The editor of one edition of 'A Christmas Carol' wrote "A story so admirably told, the details of place, of time, of person so

Dickens uses a lot of techniques in which to describe Scrooge as a very cold and mean person. He comes across as someone who doesn’t like Christmas what so ever and a very nasty and bitter old man. Dickens gets this image of Scrooge across by using a verity of different techniques. He uses lists of adjectives to describe him as “A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scarping, clutching, covetous old sinner” and compares him to a flint saying he is as “Hard and sharp as a flint.” Scrooge is also seen as a very closed up and secretive person. Dickens uses alliteration of the letter S to get this across “Self-contained, and solitary as an oyster” This creates a hissing sound almost comparing Scrooge to a snake and suggesting that whilst being “self-contained” and “Solitary as an oyster” that he is also – with Dickens cleaver use of Alliteration like a snake.

This passage about the shops was one of the most descriptive passages in the book, and was full of many different techniques which really made the shops real for us, and brought them to life. He really makes us feel as if we are there walking down the street are selves and looking in the windows, by his very cleaver use of personification and adjectives. He also uses many similes so that he can compare something to something else so that we can really picture what it looks like. He compares a pot of chestnuts to the waistcoats of old men “There were great round, pot – bellied baskets of chestnuts, shaped the waistcoats of old men” this really gives us an image of what the chestnuts look like. He then goes on and uses personification to create an image of the onions in the window, winking at the girls as they pass by “There were ruddy, brown-faced, broad-girthed Spanish onions, shining in the fatness of their growth like Spanish friars; and winking from there shelves in wanton slyness at the girls as they went by.” As you can see, just in this sentence alone that he not only uses personification but several other types off techniques are also used just to get one image across. He uses personification as I have already mentioned, he uses a simile to compare the Spanish onions to a Spanish friars and the listing of adjectives to describe the Spanish onions.   This is all done in just one sentence and creates a very clear image of what it all looks like. He again uses adjectives at the beginning of the passage to really set the scene of the street “thick yellow mud”, “gloomy” and “dirtier snow” this helps us to create an image of what the place looks like before he even continues with the story. In this passage Dickens also references to the senses not only telling us how and what something looks like but also how it smells and tastes. “The blended scents of tea and coffee were so grateful to the nose”, “The other spices so delicious” “The candied fruits so caked and spotted with molten sugar” these are all quotes from the book which all refer to the senses in some way or other.

Another part off the book which uses many similes among with other techniques is Fezziwigs ball. Here Dickens does a lot of describing and listing he lists the ways in which people came into the ball and who came into the ball while also saying how they came in and using a lot of repetition while he does this and creating an atmosphere of excitement among the people as more and more people enter the ball. “In came Mrs Fezziwig, one vast substantial smile. In came the three Miss Fezziwigs, beaming and lovable. In came the six young followers whose hearts the broke.” He then goes on and lists how they came in “Some shyly, some boldly, some gracefully.” This really creates a feeling of excitement I have already said and we can really image all the different groups of people coming in all very happily. Dickens also uses a lot good similes which really help us to image what the band sounds like “and tuned like fifty stomach-aches.” This helps us to imagine what they must have sounded like while they were tuning their instruments and it really brings it to life for us.  He also uses personification to create a better image of how Fezziwig dances. “Cut so deftly, that appeared to wink with his legs.” He also makes a list of verbs to describe Fezziwigs voice “oily, rich, fat, jovial voice.” Which tells us what Fezziwigs sounds like.

In conclusion to this essay I think that the most effective technique which Dickens uses is his use of adjectives and the way in which he uses these to create such a clear picture of what is going on in our heads. As I have already said in paragraph two Dickens has several different ways in which he likes to use adjectives and only uses these ways throughout the book. He uses so many adjectives not only in these passages which I have written about but constantly through out the book, which really describe and brings to life for us the person, place and time really helping us to constantly have a clear image in our heads of what ever thing looks like and to always no what is going on.