English ACC

• "Tight-fisted at the grindstone"


  Shows Scrooge as being frugal

  
  

  Symbolism of Gindstone (an antiquated image like a mill stone used in biblical times)- alludes to the biblical allusion Scrooge will undergo.

  
  

  Jesus will change his life through apparstions and Jacob Marley does through purgatory.
• A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!'


  7 adjectives represent 7 deadly sins (cardinal sins)

  
  

  Scrooge wilfully embodies sin

  
  

  Covetous (being envious if somebody else acquires something) is a sin

  
  

  Squeezing and grasping has connotations of Scrooge getting all the money who can even 'squeezing it out of the poor
• Solitary as an oyster


  Sibilance- represents his secretive nature

  
  

  Scrooge is hard on the outside but has a soft pearl about him on the inside

  
  

  In 19th century oysters were cheap and in abundance. In 20th century, they are expensive and more rare. Could show difference in Scrooge's old personality or represent that anything can change astronomically
• Hard and .........


  Sharp as flint
• I wear the chain I forged in life'

  Dickens message: we are accountable for our owns actions and responsible for other people. We build up our chains in purgatory for our actions in life. People focus too much about the afterlife rather than about now

  
  

  Chain symbolises being in jail and stuck forever

  
  

  Used to scare Scrooge as his chain has been building for 7 years longer

  
  

  If Marley converts Scrooge, he may escape his chains
• I girded it on my own free will

  Allusion to original sin- Adam and Eve defied God when they ate the fruit from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Their punishments would be that they were removed from the garden of Eden and forced to go through pain in labouring and pregnancy. Eve listened to the snake, which is now forever associated with Evil.

  
  

  God gave us free will which makes us be more likely to act bad.
• Fezziwig the employer

  The happiness he gives, is quite as great as if it cost a fortunate'


  Message to (Scrooge)the rich- The true value of your wealthy is how you use it to benefit other people and society as a whole.

  
  

  All of Dickens' readers would be employers as book costed 5 shillings (1/3 of Bob's wage). It is priced at a level out of reach for the ordinary man.

  
  

  Book written for propaganda purposes (about education) but wasn't popular enough so had to implement his ideas into this novella

  
  

  Dickens and ants to change the political view of poor (in 1840s wealthy employers would dominate politics)
• "Father is so much kinder than he used to be, that home's like Heaven!"


  Scrooge was abandoned by his father leading to his fear and his desire for control (through money). Lack of love from father is made up by money.

  
  

  'Heaven' is ironic as Scrooge would've never thought associated a good place with his father. Implies his sister had a better connection.

  
  

  He struggles at first to be a father for Tiny Tim as he has had that gap in his life

  
  

  Shows where his lack of trust has come from through his sister dying, and leaving Belle for the 'golden idol' of money

  
  

  Scrooge must've also lost his mother when he was young (not mentioned)
• Decrease the surplus population

  Thomas Malthus- Pointless feeding the poor as they will always be poor, and feed their children which would spread poverty. More pipe would consume food which means less to go round.

  
  

  Cruel social policy where poor people were sent to workhouses rather than receiving benefits allowances

  
  

  Poor people guilty of being lazy, and taking from people who deserved their wealth.

  
  

  When Scrooge's possessions are stolen by people who have a job (e.g. in services like laundry workers) they still need to steal because they are not paying paid enough.

  
  

  Bob is not paid enough so people like Scrooge are to blame for Tin Tim's death
• Tell me if Tiny Tim will live


  Future depends on Scrooge

  
  

  Impressive used

  
  

  Tiny Tim won't be saved at the moment because Bob Cratchit is poor and can't save his family.
• Scrooge pays his clerk 'fifteen shillings a week, and a wife and family'


  Bob can't provide for his family and Scrooge is aware.

  
  

  Dickens point- Wants to paint Scrooge as a miser but makes the idea clear that Bob cannot find another job because he is being paid the typical wage. Scrooge is paying him at the going rate and this causes Tiny Tim to die. If Scrooge is a miser, then so are all of Dickens readers (allegorical message).

  
  

  In 19th century, Bob is a nickname for the shilling. This is so readers associate the ideas of money with Bob Cratchit.
• "This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want."


  Boy has 'Doom' on his forehead

  
  

  Microcosm- Dickens' message is that if we do not educate our children, they will not be able to better themselves and will be kept poor by society, and will violently rebel against the rich politicians (similarly to the revolutions in France in the 1840s)

  
  

  School's start to spread everywhere to avoid this

  
  

  If the start of our population are not given their basic human rights, they will develop sinful characteristics and turn Ferrel. Ignorance and want are sins
• And to 'Tiny Tim', 'he was a second father'

  Important- learnt his lesion by looking after him. Tiny Tim represents all poor people in society.

  
  

  Psychologically explaining why Scrooge couldn't be a generous person due to his upbringing. Now he has become a father, he has fully replaced the void in his own life.

  
  

  Dickens message: Readers need to be fathers to their employees and others in society (care for them)
• A merry Christmas, Bob!. I'll raise your salary


  Dickens showing that wages are more important than charity. Charity happens once a year.

  Nowadays, we have annual pay rises.

  
  

  Dickens is making the point to reward employees to assist their 'struggling families
• Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but he let them laugh... His own heart laughed: and that was quite enough for him'


  Psychology of reader- Feel ashamed for rejecting the views they've had all their lives. Worried that friends and families will laugh at them for being an idiot. Scrooge doesn't care about them laughing back.

  
  

  Dickens message: It is scientifically proven that giving makes a person more happy than receiving