good hook for christmas carol essay

A Christmas Carol

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A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol Essays

There are many pictures that 'A Christmas Carol' creates and in this essay I will show you all of them. This novella explores the many diverse types of life in the harsh Victorian era. From the Rich cruel citizens to the poor of poor like the Cratchit family. One of the pictures portrayed...

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I Think that 'A Christmas Carol'' by Charles Dickens is still popular today because it has a good moral story and people still enjoy a good old fashioned ghost story. This is because a lot of us are still interested in the afterlife and if such things as ghosts even exist we are...

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Dickens combines a description of hardships faced by the poor with a heart-rending sentimental celebration of the Christmas season. The novel contains dramatic and comic element as well as a deep felt moral theme. In the beginning of the novel Ebenezer Scrooge is portrayed as a hardhearted and...

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A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is one of the most classic stories that has been embraced by Western culture. There is a certain timelessness to the entire story, in that it demonstrates the powerful transformation of an incredibly stilted and unlikeable character to that of someone who is...

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Charles Dickens wrote a large number of novels but this particular novella was very popular as it told the story of a typical Christmas in Victorian times. The word 'Scrooge' derives from the character Scrooge in this novella, which proves that Dickens' story really did make an impact...

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Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol illustrates many themes of the victorian era. Poverty, charity and greed are major themes of this work. This essay highlights examples of these themes as portrayed by Dickens. Poverty was a striking characteristic of Victorian England, especially noticeable in...

A Summary of A Christmas Carol Matt Toback 1). This story takes place in London, England. The time is winter and it starts the day before Christmas, also known as Christmas Eve. The settings of the book include Scrooge's Counting House, Scrooge's Home, Bob Cratchit's home, assorted places...

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The true description of Scrooge first appears about quarter way through the book, before then there are only a few minor references to his character. The description begins metaphorically as it features the words ' A tight-fisted hand at the grindstone'. Its metaphorical because it is...

Charles Dickens believed it was up to him to inform the people of Britain of the social problems occurring around Britain. While Dickens was a young man, he suffered from poverty along with his mother and father. His father was imprisoned for dept and Charles wanted to become a social reformer...

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In the telling one could sense that something was coming: "To see the dingy cloud come drooping down, obscuring everything, one might have thought that Nature lived hard by, and was brewing on a large scale" Perhaps the fog could be seen as the "wool pulled over people's eyes (Pg 11) where as it...

Dickens' The Christmas Carol is known as a cute exaltation of the Christmas spirit' of charity and love for our fellow man. Almost everyone growing up as a kid has read or seen some kind of version of The Christmas Carol during the holidays in the month of December. It is a story...

4 Important Design Concepts If you pay attention to these four concepts as you put the visuals together, the end products will be effective. 1) Make it BIG! Naturally, you'd like everyone in the audience to be able to actually see the visual you plan to use. This is complicated by not always...

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Based on an adaptation by Charles Jones and from a novel by Charles Dickens, the Midland Community Theatre truly captured Christmas. The play was directed by Timothy Jebsen. It is a classic Charles Dickens Christmas tale of one man learning the true meaning of Christmas. Ebeneezer Scrooge (Michael...

A Christmas Carol Essay Many times in life, we do not realize the importance of something until it is gone and is too late to reclaim. However, in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, we are told the story of a man who, although undeserving, is offered an opportunity to redeem himself, to receive...

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A Christmas Carol? Theme Expressed Through Symbolism "Mankind was my business. The common welfare 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 Christmas Carol...

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Harry and Rose from Oliver Twist and Alice and Ebeneezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol are in similar situations because both of the couples are in love yet wealth has come between both of the couples. Alice and Ebeneezer Scrooge were engaged and in love. Ebeneezer’s love for Alice was soon not...

English Coursework - A Christmas Carol Question: How does the personality of Ebenezer Scrooge develop during the novel “A Christmas Carol”? In this essay I am going to distinguish the personality changes of Ebenezer Scrooge in the novel, “A Christmas Carol”; who was once a miserly, lonely...

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1). This story takes place in London, England. The time is winter and it starts the day before Christmas, also known as Christmas Eve. The settings of the book include Scrooge’s Counting House, Scrooge’s Home, Bob Cratchit’s home, assorted places throughout Scrooges childhood like the schoolhouse...

Christmas Carol Introduction Main body of essay The impression we get of Scrooge in the opening of the novel is………. Mean and miserly Selfish Dickens describes him as, “tight fisted at the grindstone. ” WE are also told that he is, “hard and sharp as a flint. ” The simile used by Dickens likens...

A Christmas Carol By: Charles Dickens Many memories run through Scrooge’s head on Christmas Eve. He is always cranky and never appreciates anything. Ever since his partner Jacob Marley past away he turned into a mean bitter old man. He is so mean that if Bob Cratchit wants money he will have...

A Christmas Carol Essay A Christmas Carol is a story of how Ebenezer Scrooge changes from a miserable man who had no one to care for and no one to care for him. Then After his encounter with the three spirits on Christmas eve he turned into a loving, caring, generous man. This story was written by...

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Discuss how dickens uses “A Christmas Carol,” and the character of scrooge to promote a more caring, less selfish society. In the 19th century, the poor people faced a very atrocious and frightful life in London. They starved if they had no jobs and had nowhere to live except for streets which...

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Wint Hlaing EN100-26 Analyzing essay 20 September 2010 A Christmas Carol A Christmas Carol is a famous Christmas movie based on Charles Dickens’ novel. The director is Robert Zemeckis and the main actor is Jim Carrey. The movie was made in the background of London, Victorian age (1819-1901) when...

Scrooge has changed after the three spirits showed him what happened, what was happening and what was going to happen. Before the three spirits casted by Jacob Marley came, Scrooge was a selfish, dismal man, he thought that Christmas was a waste of time and money. Scrooge after the haunting...

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Charles Dickens wrote this novel because he was keenly touched by the lot of poor children in the middle decades of the 19th century. This is the reason which motivated Dickens in doing this, before writing this novel. Before he decided to this he thought of...

