In this essay I will be writing about how Charles Dickens uses the
story Oliver Twist to expose the appalling treatment of poor children
in Victorian Britain.
Oliver Twist was written in 1837–9, this period in Britain history was
known as the Victorian period. Life in Britain was changing a lot at
this time, more and more people were moving to the city due to the
Industrial Revolution. Most of the people, who were moving to the
city, were living in the country. There were a lot of negative effects
of lots of people moving to the city, it was getting really
overcrowded and there was a lack of housing. The housing conditions of
poor people in cities like London at the time, were absolutely
disgusting, there was no running water and no heating. At the time
their was a really cruel and sick law called the ‘Poor Law’, the poor
law meant that all poor people had to go to a workhouse. I think the
workhouse was absolutely disgusting and sick. I think that this law
was very bad and unfair to the poor people.
Now on to Oliver Twist. The surgeon and nurse were present at the
time of Oliver’s mother giving birth. The nurse was very drunk and the
surgeon a contract worker. The attitude of the surgeon and nurse,
towards Oliver’s mother was very disrespectful; the surgeon had asked
the woman where did she come from? The woman replied “She was brought
here last night," adding “She was found lying in the street”. When the
surgeon leaned towards her body and raised her left hand he said "The
old story," shaking his head: "no wedding ring, I see. This means she
wasn’t married and would most likely have been a prostitute and might
have ended up getting pregnant accidentally. Oliver’s mother died
after giving birth to Oli...
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...eeper.
Instead they got Oliver an apprenticeship with Mr Sowerberry.
As the story progresses Oliver finishes the apprenticeship and arrives
in London. Charles Dickens introduces a new character called Fagin.
Fagin is described as a very bad and greedy person, he is a criminal.
He first gives poor children food and shelter, and then teaches them
to handle bags etc. He done the same to Oliver, when Oliver arrived in
London, he gave Oliver food and shelter and taught him how to steal.
The money the young juveniles steal they give it to Fagin. As the
story continues Fagin dies and Oliver’s situation changed. Mr.
Brownlow adopted Oliver and they lived peacefully. Oliver finally got
a person who would love him and take care of him. That was the story
of Oliver Twist and his sad memories of how poor children lived and
how they were treated in the 19th century.
special person. He had been watching us for a long time and was ready to
When people see new construction or a recently paved road, they often do not realize the sacrifice that was made to create these luxuries. Most people pass some form of construction on the way to their jobs or school every day. This simple fact sparks questions regarding what this area looked like before it was inhabited by humans. Illinois forests have undergone drastic changes in the decades since European settlement. Only 31 % of the forest area present in 1820 exists today. (Iverson Pdf) Tearing down trees to build new structures isn’t bad if done in moderation, in some ways with time and good planning its wonderful. However, anyone that hunts or claims to be an outdoorsman will relate to the incomparable feeling experienced when alone in the woods and far from the hustle of the urbanized world.
The southern governments enacted a series of Black Codes that were purposefully meant to keep blacks “as near to a state of bondage as possible.” Blacks could not bear arms, be employed in occupations other than farming and domestic service, or leave their jobs without forfeiting back pay. The Mississippi code required them to sign labor contracts for the year in January and, in addition, drunkards, vagrants, beggars, “common nightwalkers,” and even “mischief makers” and persons who “misspend what they earn” and who could not pay the stiff fines assessed for such misbehavior were to be “hired out…at public outcry” to the white persons who would take them for the shortest period in return for paying the fines. Such laws, apparently designed to get around the Thirteenth Amendment, outraged Northerners.”
Under these new laws, a lot of African Americans were arrested with no reason and were given harsh fines and later they were charged with the costs of own arrests. This is because majority of the Africans were poor and good number of them who were arrested could not afford to pay fines. With no means to pay fines most of the prisoners accumulated debts as a result they were sold a forced labor to industries and farm
“In addition to being places of magnificent beauty, the old growth forests of the world represent hundreds of years of life on this planet, and many of the trees are the tallest living things on the planet (Old Growth Forests, 2004).” Because of their size, these trees, and the forests they reside in, are targeted by logging companies such as Weyerhaeuser as highly profitable areas that provide supposed economical benefits to surrounding communities in the way of new jobs.
Logging in the United States is a very controversial subject. Many people have different opinions on how we should take care of our forests and sometimes the arguments can get heated. Logging needs to be done to protect small western communities from catastrophic wild fires. Logging also gives small communities a way of income. When people think of logging they think of clear cutting which is damaging to the environment, but clear cutting does not happen too much on the national forests. The Forest Service has strict guidelines in which they follow to make sure the forest will stay healthy for years to come. Logging must be done with wildlife, human effects of the forest, and the health of the forest in mind. Logging can ultimately liberate small towns in the forest from fire danger and liberate the towns from having to depend on surrounding communities for a way of income. The forest and animals are also liberated from dense forest which can suffocate animals and plants. The animals are provided with more food with grasses after logging has accrued. Logging if done right is great for the forest and towns that are in the middle of the woods.
