A Christmas Carol

My English Lit exam is on Monday, I was doing a practice question on the theme of regret and got stuck. Does anyone have any ideas or quotes?

Reply 1

elkiepric

Original post

by username7273017

My English Lit exam is on Monday, I was doing a practice question on the theme of regret and got stuck. Does anyone have any ideas or quotes?

my essay plan for regret in a christmas carol would definitely be something like:
so i would definitely link it to redemption and the themes of changing, attitudes and behaviours
umbrella idea(basically short notes which are like a plan for my whole essay):
- Marley symbolises eternal damnation (the belief that individuals who are judged as wicked or unrighteous will be condemned to everlasting punishment in Hell. This punishment is considered eternal, meaning it has no end)
- Ghost Of Christmas Present- ignorance and want
- Ghost Of Christmas Yet To Come- Bleak future

Para 1: i would start off by doing the opposite of his redemption and showing his behaviour and attitude in the first stave, he had no regret and was extremely avaricious and misanthropic or use characters su ch as jacob marley to show how he came as a warning to scrooge and how dickens used marley and scrooge as a microcosm for the avatice upper classes. markey is tecahing dickens wealthy readers that if they dont chnage and act charitably then they too will face the same consequences as him.

quotations: “i wear the chains i forged in life” “link by link”
“are there no prisons”
“decrease the surplus population”
“as hard and sharp as flint”
“tight-fisted hand at the grindstone”
“the happiness he gives is as if it costs a fortune”
“i cannot aford to make idle people merry”

para 2: i would now talk about inorance and want and the gjost of christmas present and how dickens personifies poverty through these children. i would also later talk abi ur the 1834 poor law and how people like scrooges ignorance against these problems and those of lower class must be accountable and acknowledge the severity of their ignorance and attitudes.

quotations: “yellow, meagre, scowling, wolfish, ragged”
“decrease the surplus population”

para 3: i would now tlak about the ghost of christmas yet to come and how him showing scrooge the finality of his solemn bleak future serves as bith a warning to the readers and scrooge of the irreversibility of leading a srdonic misery life. i woukd talk abo it scrooges plead for chnage and redemption showing how he regrets his past behaviours.

quotations: “ the phantom slowly,gravely,silenyly approached”
“shrouded in a deep black garment”
“i will live in the past, the present and the future. the spirits of all three shall strive within me”
“oh tell me i may sponge away the writing from this stone”

para 4: i would now show his ultimate chnage in attitude and his solemn regret as a whole, how he becomes a paternal father to tiny tim and hoes back on all his misanthropic actions as his past self. we see his chnage from misanthropic to philanthropic theoughiut from stave one to five of the novella.

quotations: “as light as a feather”
“he was so fluttered and so glowing with good intentions”
“as merry as a school boy”
“ill raise your salary”
“not the little prize turkey: the big one”

this is very long i know im sorry but if soemthjng doesn’t make sense or you need help with soemthing im always here to help!!