How Scrooge Changes

How is scrooge presented as being selfish, the point behind the paragraph ao1 - big picture (plot) ao2 - zooming in (language) ao3 - context, during the opening of the novel, scrooge is presented as a selfish, closed character who only thinks of himself. the first section of the novel takes the form of a long piece of description where dickens highlights just how selfish scrooge is. he’s described as being “squeezing,” “wrenching,” and “grasping.” all these active verbs suggest different ways that he takes things. squeezing suggests that he holds things close to himself and won’t let them go. “wrenching” means to take things; to snatch them. this might refer to how he runs his business, snatching back what’s his own, as though he’s a selfish spoilt child who won’t share. “grasping” means to reach desperately for something, which isn’t something we’d associate with someone as wealthy as scrooge. equally, he’s described as being “solitary as an oyster.” this wonderful simile perfectly illustrates just how closed off scrooge is: he has a hard shell to keep himself away from the rest of the world. throughout the rest of stave 1 we see more examples of his selfishness: he refuses to go to fred’s house, arguing that christmas is a “humbug;” he refuses to give to the portly gentleman’s charity, saying that the poor should go to workhouses, prisons or simply die if they can’t afford to live and he resents giving bob cratchit the day off for christmas, thinking himself “ill-used.” scrooge clearly thinks only of himself. he doesn’t “make merry” at christmas, and he “can’t afford” to make anyone else merry either. here, dickens uses scrooge to shine a light on the selfishness of the victorian upper classes, who would happily sit by their firesides eating rich food while their poorer brothers froze in the dirt outside. it is also worth remembering, however, that the issue of poverty is not one that is consigned to victorian england; it’s very much alive today, and we would all do well to look outside of our bubbles to see those who suffer in the world around us ., the text above would represent one paragraph from an essay about scrooge being presented as selfish. the second paragraph would look at how scrooge learnt to be less selfish, while the last would focus on how scrooge was presented by the end. each paragraph would have a point, some language analysis (ao2), some key moments of plot (ao1) and a reference to context (ao3)., the extract, during the opening of the novel, and in the extract, scrooge is presented as a “tight-fisted hand at the grindstone.” this is to say that he doesn’t like sharing – he is tight fisted – while the “grindstone” image represents him at work. this image suggests that he drives people hard at work but doesn’t pay them much for it. and this is certainly true of scrooge. dickens also uses a string of verbs to describe his miserly hero: “squeezing, wrenching, grasping, clutching;” all of them imply that he is taking things and holding on to them. he’s described as “hard and sharp as flint” – which implies that he is difficult and even dangerous – “from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire” which implies that one thing flint does well is something scrooge is incapable of, because fire is warm and looks after others. most interestingly, however, scrooge is described as “edging his way along the crowded paths of life, warning all human sympathy to keep its distance.” this is an interesting image as it implies a certain strange compassion from scrooge. in fact, he isn’t just rude or obnoxious, it’s as though he recognised that he is socially and emotionally dysfunctional and now “warns” other humans to keep away., by the end of the book, however, he has changed and he does this by realising a few very important things., firstly, he understands that people and emotions are more important than money. at the beginning of the book scrooge things money equates to happiness – he says that “i can’t afford to make idle people merry,” suggesting that happiness can only be provided through financial means. during his visits with the ghost of christmas past, however, he sees his old manager fezziwig throwing a party and comments that “the happiness he gives is quite as great as if it had cost a fortune.” here, he shows the beginnings of an understanding that happiness isn’t just financial. throughout stave 3, also, scrooge sees people enjoying christmas without any money. he is taken across the country from the poor tin-mines in cornwall to the most distant lighthouses and even across the sea to where he sees people singing and laughing and making merry despite being on meagre means. he also sees the cratchitts enjoying christmas with next to nothing – with their chipped glasses and broken custard cups holding the drinks as well as “golden goblets.” dickens repeatedly uses references to gold in the book, and at one point bob mentions that tiny tim is “as good as gold and better.” here, bob is clearly celebrating the key theme of the book: that people and human relationships are more important than money. by the end of the book, with the third spirit, scrooge seems changed. he says “lead on, time is precious to me.” here he recognises that time – which is irreplaceable – is actually the most valuable commodity on earth and he seems changed., also, scrooge is changed by the compassion he sees other’s treating him with. when belle speaks to him, she does so with “tenderness” – suggesting that even at this moment of deepest sadness, she feels sorry for him, and not resentful. also, bob toasts him over their dinner, raising a glass to celebrate him. through this scrooge is forced to reflect on the fact that he is supported and loved despite his behaviour. his nephew, fred, also insists on defending him – albeit that he playfully teases him in the group’s game – when he says that he insists inviting scrooge to dinner every year – “for i pity him.” again, the compassion and sympathy felt by others would have affected scrooge and softened him, melting his cold and bitter heart, rather than making him angry and isolated. finally, scrooge allows himself to become absorbed in society when he becomes tiny tim’s “second father.” this final statement shows clearly that scrooge is now a fully-fledged member of society, and even though he had no relationship with his own family, he has an adopted, extended family that he can be a part of., it’s also worth noting, that the first person scrooge feels compassion for is himself. in the school room, when he “wept” to see his “poor forgotten self” scrooge shows sympathy for his own plight. it could well be that his father – the father that fanny didn’t have to feel “afraid” of anymore – was the source of scrooge’s anger and resentment. in this respect, you could easily argue that scrooge was deserted by those who were closest to him and, in turn, deserted those around him; however, by the end, an extended family of society have proven that they care for scrooge and can forgive him, and in this way he learns to feel compassion again., a christmas carol and death, a churchyard. here, then; the wretched man whose name he had now to learn, lay underneath the ground. it was a worthy place. walled in by houses; overrun by grass and weeds, the growth of vegetation’s death, not life; choked up with too much burying; fat with repleted appetite. a worthy place, the spirit stood among the graves, and pointed down to one. he advanced towards it trembling. the phantom was exactly as it had been, but he dreaded that he saw new meaning in its solemn shape., “before i draw nearer to that stone to which you point,” said scrooge, “answer me one question. are these the shadows of the things that will be, or are they shadows of things that may be, only”, still the ghost pointed downward to the grave by which it stood., “men’s courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead,” said scrooge. “but if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. say it is thus with what you show me”, the spirit was immovable as ever., scrooge crept towards it, trembling as he went; and following the finger, read upon the stone of the neglected grave his own name, ebenezer scrooge., the extract is from the end of stave 4 and explores scrooge’s final realisation of his fate as the ghost of christmas yet to come points to his grave. overall, death is a prevalent theme in the novella, one which haunts scrooge at every turn, enough to finally transform him for the better., at the beginning of the novel, scrooge’s encounter with the terrifying spectre of death, his old business partner jacob marley sows the early seeds of receptiveness to a new way of life. at first, scrooge refuses to believe that anything dead could return, joking ‘there’s more gravy than the grave about you’ however, the chilling horror of marley’s appearance ‘i wear the chains i forged in life’ –which are constructed of financial elements: purses, and sales ledgers, suggest an unhealthy obsession with money and the way one’s profession will manifest itself and weigh you down after death. also, the clear warning to scrooge ‘mankind was my business’ and the image he shows outside scrooge’s window of dead people desperately trying in vain to change their ways and reconcile themselves with their families, is a message that once one is dead, there is no opportunity for redemption and change. in this section, dickens draws on his knowledge of the gothic genre –churches, door knockers that turn into the face of marley, and marley’s stories from beyond the grave that to chill the victorian reader to the core. of course, they would also be only too aware of the potential of hell, something that dickens was sceptical of, but a huge proportion of his readership would have believed in., another aspect of death that strikes a chord with scrooge early in the novella is when the ghost of xmas past reveals the scene when his sister, fan came to take him home from the boarding school for christmas. this is clearly a treasured memory for scrooge and the reader learns of what a strong bond the two had. ‘fan, fan, dear fan’ and she reminds him ‘father has changed’. the ghost reminds scrooge of the fact she has died and has only one surviving relative, her son, fred. scrooge instantly feels guilty about how he treated fred at the beginning when he received his usual invite to xmas dinner. dickens conveys here how a memory of a death has a significant impact on scrooge’s gradual transformation into a more caring person., in the extract, the reader is presented with the final scene from the ghost of xmas future and scrooge’s terror reaches a dramatic peak. the setting is described as ‘a worthy place’ with this adjective from dickens’ narrator serving to identify the bleak spot as one which scrooge heartily deserves. pathetic fallacy is used to convey the place with lines like ‘overrun by grass and weeds –the growth of vegetation’s death’ indicating how the unwanted weeds, a clear metaphor for death, have destroyed any flowers, and made the location one that resembles the fate that potentially awaited scrooge: one where no-one would tend his grave. it is even ‘walled in by houses’ and at the start the reader learns ‘the furniture was not the same’ in his office. this suggests that in death, everything continues on as normal –someone will take scrooge’s place as a loan shark, and no-one will notice or visit his grave as it is hidden from view., the mood of this piece builds in dramatic tension as scrooge desperately implores the ghost to speak and to reassure him that ‘if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. say it is thus’ but the short sentence ‘the spirit was as immovable as ever’ conveys how dickens allies death with silence and that perhaps it is not god or anyone else who will change our life’s path, only by reaching within one’s self that a genuine transformation can occur., further evidence of scrooge’s doom laden panic as he faces up to the reality of his own death is found in the verb ‘trembling’ as he approaches his own grave, the question ‘am i the man who lay upon the bed’ and the repeated exclamations ‘no, spirit oh, no’ overall, it is an extract that encapsulates the horror of facing up to one’s death, and the added fear for scrooge that no-one will remember him. it is the final catalyst in making him change his ways., the cratchits, cratchits extract, intro / “happy, grateful pleased” vs scrooge at school “not afraid” // “shut out the darkness” vs fred welcoming scrooge // “in a glow” vs belle’s family // grave / as good as gold, charles dickens wrote a christmas carol during the victorian times, when the gap between rich and poor was very big. in the novel dickens shows that money is not as important as family when it comes to happiness. he was inspired partly because his father had been taken into debtors’ prison when he was younger, something that would have left dickens understanding just how much more important family was than money., the first paragraph of this extract deals with the cratchits, who are not wealthy – as shown by their “scanty” clothes – but are happy. dickens uses four key adjectives to describe them: “happy, grateful, pleased” and “contented.” these adjectives show that despite the fact that they didn’t have any of the things that victorian society would have valued, they are still capable of being happy in a range of different ways. this contrasts directly with scrooge’s younger years, where he was “forgotten” by his family and left in school. scrooge is rescued by his younger sister, fanny, who comes to tell him that he is welcomed back because their father doesn’t make her feel “afraid” anymore. this adjective gives us a suggestion that their father may have been abusive to them, and would go some way towards understanding why scrooge rejects family so firmly later in his life., despite fanny’s death – another desertion that would have affected scrooge – her spirit lives on through her son, scrooge’s nephew fred, who repeatedly invites scrooge to his house for christmas dinner. scrooge repeatedly refuses with his famous “bah humbug” line, but fred insists that he will keep inviting him for “i pity” him. the fact that fred pities scrooge for being rude, shows just how far family will go to remain loyal to each other. this idea is also shown in the extract, where the families prepare to close their curtains so they can “shut out the darkness.” in many ways, these curtains could be seen as metaphoric blinds that help keep families together; they keep out the outside and sometimes even blind each other to our failings in order that the family unit is kept happy., the second paragraph also describes some “handsome girls, all hooded and fur-booted” who enter a house “in a glow.” here, dickens makes the point that family is not just for poor people, but is something that unites us all (like the “trip to the grave” that fred mentions in a speech earlier in the book.) the fact that they are “in a glow” suggests that they aren’t just happy, but are actually glowing – a symbol of light that is used repeatedly through christmas carol. also, the preposition “in” suggests that they are within this glow, protected by it, in the same way that families protect us all. in one of the most heart-breaking scenes in the book, scrooge is taken to see his former girlfriend with her new family, a family that could have been his own, had scrooge not chosen worship his “golden idol” above her., in the end though, it is the lack of respect given to his death that really changes scrooge for the better. once he’s seen his own “neglected” grave, he understands the true cost of being alone and understands the reasons why tiny tim’s father calls him, proudly, “as good as gold – and better”.

In this extract, we see how the Cratchit family are happy despite their poverty. The novella was published in 1893 which was in the middle of the Industrial Revolution, so many people were moving into cities, leading them to become overcrowded and therefore poverty-stricken. This poverty is evident here in the quote ‘ the family display of glass’ which we then learn consists of ‘two tumblers’ and a ‘custard cup without a handle’. The word ‘display’ shows just how little they own, as they seem proud to showcase these small dilapidated objects off, as this is all they have. However, they seem content as such trivial matters don’t change how they feel towards each other. Dickens compares the cups to ‘golden goblets’ which to me suggests that the Cratchits feel enriched simply by each other’s company, which is worth more to them than anything materialistic.

Earlier in the same scene, we learn first how vibrant the scene is among this family when Dickens personifies even the potatoes, saying they were ‘knocking’ to get out of their pan, as if the joyous atmosphere was so desirable to be amongst that even inanimate objects wanted to be part of the festivities. In the extract, we are told that the chestnuts cracked ‘noisily’ which conveys the same ideas, building a feeling of community despite the poverty in the scene.

The Ghost of Christmas present first takes Scrooge to see the Cratchits Chirstmas, which makes him realise the importance of family at this time, then continues this theme of company by showing him other scenes brought to life by Christmas spirit. For example, when the ghost takes him to a lighthouse, the poor workers there are described as having ‘horny hands’. This suggests that they have struggled through great hardships and have suffered more in their life than Scrooge ever would, and yet their show of unison when they all sing together at Christmas let them disregard their struggles for a time. By comparing the Cratchits and these workers, Dickens shows how the poor could overcome their lack of materialistic value and settle for things of emotional value.

