Running Head: AN EFFECT ON CHARLES DICKENS

An Effect on Charles Dickens

By: Candice Hudak

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The year was 1834; many people roamed the streets of England. They were poor and
suffering. The Poor Law Amendment of 1834 had affected the people of England and many
others. The amendment was supposed to help the poor by giving them assistance and jobs, but
the amendment actually hurt the poor rather than helped them. The Poor Law Amendment of
1834 sent many poor people and orphans into workhouses. In 1834, there wasThis caused much
much controversy in England over the Poor Law amendment of 1834. Many people debated
whether the law was worth the abuse and devastating effects on orphans and poor people. Most
of the lower class believed the law was not unfair, while most of the higher class believed the
law would help the poor get food and live better lives. However, there were a few higher class
people who strongly opposed the law. Charles Dickens was one of the people who strongly
opposed the law. Charles Dickens worked extremely very hard to stop this law by writing books
and articles that gave insight on the horrifying effects of the Poor Law amendment of 1834. The
Poor Law amendment of 1834 had a major effect on Charles Dickens writing.literature.
The Poor Law amendment of 1834 had a major effect on the characters in Charles
Dickens books. In Dickens' stories, the wealthy characters are usually mean, selfish, and often
cruel, while the poor are clever, brave, and good, (Schultheiss, 2014). Charles made his
characters in this way because he wanted to display the effects of the law.The characters in
Charles Dickens books were characterized to make an everlasting impact on the reader. The
protagonists were normally poor, while the antagonists were wealthy. An example of a poor
protagonist in a book by Charles Dickens is Oliver Twist. The Poor Law of 1834 especially
affected the social classes of Charles main characters. His characters, though fictional, portray
daily social life from the perspective of people who are poor, working class, and middle class in
ways that can easily be recognized as embodiments of frank, timeless reality, (Andrews, 2012).

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He made most of the main characters and protagonist poor, because the higher classes normally
had no perspective on the life of the lower classes. He wanted the wealthy to learn more about
how the poor lived and their dreadful conditions. He often described the lives of his main
characters as harsh and cruel. He did this by describing the workhouses and the harsh conditions
that were set. Oliver Twist was a poor orphan in the book, Oliver Twist. Oliver faced many
hardships and opened the hearts of many higher class people.
Charles Dickens made his characters so that people would be sympathetic towards the
poor. He mainly used his main character for this purpose. Charles characters were inspiring and
heartwarming David Copperfield is an example of a heartwarming character. Charles Dickens
desired for his characters to have a major impact on the wealthy. He wanted his characters to
make the wealthy open to the fact that not all poor people were evil. Oliver was characterized to
help people be sympathetic towards the poor.
Charles Dickens characters personalities were also affected by this amendment. In
Dickens' stories, the wealthy characters are usually mean, selfish, and often cruel, while the poor
are clever, brave, and good, (Schultheiss, 2014). The wealthy in Charles Dickens books
normally had were mean, selfish, and cruel personalities. because Charles thought that
characterizing the wealthy like soit would show how the wealthy had no respect for the poor. He
also thought characterizing the wealth as being harsh people it would demonstrate how the
wealthy had no regards for the lower class even though they were suffering. Charles made his
poor characters clever, brave, and good, so they could demonstrate that there were many good
people, who were being mistreated. Oliver Twist from the book, Oliver Twist, was one of Charles
Dickens characters that was was meant to have a major impact on society by making the higher

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class realize the struggles of the lower class. He was poor and mistreated, yet he was kind and
brave. Oliver Twist was also meant to touch the hearts of the wealthy people who read the book.
Oliver was made so that the people would be sympathetic towards the poor. This was
another way the law effected Charles characters. He made his characters so that people would be
sympathetic towards the poor. He main used his main character for this purpose. Charles
characters were inspiring and heart warming. Charles wanted his characters to open the hearts
and minds of the wealthy. He wanted his characters to make the wealthy open to the fact that not
all poor people were evil. Another way that the poor law of 1834 affected the characters was the
social classes of Charles main characters. His characters, though fictional, portray daily social
life from the perspective of people who are poor, working class, and middle class in ways that
can easily be recognized as embodiments of frank, timeless reality, (Andrews, 2012). Most of
Charles main characters were poor. He made most of them poor because the higher classes
normal had no perspective on the life of the lower classes. He wanted the wealthy to learn more
about how the poor lived and their conditions. One of Charles famous main characters includes
Oliver Twist, who was a poor orphan. Oliver faced many hardships and opened the hearts of
many higher class people.
The Poor Law of 1834 also had a major effect on the descriptions in Charles Dickens
books. In Charles books he used descriptions that were in depth and realistic. Charles
descriptions were detailed and well worded. The descriptions made a lasting image for the people
who read them. His descriptions were used to show the devastating effects of the Poor Law
AmendmentsLaw. He described how people were beaten and forced to work long hours. He
described the horrible working conditions and how the poor barely made any money. He also
described how the poorhey were half-starved and. He described how families were split up.

