On Charles Dickens’David Copperfield

Ⅰ. Introduction

David Copperfield is a 19th century master of the British critical realism of a representative of Charles Dickens (1812-1870). When the writer was young, his family was forced to be in prison. Therefore, he was in school only for a few years, but later became a famous writer by his hard working. Because the book blended into the writer’s unusual life experience, it was also named “the favorite child in his heart” by Charles. The book is written in first person point of view, which portrays the David Copperfield grown-up course. Meanwhile, David Copperfield’s destiny symbolized the middle-class intelligentsia questing for roads development in the 19th century British society.

Ⅱ. A Summary of the Book

The story deals with the life of David Copperfield from childhood to maturity. David is born in England in about 1820. His father had died six months before he was born, and he grows up with mother and his servant Miss Peggotty who loves him very much. Seven yeas later, his mother marries Mr. Edward Murdstone who is a cruel man and always beats David for falling behind with his studies even deprives of mother’s rights of love for child. Before their marriage, Mr. Murdstone sends David to miss Peggoty’s brother’s house, in Yarmouth. Peggoty is a loyal and kind fish man and lives with a couple orphans, Emily and ham. David loves Emily in his childhood and has a happy life during this time. Because of missing her mother, David returns home. David dislikes his stepfather and always is tortured by the man. Later David is sent away to abroad school, Salem House. Here David is friends with James Steerforth who leave and then reappear later. David returns home for the holidays and finds his mother has had a baby boy. He never gets joy at home only stays in the study all day. Soon after David goes back to school, he gets the information that his mother died. He has to return home immediately. At the house, no one likes him except Peggotty. Later 1

Mr. Murdstone sends him to work in a factory in London. David lives in Wilkins Micawber’s house and has a poor life. Because of owing debts, Mr. Micawber is sent to prison. David has nobody left to care for him in London, so he runs away and finally finds his great-aunt Betsey Trotwood after suffering a lot. Even though his great-aunt doesn’t like boy and is a little eccentric, she still decides to bring him up and renames him “Trotwood Copperfield”. Miss Betsey sends David to school to further his study and asks him to live in her lawyer Mr. Wickfield’ home. David makes a deep friendship with Mr. Wickfield’s daughter Agnes. At his home, David learns a lot but doesn’t like a man named Uriah Heep. The man likes flattering people and complies in appearance but opposes in heart. After graduating from high school, David meets with his friend Steerforth during a trip. They go to Yarmouth and call at Peggoty’s house. Emily succumbs to the temptation of Steerforth and elopes with him before he marries to Ham. Later David returns to London and works at the law office of Mr. Spenlow. He falls in love with Mr. Spenlow’s daughter Dora. This time, he hears that Mr. Wickfield has been trapped by Heep’s conspiracy, which makes David very angry. Later David marries Dora, but the marriage is not happy. Dora is a beautiful girl but knows nothing, and she loves David but can not be a virtuous wife. When David confronts with difficulties that his grant-aunt is going to go bankrupt, Mr. Micawber, his former landlord appears again as Heep’s secretary. After thinking about a lot, Mr. Micawber helps them to disclose Heep’s conspiracies and plots of framing up Mr. Wickfield and miss Betsey. In the meantime, Peggoty and ham finally find Emily who has been abandoned by Steerforth. When they decide to bring her back to Australia to have a new life, ham dies from rescuing a man on the ship which is in distress. The man turns out to be Steerforth. Emily spends all her life alone. David becomes a writer and has a successful career, but Dora dies because of disease. David is in deep grief and chooses to go on a trip to forget it. During this time, he still keeps in touch with Agnes. Three years later, when he comes back to London, he finds that Agnes always loves him. They go together and have a happy life with Miss Betsey and the servant.

