Each sentence below contains a verb Stave 1 - description of Scrooge's relationship with Marley. External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge. So while he did not invent these particular traditions many people credit him with popularizing them. Of course, there is still a massive equality gap between the rich and the poor. This brightly\underline{\text{brightly}}brightly lit room will be perfect for my art studio. This compounds our sympathy for the Cratchit's as Tim was a symbol of innocence. Xmas Present - This makes scrooge realise that he needs to change or Tiny Tim will die young which is the one of the first stages of scrooges change. Christmas is now a time for family, friends and feeling good. () A famous geographer Thomas Malthus came up with the theory that the poor were just surplus population and thus should be left to their own devices - even if this meant letting them die. Ideas about purgatory and hell would have been recognisable to the mainly Christian readership at the time - and would have made the allegory more frightening. He greets Scrooge with a drink that makes him feel good: the milk of human kindness though one could be forgiven for seeing an alcoholic connection and then takes him on a tour of Christmases around the country. This shows that scrooge is only hurting himself by being so money orientated it doesnt affect his family but does himself. Summary. A Christmas Carol is a widely studied book filled with memorable quotes. The opening line says, ''Marley was dead: to begin with. This almost prompts a realization in Scrooge as he catches on to the fact that his wealth provides him (and indeed Fezziwig) with the power to make people happy. They were a boy and girl. The repetition of the adjective 'good' reinforces this idea. The list of adjectives show his wealth but also his warmth and generosity towards others. This phrase is repeated to describe both Mrs Crarchit and her daughter. Stave 2 - Belle's husband tells Belle about seeing Scrooge. The image of the 'lonely boy near a feeble fire' reflects very closely the older Scrooge we have seen, alone eating gruel. Being such a short story there is very little that is extraneous. Stave 2 - Belle breaks off the engagement. Check ()(\checkmark)() the blank before each sentence that contains a subordinate clause. ', Stave 1: 'that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death. Oh! Glorious!'. The image of the oyster is almost perfect for Scrooge at this stage in the book. The noun cell has connotations of Bob being imprisoned by scrooge. Money 5. This mirrors the Victorian rich's attitude to the poor. Scrooges offences carry their own punishments. "If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, the child will die.". Studying A Christmas Carol? Home Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol Best Quotes. The entrance of Scrooge 's nephew Fred at the beginning of the story introduces another side to the miser. Themes= family/greed and generosity/ time. Refine any search. The 10 Most Important Quotes in A Christmas Carol - https://youtu.be/8wpegV4ueYY'The Ghosts' in A Christmas Carol - https://youtu.be/15HiKFCMEyk'Scrooge' in A Christmas Carol - https://youtu.be/c2x9wiRRFQYQuick, relaxed, and informative, Dr Aidan's Guide to Literature aims to make literature accessible to everyone. "Are there no prisons?" I am not the man I was', When Scrooge sees the name on the gravestone, he realises that time for change is limited, The ghost of Christmas past shows Scrooge some memories that may have been lost to time, Stave 2: 'each one connected with a thousand thoughts, and hopes, and joys, and cares long forgotten', Stave 4: 'Are these the shadows of the things that Will be, or are they shadows of things that May be, only? They often came down handsomely, and Scrooge never did. ', Where the portly gentlemen explain to Scrooge about the plight of the poor and the responsibility of the rich to deal with it, In Stave 5, Scrooge begins to redeem himself for all the terrible things he did in the past, Victorian society was still extremely religious at this point and they believed strongly in the impact of sin upon the treatment of one in the afterlife, The way that Scrooge worships money would have been considered as sinful at the time as it is in a way idolising something that is not the holy lord, Stave 5: 'that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge', Stave 1: 'A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping clutching, covetous old sinner! () *The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice. Such as the graveyard at the end. God save you! "He hoped the people saw him in the church, because he was a cripple and it might be pleasant for them to remember on Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk, and blind men see.". Towards the end of the book, Scrooge has clearly learnt that fact and decides to spend his remaining days sharing his time, his wealth, and enjoying the fruits of his fellow men. Dickens uses Tiny Tim to remind his readers of the story of Jesus performing miracles and his teaching of acceptance of all. The word 'business' reflects Scrooge's earlier response to the portly gentlemen. The case of this unhappy man might be my own. The spirit of Christmas is personified in his open heart, open hand, and outstretched arm. Oh, no, no! The finger was still there. ". Walled in by houses; overrun by grass and weeds. He is cheerful and oily where scrooge is cold and sharp. A Christmas Carol is a well-loved and commonly read novel that focuses on themes of Christmas and poverty. The