Co-teaching English Literature and English Language
A walk in the workhouse – Writing task

Dickens gives an overall impression of the workhouse by presenting a series of smaller individual scenes (i.e. the scene in the room where the nurse is crying, in the room with the madwomen and in the room where the old men live).

Think about the scene you will be describing and the smaller scenes that make it up. For example, if you are describing the scene at a supermarket, you might describe the smaller scenes of the café, the produce section, the bakery, the tills, etc. List the smaller scenes that you will describe in detail (each will eventually have its own paragraph).

In describing the workhouse, Dickens takes readers from scene to scene along the same route he followed. Think about how you will lead your reader through the scene you will describe.

What part of the overall scene will you describe first?

What part of the overall scene will you describe last?

Which of these organisational patterns will you be using to guide your reader through the different parts of the scene, from first to last?
top to bottom / bottom to top
left to right / right to left
front to back / back to front

Dickens’ visit to the workhouse takes place on a cool spring day (he describes the May sunshine as ‘ineffectual’). In what season will your scene take place: winter, spring, summer or autumn?

What will the weather outside be like: sunny? Rainy? Windy?

How will you show (not tell) your reader what season it is and what the weather outside is like?(e.g. are people entering the room in heavy coats and snow-covered boots?)

Think about the temperature / how the air in your scene feels. Is it warm? Cold? Humid? Write down an interesting or unusual simile you could use to describe how the air feels.

How does the furniture feel? When you sit, do you sink into luxurious soft cushions, or do you find yourself on a hard, cold, uncomfortable metal stool?

Are there any sensations you feel on your face – warm sunshine, the air from a fan? Gentle rain?

List examples of onomatopoeia (e.g. murmur, clatter, creak, thud, etc.) that you will include to help the reader imagine the sounds that someone in the midst of your scene would hear.

What specific smells would be in the air in your scene: bacon frying? The aroma of strong disinfectant? The scent of freshly mown grass? List any specific, easily recognisable aromas that you will include in your description to help your reader better imagine the scene.

Will there be people eating in your scene? If so, what? Hot, buttery popcorn? Fish and chips with lots of salt and vinegar? Strawberry ice cream? List any specific, easily recognisable flavours that you will include in your description to help your reader better imagine the scene.

Aside from food, is there anything else that someone could taste in the air (e.g. salt in the air by the seaside) that you will mention in your description?

To help your reader better imagine the scene, be sure to describe the lighting. What sort of light is present in the scene? Bright sunlight? Pale fluorescent light? Romantic candle light?

Think about the colours in the scene. Identify some specific, easily imaginable and interesting ways you can describe the colours (e.g. ‘fire engine red ‘rather than just ‘red,’ the colour of limes’ instead of ‘green,’ etc.).

Dickens enhances his portrait of the workhouse by including detailed descriptions of a few individuals (the nurse, the servant girl, the ‘hoarse old man in a flannel gown’). List specific people in your scene whom you will not simply mention, but describe in detail.

Dickens includes examples of direct speech/dialogue to enhance his description of the workhouse. Write down bits of dialogue that you will include (in speech marks) to enhance your description.