A. Charles DICKENS
I. His
life
- When was he born ? ........................
- Why didn't he go to school at the age of ten ? .................
- What happened to his father in 1824 ? and why ? ..............
- Where did Dickens work then ? ...................
- Was that period important in his life ? ....................
- Where did he go to live with his wife ? ..................
- How many children did he have ? ...................
- Did he always stay in England ? ......................
- When did he die ? and how old was he ? .................
- Where is he buried ? ........................
II. His works - Find the corresponding titles
in English :
1. Les Aventures de Mr Pickwick : .........................................................................
2. Conte de Noël : ..................................................................................................
3. Le Carillon : ........................................................................................................
4. Le Grillon du Foyer : ...........................................................................................
5. Les Temps Difficiles : ..........................................................................................
6. Les Grandes Espérances : ...................................................................................
7. Notre Ami Commun : ..........................................................................................
B. Before seeing the film : who’s
who in Oliver Twist
| Characters |
Find the right letter |
Descriptions |
| Oliver Twist |
|
a) The cleverest of Fagin’s
young pickpockets. He talks and dresses like a grown man. |
| Fagin |
|
b) A brutal professional burglar brought
up in Fagin’s gang |
| Nancy |
|
c) An orphan born in a workhouse |
| Mr Brownlow |
|
d) One of Fagin’s pickpockets |
| Bill Sikes |
|
e) A criminal who trains homeless children
to pick pockets |
| Mr Bumble |
|
f) Mr Sowerberry’s mean wife |
| The Artful Dodger |
|
g) A well-off gentleman who is Oliver’s
first benefactor |
| Charley Bates |
|
h) One of Fagin and Sikes’associates,
crass and not too bright |
| Toby Crackit |
|
i) Mr Brownlow’s kindhearted housekeeper |
| Mrs Bedwin |
|
j) The undertaker to whom Oliver is apprenticed |
| Noah Claypole |
|
k) A pompous beadle who symbolizes self-righteousness,
greed, hypocrisy and folly |
| Mr Sowerberry |
|
l) A charity boy who bullies and mistreats
Oliver |
| Mrs Sowerberry |
|
m) A young prostitute and Bill Sikes’lover |
C. A
closer look at the poor’s life in the XIX century
1. The dark side of the Industrial Revolution
During that period, there was a massive increase
in the number of ……………….and ………..
As a consequence, many people from ………………………………..began
to move into ……..
………….. looking for ……………………………………….
The …………………………………………..built
houses for these people.
A typical worker’s house :
- It was built really ………………………
and ………………………………
- There was no running ………………….or
………………………
- It was ……………………….with
5 or more possibly …………………….into
a single room.
- The household …………………….was
thrown out into the streets.
In general, these houses, like the new towns, were dirty and ………………………
They were perfect breeding grounds for ……………………like
…………………….., typhus,
…………….. and dysentery.
A poor and dirty neighbourhood like this is called a ………………..
2. Child labour
Many factory workers were …………………….
They worked …………………………and
were often ……………………………………..by
the supervisors or overseers. Some of them were as young as …………………………………..
Where they worked :
- In …………mines, they had to open ……………………for
the wagons to pass. It was the easiest job, but it was very …………………..and
the place was usually ……………and ………..
They could also …………………..loads
of coal on their ………………
- In …………………………………,
they spent long working hours at the machines which caused some serious
accidents.
- In ………………..factories, phosphorous
caused their ……………..to rot and some
died from the effect of ……………………….it
into their ………………..
- They had to ………………chimneys in
large houses and suffered many cuts, grazes and ………………….on
their ……………., …………………..and
………………because the passages of
chimneys were very narrow.
- In the fields, the little bird ………………..could
work ……………4 in the morning ………
7 at night.
- In the streets, hordes of dirty, …………………..children
…………………….the streets
with no money and no home. They were often …………………….
They ………………or …..... pockets
to buy food.
3. Oliver was born in a “workhouse”.
What was that
?
Who went to live in a workhouse ?
What was it like in the workhouse ?
The buildings looked like …………………..
Women were kept …………………….from
the men, including their …………………….
Children were kept ……………………..from
adults – even from their own …………………..
The inmates had ………………..work to
do (ie hard, tiring work) from early in the morning till late in the
evening.
The meals were taken in silence, and no ………………….was
provided – inmates had to use their …………………….
These meals were dull, tasteless and so …………………that
they were described as “a ………………………………………………”
(people were always hungry : see the famous episode in OliverTwist,
I want some more).
|
