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Starting with this extract, How does Dickens present Scrooge as a character who changes? (Extract: Stave 5 Scrooge is as light as a feather)

Charles Dickens wrote the allegorical novella “A Christmas Carol” to teach the upper classes at the time about the importance of showing gratitude and not being greedy. Greed is one of the seven deadly sins in Christianity and with the Victorian audience being mainly Christian they would agree and see a reason as to why they should change their ways and feel more inclined to help the lower classes and the poor.

In Stave 1 Scrooge is described as, “a squeezing, wrenching grasping, scraping, clutching covetous old sinner.” The use of asyndetic listing by Dickens could be to present Scrooge as a character with never-ending bad attributes and qualities about him and to make the readers think that his redemption is near impossible. Furthermore, the seven negative adjectives may cause a Victorian audience to draw parallels between Scrooge with the seven deadly sins of Christianity. They were the root of all evil as described in the bible and anyone who embodies them must be a part of the devil. The verbs “squeezing” and “wrenching” have connotations of struggle perhaps reflecting how Scrooge struggled to see the detrimental consequences of his stinginess.

As the novella progresses, Scrooge is visited by 3 spirits. The Ghost of Christmas Past takes Scrooge to visit his ex-fiance Belle. In this stave we see Belle break up with Scrooge as she believes that, “a golden idol” has “displaced” her. This could show how Scrooge is selfish and materialistic as he values money and material wealth over his relationship with someone. Dickens's use of the noun “iodol” shows how Belle believed that Scrooge was so in love with money over her that he worshipped it. This adoration of a fake god would make the Victorian audience at the time shocked and they would no longer see him as a good Christian. Dickenses intention may have been to express to the upper class how if you live a life like Scrooge then you will forever be alone. Additionally, the verb “displaced” shows she is not loved anymore and that in Victorian society money was classed as so important that it could replace a human. Furthermore, the quotation as a whole could represent Scrooge being parallel with his father. This is because Scrooge's father abandoned him so he believes it's okay to abandon Belle.

Finally, after all 3 spirits have visited Scrooge, he awakens on Christmas day rejoicing that he has been given the opportunity to change his ways. He describes how he is, “as light as a feather” and, “as happy as an angel”, These similies could show how he has cast off the “chains he forged in life” from earlier in the novella. Both the nouns “feather” and “angel” connote freedom and flight reflecting how he is now closer to heaven than he was before. The connotations of angel are also goodness again possibly mirroring how he has changed for the better and become a better person.

In conclusion, Dickens presents Scrooge's redemption as surprising as he was a character who was fixated on his beliefs. This could show the Victorian audience how everyone has the potential to change and that changing for the better can bring about happiness within a person and wider society.

Reply 1

JF ZAK

21

okay
ill mark for u now
just a sec

Reply 2

JF ZAK

21

here it is
Charles Dickens wrote the allegorical novella “A Christmas Carol” to teach the upper classes at the time about the importance of showing gratitude and not being greedy. Greed is one of the seven deadly sins in Christianity and with the Victorian audience being mainly Christian they would agree and see a reason as to why they should change their ways and feel more inclined to help the lower classes and the poor. (This paragraph introduces the context well, but it could be more focused on the extract provided in the question. Remember to start with the extract and then expand to the rest of the text.)
In Stave 1 Scrooge is described as, “a squeezing, wrenching grasping, scraping, clutching covetous old sinner.” The use of asyndetic listing by Dickens could be to present Scrooge as a character with never-ending bad attributes and qualities about him and to make the readers think that his redemption is near impossible. Furthermore, the seven negative adjectives may cause a Victorian audience to draw parallels between Scrooge with the seven deadly sins of Christianity. They were the root of all evil as described in the bible and anyone who embodies them must be a part of the devil. The verbs “squeezing” and “wrenching” have connotations of struggle perhaps reflecting how Scrooge struggled to see the detrimental consequences of his stinginess. (You've made some good points about Scrooge's character in Stave 1, but try to link these descriptions more explicitly to the idea of change and how they set up his transformation later in the novella.)
As the novella progresses, Scrooge is visited by 3 spirits. The Ghost of Christmas Past takes Scrooge to visit his ex-fiance Belle. In this stave we see Belle break up with Scrooge as she believes that, “a golden idol” has “displaced” her. This could show how Scrooge is selfish and materialistic as he values money and material wealth over his relationship with someone. Dickens's use of the noun “iodol” shows how Belle believed that Scrooge was so in love with money over her that he worshipped it. This adoration of a fake god would make the Victorian audience at the time shocked and they would no longer see him as a good Christian. Dickenses intention may have been to express to the upper class how if you live a life like Scrooge then you will forever be alone. Additionally, the verb “displaced” shows she is not loved anymore and that in Victorian society money was classed as so important that it could replace a human. Furthermore, the quotation as a whole could represent Scrooge being parallel with his father. This is because Scrooge's father abandoned him so he believes it's okay to abandon Belle. (This paragraph shows a good understanding of Scrooge's character development through his interactions with Belle. However, make sure to connect back to the extract from Stave 5 and how these past events contribute to the change he undergoes.)
Finally, after all 3 spirits have visited Scrooge, he awakens on Christmas day rejoicing that he has been given the opportunity to change his ways. He describes how he is, “as light as a feather” and, “as happy as an angel”, These similies could show how he has cast off the “chains he forged in life” from earlier in the novella. Both the nouns “feather” and “angel” connote freedom and flight reflecting how he is now closer to heaven than he was before. The connotations of angel are also goodness again possibly mirroring how he has changed for the better and become a better person. (Excellent analysis of the extract from Stave 5, with a clear link to the theme of change. Your use of textual evidence to explore the language is strong here.)
In conclusion, Dickens presents Scrooge's redemption as surprising as he was a character who was fixated on his beliefs. This could show the Victorian audience how everyone has the potential to change and that changing for the better can bring about happiness within a person and wider society. (Your conclusion effectively summarizes Scrooge's transformation, but try to reflect more on how the extract from Stave 5 encapsulates this change and serves as a turning point for his character.)
Mark: 21 - 24 level 5
Overall feedback: You have demonstrated a thoughtful and developed response to the task, with a good use of textual references to support your interpretations. Your analysis of language and structure is effective, particularly in the final paragraph. To improve, ensure that you consistently link your discussion back to the extract in question and how it represents Scrooge's change throughout the novella.
What went well: Your understanding of the text and character development is clear, and you use textual evidence effectively to support your points.
Even better if: To achieve a higher level, ensure that your analysis is consistently anchored to the extract provided and explore the significance of Scrooge's change in greater depth, considering the wider context of the novella.
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Reply 3

