a christmas carol

• Misanthropic – unsociable and mean
• philanthropic- generous and charitable
• miser- a person who hoards wealth and spends as little money as possible
• parsimonious- very unwilling to spend money or use resources
• metamorphosis- a marked and abrupt change
• bourgeoisie- the middle class
• proletariat- the working class
• the mistreatment of the poor

  -dickens had first hand experience of being both rich and poor

  -25% of children didnt live till their 1st birthday

  -50% died before their 5th birthday
• dickens wrote ACC to incite social change
• Dickens hated malthusian theory as be believed it allowed rich people to feel justified to see poverty as a natural way to keep the population down
• importance of charity

  -dickens used his status and cash to aid charities

  -he also wrote in newspapers about the importance of supporting various charities
• the Victorian church

  Dickens felt that the church had massive influence over society but they had veered away from the Bible's teachings
• The Victorian church

  -encouraged prayer as a way of helping the most needy

  -taught that God decided on your place in society, so it was thought that the poor were sinners
• stave one


  being considerate and kind is what distinguishes us from animals. those who dont display these qualities are less than human
• stave two


  our childhood is inextricably linked to the adult we become
• stave three


  dickens disputes Malthusian Theory
• stave four


  our actions have a broad, wide-ranging impact on others
• stave five


  its never too late to change and be redeemed
• throughout the whole novella

  look to the Bible for teachings not the Victorian Church
• AO1 theme- social responsibility


  -the idea that society should be more socially responsible is a key message throughout the whole novella

  -there are charitable characters such as Fezziwig and the Portly gentlemen

  -presentation of Ignorance and Want offer a strong say on social responsibility

  -Tiny Tim is a victim of a society that doesn't value the poor or those with disabilities
• AO1 theme- family

  -the Cratchits subvert the victorian belief that the poor were sinners

  -we repeatedly see Scrooge reject family

  -family is also shown through Belle and her when she was with Scrooge and when she is a grandmother with a large family

  -Scrooge becomes a second father to Tiny Tim
• AO1 theme- festivity

  -Ghost of Christmas Present is a cross between Father Christmas and Jesus (Sinter Klaus)

  -contrast between Cratchit's christmas and Fred's luxurious one but both prioritise fun and togetherness

  -Scrooge's change of perception of Christmas in Stave one compared to stave five
• AO1 theme- memory and past


  -past has a massive impact on who scrooge is as a person in the present times. "solitary child"- "solitary as an oyster"

  -Scrooge struggles the most with the visions that involved Belle

  -death of Little Fan really affected scrooge too
• AO1 theme- change and redemption

  -its a Christian redemption story. scrooge undergoes an enormous transformation.

  -bells reflect God in ACC, the bells lose hope in Stave one and eventually disappear but in Stave five, they ring loudly to reflect God's presence and joy of his change.

  -avoids Marley's after-life is purgatory
• AO1 theme- greed and charity

  -portly gentlemen show us how scrooge attitude towards money changes in the novella.

  -scrooge does absolutely nothing with his money and lives like a 'poor'

  -stealing of his money and belongings when he dies

  -Tiny Tim, Ignorance and Want are victims of a society with too many people like Scrooge
• "Hard and sharp as flint"
• "gruff old bell was always peeping slily down at scrooge"
• "solitary as an oyster"
• "the chain he drew was clasped about his middle... it was long and wound about him like a tail"
• " ebenezer scrooge"
• " bob cratchit"
• " as light as a feather"
• Dickens disliked the victorian churches views but followed biblical teachings
• Fred is the foil for scrooge