What strikes you about this passage? Anything goes: language, images, rhetorical techniques, specific detail, word choice, tone/change in tone, perspective/point of view, characterization, emerging themes, etc. Of course, no passage exists in isolation, so while I want you to pay attention to the details of this passage, you can (eventually) talk about how it fits (or not) into the piece as a whole.
"That wretched woman with the infant in her arms, round whose meagre form the remnant of her own scanty shawl is carefully wrapped, has been attempting to sing some popular ballad, in the hope of wringing a few pence from the compassionate passerby. A brutal laugh at her weak voice is all she has gained. The tears fall thick and fast down her own pale face; the child is cold and hungry, and its low half-stifled waiting adds to the misery of its wretched mother, as she moans aloud, and sinks despairingly down, on a cold damp doorstep.
Singing! How few of those who pass such a miserable creature as this, think of the anguish of heart, the sinking of soul and spirit, which the very effort of singing produces. Bitter mockery! Disease, neglect, and starvation, faintly articulating the words of the joyish ditty, that has enlivened your hours of feasting and merriment, God knows how often! It is no subject of jeering. The weak tremulous voice tells a fearful tale of want and famishing; and the feeble singer of this roaring song may turn away, only to die of cold and hunger."
The thing that strikes me the most about this passage is the Dickens's connection with the lady and her child.Dickens has empathizes how she feels and how harsh her life is. For example, the speaker states, "The weak tremulous voice tells a fearful tale of want and famishing; and the feeble singer of this roaring song may turn away, only to die of cold and hunger." Not only is the speaker providing a vivid description of how the lady and her child life is, Dickens carefully use words to describe the severity of her life. He uses words such as "feeble", "weak" and "famishing" to describe her struggles. Also, Dickens's use of diction is significant to the bigger issue of the severe poverty in general in his town.
ReplyDeleteThanks for getting us started, Felicia! Say more (or others can) about your final sentence here, how diction relates to poverty.
ReplyDeleteDickens cleverly attempts to reach the emotions of the readers by explicitly drawing careful attention to the details. He is drawing a picture for the people to see. While William Hogarth might have been the real artist of his time, Dickens can be considered, I believe, not far off from the former. The passage illustrates the power of the author's writing. In just a few paragraphs, Dickens is able to bring what he sees into life. For instance, he says, "The tears fall thick and fast down her own pale face; the child is cold and hungry, and its low half-stifled waiting adds to the misery of its wretched mother, as she moans aloud, and sinks despairingly down, on a cold damp doorstep." In this instance, Dickens creates a contrast between a hopeless and feeble mother, and the suffering child. However, what is more important is the fact that he is able to take on their characters and describe what they feel. Perhaps he is having glimpses of his childhood. Moreover, Dickens mentions "God" to remind the readers, specially the aristocrats, that they should reconsider their positions on the matter. Overall, the sketches contain both happy and tragic scenes, but this is done in order to portray the life in England realistically.
ReplyDeleteI must agree Ibrahim,Dickens use of language and detail give the reader a visual of the character.However, he places more emphasis on emotion. He wants us to be concerned about this nameless woman, who's only form of identity is this hungry child. The author lingers on her impoverished condition primarily with her appearance then in how she sings.She sings with much effort as if sinning to save her very life. He uses strong political words like " Disease", "neglect", and "starvation" to depict her state.The neglect and lack of sympathy shown to the mother and baby is not only carefully described, but Dickens includes himself along with his emotions. This is seem when he says "Singing!...Bitter mockery!..." (56). The sarcasm in his tone reflect his hopelessness for her in both ridicule and anger because no one really seems to care.
DeleteThis piece has no particular form because the way Dickens chose to make each paragraph one over extended sentence. This works because each paragraph flows like a stanza in poetry. I this this was intentional because his ideas flow in a single stream of consciousness, just like his thoughts, with more words and fewer pauses. He over uses the commas and is sparing with the periods and without using first person narration, Dickens was able to place himself in the sketch as the partial omniscient observant with two simple exclamation marks.
Finally, this scene ends with a tragedy when he says " and the feeble singer of this roaring song may turn away, only to die of cold and hunger"(56). This woman with a child is not just a single individual suffering from poverty and hunger, but she is characterized as an every man. She is hunger and poverty and her roaring are the cries of every indigent person all over the world.
