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A Christmas carol

Hello I am aiming for a grade 9 in English lit so if u have any ideas please could u answer this question
How does dickens use structure and form in a Christmas carol
Please reply and thanks😃
Use the CGP revision guides.
Firstly maybe think about how Dickens splits the novella up into 5 ‘staves’ which is coherent with the title of ‘A Christmas Carol’.
Then maybe think about how this song structure relates to the structure of the story, i.e. it starts off quiet with the backstory of Marley’s death, then brings us forwards exactly 7 years after his death and seems to properly ‘kick off’ as such after Marley visits Scrooge and warns him of his fate. The theme of Scrooge’s fate goes hand in hand with the theme of charity; meaning he must successfully redeem himself by being more charitable. The story is structured around these themes (plus others you could probably think of yourself) and after marley’s visit, the pace of the story/‘carol’ picks up with the visit of the ghost of Xmas past and then the ghost of Christmas present. The climax is reached when the ghost of Xmas present foreshadows tiny tim’s death of Scrooge does not offer his charity, where the pace of the story quickens and gets more dramatic, heightening the urgency of the need for his change in attitude/personality. The story levels off at the end with Scrooge waking up after seeing his own gravestone where everything is clear and he is a better person as he is more charitable than he was at the start - link in the conversation he has with the boy who he asks to get him a turkey.
These are just a few points you could base your answer off, remember to link in things like relevant quotes with each point as well as context (i.e. the time the story was written and dickens’ intentions) which will get you the higher grades. Also, don’t just offer one interpretation of a point - when possible, write at least 2 or 3 possible meanings. It shows that you have analysed it thoroughly from all perspectives.
It’s been 2 years since I did A Christmas Carol so I am a little rusty, however I managed to get a grade 8 in English literature, so I hope you find my advice helpful.
Just do as many past paper questions or possible questions that cover most of the syllabus and focus on questions that want you to talk about certain themes, motifs, and characters - I was examined on this stuff for a Christmas Carol in the actual exam. Then you will never be short for stuff to write. Good luck!
Reply 3
any question predictions?
Original post by Jamal77
any question predictions?


I know it was the Ghosts two years ago (for WJEC Eduqas), do you know what it was last year?
Reply 5
on AQA it was how does Dickens present fear
Original post by drystar
I know it was the Ghosts two years ago (for WJEC Eduqas), do you know what it was last year?
Original post by Jamal77
on AQA it was how does Dickens present fear


Hopefully it's a character question then this year... My teachers have predicted (for eduqas at least) that it'll be a question on the Cratchits this year. Knowing the exam boards though, they'll probably make it way tougher than that.
Original post by Marvel_707
Use the CGP revision guides.

Thanks!
Original post by FreckledPizza
Firstly maybe think about how Dickens splits the novella up into 5 ‘staves’ which is coherent with the title of ‘A Christmas Carol’.
Then maybe think about how this song structure relates to the structure of the story, i.e. it starts off quiet with the backstory of Marley’s death, then brings us forwards exactly 7 years after his death and seems to properly ‘kick off’ as such after Marley visits Scrooge and warns him of his fate. The theme of Scrooge’s fate goes hand in hand with the theme of charity; meaning he must successfully redeem himself by being more charitable. The story is structured around these themes (plus others you could probably think of yourself) and after marley’s visit, the pace of the story/‘carol’ picks up with the visit of the ghost of Xmas past and then the ghost of Christmas present. The climax is reached when the ghost of Xmas present foreshadows tiny tim’s death of Scrooge does not offer his charity, where the pace of the story quickens and gets more dramatic, heightening the urgency of the need for his change in attitude/personality. The story levels off at the end with Scrooge waking up after seeing his own gravestone where everything is clear and he is a better person as he is more charitable than he was at the start - link in the conversation he has with the boy who he asks to get him a turkey.
These are just a few points you could base your answer off, remember to link in things like relevant quotes with each point as well as context (i.e. the time the story was written and dickens’ intentions) which will get you the higher grades. Also, don’t just offer one interpretation of a point - when possible, write at least 2 or 3 possible meanings. It shows that you have analysed it thoroughly from all perspectives.
It’s been 2 years since I did A Christmas Carol so I am a little rusty, however I managed to get a grade 8 in English literature, so I hope you find my advice helpful.
Just do as many past paper questions or possible questions that cover most of the syllabus and focus on questions that want you to talk about certain themes, motifs, and characters - I was examined on this stuff for a Christmas Carol in the actual exam. Then you will never be short for stuff to write. Good luck!

Thanks!

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