One member of the Cratchit family who strongly highlights the struggles of the poor is Tiny Tim. In this extract his hand is described as a ‘withered little hand’ suggesting it has prematurely withered like a flower with no light. As the word ‘withered’ has connotations of a flower, to me, this could perhaps be seen as a metaphor for how something beautiful has been hindered and killed by the tight fistedness of the rich in society which is something that Dickens was strongly trying to convey in this novella. Light is often a symbol of hope so this flower could be shrivelled due to a lack of light, which is the lack of generosity from the upper classes. Dickens may have untended ‘withered little’ as a juxtaposition, as we would normally associate ‘withered’ with age and ‘little’ with childhood. This contrast highlights how wrong it is that an innocent child should be so shunned by society due to his wealth and status, and this demonstrates Dickens’ frustration over the inequality.

Dickens uses a similar adjective to describe the hands of the children Ignorance and Want. The word ‘shrivelled’ is used here, which compares these children, who are also victims of the struggles of poverty [sic] to Tiny Tim. It creates a similar image of premature decay to highlight the neglect of lower classes in society. The boy in this scene represents Ignorance and the ghost of Christmas Present tells Scrooge to ‘most of all beware the boy’. This strongly conveys Dickens’ message about poverty and the poor, as he is trying to tell society that ignoring the struggles and problems of the poor will be their downfall .

This is demonstrated in Stave 4 when Tiny Tim dies, and the Cratchits say that when Bob had Tiny Tim on his shoulders he walked ‘very fast indeed’. When we have a weight on our shoulders, the phrases normally implies a burden and a worry. However here I think that Tiny Tim represents the burden that the rich think the poor put upon society. Here, Dickens could be saying that if we only realised the potential of the poor they may actually prove helpful and contribute to society, however they are seen only dead weight on the shoulders of society due to the ignorance of the rich.

A Christmas Carol and Family

Question: How does Dickens present family as important to society in A Christmas Carol?

Dicken’s presents family as incredibly important in his allegorical novella ‘A Christmas Carol’ as Dicken’s own father was put in prison when he was young, having a profound effect on him. Scrooge juxtaposes other characters as he rejects the possibility of his own family, we see joy in the Cratchitt’s (despite their poverty) and finally Fred’s kindness is also shown towards his family.

In Stave 2 Scrooge rejects his fiancée by not protesting that he will love her and care for her. Belle uses the metaphor “a golden idol has replaced me” when she “releases” Scrooge from his engagement to her. This suggests that money and wealth are infinitely more important to him than his own family. The Ghost of the Past is instrumental in showing Scrooge what could have been when Belle is described as a “comely Matro” by the omniscient narrator to suggest that she has aged well, is happy and content due to her family. Furthermore, she is “surrounded by children” which shows her large family and how this could have been Scrooge’s fate if he had not loved wealth as much. Family was comforting in the Victorian society as the Welfare State was not in existence meaning families has to look after their elderly relations or they would end up in workhouses (which was the worst fate for the poor). In Stave one Fred is also introduced to us as Scrooge’s nephew and also rejected by him with the repetition of “Good Afternoon” showing how dismissive Scrooge can be when there is no financial gain. Fred shows kindness and caring towards him, but he rejects his offer of “Christmas Dinner” and to “dine with us” suggesting Scrooge likes his isolation and lonely, money-filled life.

Throughout the extract the family is seen as paramount to the happiness of the Cratchitt family. Bob is crushed with disappointment when he thinks Martha is not coming for Christmas dinner suggesting love, tenderness and a family bond towards his child. The adjective in “sudden declension in his high spirits” shows how disappointed he is. Tiny Trim and his siblings are extremely caring towards each other when the younger one “spirit him off” so he can “hear the pudding sing” which seems a simple pleasure, but shows that the little things in life matter and that siblings kindness is important, especially as Tiny Tim is the “cripple” and represents Christian goodwill and charity. Perhaps, Dickens was showing the effects of poverty through the presentation of the symbolic Tiny Tim who encourages the people in church to see him as Christmas is about Jesus and he “made beggars walk and blind men see” showing that although Tiny Tim is crippled he is the heart of the family and represents the way people should be towards each other. Christianity is a recurring theme in the novella and Dicken’s may have been highlighting the juxtaposition in the teachings of the bible and the actions of the wealthy in Victorian London and how Christian values were often bent to suit the opinions and thoughts of the wealthy. Dicken’s appears to be criticising through the charitable and kind and loving Cratchitt’ s the way family is rejected by Scrooge, due to his avarice, while those with the least are celebrated and celebrating Christianity and Christian values. It is ironic that Scrooge covets money and wealth more than he covets family and humanity. Further focus on the love and happiness reflected in the Cratchitt household is the way they all join together and share in the chores “in high procession” is used by Dickens to reflect the joyful atmosphere that is created in the small household when the “goose” is brought in for carving. The enthusiasm with which the goose is met is contagious and all the Cratchitt household join in the celebration of the goose “one murmur of delight” describes vividly the whole family gasping in joy at the sight of the food they have for Christmas dinner, despite the clear evidence of poverty that abounds in the household. Mrs Cratchitt is “brave in ribbons” which metaphorically describes the way she has made do and mended her dress to make it appear more festive as a piece of ribbon would have been a relatively cheap way of dressing up, while a new dress would have been an unquestionable expense and out of reach for the family. Although, poor she shows pride in her appearance and wants to look her best for the festivities and not disappoint Bob, her loving husband. Family here is shown as important as they all collectively share in the hardship and even though they are poor they don’t complain or grumble, they just focus on making the best of their situation. Symbolically, the Cratchitt family are the antithesis of Scrooge and his cruel hearted rejection of his own family.

Earlier in the novella, when the Ghost of the Past took him to the boarding school, we see a glimpse of humanity and caring towards family when “Little Fan” arrives to “take him home”. He exclaims that she is “quite a woman” showing his admiration, love and affection for her and his sadness at the reminder that she “died a young woman” which implies that perhaps, like many women at the time, childbirth was too much for her and she died. Dickens doesn’t explicitly state that childbirth was the cause of her death but there is the implication that Fred, Scrooge’s nephew, is a painful reminder of his loving sister to Scrooge and this could be why Scrooge continues to harden his heart against Fred. Alternatively, his hardened nature and his inability to love could be a mechanism that he has used over the years as he became more and more isolated and less interested in sharing experiences with other people. Scrooge’s behaviour, therefore could indicate fear and an unwillingness to open himself up to loss again, as in Stave 2 it is incredibly evident that Scrooge does have a heart and is capable of love and Fan, his sister, has experienced this love and attention from Scrooge. Scrooge’s nephew Fred is also an excellent example of how family should stick together through all the pain and heartache life can throw at people. Fred arrives at the “counting-house” on a bleak, dark and foggy Christmas Eve in stave one with the pathetic fallacy reflecting the inner sadness and miserly nature of Scrooge. Fred is cheerful and welcoming towards his grumpy uncle, who rejects the offer of Christmas dinner and in Stave 3 we see Scrooge become the butt of the joke during a game of “Guess Who”. Scrooge watches amused and seems to ironically miss the fact that he is being compared to an animal of some sort “Uncle Sccccrooooogggeee” is used in the game, too much hilarity as an example that no-one can guess initially. Scrooge watches on with the Ghost of the Present wistfully and plays along with the games, even though he can’t be seen or heard by Fred and the other guests. Although, they are being slightly unkind and poking fun at Scrooge there is some clear evidence of affection for him, due to the fact that he is family. In this scene family is again seen to be normal, caring and loving and everyone is together, looking out for each other and enjoying each other’s company. Dickens presents Fred’s Christmas as a larger and more opulent affair than the Cratchitt’ s but the day seems to represent a wider sort of family gathering with friends and nieces invited to the festivities as well, suggesting that we are all part of the same human race and that there are more similarities between us than differences.

Towards the end of the novella Dickens introduces us to the idea that Scrooge has changed and has reflected on how family is important and why he should join in and become a part of the family, both the Cratchitt family and his own nephew Scrooge. At the end of the novella Tiny Tim utters the phrase that is synonymous with his good nature “God bless us everyone!” which summarises the change that overcame Scrooge. Tim lived because Scrooge changed and became a better man. Scrooge vowed after seeing the Ghost of the Future, the death of Tiny Tim and the death of himself that he would “live in the past, the present and the future” showing that he understood the importance of being a better person. His first act of kindness after this proclamation is to send a “Turkey to the Cratchitt family” which was a huge gesture and showed that he valued their family and really did not want to see Tiny Tim die, he asks the Ghost of the Future “Will Tiny Tim live?” and this rhetorical question reveals that he already knows the answer to this. Without Scrooge’s epiphany and change Tim will die, so Scrooge shows that he recognises how pivotal to happiness Tiny Tim is by sending the food to them. Due to the way family is presented throughout the novella it is obvious that Scrooge begins to understand that family keeps people together and makes them more humane. In the end Scrooge goes to Fred’s house and is invited in. He also becomes “like a second father” to Tiny Tim and shows that he understands the importance of being a better person and the role that having a family plays in this.

Evidently, Dickens felt that family was centrally important to the novella as he places the Cratchitt family in the heart of it. They are show to us in Stave 3 during the Ghost of the Present’s revelations to Scrooge and arguably the scene with the Cratchitt family helps to change Scrooge from being a unkind, miserly and covetous man to a more charitable, kind and loving man. The presentation of family was extremely important in showing Scrooge that he could be a much better man.

ANOTHER ONE

They were a boy and a girl. Yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling, wolfish; but prostrate, too, in their humility. Where graceful youth should have filled their features out, and touched them with its freshest tints, a stale and shrivelled hand, like that of age, had pinched, and twisted them, and pulled them into shreds. Where angels might have sat enthroned, devils lurked, and glared out menacing. No change, no degradation, no perversion of humanity, in any grade, through all the mysteries of wonderful creation, has monsters half so horrible and dread.

Scrooge started back, appalled. Having them shown to him in this way, he tried to say they were fine children, but the words choked themselves, rather than be parties to a lie of such enormous magnitude. "Spirit, are they yours?" Scrooge could say no more.

"They are Man's," said the Spirit, looking down upon them. "And they cling to me, appealing from their fathers. This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased. Deny it!" cried the Spirit, stretching out its hand towards the city. "Slander those who tell it ye. Admit it for your factious purposes, and make it worse. And abide the end." "Have they no refuge or resource?" cried Scrooge. "Are there no prisons?" said the Spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words. "Are there no workhouses?"

