Lesson video

The texts we're about to read, contains an obsessing description of domestic violence.

For some people, this will be a sensitive topic.

If that's applies to you, you may want to do the rest of this lesson with a trusted adult nearby who can support you.

Hello everyone.

Welcome to our next lesson of Oliver Twist.

In today's lesson, we are going to read about Nancy's death.

You may remember from our last lesson that Nancy overheard Monks and Fagin planning to kidnap Oliver for a second time.

And Nancy did a very brave thing.

Nancy when's to Rose to tell her all about the criminals' plans.

Little does Nancy know that she was followed.

Nancy is going to lose her life for betraying the gang.

Now here's a warning for you.

This description of Nancy's death is horrific.

It was infamous throughout Victorian England.

Charles Dickens, just to do great public readings of his novels, he would read his books in theatres, and there'd be thousands of people who would watch him.

And everyone knew about Dickens' reading of Nancy's murder.

Dickens would read this extract, he would do all the voices.

He would sort of act it out and it was a terrifying performance.

People in the crowd would be crying as they watched Dickens before this extract.

Now, when we read this extract today, we might not find it quite as scary as Dickens contemporaries this, but to be honest with you, I still find it deeply disturbing.

Of all the books that Dickens wrote, many people would agree that this extract is the most frightening.

So be warned.

I have had pupils in my classes cry when they listened to this.

Let's begin.

For today's lesson, you'll need an exercise book or paper and a pen.

If you do not have this equipment, press the pause button on your video now, go and collect this equipment and then we will begin our lesson.

Let's begin with a recap from our last lesson.

What word best describes Bill? Option one, Bill is a villain, option two, Bill is a victim, option three, Bill is vulnerable or option four, Bill is naive.

Press the pause button on your video now, until I screen the right answer.

I will now tell you the right answer, which is of course, option one.

Bill is a villain.

As you know from our story, Bill is prepared to harm other people, do terrible things, all in order to get his own way.

Bill is a villainous character.

Well done if you got that right.

Now, some of you may have chosen one of the other options.

You may have chosen option two; Bill is a victim.

Now I would suggest that Bill is not a victim, but Bill does victimise over characters particularly Oliver and Nancy.

Some of you may have chosen option three; Bill is vulnerable.

Now a vulnerable person is harmed easily.

I would suggest that Bill is not a vulnerable character.

He cannot be harmed easily.

Bill is a large, muscular, intimidating criminal.

He is not a vulnerable character.

And some of you may have chosen option four; Bill is naive.

Now about word, naive, describes someone who trusts people too easily.

I would suggest that Bill is not naive.

In fact, Bill probably trusts very few people.

Well done again if you got that right.

I will now tell you our plan for today's lesson.

First of all, we will revise victims, we will then revise villains, we will then read our extracts, and then, we will look at how does Dickens present Bill as a villain.

As you will see, Bill does something truly terrible in this extract.

Let's first of all, revise victims. A victim is a person who is harmed by an unfortunate event or another person through no fault of their own.

In our last lesson we learned that Nancy is a victim.

Nancy has been brought up in poverty her whole life.

She has always been very poor.

Remember in our last lesson, Nancy described her life.

She said that she is often knowing the cold and hunger.

Nancy's life has clearly been very hard due to her poverty.

Nancy is also a victim because she is only ever associated with criminals.

From her childhood, she has never been brought up alongside.

from her childhood, she has never had any good role models.

She has never been surrounded by any good or moral people.

The only people that Nancy has had in her life have been criminals.

And the third way that Nancy can be seen as a victim is because she is involved in an abusive relationship with Bill.

When Bill does not get her his own way, he is prepared to harm Nancy.

We saw this when Nancy decided to stand up for Oliver.

Remember? Bill through Nancy across the room.

Now I would suggest that there is a fourth way that we're going to learn about that Nancy is a victim.

Nancy is punished for attempting to live a better life.

In our last lesson, we learned that Nancy is trying to change her life.

She's trying to become a good person.

She feels full of guilt and shame for her role in kidnapping Oliver.

