A Christmas carol

Question 1

‘Scrooge was the sole executor… his sole friend, and sole mourner’. stave 1.

Answer 1

-Dickens’s use of repetition positions Scrooge as a lonely character at the start of the novella.
-The repetition of the
adjective ‘sole’ builds rhythm and momentum to emphasise the solitary nature of the lives led by both men.

Question 2

‘a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!’. stave 1.

Answer 2

• list of adjectives Scrooges intention is to grab every last penny he can.
• first five verbs- semantic field of touch. Taking by force/refusing to share.
• (noun phrase) ‘covetous old sinner!’ has biblical connotations
• God’s Commandment: ‘You shall not covet your neighbour’s house.
  Dickens judges Scrooge as wicked and influences his readers to mistrust him.

Question 3

“hard and sharp as flint” stave 1.

Answer 3

-adjective ‘hard’ - lacks warmth, empathy/compassion
adjective ‘sharp’- pain,
Scrooge has no mercy towards others.
- Comparison with flint. Flint is used to create fire.
- Dickens implying- spark of warmth within Scrooge, who might yet change.

Question 4

‘solitary as an oyster’ stave 1

Answer 4

• Scrooge, like an oyster, has a tough, hard exterior and is closed to others.
  -simile- emphasises how he has chosen to isolate himself.
  When forced open, an oyster may contain a pearl.
  Dickens suggests there may be something worthwhile to be found within Scrooge.

Question 5

‘A frosty rime was on his head, and on his eyebrows, and his wiry chin. He carried his own low temperature always about with him’. stave 1

Answer 5

-Dickens uses imagery of coldness in his early descriptions of Scrooge.
-use of metaphor emphasises Scrooge’s cold-hearted nature and attitude towards others
- The list slows the pace. Dickens forces the reader to contemplate the metaphorical frost on every part of Scrooge’s face.

Question 6

If you please,’ said Scrooge. Not a farthing less. A great many back-payments are included in it, I assure you. Will you do me that favour.’ stave 5.

Answer 6

Themes: Redemption, Charity.
Analysis: Now that Scrooge truly understands the value of charity he is willing to donate money.
Link: We can thank the ghost of Christmas present for this as his earlier words about ‘Prisons’ ‘workhouses’ and ‘decreasing the surplus population’ come back to haunt him as the ghost shows him ‘Ignorance’ and ‘want’.

Question 7

“I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy.”

Answer 7

lifting of the burdens that had weighed down Scrooge’s spirit. Newfound lightness- freedom heavy chains of greed, isolation, and bitterness from earlier in the story.
-Angels-heavenly happiness and divine bliss
magnitude of his transformation.
- reflects the transformative power of redemption and the positive effects

Question 8

“I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future! The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me”

Answer 8

-importance of learning from, living in, and preparing for all phases of existence.
- change not solely to his own will but external influences that guide him.
- rejection of a solitary, self-centred existence.
- moral message that Dickens conveys
-encourages readers to reflect on their own lives and consider the broader implications of their actions.