1. S IMILARITIES & D IFFERENCES : C. D ICKEN ’ S F ICTION AND C ONTEMPORARY R EALITY Michael Ferrazzo V ALS

2. T HEMES AND O BJECTIVES Themes : Theme 1: Children Exploitation Theme 2: Utilitarian Mentality Theme 3: Poverty VS Wealth Theme 4: Corruption in Government Objectives : The student has to identify the main themes through extracts from Dickens' literary production; The student has to gain awareness about the contemporary situation of the world through several analysis and the actualization of Dickens' themes.

3. C HILDREN E XPLOITATION “The room in which the boys were fed, was a large stone hall, with a copper at one end(…). Of this festive composition each boy had one porringer, and no more (…). The bowls never wanted washing. The boys polished them with their spoons till they shone again; and when they had performed this operation (which never took very long, the spoons being nearly as large as the bowls ), they would sit staring at the copper, with such eager eyes, as if they could have devoured the very bricks of which it was composed; employing themselves, meanwhile, in sucking their fingers most assiduously, with the view of catching up any stray splashes of gruel that might have been cast thereon.” (Oliver Twist, Chapter II)

4. C HILDREN E XPLOITATION Today: The problem of child labor is GLOBAL. The main reason of child exploitation is still poverty. Children are forced to work in: Fields, Mines, Factories with low hygiene. Condition: slavery or crime, often abandoned. Child exploitation in the workplace is also fueled by economic policy of multinationals: to make profits and to move their production to poorer nations.

5. U TILITARIAN M ENTALITY “He was a rich man: banker, merchant, manufacturer, and what not. A big, loud man, with a stare, and a metallic laugh. (…)” “A man who could never sufficiently vaunt himself a self-made man. A man who was always proclaiming, through that brassy speaking- trumpet of a voice of his, his old ignorance and his old poverty. A man who was the Bully of humility.” (Hard Times, Chapter IV)

6. U TILITARIAN M ENTALITY Today: Example: the use of torture in interrogation. Any action is justified if it benefits the greatest number of people. Criminals or prisoners of war could be tortured and have his/her rights violated, in order to provide intelligence information that could make the majority of people safer.

7. P OVERTY VS W EALTH “ The bowls never wanted washing. The boys polished them with their spoons till they shone again (…), sucking their fingers most assiduously, with the view of catching up any stray splashes of gruel that might have been cast thereon.” (Oliver Twist, Chapter II) “He was a rich man (…) who was always proclaiming, through that brassy speaking-trumpet of a voice of his, his old ignorance and his old poverty. A man who was the Bully of humility.” (Hard Times, Chapter IV)

8. P OVERTY VS W EALTH Today: Hungry people are trapped in severe poverty. Lack of money = no food → weaker and sick people. More than 750 million people lack adequate access to clean drinking water. Approximately 2,300 people per day. (UNICEF)

9. C ORRUPTION IN G OVERNMENT “With houses looking on, on every side, save where a reeking little tunnel of a court gives access to the iron gate - with every villainy of life in action close on death, and every poisonous element of death in action close on life - here they lower our dear brother down a foot or two, here sow him in corruption, to be raised in corruption: an avenging ghost at many a sick-bedside, a shameful testimony to future ages how civilization and barbarism walked this boastful island together.” (Bleak House, Chapter XI, 96-97)

10. C ORRUPTION IN G OVERNMENT Corruption can occur in different sectors, whether they be public or private industry or even non-governmental organization (NGO). In some countries, such as certain eastern European countries and certain Asian countries, corruption occurs frequently in universities. Methods: Bribery, Embezzlement, theft and fraud, Extortion and blackmail. Newspaper article n.1 Newspaper article n.2

11. T O DRAW A C ONCLUSION … Dickens’ themes are the most important through history in order to understand how societies evolved and “involved”. It’s like Dickens anticipated the real consequences of the Industrial Revolution, a man fighting greed people’s bad consiousness and mentality. The overall effect is that reality and negative consequences of the Industrial Revolution (XVIII century) are never dismissed… … but new organization are born to fight for people’s rights and lives, a missing attitude of Victorian Age.

12. R ESOURCES Extracts from C. Dickens’ novels: Oliver Twist, Chapter II Hard Times, Chapter IV Bleak House, Chapter XI, 96-97 Hunger and World Poverty Sources: United Nations World Food Program (WFP), Oxfam, UNICEF.United Nations World Food Program (WFP)OxfamUNICEF Corruption: http://www.ansa.it/english/news/2015/03/02/ rome-police-nab-four-on-suspicion-of-real-estate- corruption_4cfcd0c9-9595-403d-a1de- 73e3e2cadbfe.html http://www.ansa.it/english/news/2015/03/02/ rome-police-nab-four-on-suspicion-of-real-estate- corruption_4cfcd0c9-9595-403d-a1de- 73e3e2cadbfe.html