Quotations

• ‘like a child..yet like an old man’ -description for ghost of Christmas yet to come 


  highlights supernatural + paradoxical nature

  Dickens encourages the idea to reflect on a past mistake to shape a future
• ‘are there no prisons?.. and the union workhouses?’-Scrooge

  follows thomas malthus views

  ignorant towards the impoverished

  rhetorical question makes scrooge seem dismissive and uncaring which reinforces his miserly behaviour
• ‘brave in ribbons’-ghost of christmas present about mrs cratchit


  ribbons symbolise dignity- they refuse to be defined by their poverty

  dickens contrasts mrs cratchits pride with scrooges wealth, reinforcing that true happiness comes from family not money
• ‘tell me if tiny tim will live’-scrooge

  imperatives suggest his catharsis as he has realised his mistake

  dickens critiques the societal neglect of the poor
• Who says, "I wear the chain I forged in life"?


  Jacob Marley
• What do the chains symbolize in Jacob Marley's quote?

  His sins and obsession with wealth
• What does Marley mean by "forged in life"?

  He is responsible for his own outcome
• What warning does Marley give to Scrooge?

  About the consequences of greed and selfishness
• What does the ghost of Christmas Past refer to the child as?

  A solitary child, neglected by friends
• How is the term 'solitary' used to describe the child?

  It indicates the child's loneliness
• What does 'neglected' imply about the child's situation?

  It highlights the consequences of social indifference
• What tone is created by the words 'solitary' and 'neglected' in relation to the child?

  • Somber and melancholic tone
  • Emphasizes the child's isolation
  • Highlights being overlooked by society