18 the Ruined Maid

AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE

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‘The Ruined Maid’ by Thomas Hardy

Learning objectives: -

AO1: AO1: respond to texts critically and imaginatively, select and evaluate textual detail to illustrate and support interpretations.

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AO2: AO2: explain how language, structure and form contribute to writers’ presentation of ideas, themes and settings.

Pre-reading activity

1. What do you you think think ‘ruined ‘ruined maid’ might might imply imply or mean? mean? Think Think about about when the word ‘maid’ might have been used. ___________________________ __________________________________________ ____________________________ _________________ ____ ___________________________ __________________________________________ ____________________________ _________________ ____ ___________________________ __________________________________________ ____________________________ _________________ ____ ___________________________ __________________________________________ ____________________________ _________________ ____ ___________________________ __________________________________________ ____________________________ _________________ ____ ___________________________ __________________________________________ ____________________________ _________________ ____

2. Use a dictiona dictionary ry and write write down the the definition definition of of the word ‘amelior ‘ameliorate’? ate’? ___________________________ __________________________________________ ____________________________ _________________ ____ ___________________________ __________________________________________ ____________________________ _________________ ____ ___________________________ __________________________________________ ____________________________ _________________ ____ ___________________________ __________________________________________ ____________________________ _________________ ____ ___________________________ __________________________________________ ____________________________ _________________ ____ Copyright © 2010 TES English www.tes.co.uk


What did the she say?  In groups of three, take three minutes to make a list of words to describe

how someone might speak a line of dialogue. What is the tone of voice or what emotion or feeling are they expressing as they speak? 

Below are six quotations from the poem. On your own, read them a few

times.  Work in groups of six and allocate one quote to each member of the

group. Learn the dialogue from the line you have been allocated and, together, experiment with different ways of speaking the dialogue from the line.  Form new groups with people who are working on the same quotation as

you. Take it in turns to present your version of the quote to the other groups. As a class, discuss which versions and interpretations seemed to work best.

“‘O didn’t you know I’d been ruined?’ said she.” “‘Yes: that’s how we dress when we’re ruined,’ said she.” “‘Some polish is gained with one’s ruin,’ said she.” “‘We never do work when we’re ruined,’ said she.” “‘True. One’s pretty lively when ruined,’ said she.” “‘My dear – a raw country girl, such as you be, Cannot quite expect that. You ain’t ruined,’ said she.”

Copyright © 2010 TES English www.tes.co.uk

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Predictions 

Based solely on these six quotations from the poem, what are your ideas

and impressions? What do you think the poem is going to be about? Think, again, about the title of the poem. What does the tone of the poem seem to be? ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

Social and historical context 

Thomas Hardy was born in 1840 in Dorset, England; his hometown has

had a major influence on the themes, ideas and dialectal features in his poetry and novels. Investigate Victorian England Visit the following website to find out information about life for women during the Victorian Era. Focus on the following topics in accordance to your surname: Surnames A-F: ‘Women’ and ‘On the pedestal’ Surnames G-L: ‘Hypocrisy and double standards’ and ‘Prostitution’ Surnames M-R: ‘Off Limits’ and ‘Enlightened View’ Surnames S-Z: ‘Redeemability’ and ‘Infection and Violence’ http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/guide19/part10.ht ml Copyright © 2010 TES English www.tes.co.uk


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Women: ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

On the pedestal: ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

Hypocrisy and double standards: ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

Prostitution: ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________



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Off Limits: ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

Enlightened View: ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

Redeemibility (focus on Dickens and the ‘fallen woman’): ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

Infection and Violence: ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________



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Talk the talk  Work in pairs to devise and write a short script. You are two old friends /

neighbours who have bumped into one another whilst out in town one day. Character A still lives in the country (where lif e and work is hard) and is just visiting town. Character B has moved to the town and has a new job. Life for Character A has not changed. Life for character B seems to have changed for the better. The dialogue should include comments on: 

such a surprise / chance meeting;

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life now compared to life before – where they live(d), their work, their general lifestyle;

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how they have changed – in speech, appearance, (physically and clothing), personality, actions, etc – or not.

When you have a final draft, rehearse your scripts for a performance. You can mix and match and trial different versions as detailed below. Character A is genuinely happy for

Character B mocks Character A’s country

Character B. Character A appears to praise and be

ways. Character B is embarrassed to have

happy for Character B but there is

come across someone from his / her old

mockery between the lines, it is false

life.

praise. Character A is embarrassed by the

Character B is embarrassed to have

changes seen in Character B.

come across someone from his / her old life – but tries to hide this by being flippant

Character A feels sorry for herself. Character A feels sorry for Character B. Character A feels sorry for Character B

and dismissive. Character B feels sorry for herself. Character B feels sorry for Character A. Character B misses his / her old life and

but hides this fact by praising him / her. Character A is jealous and resentful of

is jealous and resentful of Character A. Character B flaunts her success.

Character B’s success.



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First impressions 

Read the poem. What are your first impressions? Make a note of your

ideas.  ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Translator - "docks" (second stanza, line 6) are weeds - "barton" (third stanza, line 9) is a farmyard - "megrims" (fifth stanza, line 19) are migraines.

What type of poem is this? 

This poem is a form dramatic dialogue. In the poem, Hardy presents a

conversation between two women. One of the women is called ‘Melia. She has moved away and has changed in many ways. As they talk, the role and treatment of women during the Victorian era reveals itself as a major theme within the poem. At the time, women were not treated equally to men. They were forced to project an image of morality, and i f they deviated away from that image, they were seen as being tainted or soiled.

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In ‘The Ruined Maid’, Hardy uses irony and satire. 

Irony: This is a device writers use to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning.

