David Copperfield
David Copperfield How does Charles Dickens create a sense of tension in this extract? We have a read a short abridged extract from 'David Copperfield' where he returns home after a holiday to find he's got a stepfather. In this extract, Dickens uses a variety of techniques to build tension. The extract starts with a very positive atmosphere. David is having a holiday in a quiet seaside Yarmouth town with his maid's family, whom he likes. Everything is so peaceful and calm and David is happy. Then the third paragraph starts with a very short sentence. 'At last the day came for going home.' The short sentence suggests his return might not be a very happy one. The day he went home was a 'cold grey afternoon, with a dull sky, threatening rain.' This technique is called pathetic fallacy, where the weather reflects the mood. When David reaches home (expecting a huge welcome from his mother), he is received by a 'strange servant'. This has a hint of shock in it because the reader wonders why Copperfield's mother hadn't given him the welcome he expected. Was something wrong? When David asks Pegotty (the maid) whether his mother was home she replies, ' ''Yes, yes Master Davy...I'll - I'll tell you something.'' ' The hesitation shows something's not right. Later David asks, ' ''Where's mama?' ''Where's mama Master Davy?'' ' repeated Pegotty. Here Dickens uses repetition which
David Copperfield
David Copperfield On the 28th of November 2008 I attended a performance of 'David Copperfield' written by Charles Dickens at the Mercury Theatre in Colchester. The play was adapted and directed by Giles Havergal, who for 33 years was artistic director of the Citizens' Theatre in Glasgow. David Copperfield follows the life of a boy, who was orphaned at an early age and experiences considerable hardship. Throughout the story David experiences love and betrayal but I believe the main theme in the story is ambition. Firstly I would like to comment on how well the actors identified their characters especially the actor who played David himself, although David is played by a fully grown man it is made obvious at the beginning that opposed to playing a fully grown man he is playing a child. This is displayed clearly very early on in the play when we saw David wailing like a child at the front of the stage, to emphasise the fact he was a child his facial expressions and movement where also very childish a good example of this is when he is talking to his Nanny Peggety he tugs on her skirt and looks up to her. The other actors on stage also treat him like a child and talk to him in a different tone than they would to someone closer to their own age. Another well played role was that of Uriah Heap. From the moment he took his place on stage (even before he started to speak) you could
Compare the two short stories, 'The Signal Man' by Dickens and 'Lamb to the Slaughter' by Roald Dahl.
Wider Reading Unit by Alison Rothwell Compare the two short stories, 'The Signal Man' by Dickens and 'Lamb to the Slaughter' by Roald Dahl. We are going to write a paragraph about each of the following elements of the stories. Begin by making notes. It does not matter which final order you choose. You must, however, check that you have; * Compared the characters. * Described the setting of each story. * Refered to the openings and endings. * Made some observation about language and style. * Offered some of your own opinions. * Used some quotations from the stories. * Explained how each author creates suspense. Use the following questions and suggestions to help you compose each of your paragraphs: Opening What is the mood at the start of each story? Is it the same or different. Think of two words to describe the mood. Choose some words or phrases which help to create the mood at the start, quote them and explain what effect they have. What is the effect of the opening upon the reader? Setting Where is each story set? Historically Physically (indoors, on a moor, in another country) Are there any similarities or contrasts Theme What is the theme of each story? What point do you think the author wanted to make? Are the two stories similar? Characters Describe the main characters in each story. Find one or two quotations which show what they
What impression does Charles Dickens create of the Murdstones? What techniques does he employ to create this impression?