This is one of my favorite passage from the sketch. I like the way Charles Dickens describes with details the circumstances of this poor mother. What strikes me the most about this passage is the way in which she is humiliated by others. " A brutal laugh at her weak voice is all she has gained. The tears fall thick and fast down her own pale face; the child is cold and hungry, and its low half-stifled wailing adds to the misery of its wretched mother, as she moans aloud, and sinks despairingly down, on a cold damp door step" (56). No one showed any sign of pity towards her nor her child.
ReplyDeleteThe form of language, tone and characterization used by Dickens clearly portrays the agony of this mother. When I read this passage, I couldn't prevent feeling her pain and fear of having her child died in her arms from cold and hunger. Thus, I couldn't understand the cruelty of others. Dickens's connection and description of her agony fits into the peace as a whole, because he was able to reflect the poverty and inequality in London. The poor people were dying in misery, while the rich continued to live their lives as if nothing was happening.
Word, everyone. Sorry, I had to.
ReplyDeleteAlthough every post is incredibly well-stated, I feel my opinion on this passage resembles closest to Mirianda's, since the laughing of those passing by is also what struck me most.
Dickens has quite an impressive writing style. His ability to use a mother, and to a lesser extent, her child, to represent an entire community in London, is nothing short of flawless writing. The mother's hope is crushed instantly. The tears falling "fast down" her face represent her spirit's descent. The mother's moan follows suit, and she sits "despairingly down," only contributing to her demise. There is a repetitive theme of plunging downward. There is something admirable about Dickens addressing the issue of poverty which was most likely overlooked by Londoners, or at least, not cared for. The "miserable creature," used to describe the mother, is contrasted by the "heart, soul, and spirit," which is a good indication of Dickens's sarcasm (I believe someone mentioned this in class on Wednesday). I too admire that sarcasm; it is almost a wake up call to those ignorant Londoners who live their lives with absolutely no compassion for those who need it the most.
Not to go off on any tangents, but the situation here reminds me of those train commutes where a couple and their infant (a few months shy of a year) trek from car to car. The mother's voice and the melody of the father's accordion playing, only occasionally in unison, annoy the passengers more than entertain them. Their sub-par performance earns them a dollar or two per car, from the few generous passengers, and those less compassionate only hoping to halt their performance. The baby hangs lifelessly, with a facial expression that could only be described as inert. My opinion usually sides with feeling remorse for the family, but that other side, sometimes winning, feels that the baby deserves better parents. I hate passing judgement, especially since I am fortunate enough to never have experienced such calamity, but the mind tends to have a will of its own; I suppose this is why a part of me understands, very slightly, why those passing by the mother and child in Dickens's passage, respond the way they do (not that I would condone laughing at the unfortunate). The difference in 1800s London though, is that there were less alternatives for the poor, leaving the mother with two choices: sing and hope to live, or don't sing and die.
I really like Christine's observation that because the woman is unnamed she more easily becomes an everywoman, able to broadly represent social problems like "neglect" and "starvation" (similarly, since the passerby is also unnamed, perhaps we are complicit in his, to use Mirianda's word, humiliation of her, too? or as Troy says, we could be complicit in his point of view which could be the kind of compassion fatigue we all have felt -- I'm sure -- on the subway). We will talk a lot this semester about Dickens's famous use of names, but I'm so glad you all have paused on an example of when he doesn't use them and what that can mean.
ReplyDeleteWhat stood out to me the most was the fact that Dickens adds his sentiments to situation. Dickens seems remorseful and sympathetic towards the woman and her baby. Moreover, as Christine said, he can relate to the woman because of his late childhood. The baby, if he/she lives long enough, will probably end up doing factory work- just like Dickens. The sentence, "How few of those who pass such a miserable creature as this, think of the anguish of heart, the sinking of soul and spirit, which the very effort of singing produces. Bitter mockery!", shows that he's being judgmental towards society and how they view poor people. Maybe the sketches of London at night (along with his childhood) creates the basis of Dickens's novels- the child hero.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you folks make of the shift (in tone, perspective, etc.) from the first paragraph to the second? What's going on here?