doughnutsareslay

OP

12

Original post by JF ZAK

here it is
Charles Dickens wrote the allegorical novella “A Christmas Carol” to teach the upper classes at the time about the importance of showing gratitude and not being greedy. Greed is one of the seven deadly sins in Christianity and with the Victorian audience being mainly Christian they would agree and see a reason as to why they should change their ways and feel more inclined to help the lower classes and the poor. (This paragraph introduces the context well, but it could be more focused on the extract provided in the question. Remember to start with the extract and then expand to the rest of the text.)
In Stave 1 Scrooge is described as, “a squeezing, wrenching grasping, scraping, clutching covetous old sinner.” The use of asyndetic listing by Dickens could be to present Scrooge as a character with never-ending bad attributes and qualities about him and to make the readers think that his redemption is near impossible. Furthermore, the seven negative adjectives may cause a Victorian audience to draw parallels between Scrooge with the seven deadly sins of Christianity. They were the root of all evil as described in the bible and anyone who embodies them must be a part of the devil. The verbs “squeezing” and “wrenching” have connotations of struggle perhaps reflecting how Scrooge struggled to see the detrimental consequences of his stinginess. (You've made some good points about Scrooge's character in Stave 1, but try to link these descriptions more explicitly to the idea of change and how they set up his transformation later in the novella.)
As the novella progresses, Scrooge is visited by 3 spirits. The Ghost of Christmas Past takes Scrooge to visit his ex-fiance Belle. In this stave we see Belle break up with Scrooge as she believes that, “a golden idol” has “displaced” her. This could show how Scrooge is selfish and materialistic as he values money and material wealth over his relationship with someone. Dickens's use of the noun “iodol” shows how Belle believed that Scrooge was so in love with money over her that he worshipped it. This adoration of a fake god would make the Victorian audience at the time shocked and they would no longer see him as a good Christian. Dickenses intention may have been to express to the upper class how if you live a life like Scrooge then you will forever be alone. Additionally, the verb “displaced” shows she is not loved anymore and that in Victorian society money was classed as so important that it could replace a human. Furthermore, the quotation as a whole could represent Scrooge being parallel with his father. This is because Scrooge's father abandoned him so he believes it's okay to abandon Belle. (This paragraph shows a good understanding of Scrooge's character development through his interactions with Belle. However, make sure to connect back to the extract from Stave 5 and how these past events contribute to the change he undergoes.)
Finally, after all 3 spirits have visited Scrooge, he awakens on Christmas day rejoicing that he has been given the opportunity to change his ways. He describes how he is, “as light as a feather” and, “as happy as an angel”, These similies could show how he has cast off the “chains he forged in life” from earlier in the novella. Both the nouns “feather” and “angel” connote freedom and flight reflecting how he is now closer to heaven than he was before. The connotations of angel are also goodness again possibly mirroring how he has changed for the better and become a better person. (Excellent analysis of the extract from Stave 5, with a clear link to the theme of change. Your use of textual evidence to explore the language is strong here.)
In conclusion, Dickens presents Scrooge's redemption as surprising as he was a character who was fixated on his beliefs. This could show the Victorian audience how everyone has the potential to change and that changing for the better can bring about happiness within a person and wider society. (Your conclusion effectively summarizes Scrooge's transformation, but try to reflect more on how the extract from Stave 5 encapsulates this change and serves as a turning point for his character.)
Mark: 21 - 24 level 5
Overall feedback: You have demonstrated a thoughtful and developed response to the task, with a good use of textual references to support your interpretations. Your analysis of language and structure is effective, particularly in the final paragraph. To improve, ensure that you consistently link your discussion back to the extract in question and how it represents Scrooge's change throughout the novella.
What went well: Your understanding of the text and character development is clear, and you use textual evidence effectively to support your points.
Even better if: To achieve a higher level, ensure that your analysis is consistently anchored to the extract provided and explore the significance of Scrooge's change in greater depth, considering the wider context of the novella.
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yess omg thanks so so much your literally a lifesaver!!