She then goes and tells Rose all about the gang's plans to kidnap Oliver for a second time.

Nancy is trying to repair the harm that she has done in Oliver's life.

She is trying to become a better person.

As you will see in this lesson, most tragically, Nancy is punished for attempting to live a better life.

Let's now revise villains.

A villain is a bad partner who harms other people or breaks the law to get what they want.

And that word villainous, if someone behaves like a villain, they can be described as villainous.

Fagin is a villain, Monks is a villain and most of all in our novel, Bill Sikes is a villain.

We're now going to look as an extract, which most clearly reflects Bill's villainous character.

I will now give you some background information about this extract, as you may remember from our last extract, Nancy overheard Monks and Fagin talking about kidnapping Oliver for a second time.

Now, Nancy went to Rose to tell her all about the criminals' plans.

But Nancy was followed.

Fagin finds out that Nancy is trying to betray the gang.

And now Fagin tells Bill Sikes.

Bill Sikes is furious with his girlfriend.

He cannot believe that Nancy has betrayed their gang.

And Bill agrees that very night to walk to Nancy's house and murder her.

Let's see what happens.

Bill dashed in to the silent streets, without one pause or moments consideration, revert ones turning his eyes to the right or left or raising his eyes to the sky or lowering them to the ground.

But looking straight before him with savage resolution.

His teeth so tightly compressed, like the strains jaw seam jutting through his skin.

The rope held on his head long course, no more utter the word nor relax the muscle until he reached his own door.

He opened it softly with a key.

Strode likely up the stairs and entering his own room.

Double locked the door and lifting a heavy table against it, threw back the curtain of the bed.

The girl was lying half dressed upon it.

He had rosed her from her sleep.

But she raised herself with a hurried and started look, "Get up!" Said the man.

"It is you you, Bill!" Said the girl with an expression of pleasure at his return.

It is, what was the reply? "Get up!" There was a candle burning, but the man hastily drew it from the candle stick and harrowed it under the grate, seeing the faint light of early day without.

The girl rose to undraw the curtain.

"Let it be," said Sikes.

Thrusting his hands before her.

"There was enough light for what I've got to do." "Bill," said the girl in the low voice of alarm.

"Why do you look like that me?" The robber socked regarding her for a few seconds with dilated nostrils and heaving breasts, and then grasping her by the head and throat, dragged her into the middle of a room.

And looking once towards the door, placed his heavy hands upon her mouth.

Gasped the girl, wrestling with the strength of mortal fear.

"I won't scream or cry.

No words.

Hear me, speak to me.

Tell me, what have I done?" "You know, you see devil", returned the robber, suppressing his breath.

"She will watch tonight every word you said was heard." "Then spare my life for the love of happiness.

I spared yours." Rejoined the girl clinging to him.

"Bill, dear Bill, you cannot have the heart to kill me.

Think about all I have given up, only this one night for you.

You still have time to think and save yourself this crime.

I will not lose my halt.

You cannot throw me off.

Bill! Bill! For God's sake for your own, for mine, stop! Before you spill my blood, I have been true to you, upon my guilty soul I have." The man struggled violently to release his arms, but those of the girl were class around his, and terrorising word, he could not tear them away.

"Bill", cried the girl striving to lay her head upon his breast.

"The gentleman about their lady told me tonight at the home in some foreign country where I could end my days in solitude and peace, lets me see them again, and beg them on my knees, the same mercy and goodness to you, And let us leave dreadful place, and far apart lead better lives, and forget how we have lived except in prayers, and never see each other more.

It is never too late to repent.

They told me so.

I feel it now, but we must have time, a little, little, time!" The housekeeper freed one arm and grasped his pistol, the certain day of immediate detection if he fired flashed across his mind, even in the midst of his fury and he beat it twice with all of force he could summon and pulling the upturned face that almost touched his own.

She staggered and fell, nearly blinded with the blood that rained down from a deep gash in her forehead.

But raising herself with difficulty on her knees drew from her bosom, a white handkerchief Rose Maylie's own and holding it up in her folded hands as high towards heaven as her feeble strength would allow, breathed one prayer for mercy to her maker.