ReplyDeleteThe shift between the first and the second paragraph consists of both tone and perspective. In the first paragraph, Dickens intensely describes the external condition of the poor woman and her child. He gives the readers his mere observations. This paragraph is in close relation to a news report. This is because of the facts that are stated about the woman’s condition. Regardless, of the use of opinionated words such as, “wretched woman” (55), and “wretched mother” (56), Dickens accomplished to expose the factual conditions of the poverty stricken class in England. While this paragraph evoke emotions from the readers with sentences like, “A brutal laugh at her weak voice is all she has gained” (55) and “The tear fall thick and fast down her own place face;” (56), Dickens proves that in this paragraph he only intends to draw attention to poverty by giving a detailed description of the woman. The tone of this paragraph is serious and telling, which is why it can be compared to a news report. It highlights some of the important elements that constitute a news report: who - the unfortunate, self-employed woman and her suffering child, what – the lack of adequate income, food and shelter, when - cold nights in England, where - on the streets and why - drastic separation between the upper and lower class that leads to the maintenance of poverty. In this paragraph, Dickens perspective is to describe the external conditions/outside world of the poor woman, adding to the realism. Dickens carefully explored the woman’s impact on others and others impact on the woman. He gives little details about her feelings, but many details about her state and actions “wailing adds to the misery of its [the baby] wretched mother, as she moans aloud, and sinks despairingly down, on a cold damp door-step.” (56)
DeleteThe second paragraph, unlike the first explores the woman’s feelings. It gives an internal view of the woman, stating her reaction and thoughts to the actions of the rich. This attains a different tone and perspective than the first paragraph. The details in the second paragraph are assumptions made by Dickens based on his observation and his own experience with poverty. Dickens relates to the woman’s misfortune and his able to speak on her behalf; “How few of those who pass such a miserable creature as this, think of the anguish of heart, the sinking of soul and spirit, which the very effort of singing produces. Bitter mockery!” (56) This paragraph demands a sympatric response from the readers. This is why it attains an indirect pervasive tone. Dickens’s organization of words and formatting of ideas in this paragraph expresses his own feelings towards the poor, unlike the first paragraph, which stated facts about the poor. This encourages or possibly causes the readers to emulate his feelings. By giving an internal prospective of the woman’s suffering, Dickens clear intention is to drive the rich to sympathize with the poor, to eliminate mocking the poor, and most importantly to assist the poor.
In my observation of these two paragraphs, I think Dickens's attempt was to give the reader sympathy for this woman and her child. As mentioned in other responses, the woman doesn't have a name unlike the other people of the town like Mrs. Walker. This makes her much like an every-day woman; someone who shares the troubles of others. I think the lines that struck me the most were the last few lines of the first paragraph. "A brutal laugh at her weak voice is all she has gained. The tears fall thick and fast down her own pale face; the child is cold and hungry, and its low half-stifled wailing adds to the misery of its wretched mother, as she moans aloud, and sinks despairingly down, on a cold damp doorstep." This passage broke my heart when I read it, mainly because it's so vivid. I can see the image in my mind of her slumping down in hopelessness with her child in her arms. Her loud moans are ones that I can hear in my head; imagining what her pain must feel like.
DeleteIn the second paragraph, I see Dickens unhappiness with the situation. He adds explanation points to his words, making them sound like he is not happy or pleased with the way people don't seem to care about the woman or her child. He wants people to see the injustice and poor treatment. He's explaining how she sings in a weak voice, yet she's going to die of cold and hunger while others feast. The following paragraph speaks about people riding in carriages, feasting on food of quality like oysters, and having cigars. After the previous paragraphs that display such despair, it makes reading about people more fortunate, difficult to swallow. Ultimately, I think this was his intention. It's to show the injustice, the unfair treatment, and the sorrows of the poor, especially opposed to the more fortunate.
I agree with Roshanica and Nina, the shift in tone between the two paragraphs also seems to represent a shift in perspective that Dickens seems to purposely highlight. The first paragraph depicts one women singing while caring for a child. Which gives the audience an image based account.
DeleteHowever, the second paragraph seems to represent on a larger scale a great deal of Londoners who are also forced to do what some may see as belittling jobs to make ends meet. Dickens's second paragraph is philosophic in a sense as opposed to the first image-based paragraph. The audience, if sympathetic, is then forced to place themselves in the mother's position to feel momentarily the amount of humility and suffering the mother and other struggling families of London feel daily.