Reply 2

durdelova

Original post

by elkiepric

my essay plan for regret in a christmas carol would definitely be something like:
so i would definitely link it to redemption and the themes of changing, attitudes and behaviours
umbrella idea(basically short notes which are like a plan for my whole essay):
- Marley symbolises eternal damnation (the belief that individuals who are judged as wicked or unrighteous will be condemned to everlasting punishment in Hell. This punishment is considered eternal, meaning it has no end)
- Ghost Of Christmas Present- ignorance and want
- Ghost Of Christmas Yet To Come- Bleak future
Para 1: i would start off by doing the opposite of his redemption and showing his behaviour and attitude in the first stave, he had no regret and was extremely avaricious and misanthropic or use characters su ch as jacob marley to show how he came as a warning to scrooge and how dickens used marley and scrooge as a microcosm for the avatice upper classes. markey is tecahing dickens wealthy readers that if they dont chnage and act charitably then they too will face the same consequences as him.
quotations: “i wear the chains i forged in life” “link by link”
“are there no prisons”
“decrease the surplus population”
“as hard and sharp as flint”
“tight-fisted hand at the grindstone”
“the happiness he gives is as if it costs a fortune”
“i cannot aford to make idle people merry”
para 2: i would now talk about inorance and want and the gjost of christmas present and how dickens personifies poverty through these children. i would also later talk abi ur the 1834 poor law and how people like scrooges ignorance against these problems and those of lower class must be accountable and acknowledge the severity of their ignorance and attitudes.
quotations: “yellow, meagre, scowling, wolfish, ragged”
“decrease the surplus population”
para 3: i would now tlak about the ghost of christmas yet to come and how him showing scrooge the finality of his solemn bleak future serves as bith a warning to the readers and scrooge of the irreversibility of leading a srdonic misery life. i woukd talk abo it scrooges plead for chnage and redemption showing how he regrets his past behaviours.
quotations: “ the phantom slowly,gravely,silenyly approached”
“shrouded in a deep black garment”
“i will live in the past, the present and the future. the spirits of all three shall strive within me”
“oh tell me i may sponge away the writing from this stone”
para 4: i would now show his ultimate chnage in attitude and his solemn regret as a whole, how he becomes a paternal father to tiny tim and hoes back on all his misanthropic actions as his past self. we see his chnage from misanthropic to philanthropic theoughiut from stave one to five of the novella.
quotations: “as light as a feather”
“he was so fluttered and so glowing with good intentions”
“as merry as a school boy”
“ill raise your salary”
“not the little prize turkey: the big one”
this is very long i know im sorry but if soemthjng doesn’t make sense or you need help with soemthing im always here to help!!

what would you say for family?

Reply 3

Custards Creme

Original post

by durdelova

what would you say for family?

Family in ACC
In Charles dickens’ allegorical novella ‘a Christmas carol’ the importance of the loving structure of family is prevalent throughout the five staves. The need for a strong family connection is shown through the character construct of scrooge. He is void of any family compassion and love and refuses to build connections in the first part of the novella. The juxtaposition of scrooges cold demeanour against the warmth and joy of both Fred and the Cratchit family serves as a powerful device which highlights the positive effects of family but also how the absence of one can have negative consequences to a person’s life. Dickens perhaps demonstrates the power of familial connections as he himself had the absence of a traditional family structure.
Our first real understanding of the significance of family connections is made apparent with the interactions of scrooge and his nephew Fred in stave one. Fred is portrayed as a “glowing” character, who is the only character who attempts to destroy the hard exterior of his uncle by inviting him to his Christmas dinner. In his first appearance he states “a merry Christmas uncle! God bless you,’ cried a cheerful voice.” Fred is a character who Dickens has constructed as a foil to his misery uncle. His affable and friendly demeanour contrasts starkly with scrooges dark and irritable nature. The exclamative suggests how even though he may not be rich in wealthy in terms of money, he embodies Christmas spirit, gratitude, and joy – all aspects and traits void from scrooges “melancholy” life. Dickens makes poverty synonymous with joy and gratitude to illustrate to his 19^th century audience that wealth should not be the sole purpose of your life otherwise you are destined to live a life of solitude and isolation. Fred uses religious imagery such as “god” to show he has the value of ‘love thy neighbour’ within him. It was written during a religious and devoutly catholic period; sores character would have been admirable to the 19^th century audience. In response to this thoughtful invitation, scrooge declines by stating his usual “bah humbug.” This illustrates how even though he is full of money and wealth, he does not have to joy of Christmas spirit within him. Scrooge is presented as a reclusive misanthrope that alienates himself from society and keeps everyone on the periphery. This is made clear throughput the entirety of the first stave as we do not find out Freds name as scrooge never utters it. This may have been done deliberately to illustrate how scrooge does not build connections to his family nor the people in society, but this could also have been down to show the social hierarchy withing Victorian England. Scrooge views himself as a superior to Fred, so does not want to bother or burden himself with finding out – he instead depersonalises everyone around him. This interaction highlights how family connections influence personal growth and development.
At the start of the novella scrooges lack of compassion and love from his life become evident through his isolated lifestyle. This becomes apparent when he is describes using the simile “as solitary as an oyster” to suggest that he has built up a protective shell around himself, keeping his feeling and generosity hidden from others. The adjective “solitary” depicts scrooge as a reclusive misanthrope who is void of connections and emotion. He is emotionally withdrawn, and he is reluctant to engage with others around him. The deliberate choice of the comparison to an “oyster” is significant as despite an oyster being dark and hard on the outside, they contain something beautiful and valuable – pearls. Dickens is suggesting that scrooge is worth saving, foreshadowing his later redemption from the ghosts who break his tough and impenetrable wall to reveal the ‘pearl’ within him. The growth of a pearl usually takes around seven years which is significant as the ghost of his ex-business partner merely came to visit him seven years after his death. This implies that it may have been his arrival that triggers the first flicker of hope within scrooge. His isolated lifestyle stops him from branching out and making familial bonds, however this could be due to his neglected childhood. In a visit to his youth, the ghost of Christmas past, shows a young and vulnerable scrooge who was “neglected by his friends.” This evokes a sense of pity as it highlights how scrooges current isolation may have been caused by the neglect and trauma faced in his childhood. The lexical choice of “neglected” immediately creates and emotional impact from the reader as they start to unravel the actions that lead his “melancholy” lifestyle in his adulthood. This is then emphasis by the “feeble fire” he is sat next to which perhaps implies how he lacked warmth, nourishment, and care in his childhood. A “fire” is usually blazing but the oxymoron suggests that scrooges childhood was void of a family. This would explain why he chooses to live on the periphery of society and is apprehensive about making connections in the fear he may regress back into his naïve and vulnerable self.

