I gazed upon the schoolroom into which he took me, as the most forlorn and desolate place I had ever seen. I see it now. A long room with three long rows of desks, and six of forms, and bristling all round with pegs for hats and slates. Scraps of old copy-books and exercises litter the dirty floor. Some silkworms' houses, made of the same materials, are scattered over the desks. Two miserable little white mice, left behind by their owner, are running up and down in a fusty castle made of pasteboard and wire, looking in all the corners with their red eyes for anything to eat. A bird, in a cage very little bigger than himself, makes a mournful rattle now and then in hopping on his perch, two inches high, or dropping from it; but neither sings nor chirps. There is a strange unwholesome smell upon the room, like mildewed corduroys, sweet apples wanting air, and rotten books. There could not well be more ink splashed about it, if it had been roofless from its first construction, and the skies had rained, snowed, hailed, and blown ink through the varying seasons of the year.
Mr. Mell having left me while he took his irreparable boots upstairs, I went softly to the upper end of the room, observing all this as I crept along. Suddenly I came upon a pasteboard placard, beautifully written, which was lying on the desk, and bore these words: 'TAKE CARE OF HIM. HE BITES.'
I got upon the desk immediately, apprehensive of at least a great dog underneath. But, though I looked all round with anxious eyes, I could see nothing of him. I was still engaged in peering about, when Mr. Mell came back, and asked me what I did up there?
'I beg your pardon, sir,' says I, 'if you please, I'm looking for the dog.'
'Dog?' he says. 'What dog?'
'Isn't it a dog, sir?'
'Isn't what a dog?'
'That's to be taken care of, sir; that bites.'
'No, Copperfield,' says he, gravely, 'that's not a dog. That's a boy. My instructions are, Copperfield, to put this placard on your back. I am sorry to make such a beginning with you, but I must do it.'
With that he took me down, and tied the placard, which was neatly constructed for the purpose, on my shoulders like a knapsack; and wherever I went, afterwards, I had the consolation of carrying it.
What I suffered from that placard, nobody can imagine. Whether it was possible for people to see me or not, I always fancied that somebody was reading it. It was no relief to turn round and find nobody; for wherever my back was, there I imagined somebody always to be. That cruel man with the wooden leg aggravated my sufferings.
He was in authority; and if he ever saw me leaning against a tree, or a wall, or the house, he roared out from his lodge door in a stupendous voice, 'Hallo, you sir! You Copperfield! Show that badge conspicuous, or I'll report you!' The playground was a bare gravelled yard, open to all the back of the house and the offices; and I knew that the servants read it, and the butcher read it, and the baker read it; that everybody, in a word, who came backwards and forwards to the house, of a morning when I was ordered to walk there, read that I was to be taken care of, for I bit, I recollect that I positively began to have a dread of myself, as a kind of wild boy who did bite.
Dickens formed his opinions through his frequent visits to working-class neighbourhoods, going to schools and exploring the forms of educational provision for local paupers. These first hand experiences were a very good source for the writing of David Copperfield or Hard Times. For the writer, a good education could be the weapon to fight against ignorance, crime and poverty.
- Analyze David´s character in this extract and the problems he has to face. How would you have reacted? Is a situation like this one possible nowadays?
- What kind of memories has he got? Relate this excerpt to Chapter 4, I Fall into Disgrace (the extract read in class). What similarities do you see?
- How have things changed since then till now? What do you think education should be like?
WRITE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW.
19 comentarios:
I honestly would have reacted badly because I wouldn't like to be treated as an animal, but things have changed and now that behaviour would be impossible as we have the 'Rights of the Children'. I found some similarities between this extract and chapter 4, like the treatment of children and the form of education given to them. Now education is different: teachers don't hit students with rulers or other objects and they're treated like normal people. I think eduction should stay as nowadays because children learn a lot if they try for themselves.