In A Christmas Carol, Dickens continually returns the readers’ focus on the children in Victorian society. The recurring character and the famous child in the novella is “Tiny” Tim Cratchit who becomes a metonym for thousands of faceless proletariat children neglected by a ruthless self-serving capitalist society. However, the shocking introduction of the minor characters of Ignorance and Want allows Dickens to create a political diatribe against the greed, selfishness and neglect of working-class children. These children contrasted against the earlier childhood version of Scrooge, serve to expose the dichotomy between the poor and rich in a deeply unequal and uneven society.

In this passage, Ignorance and Want become a metaphorical paradigm of society’s abandonment of the poor and the consequence of their inability to take social responsibility for poverty. The children have a primarily allegorical purpose evidenced in the focus of their physical features. The boy and girl are old before their time as Dickens says their faces are absent of “graceful youth” and the neglect of their physical, emotional and mental wellbeing is emphasised in the image of their “pinched” and “twisted” features. These adjectives heighten the idea of their youth being robbed and their childhood destroyed by physical hardships particularly given “twisted” is synonymous with something that is misshapen and grotesque. Their faces are described as being the antithesis of childhood innocence as Dickens uses hyperbolic language and describes how “devils lurked” in their faces and “glared out menacingly”. The use of hellish imagery accentuates the impression that their existence has been made unbearable by poverty and in turn has tainted and corrupted their view of the world as well as wrecked their own goodness and innocence. The children’s hostility, distrust and hatred of the Christian society meant to protect them is manifested in the verb “glared”, which is emblematic of their disillusionment and discontent. Dickens uses animal imagery to describe the children as “wolfish” which bolsters the impression of working-class children’s metamorphosis from innocent creatures to starving and exploited children hardened by their suffering. The colour “yellow” is symptomatic of sickness and ill health and furthers the idea of their physical and mental decay within a laissez faire society (where no welfare state or support to lift working class children out of absolute poverty exists). The philosopher John Locke theorised man is born a blank slate and our nature is changed by nurture; this idea is evidenced in the way in which societal neglect changes the nature of the children. It is clear that Dickens subverts the image of childhood innocence and sharply juxtaposes Ignorance and Want’s damaged childhood to the wealthy Scrooge’s happier memories of his powerful education (in which his imagination came alive by his schooling), in order to create pathos for working class children and force his contemporary Victorian readers to examine their conscience, particularly their lack of support for the “ragged” poor and homeless children in society.

Dickens believed how a society treated its children, revealed their social mores. He makes it evident that society is to blame for the suffering and dehumanisation of working-class children especially as the spirits uses the short declarative “They are man’s” to indicate societal responsibility and its moral failing. The hypocrisy of a Christian society is exemplified in the way in which the ghost mocks Scrooge and repeats his infamous questions back to him: “Are there no prisons?” and “Are there no workhouses?” The callousness of society and its evasion of social responsibility to take care of the most vulnerable is emphasised in the repetition of the nouns “prison” and “workhouses” which reminds contemporary readers that they marginalised and disenfranchisedinnocent working-class children by socially excluding them and denying them a good quality of life.

Dickens more importantly uses the recurring character construct of Tiny Tim to dispel the damaging societal stereotype that the working class are deserving of their poverty. In Stave 3, Tiny Tim is romanticised by Dickens to symbolise the beauty and goodness of working-class children who deserve society’s love and charity. He is poor but shows immense courage and huge generosity of spirit. When Tiny Tim uses the biblical story of how Jesus helped the blind and poor, and hopes the bourgeoise remember the poor during Christmas, he becomes a symbol of Jesus and once again exposes the hypocrisy of a Christian society that claims to help the poor but instead neglects them. Though Tiny Tim is dying, he shows courage and endless love and devotion to his family, best demonstrated when he says “God bless us everyone” as he sits next to his dad. Tiny Tim does not ask for anything for himself, but he is the antithesis to Scrooge because he is altruistic and puts others before him. In an increasingly amoral Victorian society, Tiny Tim provides comforting moral guidance on how to live a good life. However, Tiny Tim becomes a symbol of the abandonment of working-class children as he is powerless to improve his situation and is shown to die, leaving his family “still” and destroyed by their grief. His death symbolises how the bourgeoise have the power to change his fate and that of thousands of other vulnerable children but fail to do so, leaving innocent families broken by the death of their babies. The focus on the grief of the family after Tiny Tim dies creates intense pathos and is deliberate as Dickens reminds his readers of their shocking contextual reality - that one in five children in Victorian society did not live to see their fifth birthday.

The fairy-tale reversal in Tiny Tim’s death in Stave 5 is a piercing reminder that a progressive and utopic society is possible, but only if the bourgeoisie (represented by Scrooge) learn to love its children and take social responsibility by improving their poverty-stricken situations and therefore preventing their needless deaths. In this stave, Scrooge becomes a “second father” to Tiny Tim. This lexical phrase is highly symbolic because while it literally shows Scrooge has become more responsible and compassionate, it is an important metaphorical reminder that working-class parents desperately need the support of society to help raise their children and provide a good quality of life for them. The lexical choice “Second” is synonymous here with something that is additional and surplus and so consequently is a strong reminder of the importance of a more responsible and engaged society that is not ignorant or myopic of working-class suffering and exploitation. To reinforce this idea, In Stave 3, Dickens briefly uses the childhood character of Martha Cratchit to remind his readers of the exploitation and premature growing up of Victorian children. In this stave the children are working in the kitchen and Martha arrives home late as she has been working. She is responsible for bringing the goose. She is embraced by her mother. The image of Mrs Cratchit embracing her working child reminds readers how adult breadwinners simply could not support their family and relied upon them sacrificing their childhood. There is no doubt that these moments have great verisimilitude for modern readers, particularly given how two thirds of children living in poverty in the UK have working parents, painfully reminding new readers how the exploitation of the poor is as real as ever.

Finally, the gaiety of Fred's family dinner, contrasted against the hardship of the merry but compromised Cratchit family, is a strong reminder of the terrible and tragic disparity between the lives of the working class and wealthy in society, a context greatly affecting the Cratchit children. To conclude Dickens uses the recurring characters of children to explore society’s lack of responsibility towards its children but also its power to change the fate of these children simply by showing greater compassion and ensuring social justice happens.

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Scrooge's Transformation in "A Christmas Carol"

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Published: Aug 24, 2023

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Scrooge's initial characteristics and attitude, meeting the ghosts: the catalyst for change, reflections on past regrets and lost opportunities, embracing the present and empathy for others, facing the future and confronting mortality, transformation and redemption, impact on others and community, internal motivations and sustaining change, conclusion: scrooge's journey to redemption.

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Charles Dickens

A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol Essay.

Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol is a morality tale of a selfish and bitter Ebenezer Scrooge and his visits from 3 spirits representing his past, present and future, bringing him into a complete change of character and reconciliation for his wrongs. It is based in a gloomy social divided 19 th century London. The story is split between 5 staves (chapters). For my essay I will explore the language techniques such as repetition, exaggeration, similes, pathetic fallacy etc that Dickens has used to establish and illustrate his points and views through the story A Christmas Carol.

One technique Dickens successfully merged into the story structure is pathetic fallacy. In the first stave negative points of the weather is used to describe scrooges character, such as “The heaviest rain, and snow, and hail, and sleet, could boast of the advantage over him in only one respect”, Dickens did this to give the reader an insight into scrooge, so they see how much of a cold person he is and how upon meeting him themselves his presence would be like harsh weather. The use of pathetic fallacy could also be linked to scrooge himself, rain, snow, hail and sleet are all weather conditions that are cold themselves and bring a chill through those who experience them, that could also be said for Scrooge. Scrooge himself is a cold person, so he brings about a cold atmosphere around him and spreads his coldness to others through the way he treats them.

In the last stave Dickens use of pathetic fallacy is switched completely from negative to positive. He does this through a dramatic change of how the weather is described, phrases such as “No fog, no mist”. By saying there is no fog or mist in the sky, it is meaning that the harshness of the weather has gone and there is nice weather that remains now, which represents all the unpleasantness and nasty points of scrooges character have vanished, and to show the reader that his character has transformed, and that he is a changed, good person. Dickens wanted to show two completely different types of pathetic fallacy to create a contrast between scrooge in the first and last stave that the reader can obviously see.

Dickens use of adjectives in the first stave describes scrooge’s character very negatively. Phrases such as “his eyes red, his thin lips blue” are used to describe scrooge’s appearance. This brings the reader to think of scrooge as an ugly man. Under typical thinking the reader may link his appearance to his personality and think of him as an all-round nasty and vulgar man. Dickens did this to strengthen the opinion of scrooge for the reader and sets them up for a big contrast between the first and last staves.

Dickens use of adjectives changes dramatically in the last stave. Phrases such as “He looked so irresistibly pleasant” are used to describe scrooge. Scrooges appearance has seemed to also transform somewhat to the first stave, as if along with his personality, now all the evil and nastiness has been taken out his appearance has adjusted to that as well. The reader now sees scrooge in a completely different light, now that his personality and his appearance has changed he is now seen as a completely transformed person.

Dickens use of adverbs/verbs in the first stave describes scrooge’s character very negatively. Words such as “squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping” are used to describe scrooge, the words link to how tight he is with his money, and how money hungry he is. The verbs themselves sound quite threatening, and so the reader would feel threatened towards such a person as he. Dickens wanted to create a negative view of scrooge for the reader and so by using verbs that describe his actions in a dramatically negative way and make him sound like a money-mongering all around bad person.

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In the last stave Dickens describes and makes scrooges actions sound much brighter and positive in comparison to his actions in the first stave with the use of nicer verbs/adverbs. Verbs such as “fluttered and so glowing” were used to describe scrooge’s actions. The words themselves fluttered and glowing are positive and sound nice, Dickens used words like this to add to scrooges newly found self, and for the reader to see along with a better appearance and transformed personality; his actions are also positive and nice. The term glowing could also be linked with the warmness and the renewing of his character; instead of bringing a dark atmosphere around with him, a certain glow is around him bringing to light to others of his change within himself.

