Insert
The source that follows is:
- Source A: 19th-century prose fiction
- Hard Times by Charles Dickens
An extract from a work first published in 1854.
This extract is from Hard Times by Charles Dickens, where Stephen Blackpool asks the factory owner Bounderby how he can be rid of his wife. His plea, and Mrs Sparsit's shock, expose the costly divorce laws and the injustice the poor face in Victorian society.
Source A
1 ‘I ha’ coom to ask yo, sir, how I am to be ridded o’ this woman.’ Stephen infused a yet deeper gravity into the mixed expression of his attentive face. Mrs. Sparsit uttered a gentle ejaculation, as having received a moral shock. ‘What do you mean?’ said Bounderby, getting up to lean his back against the
6 chimney-piece. ‘What are you talking about? You took her for better for worse.’ ‘I mun’ be ridden o’ her. I cannot bear ’t nommore. I ha’ lived under ’t so long, for that I ha’ had’n the pity and comforting words o’ th’ best lass
11 living or dead. Haply, but for her, I should ha’ gone battering mad.’ ‘He wishes to be free, to marry the female of whom he speaks, I fear, sir,’ observed Mrs. Sparsit in an undertone, and much dejected by the immorality of the people.
16 ‘I do. The lady says what’s right. I do. I were a coming to ’t. I ha’ read i’ th’ papers that great folk (fair faw ’em a’! I wishes ’em no hurt!) are not bonded together for better for worst so fast, but that they can be set free fro’ their misfortnet marriages, an’ marry ower agen. When they dunnot
21 agree, for that their tempers is ill-sorted, they has rooms o’ one kind an’ another in their houses, above a bit, and they can live asunders. We fok ha’ only one room, and we can’t. When that won’t do, they ha’ gowd an’ other cash, an’ they can say “This for yo’ an’ that for me,” an’ they can go their separate ways. We can’t. Spite o’ all that, they can be set free for smaller
26 wrongs than mine. So, I mun be ridden o’ this woman, and I want t’ know how?’ ‘No how,’ returned Mr. Bounderby. ‘If I do her any hurt, sir, there’s a law to punish me?’
31 ‘Of course there is.’ ‘If I flee from her, there’s a law to punish me?’
36 ‘Of course there is.’ ‘If I marry t’oother dear lass, there’s a law to punish me?’ ‘Of course there is.’
41 ‘If I was to live wi’ her an’ not marry her—saying such a thing could be, which it never could or would, an’ her so good—there’s a law to punish me, in every innocent child belonging to me?’
46 ‘Of course there is.’ ‘Now, a’ God’s name,’ said Stephen Blackpool, ‘show me the law to help me!’
51 ‘Hem! There’s a sanctity in this relation of life,’ said Mr. Bounderby, ‘and—and—it must be kept up.’ ‘No no, dunnot say that, sir. ’Tan’t kep’ up that way. Not that way.
56 ’Tis kep’ down that way. I’m a weaver, I were in a fact’ry when a chilt, but I ha’ gotten een to see wi’ and eern to year wi’. I read in th’ papers every
61 ’Sizes, every Sessions—and you read too—I know it!—with dismay—how th’ supposed unpossibility o’ ever getting unchained from one another, at any price, on any terms, brings blood upon this land, and
66 brings many common married fok to battle, murder, and sudden death. Let us ha’ this, right understood. Mine’s a grievous case, an’ I want—if yo will be so good—t’ know
71 the law that helps me.’ ‘Now, I tell you what!’ said Mr. Bounderby, putting his hands in his pockets. ‘There is such a law.’
76 Stephen, subsiding into his quiet manner, and never wandering in his attention, gave a nod. ‘But it’s not for you at all. It costs money. It costs a mint of
81 money.’ ‘How much might that be?’ Stephen calmly asked. ‘Why, you’d have to go to Doctors’ Commons with a suit, and you’d have to
86 go to a court of Common Law with a suit, and you’d have to go to the House of Lords with a suit, and you’d have to get an Act of Parliament to enable you to
91 marry again, and it would cost you (if it was a case of very plain sailing), I suppose from a thousand to fifteen hundred pound,’ said Mr. Bounderby. ‘Perhaps twice the money.’
