A Christmas Carol Flashcards
Which quote at the beginning of the novella foreshadows the return of Marley meanwhile creating an ominous feel?
‘’Marley was dead: to begin with’’
What does the world ‘sole’ mean in stave 1?
The repetition of ‘sole’ emphasises the solitary and repellant nature of scrooge and Marley.
How is scrooge described in stave 1?
-‘tight fisted’: lacking basic generosity
-‘old sinner’: Christian vocabulary, shows how he needs to accept Christian values in order to change.
-‘solitary as an oyster’:lonely but has good inside of him.
-‘froze his old features’: semantic field of coldness surrounding scrooge.
What quotes show scrooges attitudes?
‘If they would rather die, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population’ : displays his lack of sympathy and highlights the extreme juxtaposition between the charitable men and scrooge
‘I can’t afford to make idle people merry,’
‘It’s not my business’
Dickens foregrounds a character who seems unlikely to change in order to make his change and transformation seem much more extraordinary.
What does Marley want?
Marley wants scrooge to change. His sins are heavy on his soul and he is bound to a life of suffering, he needs scrooge to reform so he isn’t also stuck in purgatory.
What is the ghost of Christmas past like?
The ghost advocated generosity, peace and goodwill. It personifies warmth and compassion but also sets a tone with its appearance, not daunting but shines a light on the past. The light from its head shows the truth found in memories.
What is the definition of ‘Plenty’s horn’?
A mythological horn filled with everlasting produce. Often referred to as a cornucopia, symbolizing abundance.
How do we begin to view the transformation of Scrooge?
Scrooge’s transformation is represented through the room changing. This highlights the beginning of his journey from miserly to generous.
What does the ghost of Christmas Present symbolize?
The ghost symbolizes warmth and family togetherness. This is depicted through the imagery of a ‘blazing fire,’ contrasting with Scrooge’s ‘meagre fire.’
What is juxtaposed with Scrooge’s ‘meagre fire’?
The ghost of Christmas Present’s ‘blazing fire.’ This juxtaposition of the semantic fields emphasises the themes of generosity and charity but also greed.
What is the main contrast between the cratchits and Scrooge?
Scrooge is rich but miserable, the Cratchits are poor but happy and grateful.
Fill in the blank: The ghost of Christmas Present represents _______.
[abundance and warmth]
True or False: The imagery of fire in the story is used to symbolize isolation.
False.
The imagery of fire symbolizes warmth and family togetherness, contrasting Scrooge’s isolation.
What do the cratchits teach the reader?
They teach the reader what they should value, family.
What is a vignette?
A vignette is a brief evocative description, account or episode.
What stave can you find the vignettes?
Stave 3
Which motif is present throughout the vignettes?
The motif of fire, symbolising warmth and family.
What do the vignettes show?
They show that even in the most isolated places, Christianity and Christmas spirit can still be reached. The love and value for one another has no bounds, especially at Christmas time.
What are the characters that emerge from the ghost of Christmas presents cloak called?
Ignorance and want
What can be used to describe ignorance and want?
-malnourished
-miserable
-the antithesis of what children should be like.
-semantic field of animals, showing that if people aren’t given what they need, they become animalistic and rejecting of humanity.
What do ignorance and want symbolise?
A product of society’s disregard and lack of charitableness.
What is the ghost of Christmas yet to come like?
-personifies death
-intimidating
-surrounded by a semantic field of darkness.
-pathetic fallacy of the scene
How does scrooge feel about the ghost of Christmas yet to come?
He is fearful. He is filled with a ‘solemn dread’ and he ‘feared the silent shape so much’ - displaying the way his attitudes have changed.
What does the ‘old Joe’s’ scene (the pawn shop) represent?
Ignorance and want.
The reader is shown how people scavenge and profit cynically and opportunistically from the misfortune of others. The reader is shown a society that has de-generated.
What does stave 4 show the reader?
It depicts a warning to the audience of what a lack of humanity results in. It displays the selfishness and lack of sympathy which goes hand in hand with a society in poverty.
What is dickens?
A reformist.
Why does dickens juxtapose scrooges neighbourhood with the slums?
To display the greed for money that both sides have.
What does scrooge need to do in order to change?
Give people their humanity back.
Who represents ‘the surplus population’?
Tiny tim - the sick, vulnerable, poor children in society.
What does bob cratchits description of meeting Fred show?
How Fred’s character juxtaposes scrooges character so truly highlight the negative qualities of scrooge.
How is the graveyard described?
Overgrown, to show that nobody cares about scrooges death.
How do Scrooges attitudes towards the first ghost and the last ghosts change?
Marley-scrooge is angry and disbelieving.
Ghost of Christmas yet to come-scrooge is weak, scared and sorry.
How does dickens use tiny Tim?
Dickens used tiny Tim to evoke sympathy in the reader in order to further penalise Scrooge.
Is scrooge a dynamic or static character?
Scrooge is a dynamic character, he changes and transforms.
What type of tale is a Christmas carol?
It is a morality tale, teaching people what they should value and how they should help people less fortunate - written for the wealthy.
What does scrooge say in his pledge?
‘’I will live in the past, the present and the future! The spirits of all three shall strive within me,’’
How does scrooge move within the text?
He moves from being on the peripheral to being in the centre/interior by his change.
How does the reintroduction of the charitable men help the reader to see Scrooges transformation?
The cyclical structure helps to display Scrooges change in attitudes as both encounters are completely different.
What characters does Dickens use to structurally mirror from stage 1 to stave 5?
The charitable gentlemen.
