1. Crime and Punishment in Victorian Britain

2. Read the extract from Oliver Twist introducing Bill Sikes Paragraph One How does Dickens use language to create a sinister setting? How does Dickens use language to emphasise the poverty of his setting? How does Dickens use language to suggest that alcohol may be the root cause of the violence in the novel?

3. How does Dickens use language to create parallels between Bill Sikes and his dog? Bill SikesBullseye (the dog) Extension: What is the symbolic significance of the parallels between Bill Sikes and his dog? What might Dickens be hinting at here?

4. Look back at your notes from last lesson Discuss the following in groups and get ready to feed them back to the rest of the class: Why do you think Victorian cities were a breeding ground for criminals like Bill Sikes? What wider social problems do you think contributed to this kind of criminal underworld?

5. What have you learnt about Victorian society?