In what way does Charles Dickens win the sympathy of his readers for the children in his novels?

6/2/2002 GCSE Coursework "The novels of Charles Dickens often show children as victims of uncaring, unsympathetic and often brutal adults who are charged with their upbringing and education In what way does Charles Dickens win the sympathy of his readers for the children in his novels?" A man born in the Victorian era in a working class family and environment, who had to work himself up from a working class child to a well-known figure that he is today. A man that is seen as a literary supreme, he is the senior of all the literary writers of his age. The period and circumstances have lead to the man being seen as a intelligent and unusual man in the field of literary work. Charles Dickens shows his uncanny way of making people feel sorry (feel sympathy) for a group or section of a population. For example his usage of words in the way he uses them. "They were very long, very numerous, very hard- perfect unintelligible" This is from the Charles Dickens book David Copperfield and it is being read by David about the work that Miss Murdstone had been giving him. The quote is quite complicated but uses 3 various sections all showing how much David Copperfield dreaded the lessons that Miss Murdstone gave him. In Charles Dickens work it is usually the children who gain sympathy. Charles Dickens does this in quite a few ways. Through exaggeration of a characters description.

  • Word count: 1216
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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The Way Education is presented in the Novel David Copperfield

Using the first seven chapters of 'David Copperfield' look at the way education is presented in the novel. Going through such terrible conditions himself as a child, Dickens grew up to be a man who was very with his times and someone who knew what was going on in the world. During his life he visited a lot of schools around England as he was concerned for the welfare of children. Along his travels he found that most schools were fee-paying establishments for boys that catered for children unwanted by their parents. The schools had cheap rates meaning poor food and shabby conditions to live and "learn" in. In fact, most of the schools were run by failed business men who had no interest in the wellbeing of the children, they would employ unqualified teachers so that they only had to pay out a low wage. Dickens worried about the "monstrous neglect" he witnessed and seeing this, he wanted change. He wanted to alter society so that every child had a chance for a good education. His method was by writing novels based around such establishments. These included Dotheboys Hall in his famous novel 'Nicholas Nickelby'. His aim was to convey his feelings and he did so, through his writing, and the stories of the poor children. He raised the public's consciousness about what was going on around them, behind the closed doors of schools. Before the arrival of the Murdstones into the

  • Word count: 2590
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Examine how Dickens uses his works to make a comment on the society in which he lived in.

Literary Tradition Examine how Dickens uses his works to make a comment on the society in which he lived in. In this essay I will be examining how and why Dickens chose to comment on the society in which he lived through his novels. I will be examining 'Hard Times', 'Oliver Twist', 'Nicholas Nickelby' and 'David Copperfield'. Charles Dickens was considered to be one of the greatest English novelists during the Victorian period, and during this period, novelists had a tradition of commenting on issues affecting society through their work. They chose to express their views like this so people would realise exactly what is taking place in the town or village they are living in. Charles Dickens had a very disturbing childhood, members of his family were sent to prison and he was sent to work at the age of twelve in a Blacking Factory; he became miserable. He escaped from this by writing fictional texts in school; he then developed his existing skills and made rapid progress. From the entire trauma he went through, he decided to express his pain through his words. The education system was extremely poor. Only children with working parents would be educated, whereas poorer children would have to work. In the novel 'Hard Times', the education system was firm, harsh and stern; 'Quadruped. Graminivorous...Age known by marks in mouth.' This straight-to-the-point definition of a

  • Word count: 2048
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Dickens's makes us feel sorry for David due to the school environment. He is humiliated

