphan noun & adjective

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What does the word orphan mean?

There are seven meanings listed in OED's entry for the word orphan . See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

orphan has developed meanings and uses in subjects including

How common is the word orphan ?

How is the word orphan pronounced, british english, u.s. english, where does the word orphan come from.

Earliest known use

Middle English

The earliest known use of the word orphan is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).

OED's earliest evidence for orphan is from before 1450, in the writing of Henry Lovelich, poet.

orphan is a borrowing from Latin.

Etymons: Latin orphanus .

Nearby entries

• orotic aciduric, adj. 1961–
• orotidine, n. 1951–
• orotund, adj. & n. 1799–
• orotundity, n. 1909–
• Oroya fever, n. 1873–
• orp, v. 1634–
• orped, adj. Old English–1608
• orpedly, adv. Old English–1425
• orpedness, n. a1398
• orpedship, n. c1400
• orphan, n. & adj. a1450–
• orphan, v. 1814–
• orphanage, n. 1538–
• orphan assets, n. 1993–
• orphan asylum, n. 1806–
• orphancy, n. a1586–
• orphandom, n. 1892–
• orphaned, adj. 1605–
• orphaner, n. a1500
• orphanet, n. 1604
• orphanhood, n. 1765–

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Meaning & use

Pronunciation, compounds & derived words, entry history for orphan, n. & adj..

orphan, n. & adj. was revised in September 2004.

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Life Story Of An Orphan English Literature Essay

Published Date: 23 Mar 2015

Disclaimer: This essay has been written and submitted by students and is not an example of our work. Please click this link to view samples of our professional work witten by our professional essay writers . Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of EssayCompany.

Please sir, can I have some more? is a world famous quote of a little orphan named Oliver Twist, who lives in a workhouse. Oliver Twist was published in the year 1838, it's a novel written by Charles Dickens. It is a very famous work, many people think it's the best book he ever wrote, from the moment it was published people thought about it as a classic. The book was originally published in series, each chapter was published separately with a magazine, this magazine called 'Bentley's Miscellany'. This magazine was edited by Dickens himself. Each week the readers waited full expectations for the next chapter, each chapter ended with a cliff-hanger so people where very excited for the following chapters. The story about Oliver twist is also used in a movie, theirs is even a musical about it. The film is what we have seen, it was also brought in different chapters. We noticed for ourselves that the cliff-hangers at the end of each chapter where working, we continuous would see the next one after the other. But because of the length of the chapters that was impossible to stand.

With the various characters and situations that Dickens used in his tale he wanted to make a commentary against the society in his time. He wrote about the hypocrisy, the flaws of institutions and how bad poor people were threaded. According to Dickens there was a lot wrong in the society, the government and law systems infected it all. He believed in people and that they were all good in their hearts but the bad society disrupted it. Although he saw all this problems around him, he only wrote about it but never took any actions against it. But he is and stays a great writer of his time, besides Oliver Twist he also wrote books like, 'A Christmas Carol' and 'David Copperfield'. Who were also a great success.

Now we told you some general information about the novel and his writer, we are going to tell you something about our report. First we want to tell you why we exactly choose 'Oliver Twist' as our subject. Above all other subjects it took our interest because of the name that is very famous. But when we talked about it, we both did not know much about it. Jeroen only knew it as animated movie, this is why we thought "let's pick 'Oliver Twist' and find out what it's all about". When we discus the content of the report, we particularly build it on three main features:

Our discussion about the film

Biography of Charles Dickens

The English society in the time Dickens Wrote the novel

Film discussion

In this chapter we are going to discus some of the characters wich we think are the most important characters of the story. After we have done that we are going to compare a scene from the series we saw with a chapter wich can be found in the Mirrors text book.

Oliver Twist, a little boy who is the main character of the story. Oliver was born in an orphanage. He was born there because his mother was wondering the streets all alone when she was about to give labour. The people in the workhouse took his mother in and she died short after Oliver was born. The boss of the workhouse, Mr Bumble gave Oliver both his name and surname. From that point on he has been tought to work. In the workhouse where he lives all the kids are treated very badly. At some point when Oliver gets older he has to learn a profession, and he tries to become a undertaker. He doesnt like this at all. He runs away from the workhouse and begins a journy to London to begin a new life over there.

