What is Dickens social commentary of Victorian England in A Christmas Carol?

What is Dickens social Commentary of Victorian England in "A Christmas Carol" Christmas is a time of thanks giving and happiness. The religious significance of Christmas is birth, life and death and so should be celebrated by thanking for what they have got. At Christmas people give presents and have a service in church but in Victorian England things were very different to these days because back then food and presents were only given because of some people's generosity. Dickens is saying through the character of Scrooge that Christmas is a time of spending time with the family but in the modern days people are very capitalist and worry about how much profit they make rather then spending time with the family. Christmas is a time of giving and being generous but Charles Dickens explores the 19th century by showing the poverty and that there were no benefits for the poor so if you didn't work you didn't get. Today life is very different because benefits are available and other welfare schemes to help the poor. In the 19th century the Industrial Revolution took place so more money came into the economy but the poor were still left hungry, without shelter but the rich got richer. In A Christmas Carol Charles Dickens is criticizing the rich who do not treat the poor well by showing that the rich cannot live apart from society because everyone plays their part and that respect

  • Word count: 2780
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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A Christmas Carol - How does Dickens portray Scrooge?

A Christmas Carol By Charles Dickens Scrooge is represented from the beginning as a miserable old man being described as a "squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner!" I think this a perfect description of him in one sentence. People know Scrooge well and avoid him, this suites Scrooge because he does not like other people and not a big fan of being sociable. The name 'Scrooge' was created by Dickens and is now well known in the dictionary as someone that is mean, this is basically what Scrooge is in the novel, a symbol of meanness. It is described that the people know Scrooge well and avoid him as much as possible. Although this suites him well because he does not like other people, and is not sociable in any way. Dickens makes you dislike Scrooge from the very beginning by using a number of methods such as, the described setting and Scrooge, how he treats the poor, the language used etc. The setting he's in is just like him, cold, gloomy, small and cheap. His treatment to the poor is appalling as when he is asked to give a donation for them he replies, "Are there no prisons?" "And the Union Workhouses?" this is very harsh and selfish, because he is basically saying they should be put in prison instead of trying to get money off of him, this instantly creates bad impression on him. His counting house is described by Dickens to be like a

  • Word count: 1116
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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What evidence is there in "A Christmas Carol" of social, cultural and historical contexts?

Name: Chris Kelly Age: 16 D.O.B: 04/08/87 Date of Completion: 28/10/03 What evidence is there in "A Christmas Carol" of social, cultural and historical contexts? "A Christmas Carol" is rich with historical, cultural and social contexts, all poignantly intertwined throughout the text. As the story is set in Victorian times, we are immediately given a sense of time and place in stave 1, by descriptions of both customs and daily routines. As the tale was set so long ago, there were obviously no modern appliances or conveniences. Dickens shows this as he describes Scrooge's counting house "Scrooge had a very small fire, but the clerks fire was so much very smaller that it looked like one coal", "...and tried to warm himself at the candle". We are also given an insight into the era when Dickens outlines customs in the streets "Meanwhile the fog and darkness thickened so, that people ran about with flaring links, proffering their services to go before horses in carriages, and to conduct them on their way" The language used, I believe, is also influential to the overall story. Again Dickens is setting a time frame, which the tale adheres to, and the phrases used by some characters highlight this "I am sorry with all my heart to find you so resolute. We have never had any quarrel, to which I have been a party. But I have made the trial in homage to Christmas, and I'll

  • Word count: 574
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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What makes 'A Christmas Carol' such a Powerful and memorable story

