A Christmas Carol - Quotes and Analysis Stave 1 Stave 2 Stave 3 Stave 4 Stave 5 ( ) The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker and the chief mourner. Thus Dickens is ending with the message that we can all change our selfish ways and be a positive influence. ". Note the use of the adjective poor to describe Bob Cratchit. A description of how the Cratchit family mourned the death of Tiny Tim. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. Hallo there! Imagery of warmth has symbolism of generosity, compassion and forgiveness- Fred always makes a effort with scrooge. A description of the school house that Scrooge was left in as a child, by his family. The image of the 'lonely boy near a feeble fire' reflects very closely the older Scrooge we have seen, alone eating gruel. I don't make merry myself at Christmas and, If that spirit goes not forth in life, it is, them both, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is, squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner." How to revise from this guide You should be spending at least 30-60 minutes a week revising for English Literature from this point onwards, aiming to learn 5-7 key quotes for each character. Ideas about purgatory and hell would have been recognisable to the mainly Christian readership at the time - and would have made the allegory more frightening. Shows Scrooge's inability to harness any other views that arent his. Dickens is very clever in his use of dialogue in this section of the story as the Ghost of Future Yet To Come shows Scrooge the people that are talking about his death. Themes= family/time/poverty. The verb forged shows skill and effort- Marley spent his whole life's time and effort in his greed so is suffering the consequences. The declarative 'will' conveys certainty showing how urgent it is that Scrooge change. Then, choose the verb form that agrees in number with the subject. Here are some of the best 'A Christmas Carol' Scrooge quotes for this holiday season that will melt your heart. Of course, there is still a massive equality gap between the rich and the poor. It could also show that, as it has been so long since he was happy, he finds it difficult to describe. The list of adjectives show his wealth but also his warmth and generosity towards others. In what ways did Louis XV differ from Louis XIV? Foul weather didnt know where to have him. Stave 2 - Belle breaks off the engagement ", cynical- "what's Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without money", Isolated- "secret and self-contained, and solitary like an oyster. ', 'Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts". Themes= Christmas/greed and generosity/family. " This almost prompts a realization in Scrooge as he catches on to the fact that his wealth provides him (and indeed Fezziwig) with the power to make people happy. The happiness he gives is quite as great as if it costs a fortune. Her gown is poor but she is 'brave in ribbons'. So, therefore, we should take responsibility for being a positive influence. Scrooge has undergone a metamorphoses - he has literally been reborn as a new man. 2. The use of nature with a type of plant typically seen around christmas time makes scrooges comment even more menacing saying that they should kill him with the very thing that is giving him happiness in that certain period.- Scrooge If they would rather die, they had better do it and decrease the surplus population. " Scrooge entered timidly and hung . Privacy Policy, https://bookanalysis.com/charles-dickens/a-christmas-carol/quotes/. The book also explores what you might call the true meaning of Christmas and while this might not be true from a Christian standpoint, from a morality/spiritual view, you could claim that it really does help to make that point. This is another quote where Dickens draws on the semantic field of the cold weather. Ignorance could represent the wealthy upper classes who are ignorant of what they must do to help. Fezziwg really represents what Scrooge has and what he could (and eventually does) become. Leading up to this moment it appears as if Scrooge already fears that this is the case, but that does not detract from the tension that Charles Dickens can create here. What is interesting is that a lot of the traditions that Dickens writes about werent quite so commonplace before his novella. Scrooge. Themes= greed and generosity/ time. This is clearly not possible. I am as giddy as a drunken man. Then write the form of that verb Here, Scrooge is talking about Fezziwig and how he uses his wealth to lift others up. A description of scrooge as a young boy, he was left alone at school as others enjoyed their holidays. He is designed to show that the wealthy can make a significant difference. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. As we will later learn, his bitterness originates at Christmas time and has warped his perspective of it. Stave 5 - Scrooge's reaction to discovering it is not too late These cover themes like wealth, poverty, Christmas, and kindness. Walled in by houses; overrun by grass and weeds. ', 'I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it! 