Christmas Carol

• “external heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge”


  heat and cold = darkness and light // stubborn and cruel // emphasis on how weather cannot affect him - he is untouchable // metaphorically Scrooge has a cold heart // “little” - he is still somewhat affected, hinting that he has the ability to change
• “hard and sharp as flint”


  simile shows that Scrooge is unpleasant with the ability to be dangerous // “sharp” - his actions are painful for those around him, or his intelligence, which he uses selfishly to gain more money // “flint” - shows he has the potential to spark light and heat, reinforcing the idea of Scrooge’s transformation
• “if they would rather die… they had better do it and decrease the surplus population”


  “they” - dehumanises the poor and creates a barrier of us vs them // cruel, apathetic, uncaring // believes that people with no wealth are useless, no value // in the 19th century, prisons and workhouses were poor excuses of ‘help’ for the victims of poverty, the conditions were so foul, many chose to rather die
• “are there no prisons?”


  rhetorical question - scrooge asks as if the solution to the poor people’s problem is obvious // ironic as he knows the answer // attempts to justify his miserly actions of not donating, no sympathy, dismisses any responsibility
• “the school is not quite deserted… a solitary child, neglected by his friends, is left there still”


  links to “solitary as an oyster” - he remains lonely by choice later in life // we sympathise with scrooge and how he is - children shouldn’t have to be abandoned // he doesn’t have many positive relationships in his life, he even lacks friendship
• “like a child : yet not so like a child as like an old man”


  multiple similes to build up description // paradox - words contradict each other to show supernatural aspects but also how the ghost embodies scrooge’s life, from his youth to his old age // confusing comparison could indicate the lack of clarity scrooge has of his past // could show the ghost’s innocence yet knowledge and experience of life