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A Christmas Carol (Mocks) - Coggle Diagram
A Christmas Carol (Mocks)
Context
Workhouses
During Victoria's reign, the number of workhouses increases as the poor population increased exponentially.
These workhouses offered little pay and the work-hours were long.
Workhouses were degrading and humiliating, families would often be split up and workers had their clothes thrown away.
Tax
By 1830, the cost of looking after the poor population reached ~£555 million. These funds came from tax payed by the middle and lower class; this engendered a resentment towards the poor.
In 1834, the Poor Law Amendment Act was introduced. This meant that the poor could only receive aid if they were willing to work.
Tradition
Prince Albert brought the idea of Christmas trees from Germany to Britain in 1841.
The Victorians first popularised the idea of Christmas Turkey and Christmas carols.
Dickens
Dickens' father was terrible with money, he found himself in debt, meaning that they could not fund Charles' schooling.
Dickens' father was imprisoned for his debts when Dickens was 12.
7 of Charles' siblings were sent to live in prison with their father. Charles - instead - began to work in a workhouse.
After his father's release from prison, Dickens became a law clerk before becoming a novelist.
Dickens felt strongly about the gap between classes in Victorian England. Elements of his childhood (poverty, workhouses, prison) feature in his works.
Poverty and Class
Poor living and working conditions in Victorian England meant that crime rates were very high.
In Victorian England, 1 in 6 children died before the age of 1 and the average life expectancy was 29.
Gothic Fiction
Features of gothic fiction:
Strong Atmosphere
Secrets
Fear
Strong emotion
Religion and the supernatural
Mystery
Madness
Characters in gothic fiction:
Villains
Tyrants
Madmen
Demons
Angels
Persecuted women
Ghosts
Heroes
Feminism
Belle is a strong female personality with a Christmas carol; she breaks of her engagement to Scrooge despite a woman's social status being governed by marriage at the time.
Mrs Cratchit differs from her husband in her view of Scrooge; it is clear that she opposes the toast to Bob's employer and truly comprehends the social injustice faced by the family and, by extension, the poor.
Sexist, omniscient narrator: "ripe little mouth [...] made to be kissed", "little creature", "provoking", "oh, perfectly satisfactory".
Malthusian Theory
This theory discusses the inability of food production to 'keep up' with exponential population increase. It promotes the idea that the poor cannot be helped.
Scrooge is the embodiment of Malthusian ideals and attitudes towards the "surplus population". By the end of the novella, he revokes his statement about the surplus population after witnessing the impacts of Tiny Tim's death.
Plot
Intro to Scrooge and Marley
Our introduction to Scrooge as a cold-hearted and unpopular man reveals his nature to the audience and has the role of making his redemption more emphatic.
We are told that Scrooge was Marley's "sole mourner", this suggests to us that the two were very similar and reveals to us that Scrooge is now particularly alone with Marley's death perhaps worsening Scrooge's dejection.
The initial description of Scrooge that we are given states that he is "as hard and sharp as flint" and that "no warmth could warm him"..."nor wintry weather chill him".
Stave One
1) Scrooge's foil and nephew, Fred, wishes his uncle a Merry Christmas, Scrooge replies with "Bah! Humbug!"
2) Scrooge berrates Fred's marriage, he deems the whole idea of falling in love "ridiculous". He incessantly tries to dismiss Fred by exclaiming "Good afternoon!".
3) The two portly gentlemen enter Scrooge and Marley's, they state that they are collecting money for the "poor and destitute, who suffer greatly". Scrooge inquires "are there no prisons?" and if the workhouses and Poor Law are still in effect. Scrooge is told that many would rather die than go to these workhouses but Scrooge deems the poor "surplus".
4) Scrooge allows for Bob to have Christmas Day off work (begrudgingly). Bob runs home eagerly while Scrooge sits down to heat his "melancholy dinner in his usual melancholy tavern".