José Miguel Pescador 4ºC
_At the beginning he describe a room and a sign he thought it refers to a real dog instead of himself. As I see, Copperfield seems that is not as bad as in the book says, but as the proverb says "If you treat someone like a beast, he will become a beast" and at the end looks like he assimilate it when he says "I recollect that I positively began to have a dread of myself".
I think I wouldn't exactly know how to react but of course it wouldn't be good. Nowadays, fortunately, things have changed quite a lot and that actions and behaviours would not even been thought! He has memories related to the chapter that express how education was by those times. In my opinion, education right now is appropriate, as it doesn't let teachers to treat bad the students.
Nerea 4°C
I think I would have reacted the same way he did.He did nothing about it but he was ashamed of it, which would be my reaction. Nowadays this situation is not really possible, it could happen, but it is not acceptable.
Some similarities with chapter four are the education David is given, which is quite abusing; or his feeling of scariness and shame.
A lot of things had changed since then. For example, education now is compulsory for everybody, while in those times it was only for rich people. Now we have schools with clean classrooms instead of decaying schools. Teachers now never abuse students.
And I think that education today should only change for the better, because we cannot go back to what it was before
Julia Zych 4°C
Dickens had a difficult life when he was young and if that problem happen to me I probably would react bad because that is a very big foul of respect but nowadays if someone do that,he can be punish.The similarities that I found between this text and chapter 4 is the types of punishments that the teachers uses.From that time to nowadays have changes the laws and that punishments now are prohibited.Now education I think that is like it has to be.
Daniel Vega 4ºC
-During this extract David's attitude continue being as in chapter four, he seems to understand what is going on but he never reacts against the actions that in this case Mr.Mell makes. I would have not react as he did if i was at my period(2019) but i can not assure that i would have not react as he did if i was in his place considering that things were different at that times.
Keeping in mind that our society has incredibly improved talking about education and the treat that children receive i may say that this can not happend nowadays, as long as teachers and students work together for it to not happend as in the past.
-He got some memories about how he was treated when he studied at home.
Apart from what i said before about his attitude i could also say that the problem that he suffers in both extracts are refered to violence and also to education.
-Things have changed a lot since this was written, education has improved a lot and we have adapted it(the education) to the technologies taking in advantage all what this imply. Also taking as reference this text, violence has fortunately dissapeared from the classrooms.
Finishing i think that we have to improve some aspects like orientation and the way some classes are explain but as my partner Julia wrote, it should only change for better.
Mario Moratilla 4C
David is walking through rooms with animals, and they treat him like one of those animals when Mr. Mell placed that placard to him. I will not know how to react if I were David ( I think that not good), but nowadays I think that this circumstance is not possible because the Society has advanced a lot in the last years and education too, but it can improve a lot of things. They treat him like in chapter 4, very bad, David is like belittled by adults, his life is so sad.
Marcos Lopez 4c
I think, David shouldn't have to tolerate this behaviours and I don't know how I will react if this happens to me, but probably like him. No one should suffer this situations. And nowadays, fortunately this has change a lot.
Because of problems like the one with the placard and the pression of the Murdstones he has only bad memories of his academic childhood.
Thankfully, now there are a lot of laws protecting students from this type of punishments and I think education should be like nowadays without abusing of the students, for everyone, and with appropriate places to study.
Aitana Martínez 4C
Probably I would reacted the same way , the teacher didn't behave in a proper way mocking at David.Nowadays this situation in schools it's very difficult to see because society in general has been changing for better.
Obviously he has bas memories thincking about his childhood starting with the fact that in school the teacher made fun of him and when he gets home Mr. and Mss.Murdstone are pushing him to work and to study.Dvid after all this situation has to fell up about this situation.
This situation has changed for better.Nowadays teachers interact with you in a proper way with respect and kindness.In my opinion the teachers should make a test for knowing if you are going to make good your job or not because same teachers may have another job that for them is much better.
Ana Lura Díaz-Marcote 4ºC
If someone looked down on me and did that terrible thing, I would stop listening to that person and I went out from the place. Actually this is impossible because we have many rights and nobody can hurts us or despise us.
