Ghosts Flashcards
Marley
all quotes
‘Marley was dead: to begin with’
‘sole friend and sole mourner’
‘cash-boxes, keys, padlocks’
‘taking off the bandage round it’s head’
‘Mankind was my business’
Ghost of Past
all quotes
‘like a child as like an old man’
‘now with one leg, now with twenty legs’
‘take heed’
Ghost of present
all quotes
‘simple green robe’
‘not unlike Plenty’s horn’
‘This boy is Ignorance, This girl is Want’
‘Are there no prisons?’
Ghost of Yet to come
all quotes
‘Phantom slowly, gravely, silently’
‘kind hand’
‘shrunk, collapsed and dwindled’
Marley
1st point & quotations
Very first message, importance of Marley’s death ‘Marley was dead: to begin with’ dramatic short opening sentence, immediate suspense, gothic tale, foreshadows the contest of his death
Marley
2nd point & quotations
Alienation from society ‘sole friend and sole mourner’ anaphoric catalogue of pre-modifying adjective, only Scrooge attended funeral, no other companions, meant to be oral tale as school wasn’t compulsory until 1870, homophone, lack of human emotion
Marley
3rd point & quotations
Imprisoned by crimes he committed ‘cash-boxes, keys, padlocks’ list shows materialistic views, led to pain and torment, realised his past sins were his miserly and self-absorbed attitude, too late, no rest or peace, chance to prevent S from same fate, could end up in same suffering, option for S to transform, urgent
Marley
4th point & quotations
Reminder of death ‘taking off the bandage round it’s head’ undertakers tied it for the burial, before powerful speech, need to listen, he is more knowledgeable yet can’t change his past, becomes Dickens’ mouthpiece ‘Mankind was my business’ juxtaposition of kindness with money, happiness and peace comes from helping others, wealth not continued into afterlife
Ghost of past
1st point & quotations
Strange paradox between young and old ‘like a child as like an old man’ unsettling, ethereal, anticipation for what powers this being holds, wisdom of an old man, innocence and purity of child, draws attention to what is going to happen
Ghost of past
2nd point & quotations
Ghostly and ephermeral presence ‘now with one leg, now with twenty legs’ represents changing of past memories that still haunt Scrooge, need to re-evaluate past actions to improve, unexpected form is surprising, evokes eerie feeling
Ghost of past
3rd point & quotations
Commanding ‘take heed’ imperative gives warning to Scrooge, he needs to comply, the visit is important, role of a teacher, delivering moral message to reflect on his previous caring self
Ghost of present
1st point & quotations
Pagan giant, a model of Father Christmas ‘simple green robe’ relates to original Yule Festival, connected to natural, verdant environment, sense of peace surrounding him, he is comforting instead of fearful
Ghost of present
2nd point & quotations
List of christmas food, embracing Xmas spirit, time of over indulgence, abundance of food, yet then shows the poor not having access to it, represents inequality in England, 40% of nations wealth owned by 5% of population ‘not unlike Plenty’s horn’ kind of cornucopia, more than enough to go round, benevolence, belief of equality
Ghost of present
3rd point & quotations
Previously cheerful and hearty, now serious ‘This boy is Ignorance, This girl is Want’ personified figures show Dickens’ belief of evils in society ‘Ignorance’ shows need for education so poor children can change, rich not caring for those below them, ‘Want’ constant desire for more, never satisfied, innocent children creates pathos, uses Scrooge’s words ‘Are there no prisons?’ to emphasise his responsibility and push guilt on Scrooge
Ghost of yet to come
1st point & quotations
Different to other spirits, sinister, ‘Phantom slowly, gravely, silently’ tricolon of adverbs, macabre mood, black clothing relates to death, mysterious, silence is ominous, spirit is too powerful to use words, greatest power seen so far, climax point, forces Scrooge to fill the silence and confess, begins journey to change
