Ignorance And Want Flashcards
Story Role
Designed to evoke an emotional response in Scrooge (and the reader), demonstrations the extent of social injustice in the Victorian Era
‘wretched, abject, frightful,hideous, miserable’
• semantic field which reinforces the idea of their corruption and devilish features - the foil or ‘graceful youth’ or innocence which archetypically children represent. Dickens intent is to warn society of this corruption and criticise the lack of protection against poverty for children
• links to story role
‘I see something strange and not belonging to yourself protruding from your skirts. Is it a foot or a claw’
• initial depiction presents them as strange and bestial. Anthropomorphism is used to emphasise they are not human (shows against human nature to exploit and punish our community this way) and are somewhat supernatural in appearance with grotesque features
• this also links to the deterioration of health/appearance/their body from malnutrition, leaving a ghostly appearance/leaving only a soul
• also the child deaths from poverty and hunger
• links to story role
What are I and W as a symbol?
• evils of social injustice personified
‘they knelt down at its feet, and clung upon the outside of its garment’
• this signifies the desperation of poor people, and how they hold onto their Christian values by praying during times of turbulence and poverty - juxtaposes Scrooge, who exploits Bob Cratchit, ‘so very much smaller’ - reflected by how devoted the Cratchits are to each other, and how they are guided by compassion and family
• Dickens is highlighting that even during poverty, there is peace found in higher beings such as God, and values like family and hope - gives hope for lower classes, high spirits
Names of ‘Ignorance’ and ‘Want’
• Explicitly relate to the symptoms of social injustice. Dickens says to ‘beware this boy’ most, as he believed ignorance was the root of poverty and ‘want’
• criticising the prejudiced propaganda, parliament and upper classes which surround themselves with ignorance - exposing reality in a campaign for change
‘monsters half so horrible and dread’
• Dickens uses hyperbole to emphasise how appalling and evil these creatures are - challenging the common acceptance of capitalism, implementing integrity to make the audience question their own mindset in the hope for a morally stronger country
‘ on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased’
• Dickens is declaring that unless ignorance is eradicated, society will be ‘doomed’ due to the extreme poverty and hunger - I and W are a portent for our societal and political ‘doom’
• also a parallel to Scrooge’s potential fate, which shows benevolence can redeem society and individuals alike
‘a lie of such enormous magnitude’
• Dickens is criticising the false illusion created by the gov. that society is wealthy and thriving, and how the effects of capitalism are disguised, consequently promoting more ignorance which is what causes such ‘enormous magnitude’ of poverty in the Victorian Era
‘where angels might have sat enthroned, devils lurked’
• represents modern evils which have corrupted the children of society - also represents downfall of society when children are not protected, as the cycle of poverty continues
• connotations with children - ideally pure and innocent
• however there is a hopeful tone which suggests there is the potential for saving these children - instigates hope for the audience and inspires action/charity
‘a stale and shrivelled hand, like that of age’
• emphasises a loss of youth - links to child exploitation and working, intended to draw sympathy from the audience, increases worry for the younger generating from a social and political perspective which forces the gov. to recognise poverty
Poverty
• ‘horrible’
• children of mankind
• suggests that these traits are the creation of society due to their treatment of the poor
• ‘from the foldings of its robe, it brought two children; wretched, abject, frightful, hideous, miserable’ - this is a direct representation of these human traits, which Dickens clearly wants us to avoid
• ‘ragged’ and ‘wolfish’ - animalistic traits, dehumanises them to emphasise it is not in human nature to be capitalist.
• ‘where angels might have sat enthroned, devils lurked’ - the ‘devil’ is perceived at the downfall of mankind - Dickens is warning us that the persistance of these traits will be our downfall (and foreshadowing Scrooge’s fate/a portent of Scrooge’s fate)
• ‘where angels…’ - symbolic of the innocence and purity of children, however due to society’s ignorance and lack of protection against poverty they have become traumatised and corrupt
