“Oliver wants some more” analysis:

“Oliver wants some more” is an extract taken from the Dickens' work. Oliver Twist is a novel reflects the economic insecurity and humiliation Dickens experienced as a child. Indeed Oliver Twist is a poor boy of unknown parents. He is brought up in a workhouse in an inhuman way.

This extract reveals Dickens' awareness of the social problems of his time. He wants criticize his contemporary society. Indeed in the Victorian Age childhood was generally a cruel experience. A lot of poor children who escaped and early death were obliged either to work in factories and mines, or as domestic servants and chimney seeps. Some government acts, like the Ten Hours Act (1847) , tried to improve children's working conditions by limiting the hours worked by women and children to ten for day but they continued to work in bad condition. This extract is an example: the children worked for long times and at lunch they can eat only a one portion of meal. In addition they mustn't have some more feed. So the rations of food and clothing were small and poor as in the all families house of these times. Moreover the poverty was the consequence of laziness and that the terrible conditions in the workhouse would inspire the poor to improve their own conditions.

So the title “Oliver wants some more” refers to the main character. Therefore, there is a third person omniscient intrusive narrator.

The extract is set in a London workhouse, where Oliver Twist is living. There are some descriptive sequences. The narrator presented the main character as a young boy, he's nine years old, extremely thin and pale. These are aspects that highlights the bad conditions of his life. Nevertheless he is also described very strong, a characteristic of his personality that justify his courage. In these sequences the narrator use the rhetorical figure of irony: it allows to to outline the his condition and say implicitly he is hungry for a scarcity of food. Another critic to the contemporary society is suggested by the description of the cellar where Oliver is imprisoned with two boys for having complained for their hunger. So this is a critic to the social system. Therefore the introduction has the function to introduce the character and to create the content of the story.

After the introduction the extract began in a different setting, in a room where the children are having supper. Here the narrator highlight the condition during the meal through ironic language. Moreover the description of the Oliver's master suggest the differences between social classes suggested by the contrast between the adjectives “thin” and “fat”. So the ration of food is strongly linked to the social identity.

After the dinner Oliver goes to his master to ask some more of food, obliged by other kids. It's is important the reaction of the master, what's more highlighted by the picture: he is shocked by Oliver's ask because he had demonstrate the courage to rebel. The reaction is due to the workhouse mentality, where every benefit was banned to discourage laziness. After the kid rebellion the narrator changed the setting and the main character is seen as a criminal because he wants to destroy the social order can only be a villain. This is a situation typical in the Victorian Age society.

Rosso Malpelo analysis:

The story written in 1878 by Giovanni Verga reflects the social and economic conditions endured by the poor working classes in Southern Italy following the unification. Verga was exposing the continued backwardeness of the time.

This is the final part of the story that is about a young boy who works in a sandpit. After his father death he becomes violent and tries to warn his only friend, the crippled Ranocchio. After his friend death Rosso Malpelo decides to unexplored part of the pit, from which he never comes back. So it is a story that has the function to highlight the differences between social classes. In particular this is another social problem because people have a bias against Malpelo. Indeed people believe that red hair were malicious and had an evil disposition.

Moreover Verga wants focus the reader attention on the precarious conditions of work. Indeed people of low social class risk life and limb: Malpelo's father, Ranocchio and Malpelo dead in the sandpit.

Three character are linked through the same condition: they work in a sandpit. Indeed they are resigned and they haven't fear to die.

“The definition of the horse” analysis:

The chapter 2 begins with the introduction of Thomas Grandgring, an educator who believes in facts and statistic, a man of realitiesfacts and calculations. He always introduces himself as Mr. Grandgrind and spends his time in constant cogitation. His duty is to educate the children.

The set of the novel is an imaginary industrail town named Coketown, a place dominated by grim factories and oppressed by coils of black smoke.

The most important allusione of the chapter is the title “murdering the Innocents”: indeed the reader should expect Dickens work to be full of Biblical and Christian allusions ad he is writing to a largely sentimental popular audience. In the literary language the phrase “murder of innocent” is usually linked to the Biblical story. Instead the children and their imagination have been targeted for annihilation. Indeed in the novel Thomas Grandgrind has founded a school where his theories are taught, and he brings up his two children, Louisa and Tom, repressing their imagination and feelings.

This confront highlights the contrast between youth and age. Moreover it suggests that whoever is being targeted and singled out (Cecilia Jupe and her imagination) will ultimately escape this tyrant, but other innocents will be less fortunate (Bitzer). So the narrator give an concrete example of this contrast between ages. It indeed is a important theme of the novel.

The major theme of the chapter can be easily inferred from Dickens' description of Cecilia in the classroom. There are two symbols , “horses” and “flowers”, that suggest her femininity and youth. But another important theme is represented by Cecilia who stand for the art in opposition to mechanization.

So Dickens is not in contrast with the education, science and progress, but he is arguing against a mode of factory style, mind numbing that takes the fun out of life. Dickens discusses that art requires and inquisitive and desiring mind. So the children are the symbol of the imagination.