This is from the letter handed out to you at the end of class. Read the letter in its entirety first and then reflect on SPECIFIC ASPECTS of the writing in these three paragraphs. You may also wish to consider the SPECIFICS of this form (letter to a daily newspaper with a wide readership). You do not have to summarize what is going on in the passage. Remember, comments do not have to be long (but they should be thoughtful and edited for spelling/grammatical errors).
"It consisted at that time of either two or three -- I forget which -- miserable rooms, upstairs in a miserable house. In the best of these, the pupils in the female school were being taught to read and write; and though there were among the number, many wretched creatures steeped in degradation to the lips, they were tolerably quiet, and listened with apparent earnestness and patience to their instructors. The appearance of this room was sad and melancholy, of course -- how could it be otherwise! -- but, on the whole, encouraging.
The close, low chamber at the back, in which the boys were crowded, was so foul and stifling as to be, at first, almost insupportable. But its moral aspect was so far worse than its physical, that this was soon forgotten. huddle together on a bench about the room, and shown out by some flaring candles stuck against the walls, were a crowd of boys, varying from mere infants to young men; sellers of fruit, herbs, lucifer-matches, flints; sleepers under the dry arches of bridges; young thieves and beggars -- with nothing natural to youth about them: with nothing frank, ingenuous, or pleasant in their faces; low-browed, vicious, cunning, wicked; abandoned of all help but this; speeding downward to destruction; and UNUTTERABLY IGNORANT.
This, Reader, was one room as full as it could hold; but these were only grains in sample of a Multitude that are perpetually sifting through these schools; in sample of a Multitude who had within them once, and perhaps have now, the elements of men as good as you or I, and maybe infinitely better; in sample of a Multitude among whose doomed and sinful ranks (oh, think of this, and think of them!) the child of any man upon this earth, however lofty his degree, must, as by Destiny and Fate, be found, if, at its birth, it were consigned to such an infancy and nurture, as these fallen creatures had!"
Dickens second paragraph is filled with commas in order to show the continuous ongoing dispair that these people faced. He similarly does the same thing in the first paragraph. using only two sentences to keep the continuous effect of the pain the reader will feel rolling along.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Gregory. Now there's a new punctuation mark I need to look out for. You're right though. I hadn't noticed his comma repetition. It does seem to extend not only the sentence itself, but convey a continuation of suffering.
DeleteIn these three paragraphs Dickens describes the agony of these people for they have fallen low in life. They feel an imense agony, because they are stuck in misery. In other words, there seem not much hope for them, because misery have been hunting them for the majority of their lives.
ReplyDeleteIn this letter Dickens's background as a journalist is shown, with the fact that he actually goes and investigates the school and gives his account and opinion of the school.
ReplyDeleteSince Dickens writes his account of the "ragged school" in letter form it is personal but the reason it is personal is because he is trying to emotionally appeal to readers because he feels that this is issue that should be addressed. He describes how "imperfect" the schools are but also shows the need for institutions such as these. Although throughout passage he describes the limits of these "ragged schools" and even the limits of the students that attend he also notes that it is "encouraging."
In terms of content this letter gives a glimpse into what Dickens really cares about. When Dickens characterizes the students of the ragged school one of the chief descriptions he uses is that they were "UNUTTERABLY IGNORANT," this shows that for Dickens education is very important. The fact that all of the letters are capitalized indicates that Dickens believes that their ignorance is a grave issue that needs a resolution. The last sentence of the selected passage also indicates that Dickens believes that people are born equal and it is only circumstance and society that distinguish us.
I wish I had read this post before submitting mine. We have highlighted many of the same things, which I am grateful for, because I at least know my take on the passage is fairly accurate. The capitalization of "UNUTTERABLY IGNORANT" is also ingeniously placed; it was the first pair of words I noticed before actually reading it through. Perhaps Dickens's "UNUTTERABLY IGNORANT" comment was meant for the readers too. As citizens, many who were unknowing of what was going on, they are just as ignorant as the unfortunate children he speaks of.
DeleteO.k., here I am as the SPECIFICS police, as close reading requires the use of specific details and not generalizations -- no matter how accurate they may be:
ReplyDeleteMirianda: provide a specific example of how Dickens conveys the misery experienced by these people.
Sean: what specific part of that final sentence shows Dickens's belief in inequality?
Gregory: I like your attempt to make meaning of Dickens's (note the possessive form of his name) tendency to write long sentences held together with a lot of various forms of punctuation. But where do you see this "continuous" style as specifically trying to convey pain (other than the pain of the reader trying to follow...)?