96 ‘There’s no other law?’ ‘Certainly not.’
101 ‘Why then, sir,’ said Stephen, turning white, and motioning with that right hand of his, as if he gave everything to the four winds, ‘’tis a muddle. ’Tis just a muddle a’toogether, an’ the sooner I am dead, the
106 better.’ (Mrs. Sparsit again dejected by the impiety of the people.)
Questions
Instructions
- Answer all questions.
- Use black ink or black ball point pen.
- Fill in the boxes on this page.
- You must answer the questions in the spaces provided.
- Do not write outside the box around each page or on blank pages.
- Do all rough work in this book. Cross through any work you do not want to be marked.
- You must refer to the insert booklet provided.
- You must not use a dictionary.
Information
- The marks for questions are shown in brackets.
- Time allowed: 1 hour 45 minutes
- The maximum mark for this paper is 80.
- There are 40 marks for Section A and 40 marks for Section B.
- You are reminded of the need for good English and clear presentation in your answers.
- You will be assessed on the quality of your reading in Section A.
- You will be assessed on the quality of your writing in Section B.
Advice
- You are advised to spend about 15 minutes reading through the source and all five questions you have to answer.
- You should make sure you leave sufficient time to check your answers.
Section A: Reading
Answer all questions in this section. You are advised to spend about 45 minutes on this section.
Question 1
Read again the first part of the source, from lines 1 to 5.
Answer all parts of this question.
Choose one answer for each question.
1.1 What does Stephen ask Bounderby for at the start of the extract?
- Advice on how to be rid of the woman
- Money to support the woman
- Permission for the woman to work at the mill
[1 mark]
1.2 Who utters a gentle ejaculation?
- Mrs. Sparsit
- Bounderby
- Stephen
[1 mark]
1.3 Bounderby leans back against what?
- the chimney-piece
- the window frame
- the door-post
[1 mark]
1.4 What help does Stephen request from Bounderby?
- How to be rid of Stephen's wife
- How to find new employment
- How to repay a debt
[1 mark]
Question 2
Look in detail at this extract, from lines 26 to 35 of the source:
26 wrongs than mine. So, I mun be ridden o’ this woman, and I want t’ know how?’ ‘No how,’ returned Mr. Bounderby. ‘If I do her any hurt, sir, there’s a law to punish me?’
31 ‘Of course there is.’ ‘If I flee from her, there’s a law to punish me?’
How does the writer use language here to show Stephen’s growing frustration with the law? You could include the writer’s choice of:
- words and phrases
- language features and techniques
- sentence forms.
[8 marks]
Question 3
You now need to think about the structure of the source as a whole. This text is from the middle of a novel.
How has the writer structured the text to create a sense of empathy?
You could write about:
- how empathy intensifies from beginning to end
- how the writer uses structure to create an effect
- the writer's use of any other structural features, such as changes in mood, tone or perspective.
[8 marks]
Question 4
For this question focus on the second part of the source, from line 16 to the end.
In this part of the source, when Stephen finds out how much a divorce costs, his despair is very clear. The writer suggests that the law is a trap for the poor, offering them punishment but no help.
To what extent do you agree and/or disagree with this statement?
In your response, you could:
- consider your impressions of Stephen's despair at the cost of divorce
- comment on the methods the writer uses to portray the law as a trap
- support your response with references to the text.
[20 marks]
Question 5
For a time capsule to be buried on the village green, you have been asked to contribute a creative piece.
Choose one of the options below for your entry.
-
Option A: Write a description of a Bronze Age roundhouse interior from your imagination. You may choose to use the picture provided for ideas:
-
Option B: Write the opening of a story about an object unearthed after a storm.
(24 marks for content and organisation, 16 marks for technical accuracy)
[40 marks]