Seven Years 3. Whatever the book. The list of adjectives show his wealth but also his warmth and generosity towards others. Flint is a type of ground that makes it difficult for life to grow kind of like how scrooges character allows no imaginations to grow. He greets Scrooge with a drink that makes him feel good: the milk of human kindness though one could be forgiven for seeing an alcoholic connection and then takes him on a tour of Christmases around the country. This is the image of rich men who are shown to ridicule Scrooge after his death.The rich are presented as unfeeling and callous- their physical ugliness reflects the lack of generosity in their spirits. No fog, no mist; clear, bright, jovial, stirring, cold; cold, piping for the blood to dance to; Golden sunlight; Heavenly sky; sweet fresh air; merry bells. ``My little child!''. This is fitting because it is traditionally colder at Christmas but also because the cold is an apt metaphor for Scrooges personality. Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents. When he sees Tiny Tim and his jubilance despite his disadvantages, Scrooge cannot help but feel compassion and by association guilt, as he has seen from the effect Fezziwg had on his staff that he could have a similar influence on Tiny Tim. The adjective dismal connotes a lack of light and hopeless atmosphere. Whoop! 'This boy is ignorance.most of all beware the boy"-Stave 3-Ghost of Christmas present Metaphor. Stave 2 - Scrooge's response to the ghost saying that it was only a small thing that Fezziwig did. Her gown is poor but she is 'brave in ribbons'. The multiple similes emphasise Scrooge's joy and elation at his second chance. Ultimately he tries to extinguish the ghost's light. Stave 1 - description of Scrooge's relationship with Marley. Oh, glorious! Discuss why you think the poet made these choices. "Crown of its head there sprung a bright clear jet of light." Description of the Ghost of Christmas Past, Stave 2, this ghost is much less scary than Marley which symbolises the innocence of childhood. Why show me this, if I am past all hope! For the first time, the hand appeared to shake. This poignant moment arrives when Scrooge is looking at Christmas yet to come. It is a dark, sad moment but Bob Cratchit handles the situation with grace and dignity. The description of the figure who is both like a child and like an old man, is suggestive of the journey that the ghost takes him on. Hes comparing Cratchits actual body temperature to Scrooges personality. Stave 3 - the Cratchits I think this is why the character of Fezziwig exists to show that Scrooge is not representative of all the upper classes. He listens for the church bell but when it comes, it strikes twelve. The noun unanimity suggests that he is happy to be involved. The adjective 'common' shows the reader that the poor only want those things which should be normal and available for all - the 'common' things rather than luxuries. Underline the word or symbol in parentheses that best completes each sentence. Dickens though that this was wrong and aimed to change perception, 'Mankind was my business. Spirit! he cried, tight clutching at his robe, hear me! The noun 'idol' shows that Belle believes Scrooge is so enamoured of money that he worships it. The ribbons are her means of dressing more festively. ffects the change, pulling the curtains aside with his own hand. By this stage, Scrooge has already begun to see the error of his ways and has realised that he will benefit from the messages he is receiving and so he begins to take agency over the situation. This use of listing to describe everything as 'good' helps to demonstrate the far reaching consequences of Scrooge's redemption. Part of the reason that A Christmas Carol is so widely studied is the abundance of different themes that it touches upon. Bob said he didnt believe there ever was such a goose cooked., About Tiny Tim: If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, the child will die., Bob Cratchit: Ill give you Mr Scrooge, the Founder of the Feast., About Ignorance and Want: This boy is Ignorance. We see when Scrooge is presented with the poor children (Want and Ignorance) how instinctively and perhaps despite his character that he is compelled to want to help. It was shrouded in a deep black garment, which concealed its head, its face, its form, and left nothing of it visible save one outstretched hand. The metaphor shows the are poor but make the best of a bad situation, always smiling and showing they are grateful for what little they have. "Reeked with crime, and filth, and misery". However, the verb 'profit' still has a hint of selfishness - as well as an implication of individual, even material, gain. A Christmas Carol Charles Dickens On this page, readers can explore the quotes, they are broadly separated into a few sub-categories. Themes= greed and generosity/Christmas/poverty. Bob describes his crippled son. The key theme for Dickens is that money does not lead to happiness, Greed is the single factor that is responsible for the breakup of Scrooge's marriage, 'Another idol has displaced me a golden one', Stave 2: 'The happiness he gives, is quite as great as if it cost a fortune', The Cratchit family are used as a depiction of a family in poverty, More than any other time in history there was a huge divide between classes, the lower classes lived in deperate poverty and were in want while the upper classes enjoyed a life of luxury, Stave 1: 'Many thousands are in want of common necessities, sir