In the third paragraph, Dickens radically and openly approaches of the reality of the Ragged School. He believes that the "Multitude...have...the elements of men as good as you or I, and infinitely better". This is significant because he acknowledges that social hierarchies do not determine the quality of a person. Dickens knows exactly that this will upset his readers, especially those who come from wealthy families, but he already has declared that he will not "offer no apology."
ReplyDeleteIbrahim: great point. What do you imagine he thinks he would be expected to apologize for? Also, for the rest of you yet to respond: why is "Multitude" capitalized and why this word choice?
ReplyDeleteAs initially pointed out by Professor Reitz, this letter was published in a daily newspaper with a wide readership.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting aspect of Dickens writing is his ability
to appeal to the audience. Dickens's tone is familiar in the sense that everyone reading from a bartender to a factory owner can relate to his language and in turn sympathizing with his cause.
For example, Dickens's use of the phrase 'I forget' among other phrases, signifies Dickens is attempting to reach out to his audience in an informal yet serious way which is a dificult for even the best authors to do.
When it comes to women, Dickens mentions the education provided and the conditions they faced at the Ragged Schools in the first selected paragraph. They "were being taught to read and write," but the classroom experience was melancholic yet "encouraging." In the second paragraph, Dickens details how much worse the conditions were for men and how "UNUTTERABLY IGNORANT" they are along with other degrading traits such as being "abandoned of all help but this." What strikes out to me is how Dickens writes a third paragraph continuing on about the experience men have in the Ragged Schools. At first thought, Dickens may have only spent the first paragraph addressing women because during that time, women were viewed as being perfect like "angels," so spending a lot of time and degrading women may tarnish that reputation, which would explain why men received the bigger blow. However, the use of the word "Multitude" is interesting. Because it’s capitalized, Dickens is emphasizing his argument—connecting his position on why he has “no desire to praise the system pursued in the Ragged Schools”—that gender aside, education and conditions within an academic institution should be equal and acceptable instead of it being “foul and stifling.”
ReplyDeleteInteresting point made by Jeffrey that "Multitude" is gender-neutral while his other paragraphs definitely draw a distinction between the female students and the male students. Other thoughts?
ReplyDeleteStrong observation made by Joe about how Dickens's writing style -- "familiar"/"informal" -- seems like an attempt to connect with his readers as a regular guy, one of them. Where else do we see this? How does this stylistic choice reinforce his thematic point?
ReplyDeleteIn the last paragraph of Dickens's letter, he addresses the readers individually and not as a whole. "Reader" is singular and it is also capitalized indicating that Dickens is acting to privately and personally grab hold of each reader to emphasize the severity of the poor conditions of the schools. Specifically, in this last paragraph, Dickens addresses the "Reader" to stress the notion that the vivid descriptions conveyed in his previous paragraphs amount to the conditions of a single "sample of a Multitude." Perhaps Dickens is using the word "Multitude" as a representation of a whole population. "Multitude" may be a symbol to represent the common people and by capitalizing the word, Dickens puts an emphasis on the great abundance of poor conditions, delineating the ratio of a mere sample to a "Multitude."
ReplyDeleteThroughout the first two paragraphs Dickens makes a conscious effort to divide the sexes, and how they are different. For example, he states "...the pupils in the female school were being taught to read and write;", referring to the education of women, and their desire to become literate. While on the other hand the men are described as "sellers of fruit, herbs, lucifer-matches, flints; sleepers under the dry arches of bridges; young thieves and beggars -- with nothing natural to youth about them...", which paints a completely different picture and has no mention of education. It is implicit that women are the group that are seeking to become educated and advance in society, while perhaps men are more willing to do whatever is necessary to achieve that goal, even if it means becoming a thief or peddler on the street. If my interpretation isn't too farfetched, then it could be that Dickens is suggesting a role reversal between men and women in regards the their functions/capabilities.
ReplyDeleteWhen Dickens says, "This, Reader, was one room as full as it could hold; but these were only grains in sample of a Multitude that are perpetually sifting through these schools...", the "Multitude" represents the large amount of children become victimized by these rag schools. In other words, what Dickens sees is only a spec of a miserable future for the students that attending the schools ( no just the one he is visiting).
ReplyDeleteWhile Dickens is surely lamenting the state of the Multitude desperately seeking something in these Ragged Schools, read the letter carefully. Is his letter an argument for the schools or against them? What is his position exactly and why is it important that we grasp its nuances?
