English Lit How Does Charles Dickens Use Imagery and Language to Present the Character of Ebenezer Scrooge in Stave 1 of 'A Christmas Carol.'?

GCSE English Literature Coursework How Does Charles Dickens Use Imagery and Language to Present the Character of Ebenezer Scrooge in Stave 1 of 'A Christmas Carol.'? GCSE English Literature Coursework How Does Charles Dickens Use Imagery and Language to Present the Character of Ebenezer Scrooge in Stave 1 of 'A Christmas Carol.'? Charles Dickens' novella 'The Christmas Carol' is based around the miserly character of Ebenezer Scrooge living in Victorian England. Within 'A Christmas Carol Dickens presents himself as an omniscient narrator throughout the book, an omniscient narrator is an all-knowing narrator. Scrooge is a misanthropic business man who is overwhelmed by wealth and greed. The novella 'A Christmas Carol' was written in 1843 and is set in Victorian England, there was a great deal of poverty in England at the time. As a child Dickens witnessed the plight of the poor and his experiences were suggested in his writing. Life in Victorian times was extremely difficult for poor families and young children, Dickens had some experience of poverty when he was very young and he reflects these experiences in his pieces of writing; the Cratchits reflect his experiences of poverty. When Dickens was 12 years old his whole family was put into prison for being in debt, the young Dickens was sent off to a factory to work at the young age of 12. Christmas in the Victorian times

  • Ranking:
  • Word count: 3016
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

How does Dickens represent crime and criminals in Oliver Twist

How does Dickens present crime and criminals in 'Oliver Twist'? In the book Oliver Twist Charles Dickens was trying to portray that the Victorian viewpoint of crime was wrong. He designed his novel to show that some criminals are drawn or forced into crime rather than being born a criminal. He highlights the workhouses bought about in 1834 as a result of the poor law. Dickens includes the condition of the workhouses which were very basic and the work was hard and unforgiving, he described this to set the scene of how young children coped when they were alone in the world. He presents some criminals as innocent victims that have been pulled into a life of crime through desperation and despair such as Oliver and Nancy, however some criminals such as Sikes have not been drawn into crime, they rather chose the life of crime that they live. Prostitution also portrayed as 'dirty and corrupted' from the Victorian view however Dickens tried hard to show prostitutes as victim. Through writing Oliver Twist Dickens highlighted fundamental issues that were wrong with the Victorian society and made a stand against the stereotypes of the poor. Oliver, who was orphaned at birth and left in a workhouse is the main character in the story; he is depicted as a naïve young boy who is drawn into crime through desperation and a lack of knowledge of the London streets. Dickens depicts Oliver as a

  • Ranking:
  • Word count: 1429
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

A Christmas Carol How Does Scrooge Change Through Staves 1 - 5?

A Christmas Carol How Does Scrooge Change Through Staves 1 - 5? By Louise Sophocleous A Christmas carol is a moral story and focuses upon the redemption of the most hardened miser Ebeneezer Scrooge. In stave one he is presented as selfish, rude, angry and lonely. 'Warning all human sympathy to keep its distance.' he is thoroughly dislikeable. Through the attentions of Marley's ghost and the journey Scrooge takes through the past present and future Scrooge changes and becomes likable. He recovers his sense of joy in the world and this transforms all aspects of his life. How he reacts to people how he reacts to his setting, to Christmas and how he spends his money. It is a miraculous transformation. Dickens is saying that no matter how cruel, hard, old, bitter and unpleasant you are there is good in you and you can change. In stave 1 Scrooge is seen as a 'squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scrapping, clutching, covetous old sinner'. Dickens stresses the coldness of Scrooges bearing. 'He carried his own low temperature with him'. His atmosphere is like constant winter. However it also describes him as 'solitary as an oyster' and this image gives a hint that he is protecting himself and is scared of the world. His hatred is a defence. He is cruel to his Clerk who whom he will not allow more than one coal for the fire. A contrast is made between Scrooge and his cheerful nephew.

  • Ranking:
  • Word count: 1386
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
Access this essay