I’d like you to start today’s class by describing Dick’s character. What is he like? What kind of personality does he have? How does act? What are his values? How has being homeless affected him? Then, find a brief passage (a sentence or two) that you think best illustrates your discussion of Dick. Explain how this quote relates to your sense of his character.
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Dick seems to have charming personality. As a clever kid, he is able to get more work than other boot-blacks and is able to earn the respect of Frank and Mr. Whitney.
ReplyDeleteBeing homeless has made him street-smart; he sees right through tricks and does not allow anyone to cheat him. He values justice and kindness.
"[...] there's one thing I never could do [...] I never stole" (38)
This quote illustrates Dick's sense of justice. Sensing that taking something from someone else as a wrong action, Dick refuses to steal.
Dick is a good young man. For example, he has compassion for his fellow bootblacks. He treats his less skilled friend Johnny Nolan to dinner when Dick has a good day and also offers to share his room with Henry Fosdick since Dick knows he that is not well suited for sleeping on the streets. Dick is ambitious and does the best he can do in all that he takes on—doing the best boot shines, giving Frank the best tour of New York, making most of the five dollars from Mr. Whitney and opening a bank account, making a deal with Fosdick to tutor reading and writing in exchange for a place to stay—all to improve his station in life. Dick has a great attitude about life; prior to meeting Frank and Mr. Whitney, he had accepted his lot in life but had not become bitter or jaded.
ReplyDeleteThe passage that I think most sets the mood for Dick’s character is at the beginning of the book Chapter I on Page 16 when Horitio Alger is introducing Dick to the readers. “He was above doing anything mean or dishonorable. He would not steal or cheat, or impose upon younger boys, but was frank and straight forward, manly, and self-reliant. His nature was a noble one and had saved him from all mean faults.”
Horatio Alger takes a conscious effort to reference to Dick as “our hero”. This title gives Dick a purposeful air of power. This is not only a story of homelessness but more so the concept of struggle for power within the context homelessness in a society that does not respect or value them. Horatio used “our hero” to develop what happens when a person tries to leave the homeless community. For example, Dick begins just tale as any other homeless boy that shines shoes but as he becomes more educated, has a stable place to live, and is saving money Dick’s demeanor changes. With each new step upward to being respectable in society Dick takes on more responsibility. From buying Johnny Nolan dinner, to letting Henry Fosdick live with him, then giving Tom Wilkins five dollars and ultimately saving James Rockwell’s son from drowning all shows Dick’s steady climb into society as a responsible citizen. This is done because often in society homeless people are seen as irresponsible, lazy, and selfish citizens. Alger takes the time to develop Dick into a hero but claims him as the reader’s “hero” from the beginning to establish power in a often powerless situation. What Alger hopes to portray is how the common idea of homeless youth is not a true reflection of “our hero”.
ReplyDeleteDick seems to be a boy who is extremely personable and really has an inner sense of right and wrong. He continually shows a charisma that gets him more work than other boys, but he does not flaunt this. He helps his friends such as Johnny Nolan, and Henry Fosdick. Despite his lack of education he is able to work his way up through hard work and self-motivation all because someone finally said that he could do it.
ReplyDeleteBeing homeless has made Dick resilient to the hard ships of this world. Although he is not educated he is intelligent and uses his street smarts to help others, not to necessarily to help himself. He doesn’t back down when he knows something is wrong and pushes to pursue good without him even really realizing it.
The passage that I think best describes my description of Dick is on Page 72 when Dick return the money owed to Mr. Greyson. “ You evidently have some good principles to start with, as you have shown by your scorn of dishonesty. I shall hope good things of you in the future.” Mr. Greyson here has seen that Dick is good-natured boy and knows that there is something about him, that lets you know that he will succeed despite the obstacles he faces.
While reading "Ragged Dick" I have become entranced by Dick's character. Dick is a charming, homeless boy who knows how to manipulate living on the streets. Dick is extremely aware of his physical surroundings but does not let them get in the way with his drive for success. He is the best "bootblack" in the area and knows the tricks on how to stay the best. One thing that Dick does not do is flaunt his earnings to others. He tries to help his friends who are struggling rather than steal their business. I also like that Dick has several faults, that the author mentions, but uses them to stay strong, happy and excited in life.
ReplyDeleteOne place in the reading where I was really able to experience Dick's character was wen Dick was helping his friend, Johnny Nolan. Dick paid for Johnny meal when he was financially struggling and offered him tips on how to get more business. At one point in their conversation Dick questioned Johnny about how he got the money to travel from one part of New York to another. Dick asked, "Where'd you get the money? I hope you didn't steal it." This example truly shows how Dick is always looking out for others. Dick has an amazing set of morals and is able to bestow upon Johnny. Dick is also honorable because rather than stealing the business that Johnny is unable to do, Dick gives Johnny tips on how to receive more customers. Overall, I truly enjoy reading "Ragged Dick" because of Dick's character and I think highly of his persona.