The first paragraph provides an image that the audience can draw up from memory a time that they can remember they have seen something familiar. The second paragraph describes the way in which the women feels, and provides for the audience a perspective that is all too often overlooked.
Excellent and detailed posts everyone! Regarding the differences between the first and the second paragraph, I would say that I have to agree with both Christine and Roshanica. If one pays attention to the flow, one can notice that there are no breaks, but there is a constant flow, which indeed makes it feel like a poem. Because of this flow, it becomes difficult to discern the perspectives of both paragraphs. Specifically, the perspective, like Roshanica said, revolves around the external environment of the mother at first then moves into her internal suffering. The shift that begins in the second paragraph offers the reader a sense of hope. However, "Singing!"is all the mother can accomplish. Because the mother is nearing her death, Dickens begins to change his perspective from the physical state to the spiritual and mental world.
DeleteIt is evident that the words Dickens used are associated with poverty. As the Professor stated in class, Dickens used to take long walks in the streets of London. In fact, he would walk for miles. His long walks give him a capability of providing his readers with a vivid description of every visual detail he sees. His close attention to detail causes him to broaden his imagination. He associates his personal feelings with the things he sees. Hence, he gives his own opinion about the woman and her child as well as her association with poverty
ReplyDeleteWhile I do agree that Dickens is implementing a rich, vivid description as you stated Felicia, do you believe it is of every visual detail he sees? It seems while he does manage to capture the essence of his surroundings, there is still a great deal of abstract imagery such as well, which I believe he uses to supplement his work. Another thing I wanted to bring out is the "feeble singer" and the "roaring song". I believe that the purpose of these two elements is to convey the idea of poverty-stricken people who cry out for help yet may potentially end up succumbing to their misfortune.
DeleteI think you guys are noticing an important shift from the first to the second paragraph. Roshanica writes that in the 2nd, Dickens "demands a sympathetic response" and Nina comments on the use of exclamation points to direct our attention. Dickens is indeed zeroing in on us (now as readers, but of course also those who walk the streets and, most likely, have passed by such scenes on our way to "merriment"). So you are right that he goes from a kind of reporting mode (he was, remember, a reporter) to a direct address, and this brings us both into his writing AND the social problem about which he is writing in a different way that the more external view of other parts of the sketch.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of sketch, remember that you folks are to practice this Dickensian mode of seeing/reporting/writing with a 2-3 page sketch due tomorrow in class. See you then!
Dickens could have simply made the woman a begger going around making people feel sympathy for her and her starving child, and soliciting money. If this were the case the woman would have a more realistic mentality about people wanting to help out from their own free will. By her going up to people and making them feel uncomfortable they'd give her money just to get her away from them. But Dickens makes the woman a singer making her less interpersonal with others.
ReplyDeleteSongs are for enjoyment and entertainment and her song serves as just that but negatively when "a brutal laugh at her weak voice is all she has gained". But singing to the woman means something else to her, it represents hope. This is shown when Dickens states that the woman "attempting to sing some popular ballad, in the hope of wringing a few pence from the compassionate passerby". She does not beg but sings with faith that people will be kind enough to see her hopefulness despite the hurt that is depicted in her voice. "Singing! How few of those who pass such a miserable creature as this, think of the anguish of heart, the sinking of soul and spirit, which the very effort of singing produces". Instead the people that pass by see her singing as a joke. Dickens places her on a stage open to all humiliation and judgment.
The woman's hope/song is quickly shot down with "bitter mockery!". The hope/song seems as though it was yanked out of the woman physically. As soon as the laughter and mockery started "the tears fall thick and fast down her own pale face", she "sinks despairingly down, on a cold damp doorstep", the "sinking of soul and spirit". The reader can see the woman diminishing when losing the little grasp she had of hope when hunching down on the doorstep.
this is a test
ReplyDeleteDickens is demonstrating his ability to use mind control. Dickens knows that the way to implant a thought into the mind of another is through words. the more, sharp, harsh, common and dramatic the words, the more the image created by those words are imprinted onto the readers mind. In this way Dickens can even implant his sentiments, in order to make the reader feel what he feels; become the readers mood. His sentiments conjured up in another human beings mind.
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