We continued to analyze Dickens' satire and criticism of lawyers and the legal system noting how Wemmick characterizes his house as a castle for his private life detached from the office and how Jaggers scrubs , washes, and gargles after each court appearance as if to cleanse himself from the contamination of the the legal system . We further studied the introduction of two more characters , Drummle , and Molly, noting their specific traits which will become relevant in the latter part of the novel. Last, we reviewed a portion of Kaitlin's test on Chapters 1-25.
We continued studying Dickens' social satire of lawyers and the legal profession based on last night's reading. Kaitlin's homework on this satire was very good as she recognized the significance of Wemmick's building his house as an actual physical and emotional fortress from the filth and corruption of the legal business. We discussed how Wemmick wears two distinct personalities ,one for the office and a distinct one for home . In the office ,he is mechanical and unfeeling, but we see at home he is a compassionate man who cares for his elderly father. We last noted how Mr Jaggers, the attorney in charge of Wemmick, similarly chronically washes his hands and smells of scented soap in a metaphoric effort to wash away the taint of what he must do each day in his professional life. Last, we discussed the upcoming test on Wednesday and reviewed some study techniques.
We first reviewed a vocabulary exercise drawn from words used in the novel. I then provided additional instruction on Dickens' satire of different social classes in the Victorian Era. We discussed how the prior chapter satirized the middle class and last night's reading satirized the professional class, specifically lawyers. We focused on how descriptions of surroundings and the people who work for Jaggers are exaggerated for the purpose of creating a satirical critique. We specifically noted how Jaggers displays the death masks of his convicted clients as trophies . He is devoid of any sympathy notwithstanding their executions . Last, we noted the difference between the education Pip will receive as a parvenu in London and the education available to Pip when he was poor.
Today we examined Dickens' satire of the Pocket family representing the middle class of Victorian society. I noted how Dickens' novels were unique for the time in that the characters are not exclusively aristocrats . In many ways we have a census of Victorian society. We discussed Mrs Pocket's obsession with social class and her delusional belief that she is or should have been a titled royal. While drowning in this delusion ,she endangers the lives of her children through parental neglect .She ignores their behavior while studying a book of royal titles. We noted the use of exaggerated characters as means of satire . Kaitlin amended her study guide answers by adding these observations to her answers and her class notes.
Today we conducted a double session of English .During the first session, we addressed writing skills applicable to a quote analysis paragraph that Kaitlin completed last night. Her analysis was very impressive ,and we discussed how to better contextualize the quote. We then worked on a character comparison essay comparing Estella and Biddy. I directed Kaitlin to textual passages to incorporate and assisted her in paragraph organization, and avoiding generalization . During our second session, we noted how Part II of the novel subsumes the plot of Part I to social caricature as Pip becomes a wealthy man of London. I noted how Dickens' depiction of London as grimy, dismal, and dirty contrasts with Pip's "great expectation" of London, I suggested that the novel at this stage could perhaps better be titled "False Expectations." We then studied Dickens' portrayal of lawyers and the middle class Pocket family who are portrayed as so self absorbed they ignore their young children who are constantly falling ,tripping , and crying. Again, we see Dickens' concern with the cruel treatment of children.