What makes 'A Christmas Carol' such a Powerful and memorable story Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' is probably one of the most unforgettable stories passed down the generations. 'A Christmas Carol', although it is of a different time period still today teaches valuable lessons. In the story, Ebenezer Scrooge begins by having no feelings for anything or anybody. In the end, he changes from his gloomy, dark self. Charles Dickens expresses through a Christmas Carol that kindness can lead to happiness. A Christmas Carol shows how the Christmas spirit and caring people can change a person and their outlook on life. Dickens wrote this story partly to make people conscious of the appalling plight of the children of the poor. Firstly, Dickens has many elements in his style of writing that makes him a first-class writer. He uses similes and metaphors very imaginatively to catch the readers' mind and engage them into his story, for example, '...self-contained, and solitary as an oyster', this is a simile and tells us that Scrooge keeps to himself and doesn't trust anyone with anything. Here is one of Dickens' metaphors, '...he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone...', this sort descriptive writing is much more artistic and builds a much more stronger picture of Scrooge or whatever he is trying to portray. Dickens also gives his views on a subject, which gives it a further

  • Word count: 3018
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Examine the presentation of the three spirits and Marley's ghost in "A Christmas carol" and show the differences and similarities in their appearance, attitude towards Scrooge and the effect upon him. Consider also the spectre in "The Signalman".

Examine the presentation of the three spirits and Marley's ghost in "A Christmas carol" and show the differences and similarities in their appearance, attitude towards Scrooge and the effect upon him. Consider also the spectre in "The Signalman" In a Christmas carol by Charles Dickens, the four ghosts are all described differently. They all help to change scrooge into a nicer person. The ghosts all act disparately and look disparately. Scrooge has a different effect on each one of the ghosts, two of the ghosts he likes and one of the ghosts he dislikes. Scrooge is also treated dissimilar, some ghosts care for him, and others are forceful. The ghost of Marley appears first, he is described as 'In his pigtail, usual waistcoat, tights and boots; the tassels on the latter bristling, like his pigtail, and his coat-skirts, and the hair upon his head.' Marley also had a chain around his middle, which was long and wound about him like a tail. The chain was made of cash boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deed and heavy purses wrought in steel. Marleys body was transparent, so Scrooge could see the 2 buttons on his coat behind. He also had a handkerchief wrapped around his head and chin which held his jaw up. The ghost of Christmas past turns up next. He is described as 'a strange figure-like a child; yet not so like a child as like an old man, viewed through some supernatural medium.

  • Word count: 1817
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Explore how and why scrooge changes during the course of the novel

Explore how and why scrooge changes during the course of the novel 'A Christmas Carol' written by Charles Dickens tells the story of a man named Ebenezer Scrooge who is taught the true meaning of Christmas and is shown the errors of his ways. 'A Christmas Carol' was published in 1843, this was a time of social and political unrest. Dickens motivation for writing this story was to encourage employers to treat workers well, he uses the Christmas Carol to portray this message. Charles Dickens felt strongly about the working conditions and poverty that many people endured. He wanted to encourage employers to treat their workers well. At the time that 'A Christmas carol' was published, the Chartists were agitating for better pay and conditions, and the poor where placed in workhouses. Another problem for the poor people was that the legal system treated them unjustly and it was clear that it favoured the rich. Dickens wanted to make people realise that by changing their ways they could make life better not just for their selves but for the less fortunate. Ebenezer Scrooge a hard working businessman who was rich enough, but an uncharitable man, unsympathetic to the poor and without a true friend in the world. He hated Christmas. Dickens portrays Scrooge as, "A squeezing, Wrenching, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!" We can clearly see from this that Scrooge is an

  • Word count: 1576
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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What do you see as Dickens' aims in 'A Christmas Carol'?

What do you see as Dickens' aims in 'A Christmas Carol'? In 'A Christmas Carol', Dickens is trying to get across to the rich people of society the difference between their lives and those of the poor. He does this by using Scrooge, who personifies the rich people. It is set at Christmas time in early Victorian times, a time of giving and compassion. This signifies that the rich should give to the poor, especially at a festive time like Christmas. Dickens saw the cold, ugly conditions that the poor were living in and thought that he had to do something about it, so he wrote 'A Christmas Carol'. He sees the rich people as those with the power to change the poor people's lives. It is the rich who need to be educated about the power they have to change things for the benefit of the poor. The poor also need to be educated so that they can earn money for themselves. The tool that Dickens uses is Scrooge, he is a caricature of the problems and he portrays what the rich people were like. The rich people were the equivalent to Scrooge. He uses Scrooge to show the wilful ignorance of the rich. Although Scrooge can afford to support the poor, he only does this through paying his taxes which go towards the workhouses and treadmill. Scrooge is a miser; he does not want to give anything away. When Scrooge's clerk asks for Christmas day off work: 'It's not convenient' Said

