christmas carol- themes- allusions. Flashcards
in stave one who does dickens allude to?
Shakespeare’s hamlet.
what relation does hamlet have to Christmas carol?
in hamlet his dead dad appears to him in stave 1. Marcellus is present when old hamlets ghost appears and declares ‘the is something rotten in the state of Denmark.’ this serves to highlight the rotten core of victorian London- social injustice caused and maintained by people such as scrooge.
‘the grocer and his people were so frank and fresh that the polished hearts with which they fastened their aprons behind might have been their own, worn outside for general inspection and for christmas daws to peck at.’- stave 3. what does dickens allude to here, why does he use it and what does it suggest?
shakespeare’s othello. ‘but i will wear my heart upon my sleeve/ for daws to peck at.’
in othello iago is being ironic he will never allow others to see his inner feelings. dickens uses this phrase to show the openness and honesty of those enjoying the christmas season, regardless of wealth.
‘there were more children there, than scrooge in his agitated state of min could count; and, unlike the celebrated herd in the poem, they were not forty children conducting themselves like one, but every child was conducting itself like forty.’ stave 2. what does this allude to, who was he and what was the significance?
wordworth’s poem written which was written in march. he had been made poet laureate in april 1843 the same year christmas carol was published. he would have been a celebrate and well known poet. the poem was so well known that dickens didn’t need to mention it by name.
‘there were more children there, than scrooge in his agitated state of min could count; and, unlike the celebrated herd in the poem, they were not forty children conducting themselves like one, but every child was conducting itself like forty.’ stave 2. as this is an allusion of wordworth’s poem what is his a description and how does dickens link that into christmas carol?
description of nature. the ‘celebrated’ herd are a group of cows all moving as one. dickens lightly compares the children to cows evoking images of antithesis of a peaceful scene.
‘there were more children there, than scrooge in his agitated state of min could count; and, unlike the celebrated herd in the poem, they were not forty children conducting themselves like one, but every child was conducting itself like forty.’ stave 2. despite the chaos and noise of these children what does the allusion to wordsworth makes?
happy, healthy and natural image. the reversal of the image is done with a light touch, and raises a smile in even the most phlegmatic of readers.
how does dickens bring scrooges fireplace to life and what was an example of one of the images and where do we see this character else where?
numerous biblical images. one such image is of a rich and indulgent leader of babylon- belshazzar who feature in the book of Daniel. whilst hosting the feast and drinking from the vessels plundered from the first temple- a knowing act of sacrilege- a hand appears and writes on the wall.
images in the fireplace: who is daniel, what is his job and what is the message and what happens as a consequence?
nobel jewish prophet in babylon is summoned to interpret the words. the message is a warning, a judgment from god foretelling the fall of the city: ‘thou art weighed in balances and art found wanting.’ belshazzar ignores the omen and later that knight he is slain.
images in the fireplace: who can belshazzar be compared to and what are the similarities in their stories?
scrooge. also warned by spectral hand of the ghost of yet to come.
how is dickens novella laced with biblical references?
the narrative tells of a lost soul, saved.
to a victorian reader what would the ideas that despite scrooge locking up his house, the spirits could still gain access to his home, heart and mind, would have evoked?
omnipresent god.
what is one possible interpretation of the ‘prophets rod?’
dickens is alluding to Aaron who featured in the book of exodus.
relating to the book of exodus what is the story involving Aarons involvement?
god sent Moses and Aaron to the Egyptian pharaoh to demand freedom for the Israelites. after a number of future exchanges, including an instance where-by the power of god- Aarons rod turns into a serpent and swallows the rods of the pharaoh’s magi, the pharaoh still refuses to liberate the Israelites. consequently Aaron unleashes the plagues of Egypt upon the pharaoh to force him to recognise god and free the Israelites from slavery.
how is scrooge and marley applicable in the story if of the ‘prophets rod?’
scrooge plays part of the captor and the slave, bound to the materialism which marley (here acting as the divine intervention) hopes to free him from.
