a christmas carol

• the spirit touched him on the arm and pointed to his younger self, intent upon his reading- Stave 2 Scrooge


  "intent upon his reading"

  • explores Dickens's recurring passion for education and literacy as a way out of poverty and therefore a way to change society
  • explores Scrooge as a person with a creative imagination. If he has a creative imagination he has the potential to change
• "Theres more of gravy than of a grave about you whatever you are" stave 2 Scrooge


  He teases Marley's ghost. Dickens emphasizes his imagination and humour to make the reader think of Scrooge from a different perspective- he doesn't want us to be alienated by him but to like him which will make the transformation more believable at the end.
• "Why its Ali Baba! Its dear old honest Ali baba!" stave 2

  Dickens makes Ali Baba an even more piece of information than knowing Scrooge was abandoned at school by his cold father. The repetition shows that Dickens makes Ali Baba real to emphasize: that the power of reading literacy and education is truly transformative and emphasizes Scrooge's imagination is very ighly developed so that Ali Baba seems real to him. Therefore when the readers get to the eventual transformation can also believe that that is real too.Dickens might also use Ali Baba because he comes from a nonchristian
• Grade 9 essay


  Demonstrates a thorough understanding and explanation of the author's point of view
• Dickens uses the character of Scrooge to represent greed
• Scrooge's greed


  Destroys his relationship with Belle
• Scrooge's greed


  Could have led to him suffering in the afterlife, had he not changed his ways
• Greed caused many deaths in the Victorian era
• Explanations


  The more you write, the higher your grade
• Writing more explanations naturally leads to writing about the author's point of view
• Dickens uses the construct of Scrooge as the face of greed itself
• Greed caused many deaths in the Victorian era, because the poor relied on help from the rich
• Scrooge and most wealthy Victorians were blinded to the effect that their greed had on others
• Dickens presents greed as being physically exhausting
• Scrooge's greed


  Severe to the point of having physical repercussions
• Scrooge's greed is a significant component of his character, taking a toll on him
• Greed is devastating to both the poor and the greedy
• Dickens may have used this to deter his wealthy Victorian readership from being greedy
• Victorians believed greed to be a sin, so Scrooge's greed could be seen as a punishment from God
• Scrooge is so consumed by greed that he is constantly thinking about it and envisioning ways to execute his pursuit of wealth
• Scrooge's greed


  Ruined his relationship with Belle
• Idol


  Indicates that Scrooge worships money and puts it above all else
• Dickens uses this to reveal the devastating effects of greed on relationships
• Scrooge's worship of money would have been recognised as a sin by a Victorian audience
• Greed can seep into one's mind and encompass everything, causing people to no longer care about anything besides money
• Greed is harmful not only to the lower classes, but also to the rich
• Scrooge's greed has distorted his view of the world, making him think that no one ever has enough money
• Scrooge's greed will lead to him having an unceremonious funeral
• Scrooge learns that he will suffer in the afterlife as a result of his greed, and now feels remorseful
• Greed can be avoided by being charitable, but the effects of greed are certain, so it is far easier to not be greedy in the first place
• In his political diatribe ‘A Christmas Carol’, Dickens initially constructs Scrooge as an archetypal villain as a microcosm of the wealthy in Victorian society. Yet, Scrooge’s transformation into a benevolent, caring, compassionate figure highlights the lesson that he wants his readers to embody - supporting those less fortunate. Dickens suggests that his readers will gain a priceless feeling of happiness and redeem their souls from damnation
• Dickens shows his opposition to The Poor Laws, which created “workhouses”, by making Scrooge support them: “Are they still in operation?”.
• Scrooge supports the criminalisation of the poor, “Are there no prisons?” and believes these are necessary to “decrease the surplus population”, even if this means the poor would “rather die” than attend them. The Ghost of Christmas Present quotes Scrooge’s support back at him ironically when Scrooge is desperate to save Tiny Tim, now that he knows
• On the way, Scrooge challenges the ghost for shutting bakers on a Sunday, which was a law upholding the Christian tradition of the Sabbath, forbidding trade, which will “cramp these people’s opportunities of innocent enjoyment...deprive them of their means of dining every seventh day”. Dickens juxtaposes the harshness of society with the “hard and sharp as flint” Scrooge, pointing out that the miser is actually more generous than the reader who votes for such laws.
• The Cratchits' home on Christmas day


  • Eldest daughter Martha is a maid of all work who had to "clear away" on Christmas morning for her thoughtless, and entirely normal, employers
  • Mother and second daughter make their old dresses appear more festive with "ribbons"
  • Peter wears a ridiculously large present of his father's old shirt, whose collar is so big it gets "into his mouth"
  • Only Bob and Tiny Tim have been to church, presumably because the rest of the family lack suitable clothing
  • Bob himself has no "greatcoat" and his best clothes are "threadbare"
• Although this is a comic portrait, it is also a clue that the winter is a threat to health in a poor family
• Dickens italicises the children’s excitement at the feast: “there’s such a goose,” and contrasts this with the goose’s meagre size, so that the family even eat the bones, and there is only an “atom of a bone” left on the table. After witnessing this comic scene, Scrooge brings us back to real life, asking the Ghost “if Tiny Tim will live”. He won’t.
• Dickens challenges his readers to realise that the going rate of pay creates the working poor, which leads to their malnourishment, poor health, servitude and often death. Scrooge, like the reader, has simply supposed the poor are “idle people'' who choose poverty because of defective character. Dickens wants to disabuse these readers, as he shocks Scrooge into transforming.
• The tradespeople have stolen from the dead man's room
• The tradespeople have "all three met here without meaning it!" because they are embarrassed at their crimes