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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The three Ghost of Christmas represent the past, present and future of Scrooge's life

How does Charles Dickens present the characters of the three ghosts in 'A Christmas Carol'. In this essay, I will find out how Charles Dickens presents the characters of the three ghosts in 'A Christmas Carol'. This story is about Scrooge. He was a selfish man who had a solely friend, called Jacob Marley. After seven years of Marley's death, on Christmas Eve, Scrooge saw Marley's ghost dragging chains of cashboxes that Marley forged in life. Marley told Scrooge that three spirits would visit him and change his fate. Dickens' early life had influenced his view on the importance of helping others. In Dickens' early life, he worked in a workhouse and his job is to paste labels on bottle which is a boring and hellish job. He became a law clerk eventually but it was still tough work. This can be a reason why he has strong sympathy towards lower class people who work very hard and get little money. Hence, he creates a character called Bob Cratchit and he is a clerk who works for Scrooge. Cratchit has a big family with lots of children. He is oppressed by Scrooge and he gets little salary. Clearly, Dickens is trying to present Bob Cratchit as ordinary people at that time so that he engages with them. The three Ghosts of Christmas represent the past, present and future of Scrooge's life. The first ghost, Ghost of Christmas Past, Dickens describes it as 'like a child' but it also

  • Word count: 897
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Analyse the ways in which Dickens highlights certain aspects of 19th Century London in his novel 'A Christmas Carol'

GCSE PROSE STUDY Analyse the ways in which Dickens highlights certain aspects of 19th Century London in his novel 'A Christmas Carol' 'A time for finding yourself a year older, and not an hour richer' this is a good example that represents Scrooges overall attitude to Christmas and those who celebrate it. The central character of a Christmas Carol is Ebenezer Scrooge a man portrayed by Dickens as a miser who cares little for others around him, a man whose only interest in life is money that can be made from exploiting other people. The novel is set in Victorian London in the 19th century, a London that is very different to the London we know today; there was no welfare state, National Health Service or environmental laws. Real poverty existed and those that had no money either starved or ended up in the workhouses, debt prisons or turned to crime. It is interesting that the novel is set during Christmas, a time that is traditionally for giving, a time to be spent with the family, and a time for reflection. Scrooge at the beginning of the novel does not appreciate this, and calls everything 'Humbug', and it is only through his visits with the ghosts that he realizes that pleasure can be found from giving as well as receiving. The picture that is painted by Dickens of life and the conditions in which people lived is very depressing by today's standards: 'The ways were

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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A Christmas Carol write up

A Christmas Carol A Christmas Carol could be described as a Victorian ghost story, set at Christmas, in London, 1843, it can however be seen that there are several levels to the story and a deeper meaning which includes redemption and charity. Charles Dickens wrote the book to show the middle class of London the dismay of poverty. He set it at Christmas because his readers, being preached charity at this time may have more empathy for the paupers that he wished to help. In the opening of the book there is a distinctive coldness to everything. Dickens portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge shows him to be a cold and dismal man, living in a city where beggars and paupers live on the streets. "He carried his own low temperature always about with him" , "Oh! But he was a tight fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge.". meaning Scrooge loved having money, and didn't want to spend it. He is a cynical man, who seeks comfort in his money. "... secret, and self contained, and solitary as an oyster!" which depicts Scrooge as this old, cold, self contained, tight fisted man, who has cut himself off from the world, he doesn't communicate with people, containing his money as an oyster does its pearl. Scrooge owns a counting-house, which he previously ran in partnership with his old friend Jacob Marley. Marley died 7 years prior to the events in ACC, however the sign out side Scrooges

  • Word count: 1399
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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