Spirits Quotes And Analysis Flashcards
1
Q
‘the chain I forged in life… yard by yard; I girded it on my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it. Is it’s pattern strange to you?’ — Marley
A
- ‘chain I forged in life’ —> verb —> ‘forged’ —> implies that Marley created his own ‘chains’. This implies that his punishment and suffering within purgatory is self-imposed and caused by his own actions. —> noun —> chain —> functions as a symbolic literary device —> show his sins and regrets in life. In this, it indicates that his sins and regrets are of his own doing.
- alternatively —> ‘chain’ —> functions to illustrate the law of karma since it figuratively indicates how he is being held captive and is being punished for his actions.
- Context: England was Christian in Victorian era —> Christian concept of karma would have been considered as immoral —> Dickens uses Marley as religious commentary to show a lack of care for others is immoral.
- ‘Is its pattern strange to you?’ —> serves to portray the similarities between Scrooge and Marley. Rhetorical question —> indicates that Scrooge is in a similar scenario to Marley. Perhaps, Dickens portrays Marley in this manner to imply that compared to Scrooge, Marley is the outcome of his actions. This portrays Marley’s purpose to the didactic novella which is to warn Scrooge or his journey to redemption and to serve as a moral reminder that his actions lead to certain outcomes.
2
Q
‘Mankind was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence were all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!’
A
- ‘mankind was my business’ —> illustrates Marley’s understanding of social responsibility since he understands that his ‘business’ was not financial but the priority should be to serve others.
- ‘business’ —> repetition of it three times indicates how Marley shares the same business jargon that Scrooge does. This highlights their similar nature hence reinforcing that Marley’s state of purgatory is the future of Scrooge is he does nor redeem himself.
- ‘charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence’ —> asyndetic listing —> highlights all of the qualities that Marley should have held but did not. —> demonstrates regret —> Marley mentions these to perhaps evoke a sense of reflection in Scrooge to try and suggest to Scrooge that he should hold these virtues.
- ‘a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business’ —> metaphorical lexicon —> metaphor of a ‘drop’ compared to an ‘ocean’ describes his financial ‘business’ as insignificant compared to Marley’s social responsibility. This highlights the social commentary that Dickens wished to convey through a Christmas carol.
3
Q
‘It was a strange figure-like a child: yet not so like a child as like an old man, viewed through some supernatural medium, which gave him the appearance of being receded’
A
- ‘strange figure’ —> adjective —> ‘strange’ —> implies the idea of the supernatural showing how the spirits are of supernatural presence. This along with the adjective‘supernatural’s portrays it as an unknown entity.
Context: Perhaps, Dickens uses Ghosts as supernatural due to interest in them within Victorian society. - ‘child’ , ‘old’ —> antithetical language —> both juxtaposing descriptions describe the ghost to create ambiguity. This can illustrate how unclear and fragmented the past is therefore portraying the ghost as an accurate representation of what it symbolises.
- ‘receded’ —> adjective —> connotes to being unclear and being diminished. This uses paradoxical language suggesting that memories of the past can be unclear. Also, the fact that it is diminished implies that the ghost cannot function in both the past and the present and so is presented with a lack of clarity similar to memories.
4
Q
‘But the strangest thing about it was, that from the crown of its head there sprang a bright clear jet of light’
A
- ‘strangest’ —> superlative —> reinforces the ghosts entire abnormal presence reinforcing its supernatural presence.
- ‘crown of its head there sprang a bright clear jet of light’ —> catholic imagery —> ‘jet of light’ can refer to a symbolism for a halo. This creates religious imagery symbolising that the spirit is a biblical and divine presence. This portrays the journey of redemption for Scrooge as a religiously and moral journey. —> perhaps used by dickens to describe social responsibility as a morally correct act.
- ‘bright clear jet of light’ —> adjective —> ‘bright’, ‘clear’ —> creates imagery of clarity implying that the spirit serves to illuminate the truth of Scrooge’s past and his ability to change.
5
Q
‘it looked upon him with a face, in which in some strange way there were fragments of all the faces it had shown him, wrestled with it’
A
- ‘there were fragments of all the faces it had shown him’ —> noun —> ‘fragments’ —> implies that the spirit embodies parts of each of Scrooge’s past. This demonstrates its purpose which is to enlighten Scrooge’s past and to embody it.
- ‘fragments’ —> can create an imagery of mirrors and reflection since ‘fragments’ can refer to parts of a mirror. This implies that the ghost serves as a means of helping Scrooge to reflect upon his past and improve.
- ‘all’ —> term —> illustrates how the ghost represents the entirety of his past.
6
Q
‘a holly wreath, set here and there with shining icicles. It’s dark-brown curls were long and free; free as its genial face, it’s sparkling eye, it’s open hand, it’s cheery voice, it’s unconstrained demeanour’
A
- ‘holly wreath’ and ‘shining icicles’ —> both create imagery of seasonality and make a reference towards Christmas. This uses cliche Christmas symbolisms to allude to the idea that the ghost embodies the spirit of Christmas.
- ‘free’, ‘open’ and ‘unconstrained’ —> uses these adjectives to create a lexicon of liberality and generosity. —> indicates the spirits giving nature and carefree manner which symbolises Christmas spirit. This juxtaposes Scrooge’s description of being a ‘covetous old sinner’. Perhaps Dickens uses the character of the ghost of Christmas present to portray the joy for life and kindness that Scrooge can potentially exhibit.
- ‘genial’, ‘cheerful’, ‘joyful’ —> semantic field —> uses extensive descriptions of joy to describe the extent of joy and Christmas spirit the ghost shows.
