christmas carol gcse

• 1834 New Poor Law 


  The 1834 new poor law punished the poor,for being poor. You could be jailed if you were unemployed or homeless.You could work for free in a workhouse, for accomodation. Dickens heavily critisized the law heavily with the quote 'are there no prisons? are there no workhouses?'
• Victorian Class Divide


  This idea is explored throughout the entire novel. The tiny rich part of society were unaware of people like Bob Cratchit lifestyles were so difficult. The rich were unaware of ignorance and want and the effects this divide had on the children.
• Dickens started work at 12 years old.


  Dickens talks from his own experiences through tiny tim and ignorance and want. Dickens was 12 when his father went too prison so he had too work in a shoe blacking factory. Dickens audience who were rich victorians, got their shoes blackened using the products children like Dickens would create. This means that Dickens is empathetic too the young characters.
• Charity


  A christmas carol is about the importance of charitable actions from the rich towards the poor. Scrooge became a patron to Tiny Tim. This idea is too inspire the rich victorian audience to become charitable.
• Redemption

  Victorians were very religious and believed in the afterlife. Dickens conveyed that if they became like Scrooge that they could alter their afterlife. If they were like Jacob Marley and died, they would go too hell.
• Christmas

  In the novel, Dickens is showing his religious audience the sacrifice God had made by sending Jesus (who was born on Christmas Day) for humans.
• Family

  Scrooge rejected his family which contributed to his misery. However, people like Belle, Bob and Fred were happy as they put family in the centre of their lives. At the end of the novel, Scrooge learns the importance of family.
• Class and Social Injustice

  Dickens shows that the rich (the audience) contributes to the injustices as they were greedy and underpaid their workers. An example of this is Bob Cratchit.
• ' as solitary as an oyster' desicribe Ebeneezer Scrooge


  This is a similie that illustrates how isolated he is from society because of his greed.
• 'are there no prisons? are there no workhouses?' said by Scrooge.


  These rhetorical questions are said when the charity men visit Scrooge too ask for donations. This reflects Scrooges support of the 1834 New Poor Law.
• 'small pudding... large family' describes the cratchits christmas dinner.


  The oxymoron of small and large illustrates the poverty most poor families had at the time. However as they were together as a family, they were still happy. This contrasts too Scrooge as he had so much wealth yet he was miserable.
• 'God bless us everyone.' said by Tiny Tim. The last line of the novel.


  Despite his disablities and challenges, he is still very thankful. The powerful phrase also shows Scrooges change and its positive impacts when he gives gifts too the Cratchit Family.
• 'chain i forged in life' said by Jacob Marley .


  Jacob Marley visits Scrooge, as a ghost, too warn him about how his greedy, money hungry actions will have concequences in the afterlife (links too the audiences religious views). The metaphor is used too show the audience they will end up like Jacob Marley if they don't change.
• Powerful description of the Ghost of Christmas Past looking 'like a child... old man' using a similie.


  The noun 'child' represents Scrooges childhood and takes him back too when he was a child. 'old man' represents Scrooges present self.
• ' Another idol has displaced me... A golden one' said by Belle when she ends her relationship with Scrooge. 


  The metaphor 'idol' represents Scrooges love of money rather than the love of his life, Belle. Scrooges love of money, isolates him.
• 'This boy is ignornace, this girl is want' said by The Ghost of Christmas Present (the jolly giant) to describe the two children.


  Ignorance represents the problems in society that the rich choose too ignore. Want symbolizes the rich's want for more (greed). These actions which are demstrated by Scrooge, lead too children ending up like Ignorance and Want.
• The Ghost of Christmas Yet Too come is describes as 'Deep black garnment'


  Dressed in a black robe that is symbolic of death, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come looks similar to the Grim Reaper. The ghost foreshadows how Scrooge dies if he does not change.
• Fred says 'Merry Christmas Uncle!' too Scrooge


  Fred represents family. The quote shows how Scrooge has finally learned the importance of family and has redeemed his past mistakes of neglecting his family.
• The similie 'I am as light as a feather' is said by Scrooge at the end of his transformation.

  This quote shows how Scrooge is now free from his burden of greed. This new found attitude leads him to go and fix his mistakes he made in Stave One, by giving too charity and improving Bob Cratchits Christmas.