Dick is a homeless boy in New York City. Although he has had many setbacks, he has unwavering confidence in his ability to provide for himself. He is not above sleeping outside in a box or in hotel if he can afford it. He can sweet-talk his way into getting food and nearly anything he wants. He has a passion for his city and his values. He does not believe in stealing and has hopes to become a “’spectible” person some day.
ReplyDeleteFrank, a boy whom Dick meets says, “There’ve been a great many boys begin as low down as you, Dick, that have grown up respectable and honored. But they had to work pretty hard for it.”
This summons Dick’s reply, “I’m willin’ to work hard.”
These quotes supply a great deal about Dick’s character and determination. Dick is determined to become “’spectible”. He shows that he is willing to work hard to rise above his past.
Although there are aspects of Dick's personality that remind me he is still, in fact, a child, his experiences overall have made him wise beyond his years. Dick has good values. Unlike some of his friends, living on the streets has not caused him to take on illegal means of acquiring money. Even when he is starving for food, he maintains his values. For example, when Frank is asking him if he was ever tempted to steal, Dick responds "...While I was standin' at the stove warmin' me, the baker went into a back room, and I felt so hungry I thought I would just take one loaf, and go off with it. There was such a big pile I don't think he'd have known it" (Alger 39). Even despite the ease of stealing in that situation, and being starving for food at the time, he still chose not to do it, which is admirable.
ReplyDeleteInstead of stealing, he chooses to work hard all day as a "bootblack" for a somewhat livable income. He is very good at persuading passerby's to pay for his services, so he makes good money considering the circumstances. Despite his living situation, he is still generous in helping other "bootblacks." He often offeres to buy his coworkers meals, which is especially generous since he doesn't have much money himself.
Although he is mature for his age, which is clear throughout the novel, there are definitely behaviors that helped me remember that he is still young. For example, he loves to gamble his money away, and attend shows. He also loves to be creative when talking to people he doesn't know and makes up obvious lies to have fun. I think Dick is a well intentioned young man that has learned a lot from his life experiences.
The story of Ragged Dick instills hope in the mind of the reader. Sometimes when one thinks of a homeless person, the idea of unintelligence and thievery come to mind. Dick obliterates these stereotypes. He has been homeless since the age of seven, which in it of itself is startling, but his character is indicative of cleverness and honesty. His honesty can be seen in his dedication to his work as a shoe shiner, but he also shows honesty with relation to thievery. One situation that is most indicative of honesty is when he sees someone swindle fifty dollars from someone else. Dick finds the swindler and tells him that he will get the cops if he does not return the fifty dollars. Dick gets the man to give him the fifty and then returns it to the person who lost it. He could have taken it for himself and it would have made his life better, but he chooses to be honest and return the money to the rightful owner. The second characteristic of Dick is his cleverness. He explains how being homeless exposed him to different types of people and actions. He learns about con artists and other swindlers. One quote best exemplifies this cleverness, “’I’ll make you a fair offer,’ Said Dick, ’If I get more’n fifty dollars as a reward for my honesty, I’ll divide with you…’” (37). The man that he is talking to is a con artist called a pocketbook dropper. Dick realizes this and tricks him into giving him this fake wallet and the cleverness that he learns from living on the streets helps him out smart the con man and prevent him from ripping anyone off.
ReplyDeleteDick a good person who lives a hard life but does not complain about it. He is a very honest person, who though sometimes tempted to steal or do other bad things, never does. He is homeless, but does not wallow in misery because of it. He aspires to become "someone" someday and have an even more respectable job than he does currently. He is always eager to work and take as many jobs as he can, even though some of his other homeless companions are less willing to than he is. Dick is very nice, and helpful to those that respect him. He buys breakfast for one of his homeless companions even though he doesn't have surplus amounts of money to do so. "He was above doing anything mean or dishonorable. He would not steal or cheat, or impose upon younger boys, but was frank and straightforward, manly and self-reliant. His nature was a noble one, and save him from all mean faults" (7). I think that this quote fully encompasses the character of Dick in this story.
ReplyDeleteRagged Dick’s character has been through a dramatic transformation. At the beginning of the novel he start out as a kid on the street. However, he was not dishonorable. He never stole or cheated or bullied anyone, but was extremely blunt and independent. He knew how to take care of himself but not in the long run. He had street smart as he showed Frank around the city, Dick was able to point out discredit individuals and their acts. Being homeless has assisted him gain street smarts. He lives day-to-day life as a homeless child. To be able to have whatever he can get on that day is a blessing. Therefore, he didn’t understand the value of home. He had never had positive human interaction until Frank and Mr. Whitney came into his life. From there his had really thought about his future development. To many people education is a privilege; he took that step of getting himself a tutor. Dick took the liberty to take matters in his own hands. “He was gifted with natural quickness; and he was stimulated by the desire to acquire a fair education as a means of ‘growin’ up ‘spectable,’ as he termed it.” Dick valued friendship, honesty, education and respect. He is an honorable individual who never gave up.
