How does Dickens use the character of Scrooge to teach his readers, old and young, his moral and social lessons?

How does Dickens use the character of Scrooge to teach his readers, old and young, his moral and social lessons? Charles Dickens is the author of A Christmas Carol. He came from a less privileged background of debt as his father had to work in a debtor's prison. Eager to get his father out of prison, he worked hard to earn money to end his fathers debt. Charles Dickens had chosen to write the book at Christmas, because it was a time of giving and celebration, yet there were many people at this time who weren't as fortunate - people who were poorer. Many of the poor worked in various places such as the workhouses under the poor law, and the people who managed the poor took advantage and made lots of money out of them. Dickens has written this story for two audiences, the first is for the entertainment of children, and the book would be read to them by the second audience - the adults. Society back then was much harsher - Dickens was angry in the way people were suffering, and it gave Dickens inspiration to write this book in the hope that it could improve society. The book is set in 1843 and the main character or caricature is Scrooge. Because he is a caricature, we have to suspend our disbelief in order to understand fully what Dickens is doing with Scrooge in wider detail. In the book, Scrooge, a greedy middle class businessmen gets visited by spirits who open his

  • Word count: 3820
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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A comparison of two ghost stories - One is called 'The Signalman' which was written by Charles Dickens in the 19th century. The other story, is called 'The Follower' by Cynthia Asquith

A Comparison of Two Ghost Stories I have been working on two different ghost stories, which were written by two different people. One is called 'The Signalman' which was written by Charles Dickens in the 19th century. The other story, is called 'The Follower' by Cynthia Asquith written in the 20th century. Both stories are set in different times and places, 'The Signalman' is set in the countryside and remains more or less the same throughout the story. But in 'The Follower', which is based in the city, is set in many different places. Both writers, writing at different times, use many techniques to make their stories frightening and gripping. Charles Dickens might have written his story to say something about the society he was part of, because people at that time were known to have lots of doubts about the future, it was a time of great social change. Cynthia Asquith wrote her story in the twentieth century; her story was about a woman. I think Cynthia Asquith may have been trying to express the concerns and experiences that are common to some women in this society. Both stories belong to the same genre of ghost stories. Short ghost stories were popular in the 18th century, perhaps because we needed to find evidence of the supernatural somewhere. I think people enjoy reading ghost stories because it is a change from everyday life, or the enjoyment of being scared in the

  • Word count: 3200
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"A Christmas Carol" as an Allegory.

"A Christmas Carol" as an Allegory I read and studied "a Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. Dickens was born on the 7th of February 1812 at Portsea in Hampshire. He had eight brothers and sisters who all lived with their parents, John and Elizabeth Dickens. John Dickens worked in series of different places and had to continuously move houses to avoid paying his debts. However, these were probably the high pints of Charles childhood as they were soon shipped back to London where his father's debts became inferior. Charles had to depart school early and work to try and help his dad's economic problems. Nevertheless, John Dickens was arrested and sent to Marshalsea, a prison for debtors and soon after, the rest of the family followed him. As john's mother died in 1824, they were released from prison but spent the rest of their lives worrying about returning there. Charles resumed his school education and achieved the role of a clerk for a solicitor. Charles started his writing career by publishing short stories in local magazines and newspapers. It wasn't until the 1840s that he started writing "A Christmas Carol". During this time, the area in which he lived in was congested with poverty. This was also the time when new laws were enforced to endow with better living conditions for children. Among these laws, was one, which made education compulsory for children under the

  • Word count: 1651
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"A Christmas Carol" By Charles Dickens