5) We are introduced to Scrooge's home, it is described as "dreary" and "old". Upon approaching his door, Scrooge notices that his door knocker has taken the form of Marley's head. This introduces to us the theme of the supernatural.
6) The ghost of Jacob Marley bares a "chain" he "forged in life", upon this chain hangs "cash boxes" and "heavy purses wrought in steel". Marley informs Scrooge that
his
chain is "ponderous" but he can alter his fate if he embraces the visitation of 3 ghosts.
7) Jacob shows Scrooge hundreds of ghosts that are burdened by their wrongdoings in death.
Stave Two
1) The clock tolls at midnight, Scrooge is perplexed by this as he had went to bed after 2AM. This confusion helps convey the idea that something supernatural is occuring.
2) The first ghost appears, every feature of this ghost is juxtapositional; the ghost is "like a child; yet not to like a child as like an old man". Scrooge begs for the light upon the ghost's head to be extinguished; this is very symbolic of Scrooge's desire to shun elements of joy or hope in his life.
3) Scrooge is shown his childhood schoolhouse, the ghost proclaims that every child had went home for Christmas but one, this child is Scrooge and he is described as "a solitary child, neglected by his friends" in a "melancholy room". The utterance of "melancholy" and "solitary" here is reminiscent of other descriptions in the novella.
4) Scrooge's sister, Fan, enters the schoolhouse to tell Scrooge that he can come home, Fan informs Scrooge that their father is "much kinder than he used to be"; this suggests that Scrooge may have experienced some paternal neglect in his childhood.
5) "Scrooge seemed uneasy in his mind" - Early indications of change present when Scrooge thinks about his nephew and, perhaps, how he has treated him in the past.
6) Scrooge is transported to Fezziwig's (of whom he was apprenticed to) party; here we are shown a happy Scrooge, one who enjoyed Christmas. Fezziwig is shown to solely care about the enjoyment of attendants to the party despite the expense. At the end of this visit, Scrooge is shown to show guilt towards how he treated Bob.
7) The ghost then brings Scrooge to a scene in which Belle his former fiance breaks her engagement with a money-obsessed Scrooge. She states that a "golden" "idol has displaced" her.
8) Belle's new life is shown to Scrooge, Belle's husband states that Scrooge is "quite alone in the world, I do believe". Scrooge becomes downcast upon realising that he will likely not have any children of his own.
9) Scrooge places the extinguishing cap on the GOCP's head, stating "Leave me!"..."Haunt me no longer".
Stave Three
1) The Ghost of Christmas Present arrives and Scrooge's room is transformed; great vegetation covers the room. The Ghost of Christmas Present is observed sitting atop a throne of food. The ghost is said to have a "joyful air".
2) The Cratchit family is shown to us; all of the family has made the effort to dress themselves in the best manner possible. Clearly, the family is very grateful with what they have and are complacent despite their lack of wealth.
3) Tiny Tim is introduced to us, Scrooge implores the spirit to tell him if Tiny Tim will live. In response, the spirit states that "if these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, the child will die". The spirit then utters Scrooge's statement to the portly gentlemen regarding the surplus population.
4) Scrooge is then transported to Fred's party. Here, Fred and his family discuss Scrooge; stating that his "offences carry their own punishment"..."who suffers by his ill whims? Himself, always".
5) After observing these events, Scrooge notices something behind the spirit's robe. From behind the robe exits two "children"; a boy names "Ignorance" and a girl named "Want". Gruesome descriptions of the two are given, Scrooge asks if there is any refuge for these children. In response, the spirit repeats Scrooge's statement regarding workhouses.
Stave Four
1) The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come does not speak, he instead communicates in a tacit manner. The spirit takes Scrooge to several places, conversation of a rich man's death seems to pervade all these places. There is no grief shown towards this man, it seems as though the death is solely beneficial ("to profit us when he was dead").