Dickens wanted to put across this idea of rich people being selfish, un-compassionate people. As in Victorian society a blatant social divide of the rich and poor was evident. A sense that people in high society had was that they were more important than those poorer than themselves, and so they’re greed kept their money and anything they had to share was kept to themselves. Dickens’ also shows the appreciation and happiness of the little poor people had and how infact they were richer in life than the rich people were in their wealth. He uses this with the example to Bob Cratchit’s family with such remarks as “Bob had hugged his daughter to his heart's content.” This shows an emotion not seen in the cold-hearted representation of rich people in A Christmas Carol.

Similes are another language technique that dickens has developed and used to create a dramatic sense of scrooges character. A simile used to describe scrooge for example is “Hard and sharp as flint” this gives the impression that scrooge himself is a person with a hard exterior, almost impenetrable for emotion to break through. He is sharp within the sense of his wit, he talks down to those he opposes and with his sharp wit attacks them verbally, such as where he talks to his nephew and says “What reason have you to be merry? You're poor enough” this shows the sharpness in his tongue, and the nastiness in his personality. This sort of use of simile gives the reader something to compare scrooge to, and so see deeper into his personality. Here is another simile from the first stave “solitary as an oyster” an oyster lives on it’s own at the bottom of the ocean isolated, this idea of loneliness could be linked to scrooge. Oysters are also cocooned within a shell; this connects with the thought of scrooge hiding behind a self indulgent front and not letting anyone in emotionally.

Dickens changes his use of simile in the last stave to suit scrooges newly found nice character; this shows a variance between the two opposites in scrooge’s personality in the two staves. For example, here is a simile that describes scrooge in the last stave “I am as happy as an angel” that simile sounds very positive in contrast to ones in the first stave. To say he’s as happy as an angel links into how before he wasn’t happy and his own atmosphere was depressing, but now he is happy and not just happy but as happy as an angelic creature. This shows the reader that scrooge is rejoicing in sight of his own change in character, and how they should feel happy to in response to that.

Repetition is another key technique used to dramatically describe scrooge’s character. A word repeated many times in the first few paragraphs is “dead” with this an instant negative mood is brought upon the reader. With it repeated so many times it keeps the text itself to a low mood, and with the other language techniques combined it makes the reader grasp the pessimistic atmosphere. The word “dead” itself could link to scrooge, as scrooge himself could be seen as dead on the inside, due to his complete lack of emotion shown to anything.

Repetition is used in the same way in the last stave but in a different meaning, not to severely show the bad atmosphere but to highlight and create a positive atmosphere towards the overall affect on the reader. Here is a word repeated often in the last stave “chuckle”. This is a cheerful and enthusiastic word that fits in with scrooge’s new change of character. It makes the reader feel that scrooge is now a humorous person, which he never was before and therefore he has obviously changed.

Scrooges views on Christmas vary between the first and last stave, In the first stave he appears to despise Christmas, and those who think of it as merry, for example he says this to his nephew Bob Cratchit in response to him asking to come round for Christmas dinner “every idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart” this shows his reluctance against Christmas and makes the reader think that if such a person hates Christmas, a merry and happy time of the year they themselves must be a nasty person. On the other hand they may want to delve deeper into scrooges character, and maybe think why does this man hate Christmas so much? And so wait to find out until they reach an opinion. Dickens idea was to present people of high society as uncompassionate people, and because Christmas is a time to show love and compassion towards others Dickens uses that against scrooges character and makes him hate Christmas, and so that represents the people of high society in that stereotype as cold uncompassionate people, as wanted by Dickens.

In the last stave scrooges view on Christmas appears to have completely changed and reformed into a love of it. For example when he wakes up after all the spirits have visited him he says “A merry Christmas to everybody!” which of course he would have never said before seriously and meant it. This shows the reader that scrooge’s new character has awakened and therefore loves Christmas, and wishes a merry Christmas to all. Dickens created Scrooges love of Christmas to show a comparison between scrooge’s opinions on Christmas, so the reader can see that along with scrooge’s turn of character he is truly a changed man who now loves Christmas.

Dickens uses exaggeration to create a dramatic emphasis of an atmosphere or scrooge’s character, the meaning for it varies between the first and last stave. For the first stave it is used to emphasize the gloomy mood, for example there is a long list of verbs that describe scrooge and his actions, here is a section of that list “grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous” this directly hits the reader with a settled opinion on scrooge, and makes them think of him as an awfully negative person. He may not be all these things, but in the readers eyes he is exaggerated to be a somewhat inhumanly, horrible and tightfisted man. For that is what dickens’ believed people like scrooge and within his high class in society to be in the 19 th century, and so to give the reader a bias view he used exaggeration to exaggerate scrooges actions in a way the reader would be manipulated into believing that that is what rich people were like.

Exaggeration is used in an intensely positively way in the last stave in contrast to the first stave. The phrase “as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world” is an exaggerated phrase, because of course he isn’t the nicest man in the world, but to the reader he appears to be through pushing this idea to them through exaggeration. Dickens wanted the reader to believe that scrooge had become a new person in complete reconciliation for his past-self, and did so by using exaggeration as a language technique to give an obvious contrast between scrooges transformation.

The change of tone and attitude of scrooges character changes dramatically between the first and last stave, this is shown by the way he acts towards others, and how they perceive his as a person. In the first stave for example it says “No beggars implored him to bestow a trifle” this means that no beggars would bother asking him for anything, as they already know what his response would be, a blatant no. This also links to Dickens’ views on people in high society, he regarded them as selfish and tight people, because during the massive social divide in his lifetime people in rich situations in his opinion were selfish and tight and so to spread his views across he used scrooges character and by showing a beggars negative reaction to scrooge. That shows the divide between the two people, high and low class and a disrespect and tightness from high to low. This makes the reader think that scrooge is a selfish, mean man. Dickens uses scrooges attitude towards others so let the readers form an opinion of how they would react to scrooges character themselves.

Scrooges tone and attitude in the last stave reflects his change of character deeply. Because he is of course a changed man his attitude towards others changed also with that. For example as he is asking a young boy to buy him a turkey he says “Come back with him in less than five minutes and I'll give you half-a-crown." This shows his newly found generosity, as before he would have never given anything willingly to anyone. This helps towards the reader adjusting their opinion of scrooge, and believes that if he is kind to others he must be a kind and changed person himself.

The Young Vic performance showed a modern twist of A Christmas carol . Scrooge was played by a woman in a South African setting, I believe having a woman play scrooge is to show that now that there is a near equality between men and women; women can become in a position like scrooge, have money to themselves and be selfish with it. The story explores Aid’s, prostitution, poverty etc, this highlighted the contrast between old and modern society by exploring these issues from today’s world, this is important because it demonstrates the moral of A Christmas carol in relevance to today.

In conclusion I believe the moral behind Christmas carol is that in a social divided community it is important to treat everyone the same. This is shown through scrooge’s character, and how he treats people somewhat below him in the social hierarchy as a man quite high in society and how he treats them after he has been visited by the spirits. I think that the moral is still of relevance to today’s world, although there is a large time difference between now and then there still are social divides throughout society, weather it be financially or through the new celebrity status’s there are or anything else, so it is still important to withhold the belief that everyone has the right to be treated the same, rich or poor, famous or not famous. Equality is something that should be of relevance though any time, weather it is a problem or something newly found, it is an issue and still will be until there is complete equality for all.

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Word Count 2596
Page Count 5
Subject English

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'A Christmas Carol'.

104 Christmas Essay Topics & Examples

Looking for Christmas topic ideas to write about? Being the most loved holiday in English-speaking countries, Christmas is definitely worth studying!

🔝 Top 10 Essay Titles
🏆 Best Essay Examples
📍 Good Topic Ideas
💡 Exciting Essay Topics

❓ Christmas Essay Questions

In your Christmas essay, you might want to discuss the most controversial traditions connected to the holiday, describe a Christmas decoration that you consider the most beautiful, or write a narrative about an impressive Christmas sermon you once visited. Here we’ve gathered good & funny Christmas essay titles and added some Christmas essay examples to inspire you even more.

🔝 Top 10 Christmas Essay Titles

Christmas: etymology of the word
History of Christmas
My favorite Christmas tradition
Christmas in non-Christian areas
Traditional Christmas decorations
Celebrating Christmas in different countries: compare & contrast
Nativity play as a part of Christmas celebration
Most popular Christmas songs
My favorite Christmas food
Different dates of Christmas all over the world

