Quotes 5 ACC Flashcards
. Provides the Christian context of the novel
. deliberately hyperbolic - Over exaggeration - because it is a novel about redemption - Dickens wants to illustrate him as a miser at the beginning to show how he changes at the end - the moral of this story is that we must and can change
. The Christian story of Christmas teaches scrooge to change the morals of his ways
. Warning that this is what will happen to us if we dont change our ways, we will become eternally doomed
. Contrast to the happiness that Scrooge wants - holding on to our possessions and not caring for others will lead us to misery - the way to happiness is to seek to help others
Scrooge! a wheezing, wrenching, grasping scraping, clutching old sinner
A
. Not just Scrooge’s view - the view’s of the rich at the time, potentially Dicken’s audience - this book would’ve costed 5 shilling, Bob Cratchit’s was 15 shilling - even though this book is expensive, he is still showing contempt for the poor
. The solution for the poor is to demonize the poor for hardly any money - conditions were so poor people would rather not go
. Dickens is saying this is no way for society to treat the poor
. Linked to Christmas, Scrooge is portraying the opposite of a Christian view
. Happiness - the social happiness of society the rich can change
. Redemption - When he asks the spirits later on about Tiny Tim, they repeat to him his same words “If they would rather die… they had better do it”
If they would rather die they had better do it
.Stave 3 - center of the novel - heart of the message of the novel - at the end of the novel he will become a second father to tiny Tim - we have to be responsible to those less fortunate
. Dickens creates Tiny Tim because he is a disabled child - he’s saying that the disabled in society will die - if we dont change how we look after them as a society - they will die - brutal - opposite of the Christmas message
. Dickens deliberately published this at Christmas
. Poverty - what will happen to children
. Ghost - can see into the future- they say these words back to Scrooge
. Redemption - he has to find a way to save Tiny Tim’s life and the readers need to save the lives of the poor
Spirit, tell me if Tiny Tim will live
. If we leave the poor uneducated - they will not be able to transform their lives by getting jobs - ignorance leads to more poverty - more social unrest - 3 years after this novel - revolution spread around Europe but not in UK - prevented by the education Dickens warned about
. Poverty - consequences of violence and crime
. Christmas - have to look after the poor, what is the best gift we can give them- education
. Ghosts - Ignorance and want
. Happiness - getting rid of ignorance and want in society
. Redemption - Scrooge’s redemption is comparable to our redemption when we change
But most of all beware this boy for on his brow I see that written which is doom
. Bob is paid 15 shillings - also known as 15 Bob, Bob is named after the money he earns - A middle class reader of this book would have several regular workers - they didn’t have to be paid much
. Bob is paid a low price and still stays with Scrooge - the whole of society is like Scrooge - everyone is paying the minimum salary like Scrooge
. Bob could not get higher pay - salary is the same everywhere
He let them laugh - readers would’ve thought that if they pay people more when they don’t have to - they will get ridiculed, but that won’t solve poverty or gain redemption. He addresses this fear in the reader and says even Scrooge doesn’t have to fear about ridicule - he then lived a life that benefitted others
. Links to Christmas message - redemption` - happiness
I’ll raise your salary … he let them laugh