7
Q
‘who lay claim to know Us, and who do their deeds of passion, pride, ill-will, hatred, envy, bigotry, and selfishness in our name, who are strange to us, and all our kith’
A
- ‘who lay claim to know us’ —> phrase serves as social commentary where Dickens uses the ghost as a social mouthpiece to convey his belief of corruption within authoritarian figures in society. However, the ‘claim’ to know celestial beings such as the spirits can be a direct criticism of religious authoritarian figures who claim to understand divine beings.
- ‘passion…selfishness in our name’ —> uses an asyndetic list of 7 —> perhaps mimics the 7 deadly sins. Also, it includes some of these. This highlights the purpose of the spirit which is to show Scrooge the immorality of certain acts and to educate him that these acts should not be committed by anyone regardless of their authority or ‘claim’ to know celestial beings.
8
Q
‘If these shadows remain unaltered by the future none other of my race…will find him here. What then? If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population’
A
- ‘surplus population’ —> reference to Scrooge in stave one. This portrays the ghost as a vehicle to catalyse Scrooge to fell regret and change his attitudes since he quotes Scrooge’s previous attitudes to prompt him to reflect and feel regret.
- ‘non other of my race…will find him here’ —> highlights the poverty and struggles of the social divide to Scrooge. Here, the spirit functions as a social mouthpiece for Dickens to speak about the struggles of the poor to try and evoke sympathy from his audience and a change from Scrooge.
9
Q
‘Blessings upon it, how the ghost exulted! How it bared its breadth of breast, and opened its capacious palm, and floated on, outpouring with a generous hand’
A
- ‘blessings upon it’ —> plural noun —> ‘blessings’ —> illustrates the spirits kindness and joy as the ghost is favourable and kind to the Lower class despite their poor conditions. This shows to Scrooge that he can still he kind and friendly to others poorer than him despite his wealth. This shows how the ghost does not believe in social divides and his Christmas spirit remains constants and unbiased. Also, it creates celestial imagery of divine presence reinforcing the spirits presence as supernatural.
- ‘exulted!’ —> verb —> connotes to rejoicing and being elated. This shows the ghosts strong Christmas spirit and joy despite the poor conditions that him and Scrooge are in. Also, ‘exulted’ juxtaposes Scrooge im his ‘misanthropic’ nature since the spirit is philanthropic and helps provide joy for others.
- ‘capacious’, ‘generous’ —> creates a sense of abundance reinforcing the spirit’s giving nature. This aims to educate Scrooge that he does not need to be miserly and can share his wealth.
- plosive sounds ‘bared its breadth of breast’ —> strong sounds —> perhaps suggests that it intense within its excitement.
10
Q
‘The phantom slowly gravely, silently approached. When it came near him, Scrooge bent down upon his knee’
A
- ‘slowly, gravely, silently approached’ —> adverbs and asyndetic triadic —> this builds tension and shifts the narrative.
- ‘slowly’ and ‘silently’ —> sibilance —> repetitive ‘s’ sounds creates a sense of danger implying that the spirit can be dangerous and this can foreshadow negative events in Scrooge’s future.
- ‘phantom’ —> noun —> connotes to a ghastly presence and suggests a macabre and more sinister persona compared to that of ‘spirit’ which can refer to any supernatural presence.
- ‘bent down upon his knee’ —> preposition —> ‘down’ —> contributes to an inferiority complex that Scrooge faces when around the ‘phantom’ since he places himself on a physically lower level out of fear to demonstrate his obedience and submissive nature around the spirit. This represents its power.
- alternatively, this can show how the third spirit evokes respect since Scrooge may be ‘bent down upon his knee’ out of respect and honour of the spirit.
11
Q
‘scatter gloom and misery. It was shrouded in a deep black garment, which concealed its head, its face, its form, and let nothing visible save one outstretched hand’.
A
- ‘scatter gloom and misery’ —> verb —> ‘scatter’ —> has connotations of diespersing or giving out ‘gloom’ and ‘misery’. This centralises it as the source of sorrow —> foreshadows the negativity and sorrow in Scrooge’s future if he does not change. It can also foreshadow his death.
- In this, the ghost is portrayed as a representation of the future for Scrooge. It portrays a sense of uncertainty concerning the future.
- ‘shrouded in a deep black garment which concealed’ —> verb —> ‘shrouded’ and ‘concealed’ —> implies that the ghost is covered. In this, it mimics the nature of the future since a person cannot see into the future and what it looks like —> similarly Scrooge should not be able to see and communicate with the ghost of his future.
- ‘deep black garment’ —> creates imagery of being ominous or danger and it resembles the grim reaper. This creates a foreboding nature which symbolises and makes it an embodiment of death and horror.
- ‘concealed its, head, its face, its form and left nothing visible save one outstretched hand’. —> in this, the lack of a description makes it appear to embody the uncertainty of destiny and the future.
- ‘one outstretched hand’
12
Q
“It thrilled him with a vague, uncertain horror to know that behind the dusky shroud, there were ghostly eyes intently fixed upon him,’
A
- ‘dusky’ —> adjective —> symbolises the night where the night refers to the end of the day and a cycle before the beginning of a new beginning. Similarly, the ghost of Christmas past may represent dark colours to represent that it is the last stage before Scrooge’s redemption and rebirth as a reformed character.
- ‘ghostly eyes intently fixed’ —> adverb —> ‘intently’ —> has connotations of being intense highlighting the domineering nature of the spirit. Verb -> ‘fixed’ —> also implies its focus on him is rigid and unwavering. This places a constant fear and pressure on Scrooge.
- ‘vague, uncertain horror’ —> adjectives —> develop fear in the narrative by portaging the spirit in an ominous and unknown manner. This creates fear from Scrooge towards it and the future of his fate which now is unknown and seems negative