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Satire: Satire aims to show the reader the absurdity of human follies and vices. Writers who use satire want the reader to acknowledge such wrongs in society.



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Poetry detective 

How has ‘Melia changed? Work in pairs to make a note of examples from

the poem in the table below.

Changes in:

‘Melia’s life in the country

appearance

attitude and personality

voice (dialect, tone, etc)

daily life


Melia’s life in the town as a ’ruined maid’


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THE GREAT SOCIAL EVIL  Examine the content of this cartoon. In groups of three, discuss the

questions alongside and any other ideas your group feels are important. Feed back your ideas to your teacher and the rest of the class.

What does this suggest about the way a woman can achieve success?

What are the differences between the prostitute and the maid?

What is the general view of prostitution?

‘Gay’ referred to prostitution

Consider the advantages and disadvantages of being: A maid

A prostitute

______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________



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1. What is Hardy saying about the position of women? ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________

2. Why isn’t it possible to have the advantages of both a maid and prostitute during the Victorian Era? ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________

3. Is it possible to be virtuous and also have luxuries in today’s society? Why or why not? ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________

4. Do other countries across the world have similar attitudes to the position of women? Which countries have this attitude and why is it that way? ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________



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Let’s take a closer look Answer the following questions by providing quotes and analysis. Think PEE!

Stanzas 1-2

1. How has ‘Melia gained prosperity? ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________

2. How / why is that ironic? ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________

3. What is the rhyme scheme? How does that contribute to the tone? ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________

Stanzas 3-4

1. Why is it ironic that Amelia is fit for ‘high company’? ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________

2. What is the reaction of the old friend? ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________



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3. Why do you think Hardy has decided to use the Dorset dialect? What is the effect? ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________

Stanzas 5-6

1. Look carefully at what ‘Melia’s friend says in the final stanza. What is satirical about her dialogue? ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________

2. Considering that Amelia has become more ‘sophisticated’ in the eyes of her friend, why do you think Amelia slips back into her Dorset dialect when she says: ‘You ain’t ruined,’. Do you think there was a reason for this? ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________

3. Overall, what is the serious point or the message of the poem? ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________

4. At the end of each stanza, ‘Melia always has the last line. Each time, the last line ends with the refrain: “‘…ruined,’ said she.” She answers in an almost a matter-of-fact tone. Why is that ironic? ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ Copyright © 2010 TES English www.tes.co.uk


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5. Why do you think Hardy decided to use the name Amelia? Look back at the definition of ‘ameliorate’ and determine what Hardy’s message could have been. ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________

Chatterbox  THINK 

What is your overall impression of the poem?

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Do you think Hardy is a feminist? Do you think that Hardy really feels that the young maid’s life is ruined?

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Is the new maid’s life better than her old life?

______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

 PAIR

Take 3 minutes to discuss your opinions with your partner and justify your ideas. Add any further issues you have uncovered. ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________  SHARE

Feed back your ideas to your teacher and the rest of the class.



Theme tree In groups of three, draw a theme tree to capture all your ideas.


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My Itchy Toes Smell Loads 

Complete the table below with what you consider to be the

most important quotes and poetic devices within each category.

meaning

imagery

tone Structur e and Form

language Comparing poems -

AO3: Make comparisons and explain links between texts, evaluating writers’ different ways of expressing meaning and achieving effects



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Use the Venn diagram to find the differences and similarities between

the two poems.

‘The ruined maid’

‘les grands seigneurs’

Sample exam question 

Compare the ways women are represented in ‘The Ruined Maid’ and ‘Les Grand Seigneurs’.

Planning an essay Copyright © 2010 TES English www.tes.co.uk


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Using MITSL as a guide, create an essay plan or spider diagram for your

essay question. You

must include

3 - 5 points of comparison. Number each

point in the order you would write about them in your exam. When you write your essay, remember to analyse structural

and

poetic devices for their

effect and meaning. Don’t just list.

______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

The Ruined Maid Copyright © 2010 TES English www.tes.co.uk


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‘O ’Melia, my dear, this does everything crown! Who could have supposed I should meet you in Town? And whence such fair garments, such prosperi-ty?’ – ‘O didn’t you know I’d been ruined?’ said she.

– ‘You left us in tatters, without shoes or socks, 5

Tired of digging potatoes, and spudding up docks; And now you’ve gay bracelets and bright feathers three!’ – ‘Yes: that’s how we dress when we’re ruined,’ said she.

– ‘At home in the barton you said “thee” and “thou”, And “thik oon”, and “theäs oon”, and “t’other”; but now 10

Your talking quite ﬁts ’ee for high compa-ny!’ – ‘Some polish is gained with one’s ruin,’ said she.

– ‘Your hands were like paws then, your face blue and bleak But now I’m bewitched by your delicate cheek, And your little gloves ﬁt as on any la-dy!’ – 15

‘We never do work when we’re ruined,’ said she.

– ‘You used to call home-life a hag-ridden dream, And you’d sigh, and you’d sock; but at present you seem To know not of megrims or melancho-ly!’ – ‘True. One’s pretty lively when ruined,’ said she. 20 – ‘I wish I had feathers, a fine sweeping gown, And a delicate face, and could strut about Town!’ – ‘My dear – a raw country girl, such as you be, Cannot quite expect that. You ain’t ruined,’ said she. Thomas Hardy



Acknowledgments and thanks Written by Chantel Mathias and Amanda Fiegel Introduction and copy by Karen Bishop Audio file scripts and recordings by Barrie McDermid - www.podcastrevision.co.uk Interactive resources and design by David Riley - www.triptico.co.uk

Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders of material reproduced in this collection. If notified, we will be pleased to rectify any errors / omissions.


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18 the Ruined Maid

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