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GCSE: A Christmas Carol

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  • Marked by Teachers essays 2

  1. Who or what is responsible for Scrooge's change of character in 'A Christmas Carol'?

    Dickens uses onomatopoeia to describe Marley's dramatic entrance, "The cellar-door flew open with a booming sound." This experience with Jacob Marley is full of suspense and tension and the use of the word "flew" indicates that the involvement of Marley is dramatic. This helps to evoke fear because of its suddenness. The cellar door could also represent the opening to the changing of Scrooges character. Its opening could resemble Scrooges ability to revert his ways. When Marley's ghost appears, Dickens' varies the length of the sentences, 'Do it then', 'I don't' and 'I do. I must' to show his hesitation, and fear of the supernatural.

    • Word count: 2085

  2. Who or what is responsible for Scrooge's change of character in 'A Christmas Carol'?

    Dickens uses onomatopoeia to describe Marley's dramatic entrance, "The cellar-door flew open with a booming sound." This experience with Jacob Marley is full of suspense and tension and the use of the word "flew" indicates that the involvement of Marley is dramatic. This helps to evoke fear because of its suddenness. The cellar door could also represent the opening to the changing of Scrooges character. Its opening could resemble Scrooges ability to revert his ways. When Marley's ghost appears, Dickens' varies the length of the sentences, 'Do it then', 'I don't' and 'I do. I must' to show his hesitation, and fear of the supernatural.

    • Word count: 2085

  3. How does Dickens use Scrooge to highlight injustice in Victorian society?

    The phrase ?solitary as an oyster? could connote to several things. Firstly, an ?oyster? is a calcified shell that is extremely difficult to open, likewise, Scrooge is very emotionally difficult to converse with. This could refer to his oblivious attitude to the poor, and be the reason the rich upper-class dismiss the lower class. However, in time, the ?oyster? opens to reveal a pearl. This could implicitly infer that with force, he could become a better person. This imagery is used to show how Scrooge has become metaphorically emotionally frozen because of his actions and isolation.

    • Word count: 1217

  4. How does Dickens use Scrooge to highlight injustice in Victorian society?

    • Word count: 1217

  5. How fitting is the title for the novella, A Christmas Carol? Explore the ideas of generosity of spirit/Christmas in the novel.

    The phrase ?common necessities? implies that some people in society do not even have enough to provide materially to feed their families, let alone be able to celebrate Christmas. The fact that these ?necessities? are considered a ?want? rather than a desperation is rather ambiguous, and could infer that this deprivation has manifested into a desire, rather than a genuine need, as they have become so adapted to the ill treatment received, especially under the Poor Laws. Dickens reminds us of the inequality between Rich and Poor in the Victorian London, shown in the juxtaposition of Scrooge (representing the class of rich industrialists)

    • Word count: 1997
5 essays

Conclusion analysis

Good conclusions usually refer back to the question or title and address it directly - for example by using key words from the title.
How well do you think these conclusions address the title or question? Answering these questions should help you find out.

  1. Do they use key words from the title or question?
  2. Do they answer the question directly?
  3. Can you work out the question or title just by reading the conclusion?

  • Compare the descriptions of the four ghosts in A Christmas Carol. Which do you find the most effective and why?

    "In conclusion, I think that the most effective ghost is the ghost of Christmas present due to the fact that in being shockingly different from the other ghosts, its message was carried clearly and profoundly to the reader. Although an original reader may disagree with me, as the ghost was too uncommon for the time; I think that it's outright defiance to the norm, would have alerted the reader to the ghost and would have helped put across the original meaning of Christmas. Robert Ankcorn English coursework"

  • Discuss how Charles Dickens uses Victorian London to show the differences between the rich and the poor members of the society? What message is the novelist trying to tell you?

    "In conclusion I believe one of Dickens mane objectives of this story was the make the rich self reflect and self recognise their actions in society to day. I think Dickens was successful in doing this because he is constantly forcing the reader towards formulating a moral judgement by projecting a lonely mean image of Scrooge and therefore awakening a social conscience. The reader knows Scrooge is unhappy because of the way Dickens describes the way Scrooge treats people. His use of language, many adjective words, and the situations in which he situates the poor in using jobs, buildings, weather and the time of year helps force the reader towards formulating a moral judgement. I enjoyed reading the book very much because of his descriptive language, which helps your mind to think of detailed images that Dickens is trying to describe. I think Dickens was very successful in changing rich peoples views for the better, even though his story is fiction, many facts are written about the poor, which helps us get more of a social conscience and understanding of the life they live."

  • Analyse the ways in which Dickens highlights certain aspects of 19th Century London in his novel 'A Christmas Carol'

    "In conclusion, the image that one is left with from Dickens is a very depressing one, one of dark, smelly, and polluted streets. Images of poverty and hardship, and a society that cared little for the welfare of others, where if you had money you could live comfortably, but if you did not life was very tough. It is not a place where, I feel, anyone today would like to live. 1"

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