Is modernity allowing interaction among people?

The following essay will be focused on The Signalman written by Charles Dickens. First, it will start with the historical context of the story in order to have a clearer understanding of what the story is about. Secondly, the narrative will be analysed according to its main ideas and issues related to emotions. Finally, it will be provided an activity in order to use it in an EFL classroom.

The purpose of the essay is to relate what happened in the stroty with they way in which people are living now. The idea is also to show the actual reality through literature. Consequently, literature depicts reality and it mainly impies to state that there is a huge problem in society which is not unfamiliar to students’ life.

Having explained what the essay is going to be about and having mentioned the aim of it, it becomes important to give details of the story.
The Signalman is set in the mid 19th century and it tells the story of a ghost that has been haunting a worker. Each spectral appearance provokes a tragic event on the railway on which the signalman works. The signalman's work is at a signalbox in a deep cutting near a tunnel entrance on a lonely stretch of the line, and he controls the movements of passing trains. When there is danger, his fellow signalmen alert him via telegraph and alarms. Three times, he receives phantom warnings of danger when his bell rings in a fashion that only he can hear. Each warning is followed by the appearance of the spectre, and then by a terrible accident. The worker seemes to be afraid of something, which caused that the narrator to believe he had an "infection in his mind" (p.741). The first accident involves a terrible collision between two trains in the tunnel. The final warning is a premonition of the signalman's own death. Charles Dickens wanted to confirmate that modernity is a concept that brings benefits for some people but at the same time represents a lack of growth for others.

As it has been pointed out the signalman’s work is always the same. He is in charge of preventing accidents. His life is entirely oriented on his labor. Indeed, he lives in a box. The box is the representation of the main setting of the story. He is right beside a train tunnel where he spends the whole day letting trains go thorugh. Certainly, the time in which it was written reproduces the idea of modernity and progress. For instance, the train exemplifies development of society in terms of having a better life.
According to my interpretaion of the reading, the railway which is a central element in the story, illustrates the progress, modernity and comfort. The signalman is helping for the progress but he is not part of it. In fact, he becomes a slave of his work what causes his mental disease and his inmobility. Subsequently, there are some other factors like lonelinness and stress which contribute to his mental illness. As result of the pressure of his work, he notices the presence of a spectre. Therefore, one question came to my mind is modernity allowing interaction among people? If we think in the signalman, he does not have possibilities for expressing his fears, wishes and doubts. He works alone. So, in that sense modernity is not promoting interaction among people even worse it is fomenting individualism.
This story is a mirror for our society. Eventually, in our Chilean reality is occuring a similar situation. People prefer to have hi-tech stuff rather than having good interpersonal relatioships. Even worse, people are just working or studying, living by ourselves and just that. So, what is our purpose in life?
Individualism is the reason which demonstrates that our manner of living is not being the appropriate. We do not care about others and we do not know ourselves. For instance, empathy is not considered part of us.
It is important to mention that during the course we have pointed out so relevant topics that literature contributes in their development. As we have concluded so far, “as we become more self-aware, we gain a clearer sense of ourselves” (2004). Furthermore, the first step is to create your self- knowledge in order to know what you feel and how you make choices.
The Signalman is showing a reality that it is a living example of how human relationships are being destroyed by modernity which leads to materialism. As I have been observing in my internship, students’ wishes, doubts and fears are left out of the classroom and they have to be concentrated on their work which is to acquire the subject rather than sharing experiences and what they feel with heir classmates and teachers.
One activity for working in class with students is the analysis of this story because it promotes their cognitive development. In other words, the analysis gives students an opportunity to apply skills and strategies, such as identifying the themes discussed in that narrative. The idea is to give them quotes for discussing in groups. In that way they are going to contrast the story with their own experience.

To conclude, teachers have to encourage students to build their personality based on the respect through social communication by means of literature. We have to promote self-awareness in the classroom as a tool for having clarity about who students are and what they want and why they want it. If students are able to recongize that, they will be empower to consciously and actively make decisions.
Secondly, it becomes essential to find what you. I strongly believe that being successful is not just an issue of making lot of money. On the contrary, it implies to love what do you in order to reach happiness. The real joy of life always comes from your inner being not the one that comes from what others think is good for you.
Finally, knowing yourself in a future will lead to success. If people are able to make the right decisions they will find what they really love and also as important is the fact that they will be happy. It is our mission to educate children to care about others, to respect others’ opinion in order benefit from the relationship among people.






Work Cited


“Essay Writing”. The owl at Purdue. 1995-2009. Purdue University. 29 Nov 2009 .

Marshall, Claudia, and Stern, Robin. Understanding Emotions in the Classroom. New York: Dude, 2004.
“The Signalman”. Coursework.info. 2009. 29 Nov 2009 .