'This boy is ignorance.most of all beware the boy"-Stave 3-Ghost of Christmas present Metaphor. The noun unanimity suggests that he is happy to be involved. Family Theme Analysis. Of course, the fact that this is obvious does not detract from the big reveal due to the way that Dickens masterfully creates tension. () The famous phrase Humbug really means either shame or hoax. And perhaps its because we know the story so well, or maybe because it is pretty obvious, most readers will probably understand that they are in fact commenting on Scrooge. Summary. A merry Christmas to everybody! This symbolises his generosity and air of festivity. Stave 3 - the ghost uses Scrooge's words against him It is this love that consoles him in stave 4 when Tiny Tim is shown to be dead, a long with the memories of Tiny Tim as a patient and loving boy. I am not the man I was. A Christmas Carol Charles Dickens On this page, readers can explore the quotes, they are broadly separated into a few sub-categories. Where graceful youth should have filled their features out a stale and shrivelled hand, like that of age, had pinched, and twisted them. He did it all and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was a second father., He knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the Knowledge.. Fan is portrayed with affection - and her term of endearment shows that Scrooge has known affection. ", 'A frosty rime was on his head, and on his eyebrows, and his wiry chin. said the Spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words. Whatever the book. For a start, there is the use of ghosts throughout. scientist; is. jovial voice.". The tremors of the great San Francisco earthquake that occurred in 1906 (was, were) estimated to have measured 8.3 on the Richter scale. a squeezing, wrenching . Stave 3 - ignorance and want QUOTES THAT SHOW POVERTY IN A CHRISTMAS CAROL, Macbeth quotes, Key quotes from Macbeth, Macb, 2019 GCSE AQA Triple Higher Biology Paper 2 (, Paper 2 Chemistry Topics 6-10 TRIPLE AQA GCSE, Prentice Hall Writing and Grammar Grade 8, Grammar Exercise Workbook, myPerspectives: English Language Arts, California (Grade 9, Volume 1), myPerspectives: American Literature, California Volume 2, Holt McDougal Literature: American Literature Grade 11, Texas Edition. It has harsh imagery and the symbolism of cold, shows he is lacking Christmas spirit. This compares directly with the explicit description of Scrooge at the start of the novel where even beggars will not speak to him. A frosty rime was on his head, and on his eyebrows, and his wiry chin. "Mankind was my business. The girl is want. The words of the charwoman, who disgusts Scrooge, in the rag 'n' bone man's shop reflect the views to which Scrooge subscribed at the start of the novella when he declared that the poor were not his 'business' implying that his only business was himself. Themes= greed and generosity/time. The idea that anybody would be so callous about the dead is quite jarring and would have been especially impactful with a conservative Victorian readership. 'a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! The image of the oyster is almost perfect for Scrooge at this stage in the book. phrase on the line at the right. Setting includes not only the physical surroundings, but also the ideas, customs, values, and beliefs of a particular time and place. In Victorian times, most of the readers would have been christian and would therefore heap additional judgement on Scrooge who needs to repent. "Every person has a right to take care of themselves. "Quite alone in the world, I do believe.". The key theme for Dickens is that money does not lead to happiness, Greed is the single factor that is responsible for the breakup of Scrooge's marriage, 'Another idol has displaced me a golden one', Stave 2: 'The happiness he gives, is quite as great as if it cost a fortune', The Cratchit family are used as a depiction of a family in poverty, More than any other time in history there was a huge divide between classes, the lower classes lived in deperate poverty and were in want while the upper classes enjoyed a life of luxury, Stave 1: 'Many thousands are in want of common necessities, sir and many hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts', Scrooge's staff selling off his old goods, Victorian aristocracy were very keen to remain ignorant about the sufferings of the poor. A Christmas Carol (Key Answers) Chapter 1 1. Scrooges words to the charity collectors as he refuses to give charity. "I am light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy. The repetitive structure and short exclamations create the sense that he cannot put into words how happy he is. Copyright2007 - 2023 Revision World Networks Ltd. The Spirit pointed from the grave to him, and back again. Stave 2 - Belle's husband tells Belle about seeing Scrooge. but stopped at the first syllable', Repeated phrase (Juxtaposition and patterning), Stave 5: 'Hear me! Stave 4 - Bob's reaction to Tiny Tim's death The onomatopoetic verb 'gasping' makes the reader explicitly imagine the death, suggesting struggle and pain. Im sure you will all e familiar with the one percent statistic. We can infer that the only other person he cared for was Marley and even that wasn't really because of a friendship. Stave 4 - in the rag 'n' bone man's shop One interesting feature of this stave relates to the fact that two people die in it: Scrooge and Tiny Tim: the richest and the poorest people in the book. Stave 4 - Tiny Tim's burial place is eden like - as, despite his poverty and place in life, he was good and will be welcomed by god. "If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population." Arguably, this is the most famous quote from A Christmas Carol. These compare with the bells at the start of the novel, signifying the hellish arrival of Marley's ghost. Of course, the suggestion that people might be talking about him is beastly to Scrooge. A happy New Year to all the world. Marleys ghost is the one that kicks everything off but also acts as a mirror to Scrooge to show him the error of his ways. For example, the first ghost is a metaphor for how memories and the past shape ones experience, while the last ghost is a metaphor for death and ones legacy. The case of this unhappy man might be my own. This quote from Fred shows him having opposing views to his uncle scrooge, Fred tries to make Scrooge someone who enjoys christmas however it is not him that makes scrooge appreciate it. Hallo!" Click the card to flip Definition 1 / 5 About Scrooge: As solitary as an oyster., External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge., If they would