A Christmas Carol Flashcards
What does the word “unearth” mean? and put it in a sentence.
unearth- bring to the surface
“The ghost of Christmas past unearths buried memories and hidden truths”
What does the word “compel” mean? and put it in a sentence.
compel= to force
“the buried memories compels scrooge to reflect on his past”
What does the word “repress” mean? and put it in a sentence.
repress = to push down
“the painful memories caused scrooge to repress his emotion”
What does the word “motif” mean? and put it in a sentence
a repeated theme
“the light is a common motif in a Christmas carol”
What does the word “parsimonious” mean? and put it in a sentence.
to be frugal or stingy
“scrooge was parsimonious”
What is the purpose of the ghost of Christmas past?
it serves as a revelation for scrooge as the ghost unearths buried memories and hidden truths, this compels scrooge to reflect on his past and to repress his emotions his emotions
“Would you so soon put out, with worldly hands, the light I give?”- ghost of Christmas past. what techniques does this quote have?
personification.
its personifies memory, by speaking to scrooge, the ghost actually personifies memory and embodies the experiences and emotions that scrooge has been neglecting
“Would you so soon put out, with worldly hands, the light I give?”, what does this symbolise?
light.
light symbolises memory, knowledge and self awareness.
physically and metaphorically to illuminate scrooges past and the lessons he will learn from it
what does the phrase “put out light” suggest?
symbolises scrooges want to resist confronting these painful memories and painful past experiences
does not want to confront the repressed emotions and reinforces how he is resistant to change and resisting redemption
“another idol has displaced me… a golden one.”- belle what does this mean? and why?
belle saying scrooge chooses money over her.
ghost of Christmas past using this agonising memory to bring out his repressed emotions and hopefully catalyse his journey to redemption
what does catalyse mean?
kickstart
“would you so soon put out, with _______ hands , the light I ____?”
worldly, give
“another ____ has displaced me… a ______ one.”
idol, golden
what are 2 intentions dickens has from the ghost?
critiques isolation
ghost serves as an intention to encourage reflection
exposing materialism
explain how dickens critiques isolation?
scrooges isolation as a child, neglected by his friends shows how scrooge becomes who he is now, it illustrates the long lasting impact of negligence and how connection is essential for the development of a compassionate individual
how does dickens use the ghost to serve as an intention to encourage reflection?
prompting scrooge to have self reflection and reflecting the repressed desires. dickens too is promoting his readership to have a bit of self reflection. illustrating that confronting ones past is a necessary step to moving forward
how does scrooge expose materialism?
the ghost of Christmas past shows scrooge his past relationship as a consequence of scrooge idealising materialism (money and wealth) over relationship
What is the 1834 poor law?
the workhouses
why were the workhouses so bad?
they dehumanised people and exploited them, between 1846-1851 250,000 people died
how to get top marks?
link context + analysis + writers intention
what could tiny Tim’s innocence and premature death show?
it could be an allusion (hint to) to premature death of children in the workhouses, children as young as 5 work as workhouses and seperated from parents
“are there no prisons? and the union workhouses?” - stave one scrooge what could this suggest?
scrooge believed the the workhouses was an adequate solution to poverty because he was ignorant to the true exploitation and the dehumanising treatment that they would face
“this boy is ignorance, this boy is want” - stave 3 ghost of Christmas present. what could this suggest?
ignorance are symbolism of neglected and exploited children and the poor links to workhouses
what is an allegorical novella?
a story or poem intended to teach
put “allegorical novella” in a sentence
dickens constructs an allegorical novella to dispel the prejudices(beliefs) towards the lower classes to his upper class readership
what is a readership?
people who read his books or his readers
what is redemption?
saved from sin
put “redemption” in a sentence
scrooge is granted redemption in stave 5 as he shows a willingness to transform into a benevolent and charitable member of society
put the word “parsimonious” in a sentence.
“scrooges parsimonious nature is a defining character trait in stave 1”
what does the word “transmogrifies” mean?
change in a surprising or magical manner
put “transmogrify” in a sentence
scrooges transmogrification marks the end of the novella and illustrates how shattering ignorance, paired with the benevolence is the key to transformation
what does “plight” mean?
an unfortunate situation
use “plight” in a sentence.
despite the plight of the Cratchits, they still emit benevolence and gratitude at the minuscule they share