“The signal man”.Page by Books. 2004. 29 Nov 2009.
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Outline

My paper will be focused on the expression of emotions in relation to The Signal Man written by Charles Dickens

I. Introduction
(Historical background of the story)

II. Aim of the paper

III. Main ideas and issues related to emotions present in The Siganl Man

IV. The story in the EFL classroom

V. Conclusions

September 1, 1939 by W. H Auden

I had to read the poem twice because the first Redding helps me to have a general view of what the poem is about. In order to have a clearer understanding it was required a second reading.
The poem is very interesting from the beginning until the end and it points out one of the most difficult historical periods lived in 1939.

The way the author describes what happened in that period is really catchy. “… a low dishonest decade: waves of anger and fear…” this quote shows that it is a vulnerable period in which the main element is death. In my opinion, the poem is a criticism to religion, patriotism and progress. They are the central concepts which caused that men were left alone. You may ask why and the answer is because reality is not being shown as it is. On the contrary, reality is hidden behind the idea of a collective man.



Regarding to my point of view there is a bad understanding of religion which is the main factor that influences the way people live and act. It is believed that the idea of psychopathic god is because there is an intangible force which allows wars. . He also mentions that religion has controlled the way we see God and the way children have learnt about it. That is why they see God as a inconsequent force.
My doubt is why the author is in opposition to the bible if then he states that “we must love one another or die”. This sort of contradiction makes me fell a little bit confused; in spite of this I enjoyed the reading.

Victoria: The Waste Land

I decided to comment this entry because the poem is really interesting for me too.
I agree with Victoria when she mentions that the first line depicts that this piece of writing has been considered one of the most important poems.
It is really catchy to read “April is the cruellest month". It is evident that the author tries to put emphasis on the difficulties lived in those times. That is what causes that the beginning of the poem starts in that way, like a kind of warning in order to involve the reader.

I think it would have been attractive that you wrote about existentialism in order to understand better what Elliot wanted to reveal about life and death. The poem was written after the First World War that is why death was presented in the poem as a relevant issue.

I really liked Victoria’s entry because it really made me think some of the most relevant topics present in The Waste Land as realistic themes and not as an exageration.

The Waste Land by T.S Elliot

During one of our Literature class, we studied T. S Elliot. He was an American poet who was considered one of the most important writers in the 20th century.

The poem was written after the First World War. The first time I read the poem I was very confused. The author used subtitles as a way to introduce the main topics. That is why it is important to look at every detail in the poem because there is always a hidden intention in all what Elliot wrote.


According to my own understanding, the period in which the poem was written represented a time of great insecurity. After the war, society felt damage, misery, death and loneliness. A lot of people unjustly died as a result of the violence lived in those times.

To conclude, the waste land is a place where people feel desolation and fear. Nowadays, people are feeling the same in a certain manner. Violence and deliquency are making us feel afraid of what society is.

The Rocking Horse Winner and Odour of Chrysanthemums by D.H. Lawrence

It is really amazing to see the way the author mixes his own life with an irreal one. This is possible to observe in both stories.
The most noticeable in the stories is the existence of a very complex issue for society which is the desire of money. In the first tale, the protagonist is a boy that suffers because of the conflicts that the wish of money brings to his family. That is why he hides his sad feelings by gambling for money.
The second story is focused on the relationship between life and death. The relationship is mainly presented by the inhuman work world of the mine and the beautiful and vulnerable, natural world. For example, the important things that we can lose if the attention is payed to money instead of love relationships.





Thinking on what is happening in our society, it is part of our common sense notice that money cannot buy happiness and it represents a harmful force as well as alcoholism.
Nowadays is really common to observe children working in the streets or even worse begging for money. Is that what we want for our children? I am totally sure the answer is no. So, I think that our effort in schools can make the difference. If we contribute children to be comfortable at least when they are learning, things can improve.
D.H Lawrence points out very contemporary issues. I really enjoyed reading both stories because of the many issues that they bring, and that make sense in our society.

O l i v e r T w i s t

As we have seen in class, progress is the main topic for all the discussions based on the changes that society has lived. This topic is also related to modernity through industrialization.
According to what we have studied in class, the increase in population suffered in London was just the beginning of all the consequences which progress brought.

Charles Dickens in his story points out so important issues which deal mainly with society. For example, many children were alone in the streets; there were crowded places, etc. His main character Oliver represents the sacrifice that many people experienced in those times. He was raised in an orphanage under the care of different people because his mother died.
While he was living there, he was punished because of differente reasons.
His friends were young thieves who tried to find a better life. Oliver’s innocence was corrupted.
This is a serious problem that we still are living. Why do children become delinquents?
There is a lack of love and care which is really important to overcome poverty.

At the end of the movie Oliver was adopted by Mr. Brownlow and he found a better life.

“La palabra progreso no tiene ningún sentido mientras haya niños infelices”.