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ACC Quotes - Mocks - Coggle Diagram
ACC Quotes - Mocks
Scrooge
"Scrooge was the sole executor, his sole administrator [...] and sole mourner" - Homophone of 'soul' used to introduce the idea of morality early on in the novella. It also connoted to Christian values, a tool used by Dickens to accumulate interest amongst the most Christian audience.
"A squeezing, wrenching [...] covetous old sinner" - Harsh alliteration and use of emotive participles (suggesting that Scrooge is still this way). Dickens' use of over-emphasis here conveys a sense of humour; allowing us to laugh at Scrooge and, by extension, the wealthy.
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"Frosty"/"Wiry"/"Low temperature" - Without warmth, lifeless.
"Decrease the surplus population" - Malthusian theory referenced here. Scrooge is used as a tool to demonstrate the political perspective of the wealthy (Dickens is attacking this view).
"Speak comfort to me, Jacob" - Sense of sympathy directed towards Scrooge.
"A solitary child, neglected by his friends, is left there still" - Scrooge's nature was crafted during his childhood, allows for sympathy to be directed.
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"If you have aught to teach me, let me profit by it" - Dickens uses the term "profit" to suggest that a change has not yet occured, that Scrooge is still prioritising gain (Capitalist language used).
"Tell me if Tiny Tim will live" - Dickens uses Tiny Tim as a fulcrum on which Scrooge's morality pivots; it is only on viewing Tiny Tim's death does Scrooge transform fully. Tiny Tim is also a representation of this "surplus population".
"Begged like a boy to stay" - Dickens uses this juxtaposition of 'old miser' with 'boy' and the idea of 'begging with Scrooge's dislike towards the poor. The word "boy" also suggests that Scrooge has not yet acknowledged the adult perspective of this message.
"I see. The case of this unhappy man might be my own." - The modal verb "might" is used by Dickens to instill dramatic irony as we, as the readers, know that this is the case.
"honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year [...] I will not shut out the lessons that they teach" - This statement is used by Dickens to encourage the reader to not abandon his moral (didactic purpose) after Christmas has passed.
Bob Cratchit
"his clerk's fire" - Bob is not introduced by name; rather by occupation, insinuating that Scrooge only sees Bob as an employee and a medium for him to make money with.
"looked like one coal" - Bob is afraid to request anything from Scrooge. Typical Victorian employer-employee dynamic.
"put on his white comforter" - Dickens uses this colour to symbolise the innocence of boy and, by extension, the poor.
"my clerk, with fifteen shillings a week" - Dickens uses this exact salary to allow the reader to compare the cost of the novel (5 shillings). Dickens purposefully made the book a 'luxury item' so that it would face more exposure to the wealthy.
"ran home to Camden Town" - Child-like innocence and zest for life that juxtaposes Scrooge's loss of this zest.
"nobody said [...] it was at all a small pudding for a large family" - Contrast between 'small' and 'large'; the creation of synthetic happiness by the Cratchits to help cope with their impoverished state despite limited choices.
"the pudding singing in the copper" - 'Singing' suggests that the occasion is celebratory, the sound of this food being prepared is mellifluous to the Cratchits.
"Mr Scrooge, the Founder of the Feast" - This appreciation of Scrooge is genuine from the viewpoint of Bob but ironic from the viewpoint of the readers.
"Bob held his withered little hand [...] and dreaded that he might be taken from him" - Dickens uses this idea to deviate Bob Cratchit from an overly-jovial, one dimensional character. The verb "taken" suggests that Bob has absolutely no control over his future and his son's welfare. By extension, this could connote to the high infant mortality rates at the time for all classes!
The 5 Spirits
Past
"now with one leg [...] now [...] now [...] now" - The GOCP's completely juxtapositional and contradictory appearance may act as a memento mori. The speed at which the ghost alters its appearance may be symbolic of Scrooge's fast approachal towards a dismal fate.
"they melted away" - Dickens uses the idea of candles to connote to God's light and salvation. This also acts as a connotation to the brevity of life and acts as another memento mori.
"could not help thinking that a night of unbroken rest would have been more conducive to that end" - Dickens portrays Scrooge as a courageous man in many regards, allowing us to partly sympathise with Scrooge. It also helps establish a sense of dissonance between this and Scrooge's composure as the end of the stave.
"the extinguisher covered its whole form" - Dickens uses this as a psychological representation of Scrooge's desire to subdue his past (the cause of his misanthropy), Dickens uses this to tell his readers that they should trace the causes of their prejudices if they wish to change.
"he could not hide the light, which streamed from under it" - Dickens uses this idea to slowly introduce the idea of redemption, that this 'light' will eventually pervade despire Scrooge's efforts to subdue it.
Present
"forbear that wicked cant until you have discovered what the surplus is" - Through this statement, Dickens is telling the reader (through the medium of the GOCP) that the true "surplus" are the readers.
"roaring fires in kitchens", "the bowles of the earth", "lighthouse" and "the thundering of water" - Dickens uses the elements to suggest that Christmas and generosity is elemental, a prerequisite, a fundamental idea that is weaves into the make-up of man. This also plays into a Pagan belief system.
"Come in! Come in! And know me better man" - The GOCP wishes for Scrooge to know Christmas better, not Christianity; he wishes to render Scrooge a man of generosity and family.
Yet to Come
"Slowly, gravely, silently, approached" - The GOCYTC represents a memento mori; the inevitability of death.
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