ReplyDeleteI think it it safe to say that Dickens does a little of both; he advocates funding education for young impoverished, prison-bound children and at thesame time he deeply critizes thes Ragged Schools because their appearnce do not meet his expecations. He In adddition to the repition of words like "Multitude", "creature", and "miserable" ;all of which carry both strong and difiitive meanings.He spends a greatdeal of this letter describing how ignorant and bad these children are.Most of all, Dickens does what he does best, he raises awarness for a soci-economic issue like school and envokes the emotions of the reader through pathos, repitition and most impotanly first persons narration. Finaly he ends the letter with his signature; making both the content and the matter of this letter very personal.
ReplyDeleteTo open a Ragged school of his own has always been a dream of Dickens. Since he did not get around to opening a school of his own, he still felt it to be his responsibility to make the upper classes aware of the horrible conditions that these children faced daily in order to receive an education. Dickens as a child laborer himself, he knew that an education will help to uplift him from his ignorance as well as relieve him from what he believed to be his ill fate. This letter is written as a act of activism to not only express his anger for disadvantaged children but to ultimately raise awareness as well as funds for better learning conditions for these children.
ReplyDeleteI think that Dickens is apologizing for the simple fact that he is revealing the other side of London. He is showing that "the capital city of the world" is in fact "a vast hopeless nursery of ignorance, misery and vice." Dickens's letter is intended for "The Government" and "the readers of The Daily News", whom are mostly wealthy. The fact that he urges them to visit the Ragged School leads me to believe that they are indeed wealthy and far too ignorant of the places that are inhabited by these "Multitudes." While these "Multitudes" are just "a crowd of boys, varying from mere infants to young men; sellers of fruit, herbs, lucifer-matches, flints; sleepers under the dry arches of bridges; young thieves and beggars," they are nonetheless "grains." I find it interesting that he describes them as "grains"--an agricultural term. Why "grains" in particular? Is it because they are normal people similar to everyone in London, but happened to be unfortunate and were, like seeds, scattered everywhere, or is it because of another reason? If the former, then Dickens is reasserting that everyone is originally equal, which is why the wealthy should visit these "Multitudes."
ReplyDeleteThe first page third paragraph Dickens states " these children ...come from untaught parents, and will give birth to another untaught generation". On the second page last paragraph he states " how could they guess at any social duty, being so discarded by all social teachers but the gaoler and the hangman" These to passages sum up the letter for me. The ragged children come from ragged homes and parents and most importantly a ragged system that is designed to keep them from succeeding. They like their parents before them and maybe the parents before them will continue the cycle of "raggedness" because they are uneducated. When society "unintentionally pass over" the issues how can they expect them to behave humane, to conduct themselves in a moral way. Society has denied them education which is the jump start to improvement.
ReplyDeleteGreat discussion folks! It is so important, as readers, to work back and forth between the small details and the big picture and you all are doing a terrific job of that. I'd love to see some responses to the question posed by Ibrahim about why he refers to the students as grains -- why an agricultural term? Any other connotations here? (Who knows his/her Bible verses??)
ReplyDeleteIn responses to Ibrahim, I think that Dickens uses the word “grains” to describe the unfortunate boys because of the similarities between the two. Grains are classified as rough, small seeds. The boys like the grains are imperfect and can be viewed as rough. This is mainly due to the harsh life they endure to survive. For example, the boys are accustomed to being one of a large group. Dickens describes them in the ragged school as being, “huddle together on a bench about the room, and shown out by some flaring candles stuck against the walls” (pg.2). The boy’s lives outside of school are even harsher. They have the roles of, “sellers of fruits, herbs, Lucifer-matches, flints; sleepers under the dry arches of bridges; young thieves and beggars” (pg.2). The ragged schools are one of the many steps needed to cultivate the boys and change their states. Like a seed grows into a nutritious plant, the boys can grow into someone of great quality and value. Dickens wants to show that they only need the opportunity and help from others to change.