Fagin is the the leader of a gang of pickpockets in London, he takes care of Oliver Twist when he first arrives in London. Fagin is an old and greedy man who takes good care of al the boys, but it's mostly for his own good.

Bill Sikes is a mean criminal who hates everybody. He robs for a living and is very agressive. He has a little pitbull who follows him everywhere. He is an acquaintance of Fagin. Even though they know each other, Sikes hates Fagin and is only interested in a share of money Fagin owes him.

Nancy is Bill Sikes girlfriend, she is part of Fagin's pickpocket crew. She is the only person who really cares for Oliver, and tries to help him escape from the criminal world he got involved in, she tries to help Oliver to get adopted by Mr. Brownlow. Eventually she backstabs the crew of Fagin and her boyfriend Sikes by giving valuable information about them which could mean the end of both men. Nancy gets killed by Sikes once he realizes she had been trying to get him arrested.

Mr. Brownlow is a kind rich man who takes care of Oliver after he got falsely accused of pickpocketing. Mr. Brownlow is with him in court, and bails him out. Oliver at that moment is very weak and ill, and the goodhearted Mr. Brownlow decides to take Oliver with him to his house so that he can recover. Oliver quickly wins the sympathies of Mr. Brownlow, to the point that Mr. Brownlow considers adopting Oliver

Monks is a misterious man who suddenly appears after Oliver arrives in London. father cheated on his wife, the mother of Monks, with a women who then gets pregnant with Oliver. Later in the story, Monks finds out that he is Olivers' half brother.

The artful Dodger is a little boy who is part of the pickpocket gang of Mr. Fagin. He's the best thief from the crew, that explains his nickname 'the artful'. He tries to teach Oliver to become a skilled thief. It's a clever boy with a sharp tounge to get himself out of tough situations.

The scene we are going to compare is the scene where the artful Dodger and Charley Bates take Oliver with them on the streets to show him how to rob people. The three boys take a walk on the streets to pick out the perfect target for their mugging plans. Of course they are looking for a rich and preferably old person so they got a lot to steal from but not to worry for him to chase them.

The first thing we noticed very quickly is the difference in how the scene of chapter begins. In the series this scene starts with Fagin and his gang all sitting in his hide out talking. Fagin speaks to Oliver, and tries to make him clear when thieves get caught, they always were working alone, and never for an organization. After Fagin has finished his talk he asks to the children, 'Shall we play the game?'. As a reply on his question all the kids get really exited and they start moving the furniture. Fagin hides a couple of valuable items in his pockets, such as handkerchiefs and watches. He starts walking around the room pretending everything is all fine. The kids have to try to 'rob' Fagin without him noticing they steal away his possessions from his pockets. They point of this game is that he teaches the kids to mug people in a stealthy way without getting in any trouble. The series makes it look like is Fagin a friendly old man.

The same chapter but then in the book starts in a different way. It begins with Oliver sitting alone in Fagin's room. Also a very big difference is that in the book, Charles Dickens mentions Fagin not by his own name, but he mentions him as; The Jew. In the beginning of the chapter Oliver is sitting alone in the Jew's room. He has been there for days picking marks out of pocket handkerchiefs. Fagin finally enters the room and tells Oliver he can go outside along with Charley Bates and Dodger. While taking a walk to the street with the boys, you can read about the behavior of Fagin. Here you can read how cruel the man can be. He describes how lazy Fagin really is. Some times if the boys come home empty handed he would shout at them and send them straight to bed without having anything to eat. It's also mention that one time he knocked Dodger and Charley Bates down a stairs when they had a brawl with each other.

