Domestic servants, commonly known as house-helps, perform a variety of roles in the household. In the contemporary world, domestic helpers provide household services instead of a family, an individual, an older adult, or a child. Other than taking care of the household occupants, their different roles are housekeeping and maintaining household cleanliness. In the text, “Domestic servants and their duties,” the author address the grievances of the domestic servants, their roles and duties, and the expectations to do in various denominations of domestic servants (“Anonymous,” n.d.). The perceptions of people about the roles of domestic servants have changed over time, and people hold different ideas about their wages based on the tasks they should play, and the privileges to grant them.
The text explores changes that should take place in the domain of domestic servants. It describes the knowledge gap between the purpose of domestic servants’ play, their responsibilities, and how their employers perceive them (Wu et al., 2016). As a result, men and women playing roles of domestic services either end up getting deep appreciation for their knowledge, experience, and services or get more privileges than the services they offer due to the ignorance present in the field of domestic services. The author says, “Cooks that know nothing of cookery, and nurses that are ignorant of the nurture of childhood, get as good places, and frequently higher wages, than women who know their business and are high principled enough to do what they undertake” (“Anonymous,” n.d.). Ignorance and lack of emphasis put in the field of domestic service have led to a mismatch of services and returns on investment.
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Employers as well are more concerned with keeping their employees than the quality of services they offer. The text explains how the needs of servants change and are different from one person to another. As a result, it is upon the employer to ensure what matters most to the domestic servants is either met or compensated (Mangharam, 2018). The text emphasizes the essential characteristics that an employer could maximize on to reduce cost and still satisfy servants’ desires. The author explores the limits of servant freedom, which should be appropriately stipulated to promote trustworthiness and honesty between the two involved parties (Wu et al., 2016). The owner of a household has the right to dispose-off their property as they wish, and an employee should seek permission before taking possession or ownership of a household property even if the owner has no use of it.
The main themes in the text are honesty and mutual respect that should exist between a servant and a household owner. A servant should not assume that a household owner does not intend to use a particular property. The author argues, “Dripping, bones, rags, and worn-out apparel all have their uses” (“Anonymous,” n.d.). As a result, a household servant should seek permission and owner’s employee before taking possession of any household property. Another theme is ignorance that exists in the field of domestic services. Some employers end up offering household servants a better contract despite the poor services they provide (Wu et al., 2016). The author also explores employee satisfaction in terms of working conditions, salary scale, and compensation as a theme that helps to maintain employees and reduce the high turnover rate.
The author uses an array of stylistic devices to convey the themes of the text. The author uses anaphora and antithesis to draw the attention of the reader. He states, “If beer be a necessary, the money…if not, there is no sense in giving wages in lieu of it” (“Anonymous,” n.d.). The phrase “if” is used successively to emphasize the issues of compensation. The author uses linguistic borrowing as a stylistic device to make the message in the text vivid and productive. For instance, “Apropos of wages.” The word ‘apropos’ is a French word meaning ‘to the purpose.’ The stylistic devices employed by the author enhance the message in the text.
References
Anonymous. (n.d.). Domestic servants and their duties: Cassells household guide, c. The 1880s . London: Victorian London Publishers.
Mangharam, M. L. (2018). Revealing fictions: Neo-liberalism, domestic servants, and thrity Umrigar’s the space between us. ARIEL: A Review of International English Literature , 49 (1), 79-106. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/686335
Wu, Y. P., Thompson, D., Aroian, K. J., McQuaid, E. L., & Deatrick, J. A. (2016). Commentary: Writing and evaluating qualitative research reports. Journal of pediatric psychology , 41 (5), 493-505. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsw032