Lyndsey Cottrell Friday 22nd September 2006 Scene 2, the school Dickens's makes us feel sorry for David due to the school environment. He is humiliated because he has to wear a placard on his back at all times. When he arrives at school, he notices the school is a wreck. "I gazed upon the schoolroom into which he took me, as the most forlorn and desolate place I had ever seen." David's first impressions are not up to the standards he thought they were. For the second scene, we analyse David entering his new school and experience the new school environment. When David examines his new school, he is far from impressed. "Scraps of old copy-books and exercises litter the dirty floor." This shows the school has begun to grow dust and no-one has cleaned it. By the sound of David's impressions, the school seems musky and shaggy. Furthermore, David beings to dislike the school even more because he has his ear twigged by the cruel conspicuous head teacher. Additionally, David is then made to carry a placard on his back which humiliates him. He gets bullied for that. "Suddenly, I came to a pasteboard placard, beautifully written, which was lying on the desk, and bore these words: "Take care of him: He bites" we feel sorry for David at this point because David is seen as young, naïve and innocent. He has no notion that he has to

  • Word count: 687
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Comparing the writings of Trevor and Dickens.

Dickens used language as a technique to present his characters. Firstly Miss Havisham's clothes had lost its colour, 'once white now yellow'. For so long she had not taken of her wedding dress, and it had aged with her. Miss Havisham had suffered so much pain mentally, that it had begun to show through her face, 'sunken eyes', it is though all the bad memories were still in her eyes. The character had worn the bridal dress for so long that it had started to look like 'grave clothes', this illustrates that miss Havisham lost touch with the world and felt neglected. Miss Havisham was in a dull atmosphere, 'no brightness left' this also suggests the surroundings showed her inner somber feelings. Through narrative structure Trevor was able to create and describe his characters. Trevor used a certain type of format when describing. Firstly he begun with the characters name and a short description, 'Teresa Atty and was now Teresa Cornish, had a round pretty face and black, pretty hair'. He then followed on with their personal details, 'and was a month and a half pregnant'. Trevor finally ended with the relationship between characters, 'she stood in the corner of the lounge with her friends, Philomena Morrissey and Kitty Roche'. In my view Trevor had used this format, because he wanted the reader to be familiar with his characters, whilst reading. In comparing the writings of

  • Word count: 1602
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Two Identical Generations in the book 'The House of the Spirits' by Isabel Allende.

Lauren Hoff April 8, 2004 IB 11 World Literatures Dr. Kilduff 2 Identical Generations In the book The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, the theme of family is very strong through out the novel. The story goes through four generations of women in the Trueba and del Valle families. Often times in families the upbringing of children is very common. In the case of two women in the novel, their upbringings are almost identical. Clara, the youngest daughter of the del Valle family, who marries into the Trueba family, and her grand daughter, Alba. Both of them, as children, are very similar. Both Clara and Alba seem to be the glue that hold together each of their families. Clara also teaches Alba to use her clairvoyance to her advantage, a characteristic that Clara also possesses. Ironically, at the end of the novel, Clara dies, at a time when Alba is most capable of taking over Clara's duties. Although Clara and Alba are different individuals, they are quite the same in many aspects. Clara possesses the power of being clairvoyant. She can see the future and also can move things with her mind. When Alba is young, Clara notices the same traits in her. Clara teachers her and nourishes Alba's powers. When Clara was young, Nana, her grandmother, did the same for Clara as she is doing for Alba. Clara's family, her father especially, didn't want Clara using her powers. Clara

  • Word count: 804
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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David Copperfield - Mr. Murdstone plays an important role as David's step-father

DAVID COPPERFIELD Mr. Murdstone plays an important role as David's step-father as David's father died before he was born David has never encountered the company of another man in the house and soon finds out that he hates these arrangements. This is a important because in a Victorian household once a man had married a woman all of her possessions would become his by law and he would also have total control over David and Miss Murdstone. We first meet Mr. Murdstone when David's mother returns home with him and David seems very reluctant in meeting him and buries his head into his mother's chest, once again Mr. Murdstone tries to approach David and once he buries his head into his mother's chest. The book quotes "I didn't like him or his deep voice, and I was jealous that his hand should touch my mother's in touching me - which it did" at this point David shows a child's intuition that Mr. Murdstone is not to be trusted. At the same point the book again quotes "ill omen, black eyes" David glances quickly at Mr. Murdstone and immediately is attracted to his large, dull, lifeless black eyes, which have negative implications because the eyes are said to be the windows to the soul. However, only David can see this and Clara doesn't she thinks Mr. Murdstone is a kind and caring man. At first Mr. Murdstone is a kind person but he is pretending, somehow only David can see

  • Word count: 1541
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Compare and Contrast Dickens' treatment of two schoolmasters in David Copperfield and Hard Times.