You can clearly see some of the major differences between novel and movie. In the series, which is of course more up to date, Fagin is portrayed as a more kind and warm man who takes good care of Olive and all the other kids who are all in his little pick pocketing gang. They make him look like an innocent old man who only tries to make the best of it while being so poor and taking care of all those children. In the novel the original version of Charles Dickens who can see that he is being portrayed as a greedy, old not caring Jew. This of course has something to do with the fact that Charles Dickens maybe was an anti-Semite.

Another difference in this scene is the point they are about to rob the old man. In the series Dodger and Charley Bates rob an old rich man who is standing at a book-stall. They lift his coat without the man noticing and pick his handkerchief out of his pocket and run away. Only till the man feels in his pocket and looks around he alarms the people around him to stop the thieves. Dodger and Charley Bates both sneak away by stepping into a small street, while Oliver keeps running on the main road. By now he is being followed not alone by the old man he robed, but also by three other man. While running Oliver looks behind to make sure he stays ahead of all the angry men. When he looks in front of him again he sees that a man in front of him who punches Oliver in his face. After this Oliver falls on the ground and passes out.

This biggest difference here between the novel and the series is the moment after robbing the man. After they robed him and they flee the escape in the novel takes much longer. In the novel Dodger and Charley Bates hide in a doorway and they walk along with the angry mob so they don't blow their cover and get away problem free. While trying to flee, Oliver is being chased by a lot more people in the novel than in the series (see picture). The story describes the fear Oliver feel while trying to run away from the crowd. Each time the robed man yells 'stop the thief' more and more people join the crowd, it works like a domino effect on the people trying to stop Oliver and bring justice to him. Oliver is being stopped the same way as in the series. Oliver gets punched in the face by an innocent bystander and knocks him out on the ground. The biggest difference on the ending of the chapter is that once Oliver got knocked down, the crowd from a circle around Oliver and curse him out. The series show that Oliver immediately gets carried away to the court room, while in the novel the robbed man, Mr Brownlow, feels sorry for Oliver.

Charles Dickens Biography

Charles John Huffman Dickens (see picture) was born on 7 February 1812 in Portsmouth; he lived 58 years and died on 9 June 1870. He was the son of John Dickens and Elizabeth Barrow; he was the second of eight children. He was the most popular English novelist of the Victorian period. That's a period in time where Queen Victoria ruled. During this period England prospered. This was a profit gained from the overseas British colonies and from the industrial revolutions at home. Charles Dickens became one of the most popular novelists of all time. He created some of literature's most iconic characters, with theme's which reflects the criticism Dickens has on the English society. The enormous popularity of his novels and short stories is so huge that they have never stopped selling, and his books have never gone out of print.

Charles had a hard life. When he was ten years old he and his family moved to London. His father had a lot of financial difficulties and ended up in jail for his debts. Young Charles had to stop several times with school to go to work. At the age of twelve he landed in a blacking factory where he had to work ten hours a day. The living conditions of workers became a major topic in his later work. When he was fifteen he started working at a law firm, he taught himself shorthand and became reporter for the Morning Chronicle after some time. In this period his first literary work arose from his journalistic work. This was descriptions of London life and the outdoors; these stories were later combined under the title Sketches by Boz. 'Boz' was the nickname of his younger brother Moses, who was always cold.

A lot of his work first appeared in magazines in serialized form. That was a popular way of publishing fiction at the time. Other writers completed entire novels, but Dickens often wrote his novels in parts, in the order they were meant to appear. He wrote them in a particular rhythm ending with one cliffhanger after another, this to keep the public eager for the next story in line. His works were praised by a lot of other writers, especially for his mastery of prose and his gallery of unique personalities.

In his writings he also shows some signs of racism. In his story Oliver Twist the character Mr Fagin (see picture) is a man of Jewish decent. Dickens portraits the man as a cold greedy old man. One of the well known stereotypes of Jewish people is that they are greedy people. In the story, instead of calling the character by it's name, he mentions him as the Jew. For most of these reasons Charles Dickens is being blamed of being an anti-Semite.

