Havisham Havisham "Havisham" is a poem written in 1993 by Carol Ann Duffy. It responds to Charles Dickens' character "Miss Havisham" from his novel "Great Expectations", looking at Havisham's mental and physical state many decades after being left standing at the altar, when the bride-to-be is in her old age. It expresses Havisham's anger at her fiancé and her bitter rage over wedding-day trauma and jilted abandonment. Duffy's use of language is very powerful and passionate. Throughout the poem oxymorons and juxtaposition such as ""Beloved sweetheart bastard"" and ""Love's hate"" portrays the ambivalence and restless uncertainty of the character, while a
Dickens in America the city in a horse-drawn carriage, which is probably the nicest way to see the beautiful city. Miriam takes lessons on how to be a Lady’s Maid. She does this to honor Anne Brown, Catherine’s lady’s maid who traveled throughout America with the Dickenses. When Dickens told her he wanted her to take medicine to combat seasickness, she replied she wouldn't unless her “wages were ris.” She had her own mind. The family was fond of her and she remained with them until she was an old lady. When he was in Montreal, Dickens and Catherine became involved with some