Poverty/ social responsibility

• Poverty and social responsibility


  The rich and privileged are insensitive to the hardships of living in poverty and are prejudiced against them (stereotyping them as lazy and criminals) further amplifying the social injustices in the Victorian era
• Scrooge


  • Represents the rich and privileged prejudice towards the poor
  • Malthusian attitude negligent to the lower classes
  • He was neglected as a boy
• Scrooge: ''I can't afford to make idle people merry''
• 'decrease the surplus population'


  Business terminology meaning residue, leftover, burden on society
• Ignorance and want


  • Cycle of poverty unable to break
  • Social injustice
  • Ignoring, being uneducated and turning to crime, no help given
• Descriptions of the poor

  • 'yellow'- ill and uncared for
  • 'meagre'- undernourished, desperate so turn to crime
  • 'wolfish'- animalistic, neglected by society
• The Cratchits


  • Represent the deserving poor
  • Show the reality of being poor in Victorian times, no one helps them
• The Cratchits


  • 'sufficient meal'- grateful for everything they have
  • 'brave in ribbons'
• Scrooge's change


  'I'll raise your salary, and endeavour to assist your struggling Family'- To help, now is charitable and understands his role in social responsibility
• If people are educated and equipped with the skills to work, they will be able to earn honest money. Money will enable them to provide for their families, eliminating want.