In Dickens' novels you can often detect a lot of events that Dickens himself actually experienced in his own life. One of these events for example, is the fact that Dickens him self had to work in a factory as a child. Dickens experienced child labor himself. He uses these aspects of his own life to describe some of the problems the main characters in his novels have to deal with, but he also uses these aspects as criticism he has on the English society.

These child labor problems can be found in his novel Oliver Twist. The workhouse where Oliver was born and raised, he along with the other children who live there was forced to work. Forcing these young children to work is of course child labor one of the points Dickens, like earlier said, had experienced himself.

Another point from Dickens his life can be seen in the Oliver Twist series. Dickens used to work himself when he was a child. He worked at a blacking factory were the conditions used to be horrible. When he got older he started to work at a law firm were work was less dangerous, and not so terrible for your health. You could say the he had advanced in hierarchy. He began as a low class worker in a factory and ended up in a law firm. You can see a same kind of effect in the novel Oliver Twist. Oliver begins his ´career´ in a work house. After fleeing from that horrible place he becomes a pickpocket. After his heist doesn't work out the right way, and he comes in court, the man who he robbed feels bad for Oliver and decides to take Oliver home with him and takes good care of him. It also happens that the prosecutor, Mr. Brownlow, it a very wealthy man. He supports Oliver, helps him with reading and he can do all this without any problems because he´s a rich man. This can be compared to the situation of Charles Dickens, he also started as a poor worker in a factory just like Oliver Twist. But eventually he ended up as a novelist which made him a wealthy person. The same thing happened to Oliver, he started of poor, but eventually becomes a wealthy boy after being adopted by the kind Mr Brownlow.

When Dickens was younger his father ended up in jail. One of the punishments in those day was that they would put a whole bunch of criminals on a boat, and sent them to Australia. They would sent the criminals there, because they had just discovered the continent, nothing lived there. The prisons were build in the middle of the desert, so if it would happen that one of the criminals would manage it to escape from their cells, they would obviously never survive in the dry desserts.

The English society Dickens wrote his novel

Charles Dickens was born in 1812, and died young in 1870. This was during the Regency era, this was the period between 1811 and 1820, and the Victorian era was during 1837 and 1901. As can be seen, Dickens lived most of his life during the Victorian era. The novels written by Dickens often contain loads of criticism aimed at the British society during those days.

The Regency era is the period between 1811 and 1820. During this period the British king George III was considered unfit to rule the county. His son, the prince of Wales George IV (see picture), was pointed out to rule the country as a Prince Regent. In 1820 he would eventually become the king of the United Kingdom, after his father had passed away.

The Regency era was characterized for its distinctive trends in the British architecture, literature, fashion, politics and culture.

The Regency was noted in history for its elegance and achievements based on art and architecture. Like said before, the era included a time of social, political and even economic changes. The war with Napoleon had been fought, which affected international- and the domestic trade. Also this victory had an impact on both the British and the foreign politics. Because of the major changes not only on a economic and a social level, but also changing the ways of art, Britain was shaped to a whole.

George IV, the Pirince Regent himself was a great protector of art. Because he was so obsessed by art, he ordered to renovate some of Britain's most extravagant buildings. Examples of these buildings are Brighton Pavilion (see picture), the Carlton House and many other fine British public works and architecture. Obviously this renovation was going to cost alot of money, all at the expense of British citizens. A famous poet named Shelley had this to say about the decision George IV made:

'this entertainment will cost 120,000 pounds. Nor will it be the last bauble which the nation must buy to amuse this overgrown bantling of Regency' (*1 references page)

( http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23522270-as-the-queen-opens-her-palace-ballroom-to-the-public-the-story-of-the-most-decadent-royal-banquet-ever.do )

Obviously there wasn't only glamour and glory during the Regency. In the poorer districts of London there was a lot of crime going on, like robberies, womanizing, gambling

and constant alcohol abuse. All these problems combined with the massive population boom, which has grown from less then a million people in 1801 to one and a half million in 1820, which made the streets of London look like a big chaos. Poet Robert Southey had this to say about the situations in London at the time:

''The inhabitants of this great city seem to be divided into two distinct casts, - the Solar and the Lunar races… '' (*2 references page)

Once the Regency era came to an end in 1820, the Victorian era came up short after. This is the period Dickens lived most of his life in. It's a period where a lot of inventions took place, but also a period with a lot of social problems.