list of verbs, gives the spirit a threatening air- this is compounded by the fact that he does not speak to scrooge at all. "Quite alone in the world, I do believe.". The verb sparkled has magical and positive connotations, shows Fred is the antithesis of scrooge. ', 'He was all in a glow; his face was ruddy and handsome; his eyes sparkled, and his breath smoked', Christmas is a time when people 'Think of the people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. Where graceful youth should have filled their features out a stale and shrivelled hand, like that of age, had pinched, and twisted them. Scrooge is particularly affected by the death, and this is a death he is able to reverse in the future when he amends his behaviour. Draw one line under each main verb and two lines under each auxiliary verb. Accessed 4 March 2023. The Spirit pointed from the grave to him, and back again. It was shrouded in a deep black garment, which concealed its head, its face, its form, and left nothing of it visible save one outstretched hand. Did the Anglo-Saxon period last between 449 and 1066? He teaches scrooge to learn from his mistakes of his past. "Crown of its head there sprung a bright clear jet of light." Description of the Ghost of Christmas Past, Stave 2, this ghost is much less scary than Marley which symbolises the innocence of childhood. As readers, Dickens is allowing us to reflect on how far Scrooge has come in learning the lesson - and perhaps asking us to reflect on our own learning. The use of light throughout the novel suggests the truth/ the right path which Scrooge at first does not want to see. Themes= time/Christmas, "A solitary child, neglected by his friends.". Scrooge can see the error of his ways and then acts accordingly to become a better person. This shows scrooges selfishness and his addiction to money with belle feeling replace with money she feels like she doesnt matter to him and that all he cares about is money. Whoop! Both have religious connotations and suggest a true depth of despair at his previous notions. Bell, dong, ding; hammer, clang, clash! The noun unanimity suggests that he is happy to be involved. The dying fire at the beginning of the novel symbolizes Scrooges lack of either. Who suffers? Oh, glorious, glorious! 'A lonely boy was reading near a feeble fire'. The relative clause describing Tiny Tim reinforces the idea that it is Scrooge's actions that caused him to live. Whatever the book. We see when Scrooge is presented with the poor children (Want and Ignorance) how instinctively and perhaps despite his character that he is compelled to want to help. Scrooges changing attitude is never better highlighted than in his initial responses to the three ghosts. Clash, clang, hammer; ding, dong, bell! Shows Scrooge's inability to harness any other views that arent his. 'This boy is ignorance.most of all beware the boy"-Stave 3-Ghost of Christmas present Metaphor. She looked at me as if I had insulted her. Thus Dickens is ending with the message that we can all change our selfish ways and be a positive influence. In defending Fezziwig, he is taught a lesson and makes him think about how he treats his clerk, leading to his second moment of regret in which he'd like to 'say a word to two' to Bob. ", cynical- "what's Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without money", Isolated- "secret and self-contained, and solitary like an oyster. sungiemarie. We are reminded of the contrast between the rendered status. ", 'A frosty rime was on his head, and on his eyebrows, and his wiry chin. Scrooge, showing that through the visits of the different ghosts he began to change more and more, as in stave two his "lip was trembling", but now he is having "a violent fit of trembling". This quote is trying to say that Marley should've cared more about the people rather than his business - Marley, This opposes to the way that he conveyed his feelings to everyone at the start of the novel this shows his change and how he improved by the end, Therefore I am about to raise your salary, This shows a strong change in scrooges character as at the start of the novel with the 2 gentleman he was not willing to donate any money to them and now he is raising Bob Cratchits salary, This shows Tiny Tim's appreciation of Scrooge even when his mother doesnt think that scrooge deserves the praise, Another idol has displaced me a golden one. I am not the man I was. Tail has connotations of the devil- reinforcing evil image. This scene is very clever as well because not only does seeing the Fezziwigs party give Scrooges character the chance to see how much power he wields and how that influence could be used but it also offers us the opportunity to see some of the aspects that shaped Scrooge into the person that he was. as if its hold were of uncommon strength." There is a very real suggestion that Scrooge knows that the people are describing him. "Reeked with crime, and filth, and misery". This is where the clerk lives. ``My little child!''