Compare and Contrast Dickens' treatment of two schoolmasters in David Copperfield and Hard Times Both Hard Times and David Copperfield show to us the harsh severity of the Victorian school system and the teachers that were around at the time. The two teachers I will be looking at are Mr. Gradgrind and Mr. Creakle. The first thing we notice about both of them is their distinctly gruesome, unattractive surnames. When you think of the name Creakle, you come up with the word creak. The word creak is a noise that you would associate with a haunted house or ghost stories; this may be a premonition of what is to come of Mr. Creakle's character. From the name Gradgrind you can find the word grind. Grind is another word that describes a noise, you often talk of people grinding their teeth together and this could also be seen as him grinding the facts into his student's heads. Mr Creakle is a horrifying teacher. He loves to inflict pain on unsuspecting children, especially the vulnerable, for example the fat children. However, Mr Creakle shows himself to be a bully as he only picks only the weak and refuses to pick on the most powerful and popular boy in the school, Steerforth. "But the greatest wonder that I heard of Mr Creakle was, there being one boy in the school on whom he never ventured to lay a hand, and that boy being J. Steerforth." This shows us that Mr. Creakle is not

  • Word count: 2223
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Full Synopsis of David Copprfield.

Full Synopsis of David Copprfield Whilst heavily pregnant with him, David Copperfield's widowed mother receives an unexpected visit at her home in Norfolk from her late husband's aunt, Betsey Trotwood. Trotwood, however, departs in disgust when the baby turns out to be male. David's early childhood is idyllic, and he is the apple of the eyes of his weak-willed, silly, pretty mother and the family's devoted servant Clara Peggotty. Their happiness is shattered when Mrs. Copperfield starts to accept the attentions of the grim Edward Murdstone. David is packed off for a holiday at Yarmouth with Peggotty's relations, who live on the beach in an upturned ship that fascinates him. Her family consists of Daniel, a kindly fisherman, his niece Emily (known as Little Em'ly), her cousin Ham and the comically pessimistic Mrs. Gummidge. David develops a childish love for Little Em'ly. Upon returning home David is dismayed to learn that his mother is now Mrs. Murdstone. Murdstone is extremely strict and terrifies David. His sister Jane Murdstone becomes housekeeper and is similarly stern and forbidding. When young David fails to fulfil his stepfather's demands in maths lessons, he bites his hand and is imprisoned in his room for five days before being packed off to Salem House school in London. Barkis, the coachman who drives him there, is smitten by Peggotty and asks David to convey to

  • Word count: 1126
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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About Charles Dickens

About Charles Dickens Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth, England on February 7th, 1812, the second of eight children. His father was a clerk working for the Navy Pay office and was imprisoned for debt when Charles was very young. Due to the lack of funds, Dickens went to work at a blacking warehouse when he was twelve. His brush with hard times and poverty affected him deeply, and he would later recount his experiences in the semi-autobiographical David Copperfield. Furthermore, a concern for social justice and reform which surfaced later on in his writings, grew out of the neglect and harsh conditions he experienced in the warehouse. Although he had little formal schooling, he was able to teach himself shorthand, leading him to a job as a parliamentary reporter at a newspaper. While he published several sketches in magazines, it was not until he wrote The Pickwick Papers from 1836-7 that he experienced true success. A publishing phenomenon, The Pickwick Papers was published in monthly installments and sold over forty thousand copies for each issue. The year 1836 also saw his marriage to a Catherine Hogarth, who was the daughter of a fellow co-worker at the newspaper. Their marriage was not a happy one, but the two would have ten children together before their separation in 1858. Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby subsequently followed; both were published in monthly

  • Word count: 737
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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