In stave three of the allegory, we are introduced to the cheery and joyous Cratchit family. Dickens use the quote ‘the slow potatoes bubbling, knocked loudly at the saucepan lid to be let out and peeled’ to show us that even under such circumstances it will not ruin the warm atmosphere of Christmas time in the family. They embodied Christmas spirit to such extent that even inanimate objects jumped in such high spirits. The personification of the ”potatoes” and the “saucepan lid” suggests the glee and delight of the family is spreading throughout the house. The palpable happiness shows us that even in times of destitution the family can have a positive outlook on their situation. The verbs ‘bubbling’ and ‘knocked’ connotes eagerness and a yearn to be let out. This illustrates the energetic atmosphere that is prevalent in the Cratchit home which juxtaposes the sombre and dejected atmosphere present in scrooges “melancholy tavern.” The adjective “melancholy” suggests a pervasive atmosphere of gloom and emphasises how he lives a joyless and unfulfilling life despite having a mountain of wealth. Additionally, they show their gratitude to Mrs Cratchits as they refer their ‘small pudding’ as a ‘success’ despite it being used to feed a large family’ and this again emphasises the family’s gratitude for the little they own. Dicken portrays the family in such an appreciative way to criticize the way the rich treats them as lazy and undeserving to address the misconceptions of the poor in 19^th century England. Furthermore, Mrs Cratchits clothes are describing as “dressed out but poorly in a twice turned gown but brave in ribbons which are cheap.” This indicates how Mrs Cratchit has made an effort to look presentable and festive despite her limited wealth. The use of the adverb “poorly” implies a lack of extravagance or luxury in her dress which emphasises the families economic challenges. This is further solidified by the fact that her gown is “twice turned” and therefore suggesting it is either second hand or recycled. This alliteration demonstrates how although they may not be the wealthiest, they still make an attempt to spread the joy of Christmas spirit through their home as well as showing gratitude and compassion to their family members. Despite the modesty in her “gown,” Mrs Cratchit displays determination and positivity by embellishing it with “ribbons,” this shows a sense of pride as she makes the most of what she has demonstrating her ability to find the beauty in something so simple. This attitude is the antithesis of scrooges outlook on life as he strives to accumulate wealth that he simply cannot give one penny to the destitute and instead “clutches” onto all that he has.
Overall, the significance of family is presented through the novella using the character constructs of scrooge, the Cratchits and Fred.

I havent finsihed of my conclusion and i still need to add one more paragrpah but if this came up in the exam i would do 2 paragrapghs on the source and use the three iv prewritten