He remembers all the bad things that happen to him when he was studying and all the miseries that he suffers when he was wearing a piece of pasteborad in his back with the setence: "TAKE CARE OF HIM. HE BITES." Some similarities with the chapter 4 are the way how he remembers his childhood and all the horrible things that he had to suffer. The way he descirbes his early life is really similar to the chapter 4.
There are lot of things that have changed from that time. For example, only few people are abused and if something like that happens in a classroom, there will be many consequences. In that time these abuses were normal and they thought that children became smarter by using the force.
The education should be the same to everyone and never look down on someone if he can not keep pace with the studies. We should have the same rights and the same duties.
Alberto Garrote Salamanca 4ºC
In this extract you could say that the protagonist, David is treated like an animal and he should not consent it. If I were David I would not like to be treated that way.
David does not have very good memories of his childhood since his teacher made fun of him and then the Murdstone's pressured him to study.
Fortunately, these types of situations are no longer common today. The teachers today treat you with respect. Now education should change because all we do is learn a lot of theory and then drop it on the test,before the text then you do not remember anything.
Lucía Domingo Rico 4ºC
He was writing about how he felt in school. It was a very awful experience. He felt even ashame because of his teacher who made him to wear in his back the words: 'TAKE CARE OF HIM. HE BITES.'
I would react in a sad, ashamed and shy way eventhough I would be angry.
Nowadays schools are much better than before, because teachers are more respectful. Moreover gobernments has set laws in order to have better conditions like having cleanest classes, avoiding bulying... Also, children of all social classes can go and not only the rich ones like before.
Eva Paniagua 4C
I´m not sure of how I would react to this situation because I don´t live in the past so I don’t know what the teachers did to students in the past. My grandparents told me that they hit you instead of punishing you without violence. Fortunately, this nowadays doesn’t happened. I think education should be like this because if you hit children they will see the school and the studies as something bad and studying and knowledge is really good and probably in this way kids will be more interested in learning. There is one moment in the book that happens more or less the same where it talks about how the teachers behave with the children.
Paula Cabrerizo 4C
I think I would react like him, but with te exception of telling them to stopped it.Nowadays it's imposible because we have created rights that can protect us of things as this.
The similarities of chapter four is the education of David,which is really abusing or him feelings of nervousness and ashamed.
The things have changed quite a lot.In that times only rich people could have education but now,all people can have it.We have managed to establish an equal society.The education have to be for everyone,he have rights so we must keep it.
Yakaira Evelyn Guayanay 4C
I think that David is having a bad situation because his teacher is not treating him well. Probably, I would reacted the same way, it's kind of embarrasing and I think it is not good to laugh at him that way.
This situation is not possible nowadays because we all have to respect each other and we will live pacefuly in community.
He have a bad memory of that time because he didn't feel OK.
Fortunately, schools have changed a lot since then. Education should be kind, should be entertained, students should feel comfortable with their teachers and with the other students.
Mireia Cristina García Echeverri 4ºC
I do not really know how my reaction would be, because is a strange and dizzy situation, so it is highly possible that I would get confused and freeze. When you are in a situation like that, you do not even really know if your reaction could be either bad or more calmed. Maybe in developed countries or societies it is almost impossible, but we still live in a kind of invisible bubble that make us, a more privileged population, can not see the truth in other countries, like a really undeveloped educational system that may be similar to the one portrayed in this fragment.
The two fragments are similar in the type and methods of education, that maybe was really not a educational problem, but also a very spread in society problem. Both situations made him get nervous and blocked and it was really bad when he was a child, but maybe in his adult life, he really knew that this maybe was not so bad.
Nowadays, education and the society has changed a lot, but if we search a bit, we may find there are some situations that has not changed, especially in countries of the Third World or in development. Education should also teach us to think different, to be creative and to know how life really is. We must also value the children and students, because they are the future of our world and his, apparently, disruptive and innovative character is what we need to make a better society
Israel Pauta De Luca 4ºC
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