It was a ghastly figure to look upon.

The murderer, staggering backwards to the wall and shutting out the sight with his hands, seized a heavy club and struck her down.

That is one of the most upsetting things that I've ever read.

There's many things about this description that make it so disturbing.

The first thing is that Bill visits Nancy, when she is in bed, Nancy is vulnerable and defenceless.

She's woken up from her sleep.

And Bill walks into a room and says, "get up!" And Nancy is pleased to see Bill, "oh, it's you, it's Bill." That's so sad.

She's pleased to see her boyfriend, little does she know that he's there to kill her.

And the next thing that gets me, is Nancy pleading with Bill to help her start a new life.

We can escape to a foreign country.

We can get rid of this life of crime.

And this is so sad because Nancy's decided to turn her life around.

She's decided to become a good person.

But, Nancy never gets the chance to start a new life, Bill, takes it away and brings horrible description when Bill gets his revolver, and strikes it twice across Nancy's head.

The blood was raining down from her face.

It's a gruesome description.

Nancy with blood pouring from her head, raises Rose Maylie's handkerchief and prays the heaven for forgiveness.

She nearly seems like some holy saint right now.

And how does Bill respond? He takes a club and he strikes her down.

Bill's brutal murder of Nancy is undoubtedly for novels, more shocking act of villainy.

We're going to spend the rest of this lesson, answering the following question.

How does Dickens present Bill as a villain in this extract? To answer this question, we're now going to analyse some quotations from the extract that we've just read.

This quotation is from the start of the extract, Bill has just walked into Nancy's bedroom.

He has woken Nancy up and this is what he says, "get up!" Said the man.

"It is you, Bill!" said the girl with an expression of pleasure at his return.

This opening section of dialogue gives me a sense of something terrible is about to happen.

Just look at this opening command by Bill, "Get up!" It's a very short sentence.

Just two words.

It is a very short, sharp command.

This short, sharp command reflects Bill's impatience and anger.

He is not there to have a nice, polite conversation with Nancy.

He is there to kill Nancy and Bill wants to have this murder over and done with as quickly as possible.

Now, the interesting thing about this command here is this is a same command that Bill gave to Oliver during the burglary.

Bill told Oliver, "get up and go on with the burglary otherwise I will blow your brains out and screw them across the grass." So an interesting example of foreshadowing there.

Now, I think what's most tragic about this section of dialogue is Nancy's response.

Let's read.

"It is you, Bill!" said the girl with an expression of pleasure at his return.

I think this is really tragic.

It's very sad.

Bill has come to murder Nancy, but Nancy does not know this.

Nancy thinks a Bill has simply come to see her to spend some time with her.

And she says, "it is you, Bill!" with an expression of pleasure.

Now that word pleasure, that word means happiness.

So Nancy is really happy.

She's really excited to see her boyfriend.

Here Nancy is being very affectionate and loving towards Bill.

Little does she know that he is there to murder her.

Now Dickens contrast these two characters.

There's a huge difference between the way that they talk to each other.

While Nancy's words are very affectionate, Bill's words are very angry.

Dickens uses this contrast between these two characters, to emphasise Bill's villainy.

Press the pause button on your video now, and take some notes upon this quotation.

Off we go.

Let's now take a look at our next quotation.

In this quotation here, Nancy basically begs Bill to run away with her and start a new life.

She says that she has just met the Maylies and they are offering her and possibly Bill, the chance to escape their life of crime and lead a better life.

Let's read this quotation for a second time.

"Let's me see them again, and beg then on my knees to show the same mercy and goodness to you and let us both leave this dreadful place, and far apart lead better lives.

and forget how we have lived except in prayers, and never see each other more.

It is never too late to repent.

They told me so, I feel it now, but we must have time, a little, little time." Now the words that stand out to me here is Nancy's request that they run away and lead better lives.

So Nancy is trying to convince Bill here, that they can together runaway from London and leave their life of crime.

And let's look at the second phrase here of the second sentence.

Nancy says, "it is never too late to repent." That word, repent, means to turn away from your evil.

