The Way Education is presented in the Novel David Copperfield

The first 200 words of this essay...

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