ANALYSIS OF “The Chief Features of the Industrial Revolution”

                This is an argumentative text about Industrial Revolution. It presents a structure divided into ten paragraphs. The first paragraph is an introduction to the matter and it explains the author’s point of view, which is the interpretation of the revolution as an historical process. Then, the author, citing four fundamental economists’ books in chronological order, shows the development of two currents as socialism and economic science. In the following four paragraphs, he focuses on the facts as the decline of rural population, using statistics and causes as argumentations and also explaining the agricultural advance due to the revolution. The next two paragraphs instead shows revolution’s improvement in another brand as industry, pointing out the main inventions and the consequences on economy and commerce. Then, there are three paragraphs that, in contrast to the others, explain the negative consequences of revolution, as the rise of rent prices and its causes, the impoverishment of the laborers, the class conflict and the abject conditions of work. Finally, the author concludes with a balance of Industrial Revolution, which on one side produced wealth and on the other failed to produce well-being.

                The paragraphs contain information organized with chronological and cause-and-effect relations. The thesis in the introduction is supported by argumentations based on facts, statistics and citations used to give reliability to the text. The argumentations develop different aspects of the process: first of all the positive points, divided into two main branches (improvements in agriculture and industry), and in second place the negative aspects, based on the condition of workers. Finally, the author draws a conclusion considering both pros and cons.

                The language used in the text is very concrete and matter of fact, as expected in an argumentative text, and also uses specific terms from the economic field and linkers to connect the paragraphs (e.g. however, coming to, ecc.). Beside words, there are many numbers and statistics used to give precise information and facts. There also many citations from economists’ books and other important men, in order to give credit to the author’s text. These citations are also graphically stressed with the use of italics, in contrast with the rest of the text.

                To sum up, the text presents all the elements of an argumentative essay in all the examined fields: an introduction-developing-drawing  structure, the argumentations and links between them and the very concrete language.