and many hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts', Scrooge's staff selling off his old goods, Victorian aristocracy were very keen to remain ignorant about the sufferings of the poor. A happy New Year to all the world. This may be a way of showing what Dickens thinks should be happening. ", 'A frosty rime was on his head, and on his eyebrows, and his wiry chin. Bell, dong, ding; hammer, clang, clash! The reader does not know that Tim has died, so Dickens foreshadows his death through the use of the simile. "', The ghost of Christmas present focuses greatly on the Crachit family and how, despite their poor financial situation, In the Victorian era, family and family time were extremely important, particularly around Christmas, ' A Merry Christmas to us all, my dears. Fred represents the spirit of Christmas and carries Dickens' message about collective responsibility and how we should treat one another. I defy himif he finds me going there, in good temper, year after year, and saying, Uncle Scrooge, how are you? If it only puts him in the vein to leave his poor clerk fifty pounds, thats something. The final ghost appears as a phantom a spectre dressed in black: clearly an image of The Grim Reaper himself. He is cheerful and oily where scrooge is cold and sharp. but stopped at the first syllable', Repeated phrase (Juxtaposition and patterning), Stave 5: 'Hear me! Did the Anglo-Saxon period last between 449 and 1066? In this case, Ebeneezer and Fezziwig are both business owners with employees, but where they diverge is in their treatment of others and in their outlook on life. In the first stave of A Christmas Carol, the following quote is really important in characterizing Scrooge:. ", cynical- "what's Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without money", Isolated- "secret and self-contained, and solitary like an oyster. Marleys ghost is the one that kicks everything off but also acts as a mirror to Scrooge to show him the error of his ways. Such as the graveyard at the end. Themes= time/Christmas, "A solitary child, neglected by his friends.". All rights reserved. But as I know your purpose is to do me good, and as I hope to live to be another man from what I was, I am prepared to bear your company and do it with a thankful heart', Stave 1: 'He tried to say 'Humbug!' phrase on the line at the right. Stave 1 - Scrooge's view of the plight of the poor "If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, the child will die.". Gives the impression of a festive being, full of Christmas spirit. Stave 3 - the ghost uses Scrooge's words against him A merry Christmas to everybody! It is this love that consoles him in stave 4 when Tiny Tim is shown to be dead, a long with the memories of Tiny Tim as a patient and loving boy. The declarative 'will' conveys certainty showing how urgent it is that Scrooge change. Stave 2 - the spirit takes him to past Christmases including seeing Scrooge alone at school. This is another quote where Dickens draws on the semantic field of the cold weather. Glorious!'. Stave 4 - in the rag 'n' bone man's shop The fog has lifted and Scrooge can 'see' the truth. Hallo!" Click the card to flip Definition 1 / 5 "I wish you could have gone. People can change, but Scrooge has thus far been content with his situation. Dickens, therefore, is attacking the Malthusian capitalist theories. Themes= Christmas/greed and generosity/family. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach. And I know I know my dears, that when we recollect how patient and how mild he was; although he was a little, little child, we shall not quarrel easily among ourselves and forget poor Tiny Tim in doing it. Then, choose the verb form that agrees in number with the subject. This shows that scrooge is only hurting himself by being so money orientated it doesnt affect his family but does himself. When you analyse poverty in A Christmas Carol, you may want to reference the setting as well as using direct quotes from characters. Scrooge is particularly affected by the death, and this is a death he is able to reverse in the future when he amends his behaviour. These include Scrooge's cold nature, the power of wealth, and loss. The simile has connotations of stillness and endings. We are reminded of the contrast between the rendered status. 6. They now drag him down in death, and hes forced to wander the earth, unable to undo what he did before. Then there are some of the settings contained in A Christmas Carol. For characters like Fred and Bob Cratchit, Christmas represents the Christian ideal of goodness and moral prosperity, but Scrooge is at his most miserly when Christmas is mentioned. The ghost of Christmas future symbolizes death and the mistakes that are sure to haunt him after his death. Everyone is entitled to be a little happier on Christmas, and the Ghost of Christmas Present helps them to be so. There is a very real suggestion that Scrooge knows that the people are describing him. in Its progressive form. The synonyms 'alone' and 'by himself' emphasise again the loneliness of the life he has chosen. This brightly\underline{\text{brightly}}brightly lit room will be perfect for my art studio. Scrooge awakes and finds his room as dark as when he fell asleep at two o'clock. Themes= time/Christmas/generosity and forgiveness. What is interesting is that a lot of the traditions that Dickens writes about werent quite so commonplace before his novella. The Spirit pointed from the grave to him, and back again. Walled in by houses; overrun