Literature
Oliver Asks for More
Extract from Oliver Twist
MODULE
3
By Charles Dickens
He was able to write very well about the
problems of poor people because he had
actually experienced it himself.
Charles Dickens (1812-1870) is one of
England’s most famous novelists.
He wrote a large number of popular
novels that are still read today. Among
the most famous are Oliver Twist, David
Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities and
Great Expectations.
The 19th-century London is a combination
of wealth and poverty. Faced with the rapid
growth of the city, as well as increasing social
problems, great writers, such as Charles
Dickens, started to expose these social
problems in their works.
It was the best of times;
it was the worst of times...
— Charles Dickens
In this part, we will mainly study Oliver Twist
written by Charles Dickens.
Read the passage and complete the mind-map.
Fast-reading
Oliver asks for more
when? where? who?what?
cause: why? course: how? result?
When: The event happened in one evening
after Oliver and the other boys devoured
their small bowls of soup. By then, they have
starved for three months.
Where: The event happened in the large
stone hall of the workhouse, in which Oliver
and the other boys were fed.
result: Oliver was locked in a room and
was to be sent to work as child labor.
what course: The boys had a meeting and Oliver
was chosen to walk up to the warden and
ask for more food. The evening arrived and
Oliver did it.
cause: Oliver and the boys have starved for
three months until finally they became wild
with hunger. However, they are still served
with only small bowls of soup.
To know about the plot
beginning:
development
and climax:
ending:
reasons for asking for more
soup
course(process) of asking
for more soup
results of asking for more
soup(Para.1-2)
(Para.3-
10)
(Para.11-13)
main idea
The boys became quite ___ ____
______
Children ____ Oliver to ask
for _______ and he did so
Oliver was _____ in a room
and maybe would be _____
plot
hunger
chose
more soup
locked
hanged
wild with
Read the passage carefully and do character
analysis in groups.
Careful-reading
It was meal time. The warden, helped by two women, was
serving the soup from a pot. Each boy was allowed one
bowl of soup and no more.
The bowls never needed washing, as the boys cleaned them
with their spoons, trying to eat every bit of soup.
When they had cleaned their bowls in this way, they would
staring at the pot with eager eyes, as if they wanted to eat
the bowls.
used to being hungry all the time. He told his friends that
he if didn’t have another bowl of soup each day, he might
eat the small young boy slept next to him.
There was one boy who was tall for his age, and was not
warden after supper that evening and ask for more food.
They draw lots to decide who should go. It was Oliver
Twist who was chosen.
The boys decided that one of them should walk up to thedown the boys’ throats. The boys whispered to each other,
The evening arrived. The soup was served and disappeared
and those next to him nudged him. Oliver, who was desperate
with hunger and misery, rose from the table and walked
towards the master with his bowl and spoon in his hand.
Frightened by his own courage, Oliver said: “Please Sir, I
want some more.” He stared in complete astonishment at
the child and held on to the pot for support. Not until at
least thirty seconds had passed, was the man able to speak.
Oliver repeated: “Please Sir, I want some more.” No sooner
had the boy spoken these words than the warden hit him
On the head with the soup soon. Then he seized the boy’s
arm, while he shouted for Mr Bumble.
The managers of the workhouse were having a meeting
when Mr Bumble rushed into the room in great excitement.
He said to the leader, “Mr Limbkins, I am sorry, Sir! Oliver’
Twist has asked for more!”
The faces of everyone in the room showed astonishment.
“For more!” said Mr Libmkins. “Think carefully and
answer me clearly. Do I understand that he asked for
more after he had eaten his bowl of soup?”“That boy will be hanged!” said one gentleman in jacekt.
Oliver was immediately locked in a room. The next
morning a notice was put on the wall of the workhouse,
Offering a £5 reward to anyone who would employ Oliver.
characters Detailed description
The
warden
He was fat and healthy. When Oliver asked
for more, he was so _________that he had
to________ the pot for support and spoke in
a (n)_________ . However, he hit Oliver
_________ with the soup spoon,seized his
arms, held him and shouted for Mr Bumble.
The boys
They seemed to have excellent appetites,
so they tried to eat _______________and
their bowl never needed washing. They
became quite _______________because
they slowly starved for three months.
astonished
hold on to
weak voice
on the head
every bit of soup
wild with hunger
He was cruel and treated
the boys badly.
The boys were extremely
hungry.
appearance
expression
actionPara 4-5
Para 1
One tall
boy
He was tall for_________ and was not
accustomed to being hungry .
Therefore,he was afraid that if he couldn’t
have another bowl of soup each day, he
might _____the small boy sleeping next
to him.
Oliver
He was desperate with
_________________and was chosen to
ask for more food. As a result, he was hit
and ________ in a room and would be
driven out of the workhouse.
his age
eat
hunger and misery
locked
1 To deepen the impression of_____.
2 To push _______to develop further.
the main character—hungry,
unlucky, and may had suffered
a lot.
hunger
the plot
Para 2
1st time Oliver The warden
Words “Please sir,I want
some more.”
Actions
Emotions
“What?”(weak voice)
rose… and walked…
pale face, stared…
and hold on to…
desperate, frightened astonishment
2nd time Oliver The warden
Words “Please sir,I want
some more.”
Actions
shouted for Mr Bumble
hit…, seized… and held…
Contrasts between…
Oliver and the tall boy
Oliver and the warden
Oliver and the managers
Group Discussion:
What does Dickens want to express
through the contrasts?
Oliver was living a miserable life with hunger and
bad treatment from the powerful people around.
What kind of life was Oliver living?
The lower
class
The upper
class
It was the best of times;
it was the worst of times...
Post-reading
Brainstorm
DISCUSSION
What’s the writing purpose of the story?
To reveal / show the dark side of the society
and at the same time he showed great
sympathy to the poor children.
Post-reading
Dickens demonstrated the
social problem of class inequalities.(阶级不平等)
DISCUSSION
Compared with Oliver’s life, what do you
think of yours? What should you do?
Compared with Oliver, we’re
lucky enough. We have chance
to study and learn a lot of
things. So we should treasure
what we have. We should
study very hard to make our
country more developed.
Read the passage carefully and write about
what will happen to Oliver Twist next.
Requirements:
1. Your composition should be creative, as well as
reasonable.
2. Your composition should have around 100 words.
Homework
Thank you!
微信/支付宝扫码支付