christmas carol Flashcards
Charles dickens…
wrote the novella in 19th century as a response to the government report on the abuse of child labourers. dickens vowed he would strike a “sledge hammer blow… o behalf of the poor mans child.”
at the start scrooge is…
miserable, not approachable, grumpy, envious, unkind, unsociable, selfish.
fred…
altruistic, and represents middle class in victorian society.
scrooges attitude towards the poor.
he dehumanises them and separates them from the rich. he does this because they don’t add wealth to society and are no use. he thinks they should go work or die and “decrease the surplus population.”
symbolism of fire.
its a symbol of Christmas spirit in the novella. its a recurring motif throughout the book and shows the transformation of scrooge.
fire within scrooge at the start.
“the cold within him froze his old features.”
Fred fire quote.
“he was all aglow…”
what does Jacob Marley start.
scrooges road to redemption.
Marley warning scrooge about the afterlife quote.
“I wear the chain I forged in life.”
why does the ghost of Christmas past wear white?
it represents innocence and purity. the past is more innocent than the present.
what were scrooges imaginary friends called.
“Ali baba.”
why is little fan important?
she reminds scrooge and us the importance of family.
why is fezziwig important?
his generosity and kindness makes scrooge realise he is a bad employer.
why did belle leave scrooge.
his love of a “golden idol” took over his life. he is dependent of money because he is scared of “poverty”.
what does scrooge do when seeing belle later.
he is distraught at what he could have had “I cannot bear it!”
how do we know scrooge is now open to change
he speaks to the ghost of Christmas present “submissively.” and asks “if you have aught to teach me, let me profit by it.”
how does dickens use the weather?
he uses pathetic fallacy to symbolise scrooges changing attitude. he is like the streets “half thawed, half frozen.”
what does dickens try to show when the ghost sprinkles “incense” on the poor
the poor need looking after by others more fortunate.
why is tiny Tim important?
to highlight the plight of the poor. he will die if he does not receive help.
ghost of Christmas present takes scrooge to a ship…
at sea, where “every man among them hummed a Christmas tune. this shows that even men who are working are more cheerful than scrooge.
the miners.
“a cheerful company assembled round a glowing fire.” the fire shows working men have lots of Christmas cheer.
what are ignorance and want.
allegories of two social problems.