by grass and weeds. Ghost of Christmas Present, Stave 3, he warns that if Scrooge doesn't change himself that "doom" will be in his future. Stave 4 - in the rag 'n' bone man's shop 1. You are changed. The Fezziwigs throw a party and treat everyone the same - no matter their status. "The noisy little Cratchit's were as still as status". This is to illustrate to the rich that they can be part of the solution, Dickens was of the belief that things in society could change and this was something he wished to portray to people to ensure they didn't lose hope, Stave 2: 'I should like to be able to say a word or two to my clerk just now', Stave 4: 'Fear you more than any other spectre I have seen. ", "there's a cold within him" that "froze his old features", sociable- "wonderful party, wonderful games, wonderful unanimity". Hallo!". Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. A Christmas Carol (Key Quotes) 'Mankind is my business' - Marley (Should be Scrooges and everyone elses too) 'I will honour Christmas in my heart and, and try to keepit all the year' - Scrooge (Willing to change, become better person) . Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. A foil is a character who contrasts with another character (usually the protagonist) in order to highlight particular qualities of the other character. Whatever the genre. ), phrases like holding a candle for someone mean to remember them, while candles are used in c. Scrooge finishes the stave by putting out the candle, which shows him symbolically putting down his past leaving behind the resentment he has harboured at having lost his childhood to neglect. Stave 5 - Scrooge's reaction to discovering it is not too late What I think is really clever is that the story is framed so that when we see the ghost of Christmas past, seeing the things that shaped Scrooge into the man he is at the beginning of the play starts to let us feel sympathy for him so that when he is offered a second chance as a reader, we are glad he gets to redeem himself. This quote is trying to say that Marley should've cared more about the people rather than his business - Marley, This opposes to the way that he conveyed his feelings to everyone at the start of the novel this shows his change and how he improved by the end, Therefore I am about to raise your salary, This shows a strong change in scrooges character as at the start of the novel with the 2 gentleman he was not willing to donate any money to them and now he is raising Bob Cratchits salary, This shows Tiny Tim's appreciation of Scrooge even when his mother doesnt think that scrooge deserves the praise, Another idol has displaced me a golden one. The case of this unhappy man might be my own. Analysis. He must have slept through a whole day and half a night. We have never had any quarrel, to which I have been a party. The Total Abstinence Principle was a phrase used for teetotallers (people who refrained from drinking). Dickens creates sympathy for the poor, through the Crachit's and their tight knit family. Each sentence below contains a verb The childhood innocence has been 'shrivelled' and 'twisted' showing the ill effects of their treatment. The idea that they shake hands with each person 'individually' shows the humanity with which they treat everyone - they do not see the poor as 'creatures' Charles Dickens only really scratched the surface of this. Underline the verb phrase in each sentence. This means that Scrooge is implying Christmas was designed to trick and fool people into spending money. They are likely to be of even higher class than Scrooge but are choosing to do good for the poor. Below one can explore the themes, symbols, and more that appear throughout the novel. 5. He is described as been so dislike that even the weather is better in that at least it 'comes down' gracefully. Setting can help create an atmosphere or mood in a literary work. However, it could also be argued that ignorance reflects the lack of education of the poor. "Every person has a right to take care of themselves. Scrooge learns how little generosity creates a lot of happiness. It has harsh imagery and the symbolism of cold, shows he is lacking Christmas spirit. There is no magic formula to revision but this three-point For each of the following sentences, identify the subject of the verb in parentheses. The adjectives: genial show his joy/ cheer, sparkling presents tense- has connotations of light and magic and open emphasises his generosity.Themes= greed and generosity/Christmas. In this way, like a patient completing therapy, he has faced his past, but can now move on. For example, the first ghost is a metaphor for how memories and the past shape ones experience, while the last ghost is a metaphor for death and ones legacy. Exhausted- "i cannot rest,i cannot stay, i cannot linger anywhere.". The noun 'father' shows the idea that one laugh leads to another - happiness breeds happiness. Key quotes from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Scrooge has undergone a metamorphoses - he has literally been reborn as a new man. Dr Aidan, PhD, provides you with the 10 key quotes in Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol', along with in-depth analysis, to he. Marleys chains symbolize the mistakes hes made in life and the greed that controlled him. International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct,London, EC1A 2BN, United Kingdom, 2023 Book Analysis. A Christmas Carol (Key Answers) Chapter 1 1. This mirrors the Victorian rich's attitude to the