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Ⅲ. My Views on the Book

After finishing reading the book, I find the book is different from other book I ever read. The book is in first person, so reading the book just like reading a man’s autobiography. From childhood to maturity, everything happens in succession. Under the writer’s words, every character is shaped vividly. We know the protagonist, David Copperfield. He lives a poor life in his childhood. He is innocent and lively, so he shows directly his hatred to Mr. Murdstone when he dislikes him. He is a kind, smart and hard-working man. When coming up against difficulties, he is always brave in the face of adversity. His confidence and great efforts contribute to his successful career and family. Besides the protagonist, there are two characters who give me deep impression. The first one is Mr. Micawber. He is a poor man who owes a lot of debts. He may be upset when people ask for payment of debts, but later he will be happy again. I still remember his advice to David in the book. “yearly income￡20, yearly expenses ￡19.6 result happiness; yearly expresses ￡20.6 result unhappiness and ruin. The flower is faded, the leaf is dried up, and the sun goes down upon a desert. In short you are ruined as I am.” After saying these words, he may borrow money to buy drinks. He is such a funny man in my mind. He is a man who is always optimistic and kind-hearted. Later his help of disclosing Heep’s devilment also leads him to a peaceful life. The other character is Agnes. She is a special woman in my mind, and her thoughts and self-cultivation surpass her beauty. She is willing to tolerate Heep’s conspiracy in order to protect her father. She has a penetrating insight and can lend hand to David when David is in danger. She always loves David secretly. I thing the silent love is the greatest love in the world. Seeing the man who you love has a happy life is the happiness to you. Of course, Agnes gets David’s love at last, which she deserves.

Even though the book is in first person point of view, we can still see many people’s good qualities in the hero’s eyes. Those characters inspire me to be a mature people and tell me how to deal with difficulties in the right way.

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第二篇：大卫科波菲尔 读后感(英文)

David Copperfield’s father had dead six months before he was born. He lived with his mother and their housekeeper Peggotty. He has a happy childhood. But when his mother met and married a cruel man, Mr. Mudstone，all things changed. Mr. Mudstone disliked David, he sent David to a boarding school. David was treated badly at school.

Two months into the new terms. David was called to the Creakle’s parlor. He was told that his mother was dead. He felt very sad and cried. After that, he was forced to work at a warehouse. Then, he found his great aunt, Miss. Betsey Trotwood, and lives in a happy life with her. He was sent to a new school. There, he met Mr. Wick field, Agnes and had a good time with them.

David went to work at a law firm. He found out Uriah Heep’s plot with Mr. Micawber. He helped Agnes and her father and married Agnes several years later. He lived in a good life and had happy endings.

From the story, I learn a lot and David’s experience inspire me to work towards my own goals. From Mr. Spenlow, who is Dora’s father. I know that money is not very important and we shouldn’t look on people through how much money he has. After all, health is the most important. Because without health, much more money you have is useless.

In all. I think we should work hard and believe ourselves. We should be hopeful to our future.

David Copperfield’s life

Recently, I’ve read a book named “David Copperfield”. David is a poor kid that his father had dead before he was born. Then his mother marries a cruel man whose name is Mr. Mudstone. After being bitten by David, Mr. Mudstone plans to send David to a boarding school in London.

The school has a sign reading “SALEM HOUSE” in front of its high wall. In the shabby school, David makes many friends and lives a interesting life. Unluckily, David’s mother dead several months later. Then David is forced to work at a warehouse to earn his own life. During this time, David meets a kind man. The man wears shabby clothes and his name is Mr. Micawber. But nobody knows what will happen next second. To David’s disappointment, he loses his job and has to turn to his Great-Aunt Betsey Trotwood.

David is so lucky that he can live happily with his aunt instead of cruel Mudstone. This time, he meets a boy called Uriah Heep at a law firm where he works and the boy is so treacherous that he causes many problems. But our clever main character David solves all these problems under the help of his friends. Afterwards, David marries a beautiful girl who named Dora.

As we all know, life has a strange habit of taking twists and turns that we do not expect. Dora dead one night in late autumn and David fall into the deepest pit of despair. He goes away to flat his painful heart. But

David is such a lucky guy that he follows Agnes’s advice and becomes a successful writer. Later on, David returns to England and fall in love with Agnes, a girl who is once his friend. Also, the book has a happy ending that everyone gains happiness.

What I have learnt from the book is clear that whenever my life feels unbearable, things will get better if I put efforts into it. Also, we should have a light heart to face the troubles in our life and always keep a hopeful mind. We can believe that whatever happened, we can solve them with a firm mind.