🏆 Best Christmas Essay Examples

Christian Festivals: Calendar and Events Jesus is often referred to as the light of the world and therefore the lit candles are symbolic of him as the light of the world.
Christmas and Easter: Two Contrasting Holidays Thus the current commercialization of the two holidays in order to make it more open as a celebration to people across the board.
Anthropology. Eating Christmas in the Kalahari by Lee The story highlights the attitude of the particular national society of Bushmen to the arrogance and social inequality in the modern world.
A Christmas Carol of Dickens: Never Too Late for a Change of Heart Then, the second Ghost of the Christmas Present guides Scrooge to the houses of both Fred and Bob. Finally, the Ghost of the Christmas future shows Scrooge the flashforward of the next Christmas.
A Christmas Carol by Dickens It starts with a summary of the plot, then examines the main characters and the themes and concludes with the personal opinion on the novella.
“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” by Theodor Geisel It is important to note that the book is a story about the conflict between introversion and extroversion that results in the victory of extroverted people who are the basis of the human society.
“Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens Literary Analysis The lead character in the story is Ebenezer Scrooge; the ghosts that led Scrooge to repentance and redemption include the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come.
Economic Aspects in “A Christmas Carol” Movie The movie ‘A Christmas Carol’ depicts how it is critical for one to play a part in the production of goods and services.
Christmas Celebration in New York City I was mesmerized with the arrangements and the atmosphere of the city which was full with a colorful holiday spirit as everyone enjoyed the celebrations to their fullest.
The Analysis of Christmas as a Cultural Context of Consumption One of the countries in which the customs of the original winter holidays were incredibly diligently combined with the Christian holiday was Germany.
Impact of Technology on the Way People Celebrate Christmas Christmas in those parts of the world that celebrate it, represent a time when families and acquaintances remember one another, meet and celebrate the birth of Christ and the approaching end of a year.
Salford Christmas Land Project and Event Management The major theme of the Christmas event will be diversity, which is a topical question in the city council as well as the community.
Applying Models to Recent Christmas Ad Campaigns It was differentiated from other companies with the presence of the best sportswear companies and the choice of activities with a number of acrobatic tricks and effective moves.
Performance of Retail Businesses in Christmas Season The dissertation undertakes a study that compares the sales/ marketing strategies and the performance of the retail businesses during the Christmas season in UK.
Christmas Celebrations in Spanish Culture The Virgin Mary is Spain’s patron saint and this is the reason behind the Christmas officially beginning in the 8th of December with the Immaculate Conception feast.
Views About Christmas Time Review Ted Byfield and Almas Zakiuddin share their thoughts about the celebration of Christmas and how people change during that time of year.
Christmas Tree Trimming Project Analysis In project management, it is important to accurately evaluate the budget earned on different steps of work proceeding to analyze the schedule variance and the stage of the project completion.
Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” However, the choice of black cats in animation is a common experience with Tim in his shows and ‘Nightmare before Christmas’ is no exception.
“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” Play: Actors Game The desire of the actors to present this play to the public is probably connected not only with the necessity to do their work but also to convey more intimate information to the audience.
The Play “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” The purpose of this production is to deepen the understanding of the story and its themes. The diversity of characters, an interesting and unusual plot, and the variety of settings are factors that contributed to […]
“Christmas in August” a Movie by Hur Jin-Ho However, the heavy-handed emotional and dramatic elements in the genre create a sort of stereotype around the films and the expectations that the audiences have.
“The Nightmare Before Christmas” by Tim Burton The main character is the leader of the place where he lives, and he is bored with the regular way of celebrating Halloween.
Vino Veritas Online Wine Shop’s Pre-Christmas Plan Understanding the external environment of Vino Veritas will make it possible to understand the forces that this firm has to deal within the market.
Christmas Balls Making in the Art Classes In anticipation of the holidays, it is expected that the students will be eager to create objects related to Christmas, and this eagerness will serve as the activator of the motivated behavior that will enhance […]
Hunting a Christmas Tree by Barbara Dean This story is an amazing combination of natural beauty, human pretentiousness, and despair that may spoil even the most beautiful events in a human life like Christmas.”Hunting a Christmas Tree” is Dean’s personal position on […]
The Concept of Celebrating Christmas in Kalahari This way of living was different from what the narrator was accustomed to because he rarely shared his food supplies with members of the community.
Mechanical Solidarity in Eating Christmas in the Kalahari When discussing the concerned subject matter, I will promote the idea that it is precisely the primitive people’s endowment with the sense of a mechanical solidarity, which allows them to maintain the integrity of their […]
A Manmade Christmas Tree The lines used by the artist are obscure, but the shape of the work of art resembles a conventional form of a Christmas tree.
Washington Cathedral Classical Music Christmas Concert The pieces were performed beautifully; actually, I got a sense of satisfaction and deep rumination of the Christmas season because of the expressive execution of the pieces by the band and the choir.
Chicken Run and The Nightmare Before Christmas As a result of the escape, Ginger is kept in a secluded place and the only option left for the poor bird is to fly over the fence.
Thanksgiving vs. Christmas There are a variety of ways to understand the importance of these two but the best way perhaps is to see it from the eyes of a child.

📍 Good Christmas Topic Ideas

The Origin of Christmas Celebrations in Christianity
Character Analysis Of Scrooge In A Christmas Carol
The Character of The Grinch in the Movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas
The Personality of Scrooge in A Christmas Carol
Origin Of Christmas Traditions
The True Meaning of the Christmas Celebration
The Effective Advertising and Marketing Methods of Coca-Cola During the Christmas Season
A History of the Origins of Christmas Lights
Moravian Food and Christmas Cookies
Christmas Unwrapped: The History of Christmas
A Christmas Carol: Difference Between Muppets and Original
The Significance of Santa Clause in Christmas History and Culture
The People, Events, and Christmas in the Victorian Era
The Three Spirits in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol

💡 Exciting Christmas Essay Topics

A Childhood Belief on the Spirit of Christmas and Its Celebration
A Characteristic Of Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ Novel A Christmas Carol
The Spirit of Christmas in Family Gatherings, Radio, Movie, and the Climate
A Description of Christmas as a Christian Holiday That Celebrates the Birth of Jesus Christ
The Commercialization of Christmas
Ebenezer Scrooge’s Emotional State in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
The Popularity of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
A Comparison of the Differences in the Author’s View of Ethics in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and The Moonstone by
Wilkie Collins
The Comprehensibility of Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’
The Amazing Transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol
There Is Something Undeniably Special about Christmas
Celebrating Christmas in 18th Century England and China Today
Seasonal Altruism: How Christmas Shapes Unsolicited Charitable Giving
A Criticism of the Victorian Era in a Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Consumer Behavior At Christmas Of Portsmouth : Food
The Importance of Christmas Celebration
Christmas Tree and Vegetarian Option
The Evolution Of Communication At Christmas
Has Christmas Become Too Commercialized?
What Was Christmas Originally Called?
What Effect Does All the Christmas Media Promotion Have?
How Do Nigerians Celebrate Christmas?
Should Christians Celebrate Christmas and Easter?
How Did Religion and Secular Practices Become Part of Christmas?
What Is the Effect That Christmas Has on Society?
Has the Meaning of Christmas Changed Over Time?
What Would Jesus Think of Christmas Today?
Why Is Christmas Celebrated on December 25?
When Was the First-Ever Christmas Celebration in the World?
What Are the Other Names for Christmas?
When Was Christmas Established as a Federal Holiday in the USA?
Should Schools Allow Students to Have Christmas Parties?
What Is the True Meaning of Santa Claus?
Can There Be Christmas Without Santa Claus?
What Is the Origin of Christmas?
How Is “Old Christmas” Celebrated?
Why Is Christmas Celebrated?
Who Celebrates Christmas First?
What Symbolizes Christmas?
Why Does Santa Wear Red?
What Is the Main Message of Christmas?
Who Named Christmas?
What Do Christmas Colors Mean?
Where Did Christmas Trees Come From?
What Is the Joy of Christmas?
Who Invented Christmas Lights?
What Does Word Christmas Mean?
Why Do We Say Merry Christmas?
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A Christmas Carol: Task and Essay Plan (Scrooge)

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A Christmas Carol Essay and Feedback Sheet

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Poetry Contests

‘A Christmas Carol,’ after Charles Dickens, by Talbot Hook

Dramatis personae:.

Ebenezer Scrooge: An infamous miser Bob Cratchit: Scrooge’s assistant Mrs. Cratchit: Bob’s wife Tiny Tim: Disabled child of the Cratchits Jacob Marley: Scrooge’s old partner Mr. Fezziwig: Scrooge’s former employer Old Joe: A well-known London fence Ghosts of Past, Present, and Future: Three spirits sent to intercede in Scrooge’s life

A Christmas Carol

London, England, the day before Christmas . . .

Ebenezer went down to his firm in the cold, Where his workers were huddled, all counting his gold; In the furnace the coal was beginning to die, And black greed was alight in the cruel miser’s eye.

At his door were soon heard a few tentative knocks: Two altruists holding an alms-giving box. When Scrooge, with a “Bah!”, sent them fast on their way, Bob Cratchit, his clerk, asked for one holiday.

Granting spiteful permission Scrooge left them to work, Drawing back to his house, leaving all to his clerk. Up the stairs to his door with a handle of brass— In the knocker an omen of what would soon pass.

Scrooge skulked through his house with stale cheese and hard bread, Only a candle aloft in rooms cold as the dead. His aged body collapsed in a chair by the fire, And he began to nod off as he started to tire.

With a start—all the sudden!—he awoke in the night, Hearing chains all a-rattle, abandoned by light. A figure appeared bound tightly in fetters: One of the afterlife’s undying debtors.

Scrooge knew this ghoul’s face: his old partner long passed, Who was haunted by guilt for the gold he’d amassed. To the poor and the needy he’d ne’er spared a dime, And through all of these sins forged a chain wrought of crime.

Now in the hereafter he longed to make right, Helping others and freeing his friend from his plight; Marley warned Scrooge’s fate was almost foregone— A last chance for penance: three Ghosts before dawn.

Now left all alone, Scrooge pondered his fate: Was the spirit just here? Was it something I ate? As time crept around on the face of the clock, He feared its return and secured tight the lock.

As he lay in his bed, the old chime tolled ONE, And his curtain was drawn by a hand he’d fain shun: A creature — a being — with childhood’s light, Yet drawn and receded like a long-buried wight.

A branch of fresh holly and a dress of full flowers, A Spirit sent bedside to roll back the hours. With a touch of its hand, the two passed through the wall, And before him he saw his drear youth through a pall:

A small boy sat forlorn in a dusty old place— His classmates carefree, a sad look on his face. He’d found friendship a bother and playtime a bore, So he went to his books and he slammed shut the door.

From the schoolyard the curtain pulled back on his prime, And revealed festivities of gay Christmastime. His old boss, Fezziwig, treated Scrooge like a son, While Scrooge to his workers was father to none.

The scene melted away and a new act unfurled, And was fixed on a woman who’d once been his world. In the end they had parted (though he started to plead), When she found that his heart worshipped nothing but greed.

Now witness to memories that haunted his years, He scrapped with the Spirit—a whirlwind of fears. “That they are what they are,” came reply to his shame, As a damning reproach: “With yourself lies the blame!”

To a deadened sleep he was thrown by this fight, Til he woke with a start, his room drowning in light. Donning slippers he shuffled, put his hand on the lock, When a voice boomed aloud throwing Scrooge in a shock.

Abundance and plenty surrounded this Ghost— A giant, green-robed, the year’s consummate host. He was bidden draw close in his tattered night-sweater, With the faintest of hopes that he’d know Christmas better.