poor. Scrooge's language has been formal and official: here he is informal, natural and joyous. "His eyes sparkled and his breath smocked.". Privacy Policy, https://bookanalysis.com/charles-dickens/a-christmas-carol/themes-and-analysis/. The adjective monstrous, creates a negative impression of the man, almost evil, and reinforces Dickens message that it was the ignorance of the rich that created many society's problems. ". But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! The Victorian's would have seen this as fitting. Fezziwigs character is an understated part of the story of A Christmas Carol. Stave 4 - About Scrooge's grave: Privacy Policy, https://bookanalysis.com/charles-dickens/a-christmas-carol/quotes/. This again leads back to Dickens' idea of collective responsibility - that everything that we do influences others. The two children Ignorance and Want represents the attitudes of the rich to the poor in Victorian society. Invite Scrooge to come for Christmas dinner 4. ". A Christmas Carol: Key Moments Being such a short story there is very little that is extraneous. 'A lonely boy was reading near a feeble fire'. However, some of the scenes are to help develop Scrooge's character and add backstory. The noun cell has connotations of Bob being imprisoned by scrooge. "If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population." () *The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice. Towards the end of the book, Scrooge has clearly learnt that fact and decides to spend his remaining days sharing his time, his wealth, and enjoying the fruits of his fellow men. The noun 'contract' reflects the language of business - reflecting the change that Scrooge has undergone. "Are there no prisons?" Perfect for those studying the book at school (particularly GCSE students) or simply those wanting to learn more about it.For more in Dr Aidan's 'A Christmas Carol' series:The 10 Most Important Quotes in A Christmas Carol - https://youtu.be/8wpegV4ueYYPicture credits: Grim Reaper: openclipart.comCornucopia: openclipart.com By the time he reaches the third ghost The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come he orders the ghost, using the imperative phrase Lead on! He is in control now, and wants the change desperately enough to be forceful about it. Christmas is now a time for family, friends and feeling good. Of course, these changes seldom happen so quickly in reality and perhaps thats part of the reason that A Christmas Carol does not receive the critical acclaim that you could argue it deserves. Jacob Marleys demise is possibly part of what shaped Scrooge into the person that he is. If they would rather die, they had better do it and decrease the surplus population. Scrooge's sympathy for himself leads to sympathy for the carol singer from the night before. ', Where the portly gentlemen explain to Scrooge about the plight of the poor and the responsibility of the rich to deal with it, In Stave 5, Scrooge begins to redeem himself for all the terrible things he did in the past, Victorian society was still extremely religious at this point and they believed strongly in the impact of sin upon the treatment of one in the afterlife, The way that Scrooge worships money would have been considered as sinful at the time as it is in a way idolising something that is not the holy lord, Stave 5: 'that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge', Stave 1: 'A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping clutching, covetous old sinner! Dr Aidan, PhD, brings you the second video. Scrooge has been transformed - just as his room has been transformed by the arrival of the Ghost of Christmas present - and wants to learn. He begins with no compassion for others but eventually learns a better way to live. The ribbon for the bookmark should be seven (inches, in) long. QUOTES THAT SHOW POVERTY IN A CHRISTMAS CAROL, Macbeth quotes, Key quotes from Macbeth, Macb, 2019 GCSE AQA Triple Higher Biology Paper 2 (, Paper 2 Chemistry Topics 6-10 TRIPLE AQA GCSE, Prentice Hall Writing and Grammar Grade 8, Grammar Exercise Workbook, myPerspectives: English Language Arts, California (Grade 9, Volume 1), myPerspectives: American Literature, California Volume 2, Holt McDougal Literature: American Literature Grade 11, Texas Edition. A solitary child, neglected by his friends is left there still - Scrooge sobbed, This shows scrooges lack of companionship and support even since a child this could show why scrooge became so money obsessed, I have always thought of Christmas a good time. Though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it! The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. At this point, Scrooges character has become fairly well established but the reason that this particular meeting is of such importance is that it highlights Scrooges outlook towards the poor as well as provides his comments about how the poor should be treated. patience and hope fro them. Of Mice and Men Section Overview . A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Version 1 December 2016 . The tremors of the great San Francisco earthquake that occurred in 1906 (was, were) estimated to have measured 8.3 on the Richter scale. When it was made you were another man. Tiny Tim's comment is generous in spirit, seeing his disability positively as it will remind others of the true meaning of Christmas by allowing them to think of Jesus on Christmas day. Family Theme Analysis. The idea that we are all 'fellow passengers' serves to emphasise the idea of the transience of life - we are all going to die some day so we are more similar than we are different. 