. Scrooge's sympathy for himself leads to sympathy for the carol singer from the night before. The use of the word 'alone' is repeated showing again that selfishness will lead to a life of loneliness. For example, the first ghost is a metaphor for how memories and the past shape ones experience, while the last ghost is a metaphor for death and ones legacy. Privacy Policy, https://bookanalysis.com/charles-dickens/a-christmas-carol/themes-and-analysis/. "The noisy little Cratchit's were as still as status". About Scrooge: As solitary as an oyster., External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge., If they would rather die, said Scrooge, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population., Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it., Marleys Ghost: Mankind was my business., Marleys Ghost: I am here to-night to warn you, that you have yet a chance and hope of escaping my fate., There was a boy singing a Christmas Carol at my door last night. Whatever the genre. A description of the ghost of Christmas present. But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! Belle "Our contract is an old one. Stave 4 - in the rag 'n' bone man's shop "I wish you could have gone. Stave 2 - the Fezziwig's party Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. The ghost of Christmas presents it sitting on a throne of food. Gives the impression of a festive being, full of Christmas spirit. The innocence of the 'angel' and the 'schoolboy' contrast with the hellish image of Marley's ghost, showing the reader that he will be saved. however, her reference to their father suggests that he had not been kind in the past, thus reinforcing our sympathy. The use of nature with a type of plant typically seen around christmas time makes scrooges comment even more menacing saying that they should kill him with the very thing that is giving him happiness in that certain period.- Scrooge If they would rather die, they had better do it and decrease the surplus population. This is to illustrate to the rich that they can be part of the solution, Dickens was of the belief that things in society could change and this was something he wished to portray to people to ensure they didn't lose hope, Stave 2: 'I should like to be able to say a word or two to my clerk just now', Stave 4: 'Fear you more than any other spectre I have seen. Setting can help create an atmosphere or mood in a literary work. Jacob Marleys demise is possibly part of what shaped Scrooge into the person that he is. However, how the poor were treated was far more extreme in Victorian England. If he had been, he'd have had somebody to look after him when he was struck with Death, instead of lying gasping out his last there, alone by himself.'. I can't afford to make idle people merry. 'Long and wound about him like a tail made of cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds and heavy purses.'. The shortness of the main clause at the end makes the message more shocking. A Christmas Carol is rarely classified as a gothic novel. Themes= Christmas/greed and generosity/family. " The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. This went against what Victorians considered to be a 'good death' where you die surrounded by friends and family and then are mourned afterwards. This symbolises his generosity and air of festivity. A happy New Year to all the world. He begins with no compassion for others but eventually learns a better way to live. Dickens believed in collective responsibility - that the wealthy should take responsibility for helping the poor, specifically through the provision of education and support for children. The hellish atmosphere is emphasised by the fact that the ghost's clothing and hair appears to move as though in an updraft of heat, suggesting that the ghost is in hell. 6. scientist; is. Ignorance could represent the wealthy upper classes who are ignorant of what they must do to help. The Ghost of Christmas Past is an interesting vision it changes shape and size, it has many arms and then a few, it seems distant and close, old and young in fact it seems riddled with contradictory images. The Total Abstinence Principle was a phrase used for teetotallers (people who refrained from drinking). Marley haunts scrooge- a description of his chains. He stopped at the outer door to bestow the greetings of the season on the clerk, who, cold as he was, was warmer than Scrooge. Stave 3 - ignorance and want Instead, once you know and understand the plot, a great idea is to pick three or four major themes, and three or four major characters, and revise them in great detail. Analysing the evidence "I am sorry, with all my heart, to find you so resolute. '', Stave 3 - the ghost uses Scrooge's words against him when he asks where there is refuge for the children, ignorance and want. Though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it! How does the speaker begin and end "Incident"? Here, Scrooge is talking about Fezziwig and how he uses his wealth to lift others up. On this page, readers can explore the quotes, they are broadly separated into a few sub-categories. This girl is Want. Themes= greed and generosity of the poor. Active Themes Stave 2 - the spirit takes him to past Christmases including seeing Scrooge alone at school. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father. Himself. "If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population." Dr Aidan, PhD, provides you with the 10 key quotes in Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol', along with in-depth analysis, to he. The idea that they shake hands with each person 'individually' shows the humanity with which they treat everyone - they do not see the poor as 'creatures' By the time he reaches the third ghost The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come he orders the ghost, using the imperative phrase Lead on! He is in control now, and wants the change desperately enough to be forceful about it. Part of the reason that A Christmas Carol is so widely studied is the abundance of different themes that it touches upon. The key theme for Dickens is that money does not lead to happiness, Greed is the single factor that is responsible