Yet before this well-natured and generous guise, Scrooge found it impossible to meet those bright eyes. He then, in his heart, felt the lesson’s effect Of the previous night and his life’s retrospect.

They left his bleak house to a London in gloom, Yet the children were joyous, their cheeks all abloom. What a vision of plenty, the grocers well-stocked— Even the poorest in town gave with purses unlocked!

Strolling swiftly they came to the house of his clerk; From the window they saw the Day’s spirit at work. Mrs. Cratchit and daughters and son by the fire, With Bob Cratchit weighed down so that Tim could see higher.

A feast then unfurled, the kids drowning in sage, And a pudding that followed which took center stage. A toast to old Scrooge, he who founded the feast, Met with censure and hum-bug —they called him a beast!

Outside Scrooge cast his eyes at his feet out of shame, And for once felt the anguish that followed his name. Looking back in the house at their son with new care, Scrooge saw in his mind: dusty crutch, empty chair.

A strange feeling sprang up in his heart at this news, And he knew the boy’s life would demand that he choose. But the Spirit was pulling him far from their glee To poor miners and men keeping Christmas at sea.

While his heart learned the lessons the Spirits invoked, The Specter decayed, two youths clutching its cloak. They were twisted by age—wolfish, meager, and gaunt. The brother is Ignorance; his sister is Want.

And appearing inside of the gathering dark— A new Phantom, both hooded and cloaked in robes stark, Bearing lessons and prophecy all without voice: Scrooge’s soul on the brink: that his fate lie with choice.

Once more to grey London, the heart of exchange, Where the lenders sat hunched over trinkets arranged; Strange gossip, a funeral—a miser had passed, But for him they cared not, just his money amassed.

In the dingiest, dreariest part of the Town, Where met strangers to barter and haggle costs down, Old Joe sat enthroned ‘mid a small pack of crooks Where the parted’s possessions were met with cold looks.

Throughout Scrooge’s life he’d met people with scorn— His legacy nothing, with no one to mourn. Where should have been family and memory replete There was only a corpse in the dark on a sheet.

His plea to the Spirit: some tenderer death! Yet his eyes met a family robbed of one breath. Mr. Cratchit walked slowly, his head hung down low, While the rest of the family sat still in dim glow.

“He was so very light on my shoulder,” Bob said, As he’d been at the graveyard to see the small dead; But his heart was quite glad as he painted the scene — A clean grave in a field all surrounded with green.

Now Scrooge knew that their parting would soon come to pass, And was led by his house to a church choked with grass. The Spirit stood marking one grave in the weeds; Scrooge wiped clear its face and fell mute to his knees.

His whole life, his existence, was cast in new light, And he begged of the Spirit a chance to do right; As he clasped the Ghost’s hand his whole mind filled with dread, When the Ghoul disappeared—just a post on his bed!

Now finding himself in his room still alive (On the morning of Christmas!), he vowed to contrive A new life of the Spirits, all Three in one heart. Out the window he burst and gave all quite a start!

He laughed and sent off a wee lad for The Bird (The biggest you’ve seen in your life, mark my word!)— The young boy darted off, right quick like a shot, While he shaved, got dressed, and went out at a trot.

To their infinite shock he met all with a smile; “Merry Christmas” was clear on his face all the while. To the beggars, his alms; to his family, his time. To think that this change from the sound of a chime!

When Bob Cratchit arrived at his work the next day, Scrooge flew at his throat like a grim bird of prey. Yet he found Scrooge’s manner more jest than professed, And for Bob and his family, where once cursed, they were blessed.

So it ever was said that Scrooge kept Christmas well, For the Spirits of Grace in his heart came to dwell. And what can be learned from this strange circumstance? That a person can change if they’re given a chance.

Talbot Hook is a PhD student and occasional writer currently living in Connecticut.

NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets.

The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary.

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15 Responses

This retelling, Talbot, is an interesting dismantling of “humbug,” and I am looking forward to my own transformation.

Quite an impressive effort, considering the demands of a doctoral program. And a Merry Christmas to you, Mr. Hook.

Talbot – A fine rhythmic retelling of the story, and a very Merrie Christmas to you.

I read ‘A Christmas Carol’ every year – you’ve done the story credit.

Thanks for the read, Talbot.

By the way, I read your poem to the tune of Chris de Burgh’s Christmas song, ‘A Spaceman Came Travelling’.

If there were ever a song to do it to, it might be that one! Now you have me doing the same!

Very well done!

Lovely, Sir, I enjoyed every word… thank you!! Merry Christmas to you and yours.

I think Dickens would be proud, maybe even a little jealous. An amazing accomplishment!

What a great way to enjoy the Christmas Carol, thank you and Merry Christmas to you. Very nice!

Thanks, all, and a very Happy Christmas season to you! It was fun to write, so I’m glad there was some enjoyment in the reading!

Thank you for the hard work you’ve put into this festive delight that, for me, conjures scenes of school days at Christmas, crossed legged on a mat listening attentively as the teacher read the class Dicken’s mini masterpiece… which I love. Great stuff!

Talbot, yours is a fine retelling of my favorite Dickens tale. Thank you for taking the time to create this piece.

Merry Christmas Talbot – a fine tale you tell! Jolly enjoyable, Sir.

Delightful!! I am so glad you have shared this again!! Thank you…

Queer Women Behaving Badly: These Movies Scrap the Coming-Out Story

“Love Lies Bleeding,” “Bottoms” and “Drive-Away Dolls” are leading a wave of stories about lesbians living their lives, committing crimes along the way.

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A girl in an Atari T-shirt and a girl in an unzipped hoodie stand side by side in a gym.

By Laura Zornosa

To a queer woman going to the movies, it may seem as if there has been something in the ether for the past year. First, in August, there was “Bottoms.” Then “Drive-Away Dolls” arrived in February. “Love Lies Bleeding” joined the fray in March. This cluster of relatively mainstream films about queer women, deliciously frothy and fun to watch, feels unprecedented.

It isn’t, of course — film always has a precedent. But the latest titles are different. These movies lean into camp: heightened realities, suspended disbelief, larger-than-life plots. What’s more, queer women had a significant hand in crafting each release, and none of the movies involve coming-out stories. Their protagonists are already out, living their lives, committing crimes along the way.

“I don’t think that these three films, even taken individually, could have quite existed in the pretty mainstream public sphere even a few years ago,” said Clara Bradbury-Rance , a film scholar and the author of “Lesbian Cinema After Queer Theory.” “At what point,” she added, “do you reach a sense that lesbians are represented enough to represent them in their badness and toxicity and irritation?”

“ Bottoms ” follows two lesbian high school seniors, PJ (Rachel Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri), who start a fight club (sorry, self-defense club ) as a ruse to hook up with cheerleaders. “ Drive-Away Dolls ” is a crime caper about unsuspecting friends, Jamie (Margaret Qualley) and Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan), who find a mysterious package in the trunk of their car during a road trip. And in “ Love Lies Bleeding ,” Jackie (Katy O’Brian), an ambitious bodybuilder, comes to town and falls for Lou (Kristen Stewart), a gym manager with a shadowy past.

With their offbeat B-movie feel, these stories are “managing to mess with this dichotomy between the good representation and the bad representation,” Bradbury-Rance said, allowing us to think, “there are ways of finding pleasure in ambivalence and ambiguity and tension.”

These films are part of a recent larger wave of lesbian stories that includes “Tár,” “Nyad,” “The Color Purple” and “Silver Haze,” and they stand in stark contrast to another recent cluster: the period dramas of the late 2010s. Think: “Carol,” “The Favourite,” “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” and “Ammonite.” Andrea Torres, one of the programmers behind the recent Sapph-o-Rama series at Film Forum in Manhattan, referred to this as the “lesbian saints era.” It even had its own “Saturday Night Live” sketch : “Lesbian period drama,” went the tagline. “You get one a year — make the most of it.”

Now, though, we have three films in one year. “Bottoms,” in particular, with its depiction of PJ and Josie as not necessarily good people, shows that maybe “there’s something snappy or spiky about queer life,” as Bradbury-Rance put it. Instead of claiming that lesbian films are about a universal desire, these are specific stories about queer life, with its own grooves and complexities.

This spiky representation — which features sex and violence, as well as sometimes fraught, not-always-happy endings — recalls the New Queer Cinema of the early 1990s, a wave of independent filmmaking that included “The Hours and Times,” “Swoon” and “The Living End.” But B. Ruby Rich , the critic who coined the movement’s name, noted back then, “Surprise, all the new movies being snatched up by distributors, shown in mainstream festivals, booked into theaters, are by the boys.”

IN HER TIME as the coordinator of gender and sexuality studies at Swarthmore College, Patricia White , author of “Uninvited: Classical Hollywood Cinema and Lesbian Representability,” has taught plenty of students. When she shows them older work, they often expect realism, but when she shows more modern fare, nobody is fazed by lesbian vampires, sci-fi or superheroes.

Commercial and genre film tropes like these — combined with the creativity of this generation of queer women filmmakers — make for movies “that are very imaginative and very pastiche-y and not realist,” she said. “And not necessarily feel-good either, not quote-unquote positive — and that’s part of the fun, too.”

She said these films can raise the question: “What’s the social mayhem that my desire could unleash? Or what kind of narrative possibilities and twists and turns are possible” if you don’t stick to heterosexual formulas? The possibilities, she said, include “emotional, creative affirmations that are not just those of ‘I see myself.’”

“Bottoms,” “Drive-Away Dolls” and “Love Lies Bleeding” straddle an odd line: They are all “pastiche-y,” as White put it, drawing from John Hughes, John Waters, the campy 2000 comedy “But I’m a Cheerleader,” the platonic love story “Go Fish” from 1994, and film noir. And they are, to varying degrees, satirical as well. But they take themselves seriously as channels for a whole host of emotions, including the messy ones.

The archivist and documentarian Jenni Olson has been in the lesbian film world for decades, and pointed out that “every few years, there are these little bursts. And there are these little moments of, like, ‘It’s a thing!’ And like, ‘Does this mean that finally there will be more?’ And I always have a combination of optimism — it is really exciting — and skepticism that Hollywood is Hollywood.”

