“The Rainbow” DH Lawrence, & “Nicholas Nickleby” Charles Dickens - Compare what you think the writers are trying to say about education in the two texts

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"The Rainbow" DH Lawrence

"Nicholas Nickleby" Charles Dickens

Compare what you think the writers are trying to say about education in the two texts

You should write about

* How the writers use the two main stories overall

* The way place/setting is used

* The way the teachers are presented/used

Both writers in the two texts set out the school, at first to seem bad and unwelcoming. This is also the case with the education. Lawrence tries to emphasize the school to have a military theme and the pupils to have no individuality. However Dickens tries to emphasize the pupils to be rejects, not cared for by their parents. Dickens' school is in very bad condition with poor and few facilities whereas Lawrence's school is in pretty good condition and is well looked after.

Both texts start by describing the appearance of the schools. Lawrence describes his school as a "prison". The word prison suggests that the school is lifeless, dull and maybe threatening. Similarly Dickens describes his school as a "barn". The word barn suggests that the school is dirty, badly constructed and only suitable for animals. Lawrence then goes on further to say the school is an "empty prison", which suggests that the school is hidden into the surroundings, isolated with no life. However, Dickens describes his school as a "crowded scene", which suggests that the school is full of life and full of objects to attract attention.

The main classroom in "The Rainbow" is described as "big" with a "squadron" of desks, which suggests the military theme, and the classroom being chilling and threatening. However the main classroom in "Nicholas Nickleby" is described as "bare" and "dirty" with desks "cut and notched", which suggests that the school is not cared for and that the headmaster does not spend the money given to him for the school, he spends it on himself and family. Another example of this is the appearance of the walls, which are "stained" and "discoloured".
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Both writers emphasize the pupils to be ugly and unwelcoming. Lawrence makes his character, Ursula, think the children are "little" and "ugly", which suggests that Ursula knows what the children are like, they may be neglected or troublemakers. Similarly Dickens makes his character, Nicholas, think the children are "deformities" that look like "old men", which suggests that theese children also may be neglected, or not cared for by their parents.

Dickens describes the pupils at his school as "silent" and "sad", which suggests that the pupils are afraid and very badly treated. However Lawrence describes the pupils ...

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