'A Christmas Carol' Key Quotations Stave 5 Analysis Term 1 / 5 "I am light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy. Where graceful youth should have filled their features out a stale and shrivelled hand, like that of age, had pinched, and twisted them. as if its hold were of uncommon strength." Stave 1 - Scrooge's response to the gentlemen saying that people would rather die than go to the workhouse. Perhaps Dickens is using him to represent the idea of childhood innocence and how close children were to God in order to reinforce his message that the wealthy need to do more to mitigate childhood poverty. Ideas about purgatory and hell would have been recognisable to the mainly Christian readership at the time - and would have made the allegory more frightening. Dickens also suggests that, through his adoration of a false god, he is no longer a good christian. The use of nature with a type of plant typically seen around christmas time makes scrooges comment even more menacing saying that they should kill him with the very thing that is giving him happiness in that certain period.- Scrooge If they would rather die, they had better do it and decrease the surplus population. These include Scrooges cold nature, the power of wealth, and loss. LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in A Christmas Carol, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Oh, glorious. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world.'. Both have religious connotations and suggest a true depth of despair at his previous notions. Hangman - Try to complete the word by picking the correct letters. Themes= greed and generosity/time. This is where the clerk lives. ', Stave 5: 'No fog, no mist; clear, bright, jovial, stirring, cold;', Stave 5: 'He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world.'. These words are then used against him by the ghost of the Christmas present. Of course, the suggestion that people might be talking about him is beastly to Scrooge. Scrooges changing attitude is never better highlighted than in his initial responses to the three ghosts. Description of the Ghost of Christmas Past, Stave 2, the holly symbolises Christmas. Stave 1 - description of Scrooge's house Stave 5 - description of Scrooge's redemption Stave 5 - Scrooge walks the streets enjoying the company of others. The happiness he gives is quite as great as if it costs a fortune. Whereas the line about being solitary as an oyster suggests that Scrooge refuses to let anybody into his life. Stave 1 - description of Marley's ghost Im sure you will all e familiar with the one percent statistic. " Scrooge entered timidly and hung . Fan is portrayed with affection - and her term of endearment shows that Scrooge has known affection. "I am light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy. The word 'business' reflects Scrooge's earlier response to the portly gentlemen. How does the speaker begin and end "Incident"? I am as giddy as a drunken man. To Kill a Mockingbird -Analysis of Major Characters. The 10 Most Important Quotes in A Christmas Carol - https://youtu.be/8wpegV4ueYY'The Ghosts' in A Christmas Carol - https://youtu.be/15HiKFCMEyk'Scrooge' in A Christmas Carol - https://youtu.be/c2x9wiRRFQYQuick, relaxed, and informative, Dr Aidan's Guide to Literature aims to make literature accessible to everyone. Partially because of the nature of its main character. The innocence of the 'angel' and the 'schoolboy' contrast with the hellish image of Marley's ghost, showing the reader that he will be saved. Accessed 4 March 2023. They are mans. About Scrooge: As solitary as an oyster., External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge., If they would rather die, said Scrooge, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population., Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it., Marleys Ghost: Mankind was my business., Marleys Ghost: I am here to-night to warn you, that you have yet a chance and hope of escaping my fate., There was a boy singing a Christmas Carol at my door last night. The noun phantom has negatives connotations in contrast to the more positive spirits - once again, warning scrooge of his fate if he doesn't change his ways. "He hoped the people saw him in the church, because he was a cripple and it might be pleasant for them to remember on Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk, and blind men see.". The adjective 'brave' suggests that the Cratchit's approach to life is noble and admirable - but not easy. This phrase is repeated to describe both Mrs Crarchit and her daughter. A Christmas Carol is the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a stingy, cruel, wealthy, old bachelor.The book opens with a funeral. I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy. Total Abstinence Principle more hilarious punning from Dickens. In Victorian times, most of the readers would have been christian and would therefore heap additional judgement on Scrooge who needs to repent. The use of the word 'alone' is repeated showing again that selfishness will lead to a life of loneliness. A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Clash, clang, hammer; ding, dong, bell! The image of the oyster is almost perfect for Scrooge at this stage in the book. Th onomatopoeia here makes the bells sound particularly noise -and yet Scrooge sees them as 'glorious' which is suggestive of noises from heaven.