2) The Cratchits are again shown to us; Tiny Tim has passed away and a great sadness is ever present in the household. The spirit then transports Scrooge to a gravestone which read "EBENEZER SCROOGE"; Scrooge is startled by this and exclaims to the spirit that he is "not the man" he "once was" and that he "will not shut out the lessons".
Stave Five
1) As Scrooge zealously gets dressed; he exclaims "Merry Christmas!" and announces that he is "as light as a feather"..."as happy as an angel"..."as merry as a schoolboy". For the first time in the novella, there is "no fog".
2) Scrooge addresses one man outside his window as "fine fellow"; this is the first time he has spoken fondly of another person face-to-face in the novella.
3) Scrooge asks a boy on the street to run him an errand; Scrooge offers to pay the boy to purchase a turkey and have it delivered to the Cratchits house (the biggest turkey in the shop).
4) Scrooge dresses in his best clothes and goes outside with a "delighted smile". Scrooge approaches the two portly gentlemen that he had turned down the day before, apologises and offers them a large sum. Scrooge attends Fred's party and is welcomes in a warm manner.
5) On the following day, Scrooge pretends to be furious at Bob for arriving late but instead states that he is to receive a raise in his salary. He states that this raise is to "assist your struggling family". At the end of the novella, Scrooge is said to have been a "second father" to Tiny Tim.
Themes
Redemption
3) "He tried to say 'Humbug!' but stopped at the first syllable".
4) "There was a boy singing a Christmas Carol at my door last night. I should like to have given him something, that's all"
5) "I should like to be able to say a word to my clerk right now, that's all."
4)
1) "Every idiot that goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips ... Buried with a stake of holly through his heart".
2) "They had better do it and decrease the surplus population".
Dickens explores the idea of redemption to establish a Christian allegory. The idea that Scrooge is already, for all intents and purposes, dead is connoted to: "No warmth could warm him".
"Old sinner" to "baby" with connotations to baby Jesus / religious semantic field.
Scrooge's transformation is metaphorically represented through the use of pathetic fallacy.
Marley believes that Scrooge can change.
The Supernatural
The idea of the supernatural is immediately suggested through "Marley was dead, to begin with...". Also with "two kindred spirits".
Structure
A 5 Act or "Stave" structure is used, similarly to a Shakespearean tragedy. Hamlet is also referred to in the first stave; Dickens is playing with the idea of tragedy.
These staves are used to establish an uplifting tragedy with connotations to humanity, family and Christmas.
The novella is written to be performed.
Scrooge does not have any choice in what will happen to him; the theme of inevitability is explored.
Omniscient narrator: "I am standing in the spirit at your elbow". The narrator makes use of lists frequently throughout the play; conveying the idea of plenty; obsession with food. (Oysters, Spanish Onions, GoCPr).
The narrator in a Christmas Carol 's obsession with food fuelled by greed juxtaposes the Cratchits obsession with food due to paucity. This allows the reader to compare themselves to the narrator.
Christmas
"I am a baby"
Dickens novels made to be read out loud at Christmas, the narrator's eccentricities allow for participation
Poverty/The Poor
Marley's donning of chains is a form of irony used by Dickens; while those in debt are forced into prison in life, those that collect it are chained in death.
The Essay
Structure
1) Begin with a thesis: state what you aim to prove in the essay, state 3 things and include WHY (what does Dickens want from the reader).
2) Explore the first idea/semantic field; Marxism, feminism, social class, Malthusian ideas. Make use of some evidence. Explain why this semantic field is referred to by Dickens (context is relevant here).
3)
Every partner in Scrooge's life has abandoned him in some way or another (Fan, Belle, Marley)
Tips
The use of "however" allows for other viewpoints to be explored (a Marxist, a feminist interpretation, etc...).
"Dickens shows/highlights/interweaves", "Emphasises", "Foreshadows", "Juxtaposition",
The characters should always be referred to as a construct, a tool used by Dickens to convey an idea.