Important Quotes In Stave 1 Flashcards
what is the first line of stave 1 and what is its effect
- the first line is “Marley was dead, to begin with”
- it is a contradictory statement (juxtaposition)
- making it seem like we are starting at an end
- with the words “dead” and “begin”
what does the first line of stave one also introduce other than marley and what is its effect
- it introduces the key theme of death
- and intrigues the reader about how marley, this unknown character, ended up dead to begin with
what does the repetition of the fact that marley is dead throughout stave one remind the reader of
- that life is short and precious
- it causes them to reflect on their own lives and think about their own end
- this enables us to relate to the characters and themes
which quote demonstrates the consecutive repetition of the noun “sole” and why is it repeated
- “Scrooge was his sole executor, his sole administrator, his sole assign, his sole residuary legatee, his sole friend an sole mourner”
- it reinforces the idea to the reader that after marley’s death, scrooge is utterly alone in the world
what does the use of repetition combined with the semantic field of death convey to the reader
- the message that their life is their own
- and that they decide what to do with it
what kind of narration is constant through stave 1 and why is it effective
- the narration is chatty and conversational
- the narrator even questions his own use of language
- which shows his difficulty in explaining what is actually happening
- it allows the reader to become active in the text as we make up our own minds
what kind of atmosphere has dickens created in the first stave, specifically with the first line
an atmosphere of sentiment
what does dickens describe scrooge as when the reader first meets him in stave one
- as a cold and unfeeling man
- he sues words like “iced” to ensure scrooges mean character is firmly placed in our minds
what does dickens refer to in this stave
- shakespeares hamlet
- linking his tale to another ghostly story
- this foreshadows later events to the reader
what quote signifies the real start to the novel and story as a whole and what is its effect
- when dickens says “once upon a time”
- it reminds us of a fairy tale and gives us a feeling of enchantment
- especially when we learn that it is set on christmas eve
- which generate a sense of anticipation within the reader that is associated with this time of year
what is the effect of returning to scrooge after the enchanting atmosphere has been set
- scrooge juxtaposes from the christmas spirit that one should have
- which abruptly changes the tone as he believes that christmas is an excuse for laziness
- and he lives in “a world of fools”
what key quote proves that scrooge believes that he lives in a wold of fools
“bah! humbug.”
after scrooge has rudely interacted with two men on the street about donations and his nephew fred and is now walking back home, what i the weather described as and why
- scrooge becomes surrounded by fog and can barely see
- and the cold is described as becoming “intense”
- dickens use of pathetic fallacy suggests that it is scrooge, not the fog, who increases the cold
- and is therefore unable to see because of it
- this shows scrooges lack of awareness when it comes to the spirit of christmas
what does scrooge say to marleys ghosts when marley asks him “you dont believe in me?”
- scrooge replies with “ i dont”
- in order to maintain his cold and emotionally unphased image
although scrooge tires to act cool in front of marleys ghosts, what does the narrator describe scrooge as feeling at that point
being “disturbed to the very marrow of his bones”