What impression does Charles Dickens create of the Murdstones? What techniques does he employ to create this impression? I think the Murdstones are the two main villains in the story. Mr.Murdstone, step dad of David, he is evil, cruel and treats David harshly. He hates David and wants him out of the way. Mrs Murdstone, sister of Mr.Murstone also vicious and self-centred. Both of them together ruin the early childhood of David and have control of the Copperfield family. The sheer evilness of the Murdstones resulted in the death of David's mother-Clara, although at one point he did love Clara, but her pretty house and her income probably added to her attractions in his eye. I think worst of all the Murdstones tormented David both physically and psychologically. Dickens is very clever in describing the appearance of the Murdstones, it very much relates to their ruthlessness. He describes the eyes of Mr.Murdstones as ".... with his ill-omened black eyes...." Already we are given a warning of impending disaster from the looks of his eyes. ". Shallow black eye...an eye that has no depth in it to be looked into" This just shows the wretched character he is. As much as I hate the character, I noticed that Dickens have put a touch of gentleness to the character of Mr.Murdstone. This is stated when David notices his 'handsomer' side. "...In spite of my misgivings, a very handsome
'In "David Copperfield" Dickens introduces us to a rich array of characters whose adventures enhance our understanding of Victorian life', discuss.
"David Copperfield" by Charles Dickens is a tale of a boy on his eventful road to manhood. Set in the late 1800's of the Victorian period, the novel portrays many Victorian issues. Themes such as love and marriage, family life and relationships, wealth and poverty, work and education, and law, are illustrated by the individuality of the characters, which are influenced by their surroundings in the Victorian period, and therefore they give an insight into the many varied aspects of Victorian life. Dickens uses the novel to express his feelings about Victorian life, and either present or contradict issues arisen in the novel, that are believed to be unfair, in order to criticise them. The Victorian era was simple when it came to family life. As the man of the house you were expected to go to work, and come home to a peaceful environment where the wife was cooking the dinner or cleaning the floors and serving her husband in an obedient and loving way. As a child you were expected to be "seen and not heard", and as a consequence of this, the children were rarely acquainted with their fathers. Women were an auxiliary to men and therefore were responsible for house keeping and the up bringing of the children. At the start of the novel we see an exception to this - the relationship between Clara Copperfield and her son David. They are portrayed as
Summarising The Characterisation Of Dora Greenfield In The First Chapter Of 'The Bell'.
Dani Pellowe 12G English Literature Mrs Hepburn Summarising The Characterisation Of Dora Greenfield In The First Chapter Of 'The Bell' In the first chapter of The Bell, we learn about Dora through many ways of Iris Murdoch's characterisation. These include her physical appearance and the clothes that she wears, but mostly through her actions displaying her personality. Dora's description as a student tells us that she was 'plump' and 'peach-like' as well as 'ugly and wretched' and that she liked to wear big multicoloured skirts with sandals. The skirts and sandals are brought up early in the chapter because they are also mentioned a few pages later when Dora discusses how life has changed for her since becoming Mrs Greenfield. As Dora changes into being Paul's wife, she not only changes her name, but also her appearance and outlook on life. Dora 'abandoned' the big skirts and sandals for smarter outfits which she did not really like, but bought to fit in with Paul and his friends, and she thought of his friends as being more intelligent than herself, therefore thinking she did not fit and feeling uncomfortable about their marriage. When she began to see her old friends from school more, it becomes clear that Dora and Paul are not suited, as she returns late from a party. Paul's violence toward Dora threatens her and makes her feel scared and afraid of him, but from
Comparisons between the film and written piece 'David Copperfield'.
