Absence Of Food

Oliver Twist and the iconic moment “please sir can I have more” is a
perfect example of desperation at the absence of food. He is a skinny child
clearly deprived of nutritious food. The films representation of this is
amazing (in my opinion). Oliver, small, skinny and helpless, compared to the
warden, overweight, towering over poor Oliver. There is a clear contrast
between the wealthy and the poor which was typical back in the day. To be able
to show ones wealth would be through how large they were, it was a sign that
they could afford food and pleasurable delights. Then on the other hand you had
the working class, skin and bone, barely managing to have a meal a day.


Although this miniature rhyme, 'Old Mother Hubbard' merely displays
the absence of food, I've loved this piece for years. It's short, simple and
gets the message across straight away -- while pulling at a few heart strings.
It shows the lack of food doesn't just effect humans but animals alike. If the
owner doesn't have anything to offer then the pet has nothing either. It also
creates empathy and sorrow for Old Mother Hubbard, she's old and getting on a
bit and yet she's still trying to feed a dog when she might not even be able to
feed herself. It also highlights a key point that food is not simple a means of
pleasure and desire, but a need, it's a requirement for survival.
Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard
To get her poor doggie a bone,
When she got there
The cupboard was bare
So the poor little doggie had none.
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