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Charles Dickens alsoThe descriptions described not only the effects on the men and
women, but also the effects on the children. Dickens portrayed vividly how innocent children
bear the weight of the penalty, (Andrews, 2012). Charles described how children were often
beaten and forced to work in workhouses along with the men and women. Dickens described
the treatment Oliver gets, "He was enveloped in the old calico robes which had grown yellow in
the same service, he was badged and ticketed, and fell into his place at once -- parish child -- the
orphan of a workhouse -- the humble half-starved drudge -- to be cuffed and buffeted through the
world -- despised by all, and pitied by none, (Timko, 2013). In this exert Dickens is trying to
show how the poor were starving and how no one really cared about them.
Charles Dickens His descriptions were also meant to leave a lasting effect on the wealthy
readers. He thought the wealthy would read about the problems that the poor were facing and
decide to help them. The Poor Law Amendment of 1834 made the descriptions in Charles books
horrifying and shocking. To read Dickens, now more than ever, is to experience its opposite: to
be caught up in an abundant tumble of words, (Schama, 2012). Even now in todays society the
books of Charles Dickens has made a lasting effect, because his descriptions were powerful and
meaningful. . The discriptionsdescriptions described the life of the poor, the workhouses, the
hunger, and the abuse. Charles used these horrifying images to make people realize and see the
effects of the amendmentlaw. Many people were shocked reading the book Oliver Twist because
they had no idea that the poor were really facing many these issues such as abuse, hunger, and
horrible working conditions. Oliver Twist was shocking in its day for the realism with which it
portrayed orphans, criminals and the underworld. With the novel Dickens almost single-handedly
raised international awareness for the cause of taking better care of society's underprivileged
children, (Sweeny, 2012).

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The events in Charles Dickens books were terrifying and completely shocking
becauseshocking, because they were mostly based off of the effects of the Poor Law
Amendment of 1834. Most of the events in Charles Dickens books were gruesome and
horrifying. Events such as being forced to work in workhouses and being physical abused
displayed the extremely horrible life of a poor person in the Victorian Era. His early novels
were rooted in problems specific to his time: the Poor Law of 1834, (Sachs and Jones, 2012).
Charles used realistic events such as hunger and abuse to point out the problems and show the
terrifying effects of them. Many wealthy people did not understand that the poor were facing
drastic issues and hardships. Charles Dickens used the events in his books to show the wealthy
that therey were many devastating effects on the poor. His tireless promotion of compassionate
social norms with regard to the poor and oppressed, (Andrews, 2012). He used the events to
make the wealthy realize how horrible things really were. In Charles book, Oliver Twist, he
wrote about many issues the poor were facing. He added events in this book that normally
happened to poor people in the victorianVictorian Eera. He included events such as working in
workhouses, and being abused, and starvation. Most of the major events in Charles Dickens
books were based off the effects of the Poor Law of 1834. He used these events to present the
wealthy and higher classes with a view to the life of a poor or lower class person. He wanted to
be sure that the higher classes realized the effects the law had on the lower classes. . He used
events from the workhouses in Oliver Twist to show the horrifying events of an orphan's life. He
used events in which children were beaten and abused in Our Mutual Friends to show how the
poor were treated.
The Poor Law of 1834 also made Charles Dickens writing stand out. In the Victorian
Eera there were not many writers that used their literature to address an issue, especially not an

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issue as controversial as the Poor Law Amendment. He wrote about issues that normally no one
would write about. He was not afraid of making people mad, because he wanted to help the poor
and lower class. Radhika Jones states in an article, But Dickens wasn't writing for the critics,
(Jones, 2012). Charles writing also stood out because he reflected on the issue in an interesting
manner, through fictional books. Oliver Twist was not a real person, but the events that he faced
were similar to that of the lower class in the time period. Charles writing was different as well,
because it was sent out to the higher class, which is where he wanted to make an impact.
Charles Dickens did not approve of the Poor Law Aamendment of 1834. He thought it
was cruel and unjust. He allowed the law to influence his literature and his writing. The Poor
Law ofamendment of 1834 was a horrible amendment Law that had devastating effects on the
people. Children were abused, sent to work in workhouses, and forced to do horrible things. It
highly affected Charles Dickens and his literature. The Poor Law Amendmentss effect on
Charles Dickens resulted in classic novels that were meant to havebooks with a major impact on
society and classic novels. He wrote meaningful books and wrote with more description.

