ghost of christmas present

Question 1

G T I S N U P H
- STAVE 3
- selfishness/ materialism
- social injustice
- supernatural

Answer 1

“glowing torch , in shape not unlike plenty’s horn”

• Latin term for plenty’s horn ‘cornucopia’ symbolises nourishment & abundance - highlights a message to Scrooge about the mindset that causes social inequality : there is an abundance of resources to be shared , & societal neglect & malnourishment are unjustifiable in a world of plenty
• serves as a direct critique of Malthusian views which disregard the plight of the poor & destitute as inevitable , yet the ghost shows that there is ample wealth to alleviate their suffering is shared equally
• as the ghost holds the emblem of the torch, intensifying the recurring motif of light , it signifies both the physical & symbolic illumination Scrooge will undergo

Question 2

“if he ___ like to die , he had better do it & ____ the surplus ___” - says it back to Scrooge
- STAVE 3
- selfishness / materialism
- social injustice
- regret / redemption
- kindness / family

Answer 2

“if he be like to die , he had better do it & decrease the surplus population”
- ghost repeats Scrooge’s earlier quote from stave 1 , emphasising his callous neglect & ignorance towards the plight of the lower classes. Through scrooges adoption of Malthusian ideology , poverty & starvation are heartlessly dismissed as inevitable outcomes of a “surplus population”

• the ghost , a symbol of abundance & equality , repeats it back to illustrate the inhumanity inherent in such apathetic & ignorant perspectives , compelling readers to confront the moral implications of societal indifference towards the suffering of the less fortunate
• plosives litter the speech with “die” , “better do” & “decrease” , the harshness of the plosives accentuates the harsh callousness of upper class views towards the destitute
• this belligerence , as the ghost later shows Scrooge , causes exploitation & victimisation of the most innocent in society - children