Charles dickens essay Comparisons between the film and written piece 'David Copperfield' was one of many novels Charles Dickens wrote. It was completed in 1849 and is written in an autobiography style. He tells his life story by pretending to be a Victorian boy by the name of 'David Copperfield'. He did this to make the story appear more interesting. The BBC had made a four-hour long film version of 'David Copperfield' and there are comparisons that can be made between the book and the film version. The first comparison is the way the book and the film establish mood. In the book Charles Dickens uses a wide range of vocabulary to give the reader an understanding of the mood that is being created. Charles Dickens uses a lot of abstract nouns in his sentences to describe his feelings. The sentence ' But these solemn lessons I remember as a death blow to my peace, and a grievous daily drudgery' is a sentence that he uses in the passage to describe the way he felt every time Mr Murdstone called him for a test. You can easily work out the mood, which is established in the book by the way the sentences are structured, and how words are put together. In the film version it is far easier to identify the mood because music is used. When it came to a serious part such as when Mr Murdstone was speaking to David Copperfield (which is always in a harsh way) low noted, serious music was
Comparing and contrasting Snape and Mr Creakle (From David Copperfield)
Sandy Barr 7H 09/06/02 Comparing and contrasting Snape and Mr Creakle Mr Creakle is the headmaster at Salem House, "David Copperfield" by Charles Dickens. Snape is the Potions Master at Hogwarts, Harry Potter series by J K Rowling. It is because of the education system that Mr Creakle and Snape meet the main characters from both books (David and Harry). Whilst Snape teaches his pupils, Mr Creakle's main aim is to inflict physical punishment upon his pupils. Attitude towards Education Both Snape and Mr Creakle are portrayed as frightening teachers. Snape is very strict in his classes although he does not need to use physical punishment to keep his class in order. His frightening character is enough to keep his pupils in order. "I don't expect you will understand the beauty of the softly, simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate powers of liquids...I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death - if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach" - this shows Snape as patronising, not caring about his pupil's feelings and lacking respect. On the other hand, Mr Creakle is very physical towards his pupils. "At every question he gave me a fleshy cut with it that made me writhe" - this shows that Mr Creakle believes that discipline is the only way to keep the children in order. He cuts jokes before he hits the
Biography on the life of Charles Dickens.
Biography on the life of Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens, one of the greatest ever Victorian writers was born on 7th February 1812 in Landport, Portsmouth as the son of John and Elizabeth Dickens. His family moved to Chatham, and Dickens considered his years there as the happiest of his childhood. His father John worked as a clerk in the Navy Payroll Office in Portsmouth and then in 1822, they moved back to London, where the family lived in Camden Town. Dickens' family was considered middle class, but his father had a difficult time managing money. His spending had brought the family to financial disaster, and in 1824, John Dickens was put in prison for debt. Charles was left school at the age of 12 and go to work at Warren's Blacking Factory, which was a shoe dye factory, to help support the Dickens family. During this period, Dickens lived alone in a lodging house in North London and considered the entire experience the most terrible of his life and would later write that he wondered 'how I could have been so easily cast away at such an age'. His schooling was again interrupted and ended when Dickens was forced to return to work at age 15. He found employment and became a clerk in a law firm, then a shorthand reporter in the courts, and finally a parliamentary and newspaper reporter. His brief stint at the Blacking Factory haunted him all of his life. He
Comparison of the Novels Angelas Ashes With David Copperfield.
COMPARISON OF THE NOVELS ANGELAS ASHES WITH DAVID COPPERFIELD David Copperfield tells us of his birth: He is born on a Friday night and begins to cry the moment the clock strikes midnight--an unlucky omen. But he is born with a caul (a sort of membrane covering a new-born's head), which is thought to be a good omen. He then tells his story of how his mother tried to sell the caul but with no joy. Then ten years later they raffled it off. Frank McCourt tells the story of how he was born in New York and then brought up in Limerick in Ireland. Then the story continues of how they tried to cope with poverty and a lot of illness due to the damp. Both stories are biographies, except McCourt's story is about his own experiences in life (which would be an autobiography) and Dickinson's story is of a character he has made up but they both tell the reader of their experiences through life. The happy times and the struggles in life it's self. They are very similar in many ways and both stories start at the beginning of their lives. In the beginning of both chapters it is obvious that both of them are looking back on their lives because at the beginning of Angela's Ashes McCourt writes, "when I was four" so the reader knows that this is McCourt looking back to when he was four. Also McCourt is looking back on his life because he wrote. "When I look back on my childhood I wonder