Essay Plans Flashcards
Explore how Dickens presents attitudes towards Christmas in A Christmas Carol
- Explore the presentation of Fred as representing Christmas Spirit
• Discuss how Scrooge is presented at the start of the novella as unable to embrace Christmas
• Explore the role of Christmas as unifying all social classes as seen in Christmas Street scenes, Fezziwig
• Comment on Christmas as a symbol for the need for social responsibility through the presentation of
the Cratchit family
• Explore Scrooge’s path to redemption and how he can embrace Christmas at the end of the novella
Attitudes to Poverty and the Poor
• Explore how Bob Cratchit is presented as representing the hardworking poor.
• Explore the scene with the Charity Collectors showing how this relates to Scrooge’s attitudes to the
poor at this point in the novella.
• Show how Fezziwig is used to show the impact of a generous and charitable employer on the poor.
• Explore how the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come reveals to Scrooge the impact of his attitudes
with the death of Tiny Tim.
• Comment on the presentation of the theme of social responsibility and Dickens’ key message in
the novella. –> Ignorance and Want
Importance of Employers
• Explore Scrooge’s interactions with Bob Cratchit in the opening stave as evidence of how not
to behave as an employer.
• Contrast by examining the presentation of Fezziwig as a good employer.
• Comment on Fred’s treatment of Cratchit giving hope for the future.
• Explore the death of Tiny Tim as evidence of Dicken’s key messages of social responsibility
and how tragedy can be avoided.
• Consider Scrooge’s redemption and how he changes as an employer and the lessons for
readers.
The Spirit of Christmas
• Explore how Scrooge is shown as rejecting Christmas at the start of the novella.
• Explore how Scrooge’s life is seen as ‘solitary’ and cold leading to the view of the dead man in
Stave Four.
• Discuss the role of Fred as the spirit of Christmas and the role of family.
• Explore how Christmas ‘saves’ Scrooge and leads to his redemption.
• Comment on the role of Christmas as bringing people together in warmth and generosity
Cratchit Family and Poverty
Explore the family scenes with the Cratchit family at the start of the novella and Dickens’ key
social messages.
• Refer to the Cratchit family’s reaction to the death of Tiny Tim – compare with the dead man in Stave
Four. Key messages of the power of family love.
• Discuss how Dickens presents the Cratchit family as representing the ‘deserving poor’– teaching the
need for social responsibility by the wealthy.
• Explore how poverty and the poor is described elsewhere in the novella, for example, with the thieves
in Stave Four.
• Show how the Cratchit family are able to survive because of Scrooge at the end of the novella and
Dickens’ key messages to the wealthy members of society
Transformation
• Explore imagery of the Ghost’s transformation to the bedpost following Scrooge’s assertion that he
now has an ‘altered life’.
• Consider how Scrooge is portrayed at the start of the novella as ‘cold’.
- Juxtaposition in Pathetic Fallacy
• Discuss how Scrooge transforms throughout the novella through the visions. Introduce the idea
of redemption.
• Examine Scrooge’s lessons learned in Stave Four.
• Explore Scrooge’s path to redemption: how is he different at the end of the novella?
Work
Contrast different attitudes towards the world of work, both within Scrooge and within Bob Cratchit:
Scrooge’s power over Bob Cratchit – shown through language; Scrooge’s use of rhetorical questions
to bully; contrast between the ‘expectant’ clerk and Scrooge’s bad tempered responses.
• Discuss how Scrooge’s attitudes towards the world of work are shown from Stave One, paying
attention to language subtleties: his treatment of Fred; his understanding of the poverty of the Cratchit
family but their joy in Stave Two.
• Explore how Dickens presents the positive side of the world of work: the happiness Fezziwig brings
to his workers; Fred’s generosity; how Scrooge changes at the end to take on Fezziwig’s lessons.
• Show how Dickens uses Scrooge’s attitudes to the world of work to convey his social message about
the employer’s social responsibility and the impact that this can have on those who are poor and
in need.
Fred
Explore different attitudes towards Christmas both within Scrooge and within Fred – looking
particularly at the symbolism of warmth and cold explored/language of heat.
• Explore Dickens’ presentation of Fred’s as the antithesis to Scrooge. Examine Fred’s attitudes to
Christmas, to love and marriage and in contrast to Scrooge’s attitudes, paying attention to language
subtleties.
• Consider how Dickens presents Fred’s generosity towards Bob Cratchit and relate it to Dickens’
social message of goodwill. Look also at Scrooge and Fred in Stave Five.
• Show how Dickens uses Fred to convey his social message: the warmth and social responsibility
found through the goodwill of Christmas.
Intro
In a time in which the significance of Christmas gradually started to change, Charles Dickens, in accordance with these changes, wrote a Christmas tale: A Christmas Carol. The novella was published six days in advance of the Christmas celebrations of 1843; it was sold out three days later. Although a socially engaged narrative, Dickens’ work is not occupied with trivialities such as the introduction of Christmas cards; he decides to focus on social reformation and the plight of the poor. Through…