One of these major problems is the employment of young children. The children often would work in a factory of as a chimney sweep. Child labor played an important part during the industrial revolution. In 1840 only 20 percent of the children in London had schooling. At the time of 1860 less then half of the children between five and fifteen were in school.

The children of the less fortunate were expected to help to support the family by working so they could support the family budget. The children would work for long hours in dangerous jobs. While doing these jobs it would earn them low wages. Little thin boys were hired by chimney sweeps, small kids were employed to crawl under heavy machinery to clean them up or fix them. The coal mine would hire children too, they could enter narrow tunnels which were too small for adult people. Although most of the jobs which were fit for children were dangerous, there were some children were fortunate of having jobs like domestic servant. Besides all of these jobs, many young people worked as prostitutes. The majority of all the prostitutes who worked in London were between 15 and 22 year old.

"Mother bides at home, she is troubled with bad breath, and is sair weak in her body from early labour. I am wrought with sister and brother, it is very sore work; cannot say how many rakes or journeys I make from pit's bottom to wall face and back, thinks about 30 or 25 on the average; the distance varies from 100 to 250 fathom. I carry about 1 cwt. and a quarter on my back; have to stoop much and creep through water, which is frequently up to the calves of my legs." (*3 references page)

This quote taken from a 12 year old girl describes how horrible the conditions were to work in a coal mine (see picture).

Charles Dickens himself had to work as a child. At the age of twelve he landed in a blacking factory where he had to work ten hours a day. He uses his own experience and the society around him to process this into his novels.

Oliver Twist worked in a workhouse where he got treated like scum and had to work under horrible conditions.

During this period Britain had a lot of problems with poverty. This had to do with a huge population increase which was accompanied by fast urbanization, which got stimulated by the industrial revolution. The large number of people looking for work in the cities kept the wages down to a barley subsistence level. Houses were scarce and expensive. London is a example for all of these problems, where the population grew in record rates. Large houses turned into flats and slowly turned into horrible looking slums (see picture).

Poverty is also a big influence on the stories Dickens writes. Oliver Twist grows up in a poor community, of course this had to do with the fact he's very poor himself. In his stories the rich and the wealthy are often portrayed as greedy, cruel people. This had to do with the fact that Dickens had to work as an infant himself. Most of the time in real life, the gentlemen who ran factories were greedy rich people. This can also be seen as criticism on society. This had to do with the fact that the gap between rich and poor was gigantic. Either people had money or they had nothing.

In the series they also show how abused the city streets look. Everything is dirty, streets are overcrowded and the people are living together in large numbers in one house. The situation gives you a perfect picture of how the people were living in those days.

Oliver Twist is a world famous feel-good story written by one of Britain's most praised writers. The story can be seen as literary masterpiece, but also as a book filled with criticism, aimed at the society.

There are also a lot of things that can be said about the author Charles Dickens, and the British society at the time that he was alive. Some of the rough things that Oliver Twist experienced are a reflection of how the writer saw his own life in his younger days. The picture of that society shown in the series is definitely very gloomy and depressive, so if you think about the life of Charles Dickens, it is impressive that he came to be such a gifted writer who could give the people a realistic image of the British society in those times.

The series we have seen really grabbed our attention. It took a long time to sit trough the entire series. It got a hold of out interest because of the exciting cliffhangers at the end of every chapter.

We were both shocked by the dark and dirty streets of London in the 19th century. Of course we have heard about the Industrial Revolution and what a tough time this was for the British citizens, but the images of the series gave us a better education of the topic.

*1 (http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23522270-as-the-queen-opens-her-palace-ballroom-to-the-public-the-story-of-the-most-decadent-royal-banquet-ever.do

*2 http://www.deviantart.com/print/9628198/?itemids=199

*3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_age

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