#08-838: Great Expectations

Miss Havisham, Pip, and Joe (Wikipedia)

---

Note: I first read Great Expectations in 8th grade, and again in adulthood; it was stunning both times.

---

Get Ready: What (if anything) is the "secret of success" in this world?

---

#08-367: Jacob Marley - The Forgotten Ghost

Scrooge and Marley: together again (Wikipedia)

---

Note: Like any good book (or film), Dickens's A Christmas Carol never gets old, and we can find something new in it each time we read it. Let's zero in on the often-forgotten character of Jacob Marley: the fourth ghost.

---

Get Ready: What would it take to convince most people to change their bad habits?

---

#08-222: Fagin and the Artful Dodger

Fagin and the Artful Dodger
(Wikipedia)

---

Note: It's said that the English author Charles Dickens created 989 named characters. Let's get to know two of them a little better.

---

Get Ready: Whoa re your favorite characters in books? What do you like about them?

---

#08-169: A Christmas Carol

Marley's ghost visits Scrooge
(Wikipedia)

---

Note: The Industrial Revolution has brought many blessings--and not a few problems, including the grinding poverty experienced by people brought together into cities. Enter writers like Charles Dickens, who sought to bring the public's attention to the plight of many.

---

Get Ready: How do we deal with problems like homelessness in today's cities?

---

#08-038: David Copperfield

David and "Little Em'ly" at Yarmouth
(Wikipedia)

---

Note: Few authors have captured a time and place like the 19th-century English writer Charles Dickens. His David Copperfield, a boy and man of his times, brings the age to life.

---

Get Ready: Do you think misfortune, such as a hard upbringing, can make someone a better person?

---

#01-023: Allusions: Recognizing Cultural References

Many a miser has been called by this guy's name: Scrooge
(Wikipedia)

Note: Allusions are a kind of "cultural shorthand," and they're commonly found. Some allusions refer to famous characters, places, or events; others are half of a well-known saying.

---

Get Ready: What do you think it would mean if someone called you "a regular da Vinci" or "a real Dracula"?

---