A Christmas Carol lh

• Warmth at Fezziwig's party

  " Fuel was heaped upon the fire "
• The range of people at Fezziwig's party

  " In the all came, anyhow and everyhow "
• Scrooge prioritising money over Belle

  " Another idol has displaced me … a golden one "
• The industrial revolution worsened the class divide
• Dickens grew up in poverty
• Dickens wrote a Christmas Carol in response of the Report of Children’s Employment Commission which covered the dehumanising and exploitative conditions children were subject too. Dickens wanted to share this message about the abusive and dehumanising treatment of the poor in his allegorical tale
• Thomas Malthus was a British economist who believed that the poverty was an inevitable consequence to an increasing population
• Christmas Carol is a Anti-Malthusian tale it directly indicts the Malthusian idea of the scarcity of supplies through the ghost of Christmas present who sits on a pile of food and symbolises abundance
• The Poor Law was introduced in 1834
• 10% of people admitted to workhouses would die
• Describing Scrooge at the beginning

  “ squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner “

  Asyndetic listing shows that his immoral characteristics are unrelenting and he unrepentant

  7 adjectives mirrors the 7 deadly sins

  ”squeezing“ and “wrenching“ connote a struggle to see the consequences of his actions
• Scrooge putting out a flame

  “ he seized the extinguisher cap, and by a sudden action pressed it down upon its head “
• Description of ignorance and want

  “Yellow” “Wolsih“ “Scowling“

  Zoomorphism dehumanises them

  Yellow is not the skin colour of a healthy child and this could show that they are malnourished or alternatively that they are a sickness
• Scrooge living in all time

  “ I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me “
• Scrooge being a happy kid

  ” Quite a baby ” “ Merry as a schoolboy “

  Infantile language connote innocence and youth showcasing his repentance of sins

  In Christianity rebirth is a spiritual renewal and connection with god

  Juxtaposition between “old sinner” and “baby”
• Marley being chained up

  “ I wear the chain I forged in life ... I made it link by link “

  Symbolism of chains as chains are interconnected like how greed is connected with anguish

  Symbolism of entrapment showing consequences of avarice

  Personal pronouns implies that Marley acknowledges the consequences of his actions and the result of spiritual poverty
• Marley and his business

  “ Mankind was my business “

  Economical language shows Marley as dickens mouthpiece to critique societies obsession with material things

  Foreshadowing the economic terms used in Scrooges death like “cheap funeral” and “marketing the corpse”

  Syntax of mankind shows that it is more important than business
• Describing the Christmas Ghost of the Past

  “ Bight clear jet of light “ “ purest white “

  Motif of light evokes a feeling of hope and enlightenment for Scrooges moral awakening

  Celestial image of white to purify Scrooge from sin

  Foreshadows scrooges moral redemption and emphasises the theme of forgiveness
• The Christmas Ghost of the Present and all his food

  “ glowing torch, in shape not unlike Plenty’s horn “

  Symbolism of “Plenty’s horn” as the Latin term is nourishment and abundance emphasising that there are enough resources but they are not distributed due to selfishness

  Motif of light
• Christmas Ghost of the Present calling Scrooge out

  “ If he be like to die, he had better do it and decrease the surplus population “

  Repeating Scrooge causing him to reflect on his ignorance and callousness of Malthusian views

  Plosives reflect harsh views toward the destitute
• The Christmas Ghost of Yet to Come trying to be the grim reaper

  ” shrouded in a deep black garment “

  Symbolism of death like the grim reaper creates a foreboding and final atmosphere

  Image of black contrasts motif of light from other gooses and shows that death is solitary

  Archetype (perfect example) of ghosts haunting Scrooge justly catalyses his transformation
• Scrooges grave

  “ It was a worthy place! … overrun by grass and weeds “

  Decaying semantic field mocks Scrooges materialistic life

  Proleptic (flash forward) death displays consequences of neglecting moral and civic duties

  Exclamative sentence serves karma
• Bob being irrelevant

  “ clerk “

  Lack of identity dehumanises

  No name strips down individuality

  Symbolism of being anonymous relates to social inequality
• Fred being better to Scrooge

  “ all in a glow ; his face was ruddy and handsome ; his eyes sparkled “

  Motif of light shows he is a beacon of hope for Scrooges redemption

  Foil to Scrooge

  Juxtaposes Scrooges “ frosty rime” and “darkness is cheap” sets Fred as the benchmark for Scrooges moral rebirth
• Fred being nice to Scrooge and believing in karma

  “ his offences carry their own punishment, and I have nothing to say against him “