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Annotated Bibliography
Andrews, A. B. (2012). Charles Dickens, Social Worker in His Time. Social Work, 57(4), 297.
doi:10.1093/sw/sws010
This article was written by Arlene Bowers Andrews. Arlene is a Carolina Distinguished
Professor and has her PhD. This article was published in Social Work. The author is arguing that
Charles Dickens books have relevance for social justice. She supports this argument by using
information on Charles Dickens books, including the injustices they feature.

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The authors stance is very similar to the stances of other authors. She believes that
Charles Dickens wrote many of his novels to make a change in society and defeat social
injustices. The authors interests in Charles Dickens haauthors interest in Charles Dickens hass
given her a better understanding of Charles Dickens's novelsbooks. The evidence is complete and
accurate. The author uses ethos and logos by including logical information.
I want to include information on Charles Dickens books that isare featured in this article.
She states information about Charles Dickens novels. She also includes information on the
meanings behind Charles Dickens novels. I want to include the quote, his tireless promotion of
compassionate social norms with regard to the poor and oppressed. I think it would enhance my
paper. It will also appeal to my topic and give my readers more information. My general reaction
to this article was that it could be a great addition to the information I already have.

Gissing, George. (1898). Charles Dickens: A Critical Study. Dodd, Mead

The author is George Gissing. He is an author from 1898. This is a book published by
Dodd Mead. The position in this book is Charles Dickens writing and life. It is supported with
evidence of Charles life and books.
The stance of this authors book is different from other authors. The writers time period
has influenced his position, because he did not have as much information as we have now, but

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henow. The author, however, had a better understanding of Charles Dickens. The evidence seems
to be reliable and relevant.
I want to use the information he includes about the time period, so my readers will get
a better understanding of it. The author gives many good details and I think the book would
provide great support. Also I learned a lot from this book. My general reaction to this book
was that it was very different from my other sources.

Jones, R., & SACHS, A. (2012). Charles in Charge. Time, 179(4), 52.
This article was published by Time magazine. It was written by Radhika Jones and
Andrea Sachs. Radhika Jones has written many articles on Charles Dickens and has done an
abundance of research on Charles and his books. The intended readers for this article are people
with a reading lexile of 1090 or higher. This article is arguing that Charles Dickens writing has
changed through his life time. The evidence they use to support their argument is the topics and
the style of some of his famous books, such as Oliver Twist.
The writer's stance on this topic is similar to other authors stances. Radhikas interest in
Charles Dickens has heavily influenced her stance. Her interest has made her want to learn more
and correct information about Charles Dickens. Her profession as a journalist has also influenced
her stance as well. Her profession has influenced her desire for the true information. The author
uses the three appeals by making her article logical and emotional.
In this article the author refers to the book, Oliver Twist. The author mentions the
relationship between Oliver Twist and the Poor Law of 1834. I want to use a quote from this

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article. The quote I want to use is, His early novels were rooted in problems specific to his
time: the Poor Law of 1834 (Oliver Twist). My general reaction to this article was that it had a
major effect on my ideas and could be great support.

SWEENEY, J. M. (2012). THE ARTFUL CRITIC. America, 207(15), 29.

The author is Jon M. Sweeney. Jon is an author and critic. The article can be found in
America Press. The intended audience is people wanting to learn more about the Poor Law
Amendment and its affectseffects on the author Charles Dickens. The position being argued is
that Dickens had a strong opinion on the Amendment. They provide evidence from the book
Oliver Twist.
The authors stance is the same as many other authors, but it provides more explanation.
The author gives me more information on the Poor Law Amendment of 1834. The writers
personal values about child labor affecst his paper in some places, but it mostly just states that he
agrees with Dickens opinion. The article is very reliable and provides good information. It uses
ethos. The ethos are made though the description of childrens lives.
I want to use a quote from this article. The quote states the meaning of the book, Oliver
Twist. I also want to use this quote, Oliver Twist was shocking in its day for the realism with
which it portrayed orphans, criminals and the underworld. With the novel Dickens almost singlehandedly raised international awareness for the cause of taking better care of society's
underprivileged children. My general reaction to this article is that it could help add support to
my ideas.

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Schultheiss, K. (2014). Dickens Touches a Nerve. Calliope, 24(5), 30.

This article was written by Katrin Schultheiss. Katrin has done an enormous amount of
research on Charles Dickens and his writing. This article was published in Calliope. The
intended readers are people trying to learn about the effects of the book, Oliver Twist. The
position being argued is that Charles Dickens books had vast effects on other people in that time
period.
The authors view differs from that of other authors by stating more about the effects of
Charles Dickens writing. The authors profession and values have not influenced her position.
The evidence is relevant and seems to be reliable. The writer appeals to pathos by using
information about the effects of the Poor Law Amendment of 1834.
My general reaction to this article was that its information would be very useful and
effective for my paper. I want to use the effects of Charles Dickens writing in my paper. I
believe this will improve my paper and give me more support.