For queer women in the industry, the idea that the tide is actually turning is often met with hesitation. “I think it’s clear that studios have recognized that there’s an audience for this,” said Torres, the Sapph-o-Rama co-programmer. “It’s like an ouroboros or some soul-crushing cycle of: Is this for us? Or are they doing this because they see that there’s lucrative” potential?

Torres and her colleague Emily Greenberg programmed the 30-film series at Film Forum in February. Their picks went as far back as 1929 (“The Wild Party”) all the way up to 2018 (“Shakedown”). What feels different now “is that it does seem like there are more actual lesbians tied and attached to the projects,” Torres said. “And I think a wider audience as well,” Greenberg added, referring to viewers who aren’t necessarily queer.

Allegra Madsen , the executive director of Frameline, the organization behind the San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, watched as the current wave of lesbian film bubbled up for a few years on the festival circuit. She noted that there are many more lesbian stories than she’s ever seen, adding, “A lot of these are about control over your body and seizing bodily autonomy. And in a moment when that is definitely under threat, it seems like this could be a cultural response.”

But, she said, “I love this moment of, yeah, this is serious, but we’re also going to have a good damn time.”

THE QUESTION PERSISTS, THOUGH: Why is the industry more open to these films right now? What is making it possible for filmmakers — especially queer women — to get the green light?

For Rose Glass, the director of “Love Lies Bleeding,” which she wrote with Weronika Tofilska, it was actually quite simple. She had just worked with the British film production company Film4 and the American indie studio A24 on her feature directorial debut, “Saint Maud” (2021), and they were ready to support her next piece.

“What I noticed about these three films, specifically, is also that they’re all funny and light,” Glass said. “But inevitably, I think a lot of the discussion around it is very somber. And I think what puts a lot of people off, particularly if they’re not queer themself — people get very defensive and get this idea that it’s about ticking boxes, or some kind of ‘eat your greens’ sort of thing, which is bollocks.”

Emma Seligman, who directed “Bottoms” and wrote its screenplay alongside Sennott, had a tougher time getting the film picked up. Her critically acclaimed debut, “Shiva Baby,” was not yet in theaters when she sent around the “Bottoms” script. There were so many no’s — and then one singular yes, from Alana Mayo , another queer woman, at Orion Pictures.

Queer films “always were considered cult classics,” Seligman said, “because they weren’t marketed to a broad, mainstream audience. And so then queer people had to discover them over the years. And I think that now we’re in an era of cult classics happening immediately. Because they might not do super well at the box office, but the audience who it’s intended for will discover it immediately, simply because of social media .”

Like Seligman, Ethan Coen, soloing as a director after working for years with his brother Joel, had a hard time getting “Drive-Away Dolls” off the ground with his wife and co-writer, Tricia Cooke. They wrote the script in the early 2000s, shopped it around in 2006 or 2007, and just couldn’t get anyone interested. That changed drastically in 2022, when Focus Features was completely receptive.

“I think they’re filling a void,” Cooke said. “We’ve never had lesbian comedies, or not many. And the time was ripe.” Coen quipped, “Everybody should have their stupid movies.” And now, finally, we do.

An earlier version of this article misidentified the most recent release included in Sapph-o-Rama, a series programmed this year at Film Forum. It was “Shakedown,” from 2018, not “Saving Face” (2004).

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A Christmas Carol
A christmas carol essay sample
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GRADE 9 A CHRISTMAS CAROL ESSAY GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE
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A christmas carol essay sample

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A Christmas Carol Essays
A Detailed Look at The Role of Emotions in "A Christmas Carol". Essay grade: Good. 2 pages / 983 words. Hook Examples for "A Christmas Carol" Essay A Dickensian Journey into the Heart: Step into the enchanting world of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," where emotions run deep.
A Christmas Carol by Dickens
The Ghost of Christmas Present is a joyful and vibrant character, wearing a green robe and symbolizing joy and happiness. The third Ghost is the most fearsome one; he wears a black cloak and remains silent during their journey. Although the ghosts have distinct personalities, their common characteristic is their role as the messengers.
A Christmas Carol: Mini Essays
A Christmas Carol is an allegory in that it features events and characters with a clear, fixed symbolic meaning. In the novella, Scrooge represents all the values that are opposed to the idea of Christmas—greed, selfishness, and a lack of goodwill toward one's fellow man. The Ghost of Christmas Past, with his glowing head symbolizing the mind ...
What is a good thesis statement for A Christmas Carol
A compelling thesis statement for "A Christmas Carol" could argue that Scrooge's transformation from avarice is rooted in his difficult childhood, where neglect and scarcity led him to prioritize ...
A Christmas Carol: Suggested Essay Topics
Suggested Essay Topics. Previous. How is the holiday of Christmas portrayed in the story? (Think of the moral, social, aesthetic, and religious aspects of the holiday.) In what way does A Christmas Carol help to define the modern idea of Christmas? Compare and contrast the three spirits who visit Scrooge. What are their main similarities?
Guide on Writing 'A Christmas Carol' Essay
Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" short summary. Ebenezer Scrooge, the vengeful and elderly miser, undergoes a tremendous transformation over the course of Christmas Eve night in the Victorian morality story "A Christmas Carol.". Mr. Scrooge, a money-changer and financier, has dedicated his life to accumulating wealth.
A detailed look at the role of emotions in "A christmas Carol": [Essay
Hook Examples for "A Christmas Carol" Essay. A Dickensian Journey into the Heart: Step into the enchanting world of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," where emotions run deep. Join me as we uncover the profound role of feelings in this timeless tale of redemption and transformation.
A Christmas Carol: Essay Writing Guide for GCSE (9-1)
The focus on how to gain extra marks is so useful for students aiming high in their studies. This clean & simple new guide from Accolade Press will walk you through how to plan and structure essay responses to questions on Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. By working through seven mock questions, these detailed essay plans will show you how ...
A Christmas Carol Critical Essays
Analysis. In A Christmas Carol, an allegory of spiritual values versus material ones, Charles Dickens shows Scrooge having to learn the lesson of the spirit of Christmas, facing the reality of his ...
"Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens Literary Analysis Essay
There are a number of symbols and images used throughout Dickens' A Christmas Carol that helped in pointing to some deeper themes in the story. One example is the use of fire and flames; whenever Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by a ghost, there is always a roaring fire in the room, lending an eerie feeling to the scene.
A Christmas Carol Essay Topics
Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student ...
How to write a top grade essay on A Christmas Carol
In this video, I provide a top grade essay exemplar on Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol', marked against official GCSE assessment rubrics and objectives. ...
A Christmas Carol Essays for College Students
306 words. Christmas Carol. A Christmas Carol Essay A Christmas Carol is a story of how Ebenezer Scrooge changes from a miserable man who had no one to care for and no one to care for him. Then After his encounter with the three spirits on Christmas eve he turned into a loving, caring, generous man.
AQA English Revision
The text above would represent one paragraph from an essay about Scrooge being presented as selfish. The second paragraph would look at how Scrooge learnt to be less selfish, while the last would focus on how Scrooge was presented by the end. ... Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol during the Victorian times, when the gap between rich and ...
5 Lessons for Writers From A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens
Coincidentally, A Christmas Carol is broken into five chapters (that Dickens calls "staves"): "Marley's Ghost," "The First of the Three Spirits," "The Second of the Three Spirits," "The Last of the Spirits," and "The End of It." The first chapter shows Scrooge as a miserable miser; the second examines his past; the third looks at the present ...
A Christmas Carol Essays and Criticism
In a word, humour, in a book, makes you good-humoured. But A Christmas Carol does not give me content, and it does not make me good-humoured; I'm afraid it only irritates me. I have the queerest ...
Scrooge's Transformation in "A Christmas Carol"
Scrooge's Transformation in "A Christmas Carol". Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" is a timeless tale that revolves around the profound transformation of the main character, Ebenezer Scrooge. As the story unfolds, we witness a radical change in Scrooge's personality, values, and outlook on life. This essay delves into the intricate journey ...
A Christmas Carol
Paper 1 is worth 64 marks and accounts for 40% of your overall GCSE grade. Your essay is worth 30 marks in total. Section B of Paper 1 contains the question and you are required to answer the one available question on the novella. Your question will also include a printed extract of about 35 lines from the novella.
A Christmas Carol Essay.
A Christmas Carol Essay. Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol is a morality tale of a selfish and bitter Ebenezer Scrooge and his visits from 3 spirits representing his past, present and future, bringing him into a complete change of character and reconciliation for his wrongs. It is based in a gloomy social divided 19 th century London. The story is split between 5 staves (chapters).
104 Christmas Essay Topics & Examples
A Christmas Carol of Dickens: Never Too Late for a Change of Heart. Then, the second Ghost of the Christmas Present guides Scrooge to the houses of both Fred and Bob. Finally, the Ghost of the Christmas future shows Scrooge the flashforward of the next Christmas. A Christmas Carol by Dickens.
A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
Sketches by Boz [as Boz] 1836 *A Christmas Carol 1843 *The Chimes 1844 *The Cricket on the Hearth 1845 *The Battle of Life 1846 *The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain 1848 Reprinted Pieces 1858
A Christmas Carol: Task and Essay Plan (Scrooge)
A heavily structured essay plan for a task on the initial presentation of Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, click on the button above to download. The aim is to help students express their ideas with accuracy and precision at sentence level >>. Here are some links to my teaching resources across the site that you might find useful:
'A Christmas Carol,' after Charles Dickens, by Talbot Hook
A Christmas Carol. London, England, the day before Christmas . . . And black greed was alight in the cruel miser's eye. Two altruists holding an alms-giving box. Bob Cratchit, his clerk, asked for one holiday. Drawing back to his house, leaving all to his clerk. In the knocker an omen of what would soon pass.
Queer Women Behaving Badly: These Movies Scrap the Coming-Out Story
April 14, 2024, 5:04 a.m. ET. To a queer woman going to the movies, it may seem as if there has been something in the ether for the past year. First, in August, there was "Bottoms.". Then ...

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