The Student Room Group

a christmas carol gcse - could someone mark my short paragraph :)

how does Dickens present the spirit of christmas PAST?


(here is one paragraph of my answer)
i just want to know if i am on the right lines! - tell me how to improve, thankyouuu


The Ghost of Christmas Past is described as a 'strange figure' as it is illustrated as a paradox between a child and an elderly figure. It was 'white' as if with age"however, not a single 'wrinkle' present, metaphorically indicating time rapidly passing for both the Spirit and Scrooge. The paradox can also be seen as the contrast between Scrooge's former self and his present self: much like how the Ghost is seen as both a child and an old aged person, Scrooge must has a trace of his younger, kinder self somewhere within him.

Reply 1

hi!! i finished my gcses last year so i might help
the last sentence is absolutely perfect. Contains all the marks a teacher would look for. however i think u should avoid using the worked ‘it’ frequently. and try linking it back to the question a bit more at the end. also try using more evidence from the poem to analyse to make the paragraph a bit longer to hit all the marks just in case. good luck!!!
(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 2

Original post by harlz_chalamet
how does Dickens present the spirit of christmas PAST?
(here is one paragraph of my answer)
i just want to know if i am on the right lines! - tell me how to improve, thankyouuu
The Ghost of Christmas Past is described as a 'strange figure' as it is illustrated as a paradox between a child and an elderly figure. It was 'white' as if with age"however, not a single 'wrinkle' present, metaphorically indicating time rapidly passing for both the Spirit and Scrooge. The paradox can also be seen as the contrast between Scrooge's former self and his present self: much like how the Ghost is seen as both a child and an old aged person, Scrooge must has a trace of his younger, kinder self somewhere within him.

hi, you have all the right ideas, it just might not be as perceptive as you can make it though, try and delve more into your ideas like why is it important that there is a contrast between his old and former self? What are Dickens' intentions? why does he want us to see this? This answer is only clear, it may be leaning towards thoughtful, but ultimately it's around 5/6 grade.

Quick Reply