"A Christmas Carol" By Charles Dickens Charles Dickens lived in the 19th Century (1812-1870) until the age of 58, and in that time he wrote many books including "A Christmas Carol". Charles Dickens is one of the most wildly recognised writers in English history. During his life, he lived in London, in the Victorian times when people were either very rich, or very poor. Charles Dickens had a troubled childhood and lived in increasing poverty, his father at one time was in debtor's prison. In his novels Dickens told of the 'darkness' and his childhood experiences. He was haunted by his troubled childhood i.e. he knows what it is like to be poor and dependent, due to his father's mistakes. When writing his novels, which made Dickens very rich, he always remembered and thought of his troubled childhood upbringing. Charles Dickens wrote "A Christmas Carol" to tell the people who had the money to help the poor people who did not have money although they worked very hard. A 'Christmas Carol' tells the story of a man called Ebenezer Scrooge, a wealthy man but described by Dickens as a 'wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner', 'hard and sharp as flint from which no steel ever struck out a generous fire.' Scrooge was an unhappy and lonely man who cared for nothing for friendship or companionship. The novel tells of the change from this uncaring and unloved

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"A short story should stimulate the imagination and hold its reader in suspense."Consider the statement in relation to stories from the ghost / mystery genre.

"A short story should stimulate the imagination and hold its reader in suspense." Consider the statement in relation to stories from the ghost / mystery genre. (Think about style, language, setting characters, suspense and climax) A short story is a condensed fictional narrative typically concerning a relatively small number of characters. Short stories may aim to excite the reader provoking emotional responses, to the situations or characters described in the piece. The ghost / mystery genre presents unexpected events, building a sense of anticipation as the reader waits to see how the plot will develop. The short stories that this essay will examine were written in the nineteen-century, a period in which people were intrigued by the supernatural and mystery. In particular, the ghost and mystery genre provided Victorian readers with an escape from their strict moral codes of behaviour. It was in this period that the short story first became recognised as a genre in its own right. Victorian audiences favoured the short story format as they became a popular feature within newspapers and magazines. In the early 1900s, education improved, more people were taught to read and therefore short stories were seen as a good method to increase levels of literacy. Consequently, reading became a social pastime with short stories being a form of education and entertainment. Authors such

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"By Close Analysis of Staves One and Five Show How Dickens Portrays the Transformation of Scrooge and To What Effect"

A CHRISTMAS CAROL (BY CHARLES DICKENS) "By Close Analysis of Staves One and Five Show How Dickens Portrays the Transformation of Scrooge and To What Effect" In December 1843, Charles Dickens wrote and published "A Christmas Carol." He published this book when he needed money; he needed money badly because he was in debt. He decided to link it to things that are happening; that Christmas was not taken seriously, it was fading out and ghost traditional Christmas tales. Dickens used the genre of ghost stories, but Dickens did something unusual, he changed the fact that ghost stories are meant to be frightening, in this book, the ghost stories were scary. In 1843 (ancient times), there were no security, pensions, national health nor compulsory education. You were expected to work six days a week and on Sunday, you go to church (only if you had a job). Those who had no job couldn't go to church, because they were probably in prison or workhouse. There were no holidays, you had to work on Boxing Day, and if you ended up in debt, you would be put in debt prison. Dickens grew up in this prison with his dad, he started work at the age of 12 (it was a terrible work). Looking at the Book, it was about ghosts, and ghost stories were always told during Christmas. Books were always in chapters, but Dickens wrote his in staves; musical notes. Dickens starts to compare, first, looking at

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"Dickens had intended through a stirring and entertaining tale, to awaken his readers' minds and hearts to the suffering of the poor." Did he succeed?

"Dickens had intended through a stirring and entertaining tale, to awaken his readers' minds and hearts to the suffering of the poor." Did he succeed? Dickens's concern in 'A Christmas Carol' was to make his reading public aware of the very real abuses in society. When Dickens wrote 'A Christmas Carol' in 1843 the terrible plight of the poor seemed unnoticed by many educated people so Dickens knew that a stirring tale would be more effective in pointing out the evils in society than a dull, worthy tract. I intend to prove that Dickens had intended to awaken his readers' minds and hearts and show them the suffering of the poor through a stirring and entertaining tale. Dickens knew that it was useless to write a mere polemic. The readers must be entertained, amused, enthralled and moved. He planned a Christmas book because ghost stories were traditional at Christmas and also, because the new German way of celebrating Christmas emphasized present giving and concern for children. Middle class Victorian Children were considered very precious and were much sheltered from the realness of life. Working class children were treated as economic units and expected to earn their keep from an early age. Have a look at some of the characters: Martha Cratchit is a milliner, a trade notorious for its low pay and appalling working conditions. Many girls resorted to prostitution in

