In the early nineteenth century, an interest in criminals and the common highwayman arose in Europe. Many magazines in London, such as Bentley’s Miscellany, Fraser’s
Magazine, and The Athenaeum featured sections that were reserved for stories about highwayman and their numerous adventures. The growing interest in the subject inspired many authors to write about the various exploits of popular criminals and highwayman.
Some prominent examples of this type of novel were Edward Bulwer’s Paul Clifford
(1830) and Eugene Aram (1832); Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist (1838-39) and Barnaby
Rudge (1841); and William Harrison Ainsworth Rookwood (1834) and Jack Sheppard
(1839-40). Several of these novels were based upon famous crimes and criminal careers of the past (Eugene Aram, Dick Turpin in Rookwood, and Jack Sheppard); others derived from contemporary crime (Altick, 1970, p. 72). Although many authors chose to base their stories on criminals, William Harrison Ainsworth’s Rookwood and Jack Sheppard are two of the best examples of the theme of ‘crime and punishment’ in the nineteenth century. Ainsworth started his writing career as a writer of Gothic stories for various magazines. Gothic elements are included in Ainsworth’s novel: the ancient hall, the family vaults, macabre burial vaults, secret marriage, and so forth (John, 1998, p. 30).
Rookwood is a story about two half-brothers in a conflict over the family inheritance.
The English criminal who Ainsworth decides to entangle in Rookwood was Dick Turpin, a highwayman executed in 1739. However, echoing Bulwer, Ainsworth’s explanation for his interest in Dick Turpin (like Bulwer’s explanation in his choice of Eugene Aram as a subject) is personal and familial (John, 1998, p. 31). Though the basis of the novels seem similar, Ainsworth treated Dick Turpin in a different way than Bulwer treated Eugene
Aram. Ainsworth romanticizes history, but basically sticks to the facts (as far as he knew them). Perhaps more importantly, Ainsworth does not pretend that the Turpin he invents is the real Dick Turpin, nor does he attempt to elevate Turpin’s social class status (John,
1998, p. 32). Ainsworth recalls lying in bed listening to the exploits of ‘Dauntless Dick’, as narrated by his father. Despite Ainsworth’s infatuation with the criminal, the real
Turpin was no more interesting a character than an ordinary cat burglar. Besides highway robbery, his affairs included stealing sheep and breaking into farmer’ houses, sometimes with the aid of confederates; and he took a turn at smuggling (Hollingsworth,
1963, p. 99). Although Turpin appears in a considerable part of the novel, he really has no effect on the plot. He stole a marriage certificate, but the incident was not important
When first describing Dick and Perry, Capote describes dick as “an athlete constructed on a welterweight scale. The tattooed face of a cat, blue and grinning, covered his right hand…More markings…ornamented his arms and torso.” The metaphor comparing Dick to a welterweight athlete gives the perception that Dick is a mean looking guy. Basically, what a stereotypical criminal looks like; and that is exactly what Dick is. At the end of the passage, after describing Dick’s car colli...
It represented a new world of confinement that removed the convict from his community and regimented his life. It introduced society to a new notion of punishment and reform. (Curtis et al, 1985)
Murphy, B. & Shirley J. The Literary Encyclopedia. [nl], August 31, 2004. Available at: http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2326. Access on: 22 Aug 2010.
Horatio Alger's “Ragged Dick” is a story which expresses the morals found within a fourteen year old homeless boy. This young boy is quite different because of the morals and actions he showcases to others. Unlike other homeless individuals, Ragged Dick is a boy who puts forth honesty while acting in courteous ways which represent a true level of dignity. Although Ragged Dick is such a prideful and respectful young boy, he is also known as a “spendthrift.” Spendthrifts are individuals who are careless with their actions in terms of their spending as they have little no regard for their money. One example of this can be seen as we read, “Dick's appearance as he stood beside the box was rather peculiar. His pants were torn in several places, and had apparently belonged in the first instance to a boy two sizes larger than himself. He wore a vest, all the buttons of which were gone except two, out of which peeped a shirt which looked as if it had been worn a month. To complete his costume he wore a coat too long for him, dating back, if one might judge from its general appearance, to a remote antiquity” (Alger).
He should instead refer to the current SEAL Ethos that he conveniently attached in his own book in Appendix III, page 123. Reference specifically the part where it says, “I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions.”. A quick google search of “Dick Couch” shows a guy who has made a career exploiting his time in the SEAL Teams, profiting from the actions of today’s SEALs by riding the coattails of their unfortunate but very public popularity. I cannot take serious the armchair quarterbacking of this book’s author and will glean my future lessons on ethics from a more credible
By structuring his novel where time is out of joint, Dick is able to illustrate that one’s perception of reality is entirely based on what one believes to be fact. This point is illustrated through Ragle Gumm, who, “from his years of active military life” in the beginning of the story, “prided himself on his physical agility” (Dick 100). It is not until time is mended again toward the end of the book that he realizes that it had been, in fact, his father that had served in the war. This demonstrates how one’s firm belief can turn into a reality, as it did for Ragle Gumm for the two and a half years he lived in the fabricated city of Old Town.
..., fellow boot blacks, and himself. He proved that who you know, and how well they know you, truly makes a drastic impact on how people succeed in America. In this sense, Ty Kiisel is right, but it also took a smidge of prior insight of Dick to acquire the right connections. Ragged Dick always keeps a keen eye on his morality, never letting it pull him into the wrong crowd.
Dick presents our main character, Commissioner John Anderton, as the balding, pot-bellied founder of a revolutionary new crime detection system who's been showing his years for longer than he'd care to remember. In the short story, he has just acquired a new assistant, Ed Witwer, and fears being replaced by the younger man. In the beginning, Anderton is portrayed as slightly insecure about his job (to the point of near paranoia of being set-up), as well as his importance to society, though by the e...
The utilization of imagery has dependably been a common path for authors to convey essential issues to general society. It is not remarkable to peruse a straightforward youngsters' story and find hidden political or good messages, for instance, Horatio Alger's novel Ragged Dick. This story was composed after the Civil War, when America encountered a time of immense modern development. The free enterprise hard working attitude had turned into an all inclusive thought in the North, and accordingly the Government consented to stay bankrupt issues, taking after the modern arrangement of "free enterprise." This enlarged the hole between the rich and poor people, making it troublesome for a less lucky individual to work his way up in the public
The Family Plot and Magnificent Obsession. p. 170. 2. Cook. p. 76-79.
Harmon, William, and C. Hugh Holman. A Handbook to Literature. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1996.
Alger, Horatio. “From Ragged Dick.” Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing. Colombo, Gary, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford of St. Martin's, 2013. 252. Print.
Abrams, M. H. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1993.
Novels for Students. Presenting Analysis, Context and Criticism on Commonly Studied Novels. Detroit, MI: Gale Group, 1999. Print.
Abrams, M.H., ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 6th ed. Vol. 2. New York: Norton, 1993.