Saturday 20 May 2017

Great Expectations - Themes

Hi folks,

It's nearly time!

Below is some of your work on themes in Great Expectations. Do I have permission to clean my windows now?

Mr M

PS. A final thought:

If a question comes up on crime or on social class, remember this killer quote:

 
The sun was striking in at the great windows of the court, through the glittering drops of rain upon the glass, and it made a broad shaft of light between the two-and-thirty and the Judge, linking both together, and perhaps reminding some among the audience, how both were passing on, with absolute equality, to the greater Judgment that knoweth all things and cannot err.

This is from Magwitch's trial, where 32 convicts are brought out at the same time to be given their death sentences, lumped together as if they are all guilty in the same way. This shaft of light represents God's judgement, and He evidently sees all men and women as being equal. Dickens seems to be saying that there is no true justice on Earth. The justice system in London is corrupt and access to justice depends on your ability to pay. Similarly, prisoners with money in the early part of the 19th century could pay to live in luxury, while others were left to rot in dark and dingy cells. At the end of the book, Pip seems to have learnt the value of Christian morality over the idea of gentility. He sees it in this scene, and he sees it when he calls Joe a 'gentle Christian man.' He also comes to accept Magwitch as his true benefactor, someone who worked selflessly for his benefit. Dickens' message: being rich and educated doesn't make you a true gentleman. Being 'coarse and common' doesn't make you immoral. It is also interesting that both Joe and Magwitch end up, through sheer hard work, making enough money to bail out a gentleman.

Think about this shaft of light if you come to conclude an essay on crime or social class.

Anyway, back to the work:









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