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"During the course of 'Great Expectations' Pip discovers what really matters in life. How far do you think this is so? In the course of your answer - Look closely at how Dickens presents the main characters especially Pip;

"During the course of 'Great Expectations' Pip discovers what really matters in life. How far do you think this is so? In the course of your answer: * Look closely at how Dickens presents the main characters especially Pip; * Write about the ways in which Dickens may be criticising aspects of Victorian society; * Support your views with detailed reference to the text. (2,000 - 2,500 words) During the novel we see Pip change from a 'small bundle of shivers' who is 'afraid of it all' into a proper 'gentleman'. He becomes a snob after he is corrupted by the very 'proud', 'pretty' and 'insulting' Estella and the 'corpse-like' Miss Havisham, but eventually he realises what really does matter in life. As an orphan Pip has had a very hard start in life. His sister, Mrs Joe Gargery and her husband, Joe, the blacksmith, bring him up. It is not a happy childhood. He is abused by his sister, who beats him with 'tickler', a cane. Mrs Joe's influence on Pip has not been a good one, but this doesn't matter as Joe is kind, 'good' and 'noble', and he treats Pip like an equal. This makes Pip feel loved, as Joe is a friend to him. Biddy is 'hard-working', and makes the 'most of every opportunity'. She is 'patient' with Pip, and she teaches him to read and write, she is a good friend to Pip, and he likes her. This causes him to be kind to Joe and try to teach him to read.

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"Even though Pip has become snobbish by the end of Book One, Dickens still manages to make the reader like him". Show how and why Pip has become something of a snob and what makes us retain our sympathy for him - Great Expectations.

"Even though Pip has become snobbish by the end of Book One, Dickens still manages to make the reader like him". Show how and why Pip has become something of a snob and what makes us retain our sympathy for him - Tom Beach In Great Expectations Dickens depicts Pip as having an increasingly snobbish character throughout Book One. He shows Pip to have an exaggerated respect for his social position and his growing hatred for the common life that he lives. The reader sees that Pip's snobbishness is due to his desire to become a gentleman and his aspiration to be liked by Estella, from whom he adopts some of his snobbish attitudes. Even though it is clear to the reader that Pip has become somewhat of a snob, Dickens encourages the reader to still like Pip. He puts across that Pip is an orphan and that these snobbish feelings we see are just outward feelings. We learn that he was not proud of the snobbish character that he had become from the way he looks back on his life as an adult. These events make the reader feel sympathy for Pip, leading the reader to retain their criticism of him. In Book One of Great Expectations we see Dickens show Pip's progressively snobbish character in many ways. After Pip's first visit to Satis house and after falling for Estella we see Pips ambition to become a gentleman. We see that Pip blames Joe for being common, and for Joe not

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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How does Dickens create suspense in The Signalman(TM)?

How does Dickens create suspense in 'The Signalman'? The Signalman written by Charles Dickens in 1866 is a short story that falls into the gothic fiction genre. This particular style of writing combines elements such as the supernatural, castles, darkness, madness and the unknown. At the time the story was being written, the industrial revolution was in full force. This had a huge impact on society at the time. It improved the standard of living drastically. The death rate had dropped due to better health care and sanitation. Numerous amounts of great and unbelievable machines were being invented. Nothing like this had ever been seen before. There were suddenly vast amounts of new jobs being created because of all the new factories and machines having to be built and operated. People became sceptical as to the existence of god because their thoughts were being widely challenged by science and its overwhelming significance. Charles Darwin's, "The Origin of Species" suggested that man had evolved from the ape. This caused chaos in the Church. Ordinary People began to form their own opinion about the existence of mankind in relation to god. Dickens incorporates these ideas into The Signalman. The idea of these prosperous new machines scared people because they were totally unknown shows through in the short story and is one of its main themes. Dickens uses the setting to form

  • Word count: 1357
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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