i have to write an essay intitled... 'How do Thomas Hardy and Charles Dickens give a good in-site into the social and historical period in which they live? (make refernce to 2 short stories and a novel by each)' the stories i have been told to use are, 'The Melancholy Hussar', 'The signalman', 'The Black Veil' and 'the Withard Arm'. i am finding it hard to get into the essay, if anyone has any links or help i will be very greatfull.
Look at www.teachit.co.uk. In the box 'search teachit' type in 'signalman' and 'withered arm', or look under KS4 / Prose. There are some great resources there on these short stories including details on context and some frames for analysis. For Dickens' references to the Railway, see http://www.teachit.co.uk/pdf/PS1jcum1.pdf.
You will need adobe acrobat reader to view these pdf documents. Another truly fantastic website is 'Talking to...' : http://www.talkingto.co.uk/.
It has sections on both Hardy and Dickens. Hope this helps!
Indeed you do need help.....where's spellmaster when he's needed then eh? Entitled......reference.....greatful........As a novel idea you could try reading the short stories and drawing your own conclusions......merely copying prose from other's websites will only get you into trouble....look at what happened to Tony Blair when he copied someone else's homework and went to war on it! Seriously though....do read the Dickens at least, you might find that you enjoy it.
certainly read the signalman. it i a fantastic short story. I think the salient points in it are the signalmans working conditions, his level of responsibility in what is clearly a low paid job, his acceptance of the narrator which implies a higher social standing accepted without question and the relative indifference with which his end is met.
Now that someone has posted a useful answer, I have to agree with the people who mentioned the spelling in your question. I'd also add that you need to pay attention to your punctuation and grammar. Of course, these days it's probably less important than in the far off days of my youth.
you are all sad freaks, appart from the people that helped seal!, does it really matter to you if sombody has incorrect gramma, you can still read it cant you!
I hate you all, nobody is going to waste their time reading an essay littered with poor spelling & bad grammar, especially if they are going to spend most of their time trying to decipher what has been said, especially if they have more then one essay to correct.
seal, I mean this in the nicest possible way but the other posters do have a point about your spelling, no offence! Make sure you check your spelling and grammar before you hand the finished essay in to ensure you don't lose any marks in that area. Good luck with your essay.
You really must do the actual reading in order to honestly complete the essay.
The internet makes it too easy to not to the work & you would be missing out on some worthwhile reading.
The only way to achieve is to read the Dickens & Hardy . York notes are quite good for helping you understand some of the subleties of the classic writers.