rather die, said Scrooge, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population., Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it., Marleys Ghost: Mankind was my business., Marleys Ghost: I am here to-night to warn you, that you have yet a chance and hope of escaping my fate., There was a boy singing a Christmas Carol at my door last night. Scrooge can see the error of his ways and then acts accordingly to become a better person. Stave 2 - the spirit takes him to past Christmases including seeing Scrooge alone at school. He begins with no compassion for others but eventually learns a better way to live. Then, identify each underlined word by writing above it ADV for adverb or ADJ for adjective. With key quotes \u0026 analysis, this video provides an ideal format to gain a greater understanding of this novella in a matter of minutes. Their terrible behaviour is a consequence of the ignorance and want that Dickens personified in stave 3. Stave 4 - the final ghost What I think is really clever is that the story is framed so that when we see the ghost of Christmas past, seeing the things that shaped Scrooge into the man he is at the beginning of the play starts to let us feel sympathy for him so that when he is offered a second chance as a reader, we are glad he gets to redeem himself. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world. - Scrooge, Ever idiot who goes around with merry xmas on his lips should be buried with a stake of holly through his heart, The use of nature with a type of plant typically seen around christmas time makes scrooges comment even more menacing saying that they should kill him with the very thing that is giving him happiness in that certain period.- Scrooge. Theme= poverty/greed and generosity. Dr Aidan, PhD, provides you with the 10 key quotes in Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol', along with in-depth analysis, to he. A Christmas Carol Key Quotes Major Themes Major characters How to revise effectively Isolation and loneliness Ebenezer Scrooge One mistake people often make is to try to revise EVERYTHING. Total Abstinence Principle more hilarious punning from Dickens. They are mans. People can change, but Scrooge has thus far been content with his situation. The simile has connotations of stillness and endings. It is through your support of visiting Book Analysis that we can support charities, such as Teenage Cancer Trust. I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy. Scrooge's language has been formal and official: here he is informal, natural and joyous. Stave 2 - the arrival of his sister, Fan A Christmas Carol Key Quotes and Analysis. Example: The scientist, along with her two assistants, (is, are) working on a computer simulation of earthquake activity. The repetition of the adjective 'good' reinforces this idea. ', 'secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. There is no magic formula to revision but this three-point Oh! Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Studying Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'? Stave 3 - Scrooge asks if Tiny Tim will live, having been moved by his goodness. Scrooge has been transformed - just as his room has been transformed by the arrival of the Ghost of Christmas present - and wants to learn. Dickens clearly uses them to represent what employment should be like. This is fitting because it is traditionally colder at Christmas but also because the cold is an apt metaphor for Scrooges personality. Whoever the author.Discover new and exciting books to dive into with our Book Explorer Tool. Xmas Present - This makes scrooge realise that he needs to change or Tiny Tim will die young which is the one of the first stages of scrooges change. His narrator describes events as they happened and doesnt spend a great deal of time on extraneous details. But as I know your purpose is to do me good, and as I hope to live to be another man from what I was, I am prepared to bear your company and do it with a thankful heart', Stave 1: 'He tried to say 'Humbug!' The noun 'father' shows the idea that one laugh leads to another - happiness breeds happiness. Bell, dong, ding; hammer, clang, clash! 'No fog, no mist; clear, bright, jovial, stirring, cold; Golden sunlight; Heavenly sky; sweet fresh air; merry bells. Accessed 4 March 2023. Stave 3 - ignorance and want Stave 5 - description of Scrooge's redemption Bob said he didnt believe there ever was such a goose cooked., About Tiny Tim: If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, the child will die., Bob Cratchit: Ill give you Mr Scrooge, the Founder of the Feast., About Ignorance and Want: This boy is Ignorance. The two children are the personification of man's ills - ignorance and want. Only financial gain. ', Where the portly gentlemen explain to Scrooge about the plight of the poor and the responsibility of the rich to deal with it, In Stave 5, Scrooge begins to redeem himself for all the terrible things he did in the past, Victorian society was still extremely religious at this point and they believed strongly in the impact of sin upon the treatment of one in the afterlife, The way that Scrooge worships money would have been considered as sinful at the time as it is in a way idolising something that is not the holy lord, Stave 5: 'that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge', Stave 1: 'A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping clutching, covetous old sinner! cried the gentleman, as if his breath were taken away. The verb sparkled has magical and positive connotations, shows Fred is the antithesis of scrooge. He always did.". On this page, readers can explore the quotes, they are broadly separated into a few sub-categories. The shortness of the main clause at the end makes the message more shocking. The reader does not know that Tim has died, so Dickens foreshadows his death through the use of the simile.