ReplyDeleteRagged Dick is an interesting protagonist. He is “the underdog,” and therefore we want him to succeed, but his personality traits are not identical to those of the classic protagonist that is seen in most children’s stories. Dick is tricky, uninhibited when it comes to spending what little money he has, witty, and not focused on climbing the social ladder, although he does so.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Dick is homeless, he has a source of income, and personal relationships with people in other social classes. He does not have perfect character, but his altruism is rewarded with a steady job at the end of the novel. Dick is not fooled by schemes, he is usually honest, and he is portrayed as a hero at the end of the story. Although his character is somewhat unconventional, the moral of the story is certainly not. It is simple: good behavior will be rewarded.
Although this is a good moral to teach children, it creates a somewhat unrealistic depiction of homelessness. Dick’s homelessness is alleviated because someone that he does not know gives him a job after he saves his drowning child. This is an uncommon remedy. There are probably many homeless people with outstanding morals and character, who may have even committed altruistic acts, yet their situations are not instantly improved.
It is not only the plot that creates an unrealistic picture of homelessness, but the entire novel. It does not show many negative effects of homelessness. Dick is a very happy guy, he is not starving, he has a bed, and he does not even express great desire to change his lifestyle.
From the beginning of the novel, Dick proves himself as the charismatic, ethical and motivated hero of the story. Although he is a homeless boot-black, he takes his job seriously and appears much more mature than most 11 year olds. He often compares himself to the other boot-blacks he knows such as Johnny Nolan. Compared to the other boot-blacks, Dick is motivated and successful in his own profession. Though Ragged Dick has been on his own since age 7, he still holds strong moral values. He recognizes the values of honesty, hard work and respectability. Dick’s status as a homeless boy in society causes him to consider only his day to day survival rather than his future aspirations. However, Mr. Whitney introduces Dick to the idea of future ambitions causing him to adjust his own views of life significance. Mr. Whitney discusses his own value of education which he instills within Dick’s mind. He then tells Dick, “All labor is respectable, my lad, and you have no cause to be ashamed of any honest business; yet when you can get something to do that promises better for your future prospects, I advise you to do so” (55). He introduces the value of future aspirations and hopes to influence Dick to look into his own future. Dick recognizes that he “ain’t always goin’ to black boots for a livin’” (55). Due to Dick’s already strong value of determination and hard work, he will now focus on improving his future and his status in society.
ReplyDeleteHere's Briana's comment:
ReplyDeleteDick is a Cinderella man, though I doubt he looks much like Russell Crowe. He is an honest and compassionate young man who simply never had exposure to the process of making a proper life. He has a sunny disposition and an optimistic outlook combined with a chivalrous yet humble personality. Dick values respectable work and living, honesty, humor, kindness, and a decent meal. On the other hand, he cannot not stand stealing, cheating, wickedness to the weak, and suffering. Dick’s kind nature and generosity lead him to give Tom the money for his family’s rent. Dick formerly enjoyed the theater and gambling but, “he never derived from these acts of liberality the same degree of satisfaction as from this timely gift to Tom Wilkins” (p. 116). Dick’s kind act demonstrates his compassion, kindness, understanding, and willingness to help and honest family down on their luck.
Homelessness affects Dick in different ways. The first way is that he does not know how to make a respectable life, and thus must learn from others. It also affects him because the he understands what it is to be destitute and hungry and therefore further appreciates the progress he makes. However, I do not believe that Dick full realizes in the story the importance of the suit of clothes that he receives. It is that simple ensemble of cloth coverings that changes how the whole world sees him and thus enables him to rise up in the world.
As a character, Ragged Dick is very charming young man. Though he has his faults, you cannot help but be drawn to him. He's witty and clever, and he makes his audience laugh just by being himself. He is the type of street-wise kid who, given the right circumstances, can push himself to doing what he needs to do. He's motivated and hardworking, which puts him in a better position than some of his peers. What I like most about Dick is that he is not to be cheated - he knows how to play the game, and he plays it well.
ReplyDelete"Who taught you to be honest?"
"Nobody" said Dick. "It's mean to cheat and steal, I've always knowed that."
I like this passage because it demonstrates Dick's sense of justice and honesty. He does the right thing, simply because it is the right thing to do. Whether it's true or not, it goes along with the Alger myth - if you do right by others, good things will happen to you.