Satterfield, K. (2012). How Charles Dickens Changed the World.Scholastic Scope, 61(5), 15.
The author is Kathy Satterfield. The article was published in Scholastic Scope. She is
very qualified and I know I can trust this source because it was put into the Indiana Inspire
database. The authors argument is that Charles Dickens changed the world. She uses evidence
from the Charles books and their effect on society.

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The writers stance is similar to others. She has the same ideas, but she presents her ideas
in a more efficient manner. The writer is influenced by her values, but still provides evidence to
her stance. She uses the three appeals by using logic and reason.
I want to take the information I learned and use it to support my ideas in my paper. I
learned a lot about the effects on Charles Dickens writing and the differences in it. My general
reaction to this paper was that it provided me great information that was very resourceful in my
paper.

Schama, S. (2012). A Dickens for Our Times. Newsweek, 159(7), 58.

The author is Simon Schama. Simon is a professional journalist. This article was
published in Newsweek, a honored journal. The article is claiming that Charles Dickens books
contain themes about society. It uses the themes of Charles books to provide evidence. The
article also uses the plots of Charles books to support the claim.
The writers stance is a common stance, but with different views. The writers profession
might have in influenced the author, but her profession has also helped her. Her profession gave
her the experience needed to write this article. . The evidence is reliable and complete. The writer
appeals to all three appeals by applying logical information..
I want to use some of the viewpoints the author discussed in this article forand the
evidence. She talks a lot about the themes and I feel talking about the themes of Charles
Dickens books might help strengthen my paper. My general reaction to this article is that the
themes expressed in this article could really improve the support in my paper.

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Smith, R. (2013). A Strange Condition of Things: Alterity and Knowingness in Dickens'

"David Copperfield". Educational Philosophy And Theory, 45(4), 371-382.
The author is Smith Richard. The book was published by Education Philosophy and
Theory. The article claims that David Copperfield has many different themes. The author should
be qualified because I found this book on the Indiana Inspire database.
The authors stance is different from other authors stances, because he is more in depth
about David Copperfield. I found this source on Indiana Inspire and it seems to give me reliable
information. It uses the appeals by applying logical information.
I would like to use the authors stance on the themes of David Copperfield to support my
general knowledge of the novel. My general reaction to this source was that it will not give me
useful information, but after looking through the source again I realized I could use it.
. Satterfield, K. (2012). How Charles Dickens Changed the World.Scholastic Scope, 61(5), 15.
The author is Kathy Satterfield. The article was published in Scholastic Scope. The
authors argument is that Charles Dickens changed the world. She uses evidence from the
Charles books and their effect on society.
The writers stance is similar to others. The writer is influenced by heer values, but still
provides evidence. She use the three appeals by using logic and reason.
I want to take the information I learned and use it to support my ideas in my paper.

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Tindall, G. (2012). Further twists. History Today, 62(12), 6.

The author is Gillian Tindalls and he is an author, who has written several books. Gillian
researched a recent discovery on Charles Dickens before writing this article. The article was
published in History Today. This article claims that the working conditions and certain
individuals inspired Charles Dickens for the book, Oliver Twist.
The authors stance is different from that of other authors. The writersrs research on the
new discovery influenced his position. The evidence is very logical and orderly. It appeals to
logos by its logic.
I want to use the information from the new discovery in my paper to provide a difference
from what was thought in the past to what is thought now. This article also provided me with
more information on the Poor Law Amendment of 1834. My general reaction to this article was
that the article provided me with information essential to my paper.

Timko, M. (2013). Oliver Twist, Parish Boy: Charles Dickens' Glance at the Misery of
England's Poor Laws and Workhouses. World & I, 28(3), 7.
`This document was published by World & I. The author is Michael Timko. Michael is
specialized in 19th-century British literature and has written several books and articles. The
intended readers are people interested in the book, Oliver Twist, and the its meaningmeaning
behind the book. The document is claiming that the Poor Law had a major effect on the book and
the individual parts of the story.. The evidence for the claim is the plotline of Oliver Twist.

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The authors stance is not necessarily the same as other authors. It provides a different,
but similar view. The view is similar because it describes the effect of the amendment, but the
document goes more into depth. The authors profession provides him with a background on
English literature and gives him a better view of the bookthe book. The evidence in this
document is very reliable and relevant to the rest of the paper. The author applies the three
appeals by providing logical information that creates emotion.
I want to use the theme that the Poor Law had a major effect on Oliver Twist. I also want
to use the descriptions in this article to provide evidence of the state of children during this time
period. My general reaction to this document was that the document was very reliable and
interesting.