So if you're doing all sorts of bad and evil things and you repent, that means that you turn away from doing those bad evil things and begin to live a better life.

You become a more moral, good person.

Nancy wants to repent from her life of crime and begin a new life in which she becomes a good person.

She is trying to convince Bill to turn away from his evil ways.

Now this is really tragic once again.

Nancy has clearly changed as character.

She is now for the first time in her life, making some plans that might make her a happy and good person.

But, Bill has no time for these plans.

And Bill ruins them by taking away Nancy's life.

Nancy's life is taken away by Bill, just when she's planning to redeem herself and become a better person.

Press the pause button on your video now, and take some notes upon these quotations.

Off you go.

Let's take a look at our next rotation.

Now, this quotation here, happens just after Bill strikes Nancy across the face with his gun.

You strikes it twice across her face and she falls down upon the floor.

Let's read.

She staggered and fell, nearly blinded with the blood that rain down from a deep gash in her forehead, but raising herself with difficulty, on her knees, drew from her bosom a white handkerchief, Rose Maylie's own, and holding it up in her folded on hands, as high towards heaven, as her feeble strength would allow, breathed one prayer for mercy to her Maker.

Now this is a very obsessing description.

Look at this opening image here.

She is nearly blinded with the blood that rains down from a deep gash in her forehead.

And that word, rained, conveys that sheer quantity of blood pouring from her head with this wound.

It's a very graphic image, that is, reflects the violence with which Bill attacks Nancy.

It's a very upsetting image, describing this wound.

Now the next thing, that Nancy does is she falls down upon her knees.

Now I think this image conveys Nancy's vulnerability.

She is not standing up.

She's not running across the room.

She's not grabbing a weapon, instead, Nancy has fallen down upon her knees before Bill.

She is defenceless and helpless.

It's a very vulnerable image.

And what's particularly shocking, about this extract here, is even when Nancy's upon her knees, Bill still attacks her.

He attacks her, even though she is in such a defenceless, vulnerable position.

And this is the final thing that Nancy does, she gets down upon her knees, she holds up the white handkerchief from Rose Maylie, and she prays to heaven for mercy from her Maker, for mercy from God, for all the terrible things she's done.

So in these final moments, Nancy turns to God.

She asks God for forgiveness for all of her sins, for all the terrible things that she's done in her life.

This image here, makes Nancy seem like a very moral, virtuous lady.

In fact, I would say that she nearly seems like some sort of saint or some sort of angel right now.

Once again, it is particularly shocking that Bill responds to Nancy's prayer by next grabbing this heavy club and knocking this woman to the ground.

Press the pause button on your video now and take some notes upon this quotation.

Off you go.

Let's now take a look at our final quotation.

So this is a final description of Bill's murder of Nancy.

Let's read.

It was a ghastly figure to look upon.

The murderer staggering backward to the wall, and shutting out the sight with his hand, seized a heavy club and struck her down.

Now, I'm really interested in this phrase here.

We get told that with one hand, Bill grabs this heavy club, but with the other hand, he covers his face to shut out the sight.

Why does Bill do this? Well, it seems that Bill does not actually want to watch him bring this heavy club down upon Nancy's face.

He doesn't want to witness Nancy's death.

And why does he not want to witness her death? Well, maybe deep, deep down Bill feels very guilty about killing his lover.

Press the pause button on this video now, and take some notes upon this quotation.

Let's know answer some questions.

Question one.

Why does Fagin order Bill to kill Nancy? I'll give you a clue.

Nancy goes to Rose, and what does she tell Rose? She tells Rose of course, about the criminal's plans to kidnap Oliver.

Fagin orders built to kill Nancy because she told Rose about the plans to kidnap Oliver.

Question two.

In what vulnerable position does Bill find Nancy? I'll give you a clue.

Where does he find Nancy? He finds Nancy of course in her bed.

Bill finds Nancy asleep in bed.

Question three.

Why does Nancy wants Bill to travel with her to a foreign country? What sort of life does Nancy want Bill to live? She of course wants Bill to travel with her to a foreign country so that they can leave a life of crime behind and begin a better life.

