The Cratchit family (poverty and social responsibility)

Question 1

list Dickens four objectives when writing about poverty and social responsibility

Answer 1

• he was a socialist, wanted other people to be to
• he wanted to critisise the govts habdling of the poor
• he wanted to use the cratchits and scrooge as a metaphorical representation of the rich vs poor in society
• overall he wanted to send a message to the governemnt and society.

Question 2

what key quotes do you need to remember when talking about this

Answer 2

"the boy is ignorance, the girl is want"
"are there no prisons, are there no workhouses"
tiny tims death
1834 poor law
"guilty governments"
"narrow streets"
"half naked, drunk and ugly"

Question 3

what do you write about in paragraph 1 (negative sides of the pudding)

Answer 3

• the sense of chaos around the pudding
• such emotive language and positive imagry shows that the pudding is filling a potential void in their lives
• “noone dare mention how small it was” is a metaphorical representation for how everything they get is small and they are so starved of support from government and society as a whole

Question 4

what do you write about in paragraph 2 (positive side of the pudding)

Answer 4

• dickens uses the cratchits as a metaphorical representation of the poor as a whole and their needs
• such a happiness around something so small represents that the poor in society only need a small proportion of support to make them happy especially when theres so much to go around
• warns of the consequences a lack of supoort can lead to “the boy is ignorance and the girl is want”
• also tiny tims death represents the real link between poverty and death (harsh consequence)

Question 5

what do you write about in paragraph 3 (wealth vs happiness and scrooge vs the cratchits)

Answer 5

• questions societys measure of success in the age old argument of wealth vs happiness
• negativley conveys scrooge, a metaphor for the rich in society as a brat “are there no prisons”
• contrasts to the positve presnetation of the cratchits who are greatfull for what they have.
• this contrasts represents dickens call for a socialist society, and societal change

Question 6

what do you write about in paragraph 4 (govt neglect and the swaying of public mood)

Answer 6

• begins to present the more extreme side of poverty of those right at the bottom
• “drunkard and half naked” “foul and narrow streets”
• shifts this blame onto govt and society making them feel guilty for this “guilty governments”
• 1834 poor law is relevant