for the breakup of Scrooge's marriage, 'Another idol has displaced me a golden one', Stave 2: 'The happiness he gives, is quite as great as if it cost a fortune', The Cratchit family are used as a depiction of a family in poverty, More than any other time in history there was a huge divide between classes, the lower classes lived in deperate poverty and were in want while the upper classes enjoyed a life of luxury, Stave 1: 'Many thousands are in want of common necessities, sir and many hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts', Scrooge's staff selling off his old goods, Victorian aristocracy were very keen to remain ignorant about the sufferings of the poor. Stave 3 - Tiny Tim As it is used in line 32 , the word reticent means the opposite of. This has a double meaning both as a sympathetic term of endearment and also the fact that thanks to Scrooge the man is literally poor. Only financial gain. Workhouses were a terrible place and menial and dangerous jobs such as sweeping chimneys still existed. The style of A Christmas Carol is conversational and direct. Who suffers by his ill whims? Stave 4 - the final ghost With in-depth analysis, this video aims. () The introduction of the portly gentlemen provide an opposition to Scrooge. When you analyse poverty in A Christmas Carol, you may want to reference the setting as well as using direct quotes from characters. Dickens creates sympathy for the poor, through the Crachit's and their tight knit family. The description of Marley's ghost has his chain wound about him. This again leads back to Dickens' idea of collective responsibility - that everything that we do influences others. You must cook those fresh eggs for that kind of special salad. Themes= greed and generosity/ time. Here, readers are exposed to the ghost of Christmas yet to come. The ghost breaks the news to Scrooge that the person whose death has been talked about so callously was his own. but stopped at the first syllable', Repeated phrase (Juxtaposition and patterning), Stave 5: 'Hear me! Draw an arrow from each underlined word to the word it modifies. Then, identify each underlined word by writing above it ADV for adverb or ADJ for adjective. Stave 3 - the ghost uses Scrooge's words against him A description of scrooge as a young boy, he was left alone at school as others enjoyed their holidays. ', "Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it.". Dickens' use of the word 'good' repetitively to demonstrate the juxtaposition between Scrooge at the beginning of the novel, where Dickens describes Scrooge as a 'covetous old sinner'. The ribbon for the bookmark should be seven (inches, in) long. Bob describes his crippled son. Instant PDF downloads. 1. When it was made you were another man. The adjective solitary and neglected highlight his feelings of loneliness and isolation, creating sympathy for him. The ghost of Christmas yet to come is a symbol of the effect that memories have on someone as they age. Then there are some of the settings contained in A Christmas Carol. But as I know your purpose is to do me good, and as I hope to live to be another man from what I was, I am prepared to bear your company and do it with a thankful heart', Stave 1: 'He tried to say 'Humbug!' said the Spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words. It has harsh imagery and the symbolism of cold, shows he is lacking Christmas spirit. Scrooges words to the charity collectors as he refuses to give charity. The speaker is clearly fed up with Scrooges behaviour and wants him to get to the end of his journey and realize his mistakes as soon as possible. As a result of this he was damned to walk as a ghost chained with money boxes surrounding him. Themes= greed and generosity/Christmas/poverty. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world.'. "Are these the shadows of the things that Will be, or are they shadows of things that May be, only?". Stave 1 - Scrooge's rponse to being asked to give money to charity, "If they would rather die," said Scrooge, "they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.". 'He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was a second father. Everyone is entitled to be a little happier on Christmas, and the Ghost of Christmas Present helps them to be so. Flint is a type of ground that makes it difficult for life to grow kind of like how scrooges character allows no imaginations to grow. Stave 5 - description of Scrooge's redemption A description of how the Cratchit family mourned the death of Tiny Tim. In this case, Ebeneezer and Fezziwig are both business owners with employees, but where they diverge is in their treatment of others and in their outlook on life. I don't make merry myself at Christmas and, If that spirit goes not forth in life, it is, them both, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is, squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner." Of course, the fact that this is obvious does not detract from the big reveal due to the way that Dickens masterfully creates tension. He doesn't believe it, but when he goes to the window, the street is deserted and dark as nighttime. Hangman - Try to complete the word by picking the correct letters. Any study of the time will tell you about the working conditions for the lower classes. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. He did it all and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was a second father., He knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the Knowledge.. Scrooge is not unfortunate in the way of relatives - he has a family awaiting his .