Humans have been changing the Western forests' fire system since the settlement by the Europeans and now we are experiencing the consequences of those changes. During the summer of 2002, 6.9 million acres of forests was burnt up in the West (Wildland Fires, 1). This figure is two times the ten year annual average, and it does not look like next summer will be any better (Wildfire Season, 1). Foresters have been trying to restore the forests back to their original conditions by thinning and prescribed fires but have encountered countless delays. Politicians are proposing sweeping changes in bills, which have caused great controversy, in efforts to correct the problems that the Forest Service has faced in restoration projects. Are these bills necessary or is there a better solution that politicians are overlooking?
Analysis of Fagin's Last Night Alive in Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist. Combining entertainment with a deep critique of the contemporary socioeconomic system and philosophy, Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist explores the reality that in Victorian London, crime was neither heroic nor romantic. A setting of debauchery, thievery, prostitution, and murder, Fagin's underworld didactically illustrates the "unattractive and repulsive truth" that one's environment--not birth--influences character. Attempting to introduce society to the evil it had created, Dickens penned "Fagin's Last Night Alive," manipulating both his literal and figurative audience, capitalizing on the current sentiments and issues. By typifying Fagin as the absolute evil, Dickens uses contemporary religious temperaments and society's apathy and ignorance, to reveal a reality about the underworld lifestyle that society was not willing to acknowledge--society is somewhat guilty for the underworld's corruption.
Dickens' Criticism of the 1834 Poor Law in Oliver Twist Dickens criticised the 1834 poor law in many different ways within the first five chapters. He does this firstly by cleverly portraying the Victorians attitudes towards the poor. He does this in chapter 1 by referring to Oliver as 'the item of mortality' suggesting how lowly his position in society is. Also the difficulty of Oliver's birth and the fact his mother dies, gives us some idea of the dangers of child birth in Victorian society and the amount of negligence his mother receives from the surgeon.
How Does Dickens present the theme of childhood in Oliver Twist. This essay shows the theme of childhood in Charles Dickens in the book Oliver Twist. Oliver Twist's story begins with his birth in a workhouse. His mother dies shortly after giving birth to him, though long enough to kiss him on the forehead. As an illegitimate workhouse orphan
contributed to this. The Poor Law “was the first comprehensive legislation to the poor.” The poor
Great Expectations and Oliver Twist are representative of the works produced by Charles Dickens over his lifetime. These novels exhibit many similarities - perhaps because they both reflect painful experiences that occurred in Dickens' past.
Charles Dickens shows notable amounts of originality and morality in his novels, making him one of the most renowned novelists of the Victorian Era and immortalizing him through his great novels and short stories. One of the reasons his work has been so popular is because his novels reflect the issues of the Victorian era, such as the great indifference of many Victorians to the plight of the poor. The reformation of the Poor Law 1834 brings even more unavoidable problems to the poor. The Poor Law of 1834 allows the poor to receive public assistance only through established workhouses, causing those in debt to be sent to prison. Unable to pay debts, new levels of poverty are created. Because of personal childhood experiences with debt, poverty, and child labor, Dickens recognizes these issues with a sympathetic yet critical eye. Dickens notices that England's politicians and people of the upper class try to solve the growing problem of poverty through the Poor Laws and what they presume to be charitable causes, but Dickens knows that these things will not be successful; in fact they are often inhumane. Dickens' view of poverty and the abuse of the poor
Charles Dickens novel, Oliver Twist, centers itself around the life of the young, orphan Oliver, but he is not a deeply developed character. He stays the same throughout the entire novel. He has a desire to be protected, he wants to be in a safe and secure environment, and he shows unconditional love and acceptance to the people around him. These are the only character traits that the reader knows of Oliver. He is an archetype of goodness and innocence. His innocence draws many people close to him. Each character is attracted to his innocence for different reasons, some to destroy it and others to build it. Their relationships with Oliver reveal nothing more about his personality. They reveal more about their own personalities. Therefore, Oliver is used not as the protagonist of the story, but as the anchor for the development of the other characters.
There are many reasons why forests are cut down the main reason is money or the demand of people’s needs for them and their family. The main reason for deforestation is agriculture. The farmers cut the forests down so that they have a lot of land to farm on including moist soil and etc. Sometimes farmers only cut or burn a little bit of trees so they could plant and feed their families. Also a lot of trees are cut each year for paper. Sometimes loggers do illegal things like building roads to access forests which leads to more and more deforestation. The forests are also cut as an outcome of growing urban sprawl. Not all deforestation is planned on purpose, some just occur because of wildfires and overgrazing which prevents young trees to grow. The biggest effect of deforestation is the impact on the habitat for many species. More than half of the earth animals and plants live in the forests so if the forests are gone they are too. Deforestation also causes global warming. The soil in forests is moist, but if there are no tall trees to cover the sun then they dry out very quickly.