Dickens’s makes us feel sorry for David due to the school environment.
He is humiliated because he has to wear a placard on his back at all times. When he arrives at school, he notices the school is a wreck. “I gazed upon the schoolroom into which he took me, as the most forlorn and desolate place I had ever seen.” David’s first impressions are not up to the standards he thought they were. For the second scene, we analyse David entering his new school and experience the new school environment.When David examines his new school, he is far from impressed. “Scraps of old copy-books and exercises litter the dirty floor.” This shows the school has begun to grow dust and no-one has cleaned it.
By the sound of David’s impressions, the school seems musky and shaggy. Furthermore, David beings to dislike the school even more because he has his ear twigged by the cruel conspicuous head teacher. Additionally, David is then made to carry a placard on his back which humiliates him. He gets bullied for that.”Suddenly, I came to a pasteboard placard, beautifully written, which was lying on the desk, and bore these words: “Take care of him: He bites” we feel sorry for David at this point because David is seen as young, na�ve and innocent. He has no notion that he has to wear the disgraceful sign. “I beg your pardon, sir, if you please; I’m looking for the dog.
” David does not know the placards for him. As the days grow longer, David begins to feel paranoid because wherever he went he carried the monstrous sign with him. He being to feel that everybody was looking at him everywhere he went. “It was no relief to turn round and find nobody; for wherever my back was, there I imagined always to be.” David gets so paranoid; he starts to believe in himself.
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David has a poor opinion of himself which causes low self esteem due to the placard. “I recollect that I positively began to have a dread of myself, as a kind of wild boy who did bite.” David feels alone because firstly he has no friends but he soon gains his first friend who may slightly take him for granted because David has money. Tension builds as David patiently waits for boys to arrive. He imagines that he may be bullied die to the placard. He imagines boys teasing and tormenting him. “I could not read a boy’s name, without inquiring in what tone and with what emphasises he would read. “Take care of him; He bites.
” His imagination makes matters worse. Mr.Creakle has a grudge against David and wants every chance to punish him.
“Now, what’s the report of this boy?” Dickens’s use of language is very effective towards the reader. The language creates imagination using such language as “precipitately retreated” to emphasise David’s fear towards Mr.Creakle. Towards the end of the scene David feel isolated and alone, “A bird in a cage very little bigger than himself.” This symbolises David being trapped. Dickens’s presents the characters unpleasantly, for example; Mr.Creakle is seen as strict, cruel and gullible.
E.g. “do you know me? Hey?” and suddenly pinches David’s earlobes as “ferocious playfulness” The more cruel Mr.Creakle is to David, the more the reader feels sorry for David.Mr.Mell on the other hand is seen as the opposite although he is repetitive; he seems to want to know David. “I am sorry to make such a beginning with you but I must do it.
” This shows Mr.Mell follows orders. Finally, J.Steerforth is the first to make David feel comfortable at the school.
However, Dickens’s manipulates the reader by presenting Steerforth as taking advantage of David. “You had better give your money to me to take of, at least, you can if you like.” Then Steerforth persuades David to buy current wine and biscuits. Steerforth can be seen as deceitful.