Nancy wants Bill to travel with her to a foreign country so that they can leave their life of crime behind.

Question four.

What does Nancy do just before she is killed by Bill? I'll give you a clue.

She gets down on her knees and she talks to someone, she's not talking to Bill, she's praying right now.

What's she doing? She's praying for mercy.

Nancy kneels down prays to God for forgiveness just before she is killed by Bill.

Well done if you got all four of those questions right.

It's now time to write our paragraph on this extract.

Now I'm going to give you a bit of a rough paragraph plan, to help you write this paragraph.

Here is our first sentence.

Dickens presents Bill Sikes' murder of Nancy as a villainous crime.

Now, notice the way that I've highlighted that word villainous.

This is really the key word of your paragraph.

You're going to need to spend your whole paragraph, arguing that Bill Sikes' murder of Nancy is a villainous crime.

Have that word, villainous, in your head as you write.

Keep your writing focused upon this idea.

I've also given you a second sentence.

This attack is particularly shocking because of Nancy's vulnerability.

Now, then, we going to rise up with Nancy's vulnerability for a while and then I've given you another sentence here, another sentence up above, and another sentence after that.

So, as you can see, the paragraph has many spaces in which you need to write using your own words.

Now to help you out, I've given you some key words for Nancy, in this green table here, and I've given you some keywords for Bill in this blue table here.

You don't need to use all the keywords, just use a few of them.

Press the pause button on your video now and complete this paragraph in your book or on your page.

Off you go.

Let's now take a look at some exemplar paragraphs.

Here's our acceptable answer.

Dickens presents Bill Sikes' murder of Nancy as a villainous crime.

This attack is particularly shocking because of Nancy's vulnerability.

Bill breaks into Nancy's room when she is asleep in bed.

The sudden attack must have been incredibly unexpected and terrifying for Nancy.

In spite of this, Nancy seems very pleased to see Bill.

She greets him with an expression of pleasure.

She is clearly happy to see her boyfriend.

Bill completely ignores Nancy's affection, and instead orders her to get up.

The short, sharp command reflects Bill's anger against his lover.

But Nancy has clearly changed and wants Bill to begin a new life.

She next begs Bill to leave London with her, and begin a new life in a foreign country.

Nancy has repented and has chosen to live a better life, but Bill has no time for these plans.

He is determined to kill his pitiful girlfriend.

Nancy next falls on her knees and begs for mercy from heaven.

This act makes her seem like virtuous lady who follows God.

However, Bill is not affected by Nancy's prayer.

Instead, this cold-hearted criminal violently murders her with a heavy club.

Let's now take a look at our good answer.

Dickens presents Bill Sikes' murder of Nancy as a villainous crime.

This attack is particularly shocking because of Nancy's vulnerability.

Bill breaks into Nancy's room to find her curled up in bed.

She is helpless against such an unexpected assault.

Yet, most touchingly, Nancy seems very pleased to see Bill.

She greets her beloved boyfriend with an expression of pleasure.

Such an endearing display of affection has no influence over the cold-hearted villain.

He responds by repeating the short cutting order, "get up!" Dickens further contrasts these two characters by next revealing Nancy's repentance.

Nancy has clearly changed and wants Bill to begin a new life.

She has turned away from a wayward lifestyle and now begs Bill to accompany her to a foreign country and leave her life of crime behind.

But Bill remains untouched by his girlfriends frantic pleading.

In a shocking display of barbaric violence, he strikes her across the face and leaves this pitiful woman bleeding on the ground.

Nancy next falls on her knees and pleads for mercy to heaven.

This touching image makes her seem angelic and saintlike.

Such a beautiful display of religious devotion does not change Bill's mind.

This villain takes a heavy club and mercilessly kills his helpless victim.

Well done for all of your hard work.

Well, that brings us to the end of our lesson.

Well done for all of your amazing work today.

You have been great.

In our next lesson, we will find out what happened to Bill Sikes and Fagin at the end of the novel.

I'll see you next time.

And before you leave, make sure you complete the quiz on all the learning you've done today.