ReplyDeleteThis article closely relates to what Christopher Hitchen's writes about in the "Dark side of Dickens", where he discusses Dickens writing style stemming from his childhood. In the article he says; "Forster diagnosed in his subject a syndrome of 'the attraction of repulsion,' which, while simple enough in its way, goes far to explain why Dickens was at his best when evoking childhood misery, incarceration, premature mortality, hard labor, cheating and exploitation by lawyers and doctors, and the other phenomena that were the shades of his own early prison house. With these, as we now slackly say, he could 'identify.'” This passage expresses Dickens writing style vividly, as he was effectively able to write fiction, articles, and letters about the morbid and miserable forms of life as if he was writing about himself. This is what made Dickens such an ideal figure in different aspects of life because like this article to the Daily News, he is able to write about the situation of another in a way only he can express as if he too is living there. His writing expressed more than just an idea at the moment, but an idea that would carry on and touch others from all different walks of life to promote some type of change, such as granting children the opportunity to change through forms of education (hence his letter to the Daily News).
ReplyDeleteThere is one thing that is undeniable in this passage: Dickens has reached a new level of frustration; he makes this clear with his word choice, capitalization, and punctuation. Dickens uses "miserable," twice, in the first sentence. A miserable house with miserable rooms serves not only to illustrate how horrid the conditions are, but is a clear sign of Dickens's anger, and a possible attempt at alleviating it. The most obvious hint at his frustration, and my personal favorite, is the "UNUTTERABLY IGNORANT" description of the children. Dickens is upset - that much is clear - however, this serves as a focal point for his readers, hence its capitalization. In rash terms, "wake up, people, and realize that these UNAWARE children deserve something more!" Ever since Christine mentioned Dickens's usage of the exclamation point last week, I find myself pausing whenever they appear. When Dickens uses it in the final sentence of this passage, it helps give the statement life, much like he did for "Destiny" and "Fate," capitalizing them as if they were individuals. The passage almost sounds like something that should be read aloud, like a speech, not only to inform, but to announce to a massive audience.
ReplyDeleteThe underlying rhetoric Dickens uses throughout this letter is simply astounding. It is clear that he is not writing to the individuals attending these ragged schools, but rather those who may be in a position to assist him with this petition for more funding. His goal was not only to garner sympathy for these individuals but also instill a fear that would motivate his readers to act. His depictions of the lives of these people are not flattering but excessively negative, focusing on the criminality of those living in the lower echelons of society. He begins by speaking of ignorance and its abundance in prisons, which leads the reader to form a correlation between the two. The need for educational facilities is therefore accented, but instead of being typical educational facilities these "ragged schools" focus primarily on morality and religious teachings. The purpose of these seems to be to make these people "good" and less likely to become criminals, rather than to help them escape poverty, so much so that he commends the school for having taught their students to "look forward in a hymn…to another life, which would correct the miseries and woes of this."
ReplyDeleteIn the quoted selection, Dickens first reiterates the wretchedness of the area and exalts the overall behavior of the women attending this ragged school. But following it he proceeds to demonize the male children, stating that they are "vicious cunning wicked, abandoned" and "speeding downward to destruction" and concluding with the powerful phrase "UNUTTERABLY IGNORANT." If a lack of education is paramount in a criminal, then these boys would surely become future criminals. The last paragraph informs the reader that these are only a fraction (grains) of the group (multitude) and reiterates that their education and upbringing are to blame.
This implicit argument, in addition to the explicit, altruistic, one expressed in the letter, is perhaps added as an additional incentive for the readers to act.
I think Dickens uses agriculture references because it is a term that people could relate to and understand. Grains are planted but in order for them to grow and be productive they need water and sunlight and care. Like agriculture the boys to need care to grow into men to be fruitful and prosper!
ReplyDeleteI think that Dickens tried to bring as much attention to the issue of poverty going on in London at this time without actually condemning the rich for ignoring the poor. Because he needed their help, he uses the element of sympathy to get their attention. This can be seen as Dickens describes the classroom in the first paragraph as encouraging. He sees the potential that lies within these children if they received the proper help but describes it as melancholy because sadly the issue of poverty was brushed aside although everyone knew it was present. There was a large difference among the social classes during this time but the majority of people were extremely poor while the rich comprised a very small number in the population and this is why the capitalization of the word Multitude is so important. The majority of the people are in extremely poor conditions while the small number of wealthy people are very prosperous. He tries to create a connection within the rich and the poor by stating the following: "the elements of men as good as you or I", this tries to enlighten the idea that we are all humans and poor people have the same thoughts, emotions and fears as the rich people did. According to the Street Children of London, this is an idea Dickens himself learned as a child while being on the streets. Up until then, he had been taught that the poor were contagious but as he interacted with them, he learned they were regular people which explains why Dickens would describe them as good as any wealthy person.
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