a Christmas carol revision

• what does the quote "scowling, wolfish" suggest about ignorance and want

  "wolfish" is anthropomorphism which has animalistic qualities due to how inhumane they've (the poor) been treated & experience of poverty

  they represent dehumanisation of the poor as society puts responsibility on secondary institutions such as workhouses, expecting them to provide for them

  adjectives evoke sympathy due to the reckless state of innocent children
• what does the quote "the phantom slowly, gravely, silently approached" suggest about the ghost of Christmas yet to come

  list of adverbs to create the impression that just as the phantom is approaching so are scrooges fears, the phantom is intimidating Scrooge, parallel to the reader because it parallels our own fears coming closer to us.

  the rule of 3 slows the pace, establishing a graver, more solemn tone.

  this creates sudden suspense & it also creates a sinister theme, laying foundations for stave 4
• what does the quote "mankind was my business" suggest about Marley

  Marley deeply regrets his decision to be a misanthropic miser unable to see the wrong within his actions until his death.

  he tries to warn scrooge however scrooge sees his worth as an individual synonymous with his wrath & value within business.

  scrooges ignorant capitalist mindset is highlighted when he fails to understand Marley's suffering.
• what does the quote "mankind was my business" suggest about Marley

  this reflects social responsibility; he wishes he had helped more people when he had the opportunities to, however all he can do now is encourage scrooge towards redemption which he ultimately failed to do for himself.
• what does "solitary as an oyster" suggest about scrooge

  this simile embodies scrooges purposeful choice to live in solitude suggesting scrooge is a deeply isolated, lonely person.

  just like an oyster as a single closed entity, scrooge is emotionally closed off from the world around him.

  the metaphor of scrooge being an oyster suggests like an oyster mirrors something precious within like a pearl (his capacity to change).

  the metaphor creates an impression scrooge may have a compassionate and solicitude side to him which is buried and hidden by scrooges bitterness and avarice nature.
• scrooge stave 2: "another idol has displaced me, a golden one"

  analysis 1

  • "idol" evokes religious imagery - suggesting money has become his god
  • dickens uses this word to condemn scrooges obsession with wealth showing it has become a false god that replaces love, human connection + moral values
  • "golden" symbolises wealth = gold coins -> scrooge values money over people. the phrase criticises capitalism & materialism
  • reflects scrooges moral decline; hopeful, kind man to cold & calculating = profit over love
• scrooge stave 2: "another idol has displaced me, a golden one"

  analysis 2

  • this moment reveals the emotional cost of scrooges greed - losing Belle = love of his life
  • dickens shows he wasn't always heartless - he chose money over happiness, a mistake that haunts him
  • pain in this moment suggests regret, important for later redemption
  • time of great economic inequality -> showing how even personal relationships are destroyed by greed due to victorian capitalism & moral decay
• stave 3: ghost of xmas present "they are mans, the boy is ignorance, the girl is want. beware them both" analysis

  • dickens argues the wealthy & powerful must act to relieve suffering. the ghost shows scrooge refusing generosity leads to a society of neglect, danger -> ghosts warning = turning point showing generosity not optional
  • human-made problems society created & ignored
  • personifies abstract social issues where danger feels immediate & real = living threats
  • children described as "frightful" & "wretched"
• Marley stave 1: " I wear the chains I forged in life" analysis

  • metaphor: shows his suffering as a result of his own choices
  • chain symbolises living life without generosity tormented because he only used his money for personal benefit
  • personal pronoun = personal responsibility -> purposefully didn't chose generosity
  • dickens critiques the fiction obsession with profit & status & instead prompts charity & social responsibility to his readers
  • catalyst for scrooges transformation to change
• stave 3 ghost of xmas present "not a handsome family but happy, grateful, pleased with one another" analysis

  • crotchets are dickens central moral of true happiness & how true fulfilment comes from family. role models to victorian families.
  • asyndetic listing allows dickens to present to the reader how the rhythm mirrors their emotional abundance, while scrooge neglects his family for materialistic gain
  • poor were often discriminated against & forced to work in abhorrent conditions as they were dehumanised
  • the cratchits subvert the fear of poverty with they spirit & love