Term
| "This boy is Ignorance, This girl is Want" - The Ghost of Christmas Present |
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Definition
| We are introduced to two frightful children who represent greed and the selfishness of those who choose to ignore the poverty all around them. They could also represent the poor - hideous from the outside but innocent like children from within. |
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Term
| "Come in! And know me better man!" - The Ghost of Christmas Present |
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Definition
| This jolly, cheerful tone - overly familiar, embodies the Christmas spirit. |
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Term
| "brave in ribbons" - Narrator |
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Definition
| The repetition of this phrase emphasises the values that have been past on from mother to daughter suggesting that despite their poverty they hold their heads up high and are setermined to look their best for such a special day indicating their united front. |
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Term
| "he hoped the people saw him in church, because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant for them to remember upon Christmas Day who made lame beggars walk and blind men see." - Tiny Tim |
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Definition
| Dickens presents Tiny Tim as a good character by showing us his religious side. In 1843 religion was an important part of a Victorians life and Tiny Tim wants to remind us of Jesus. |
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Term
| "If he be like to die , he had better do it and decrease the surplus population" - The Ghost of Christmas Present |
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Definition
| Mocking Scrooge's statement earlier on. |
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Term
| "I'll give you Mr Scrooge, the founder of the Feast!" - Bob Cratchit |
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Definition
| Christmas is a time of forgiveness and through Bob showing gratitude to Scrooge is therefore a perfect example of what Scrooge is not. |
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Term
| "more worthless" - The Ghost of Christmas Present |
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Definition
| The spirit says that Scrooge's life may be "more worthless" than that of Tiny Tim which forces him to be more humble and not have such a high opinion of himself compared to the poor. |
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Term
| "a solemn Phantom, draped and hooded, coming like a mist along the ground towards him" - Narrator |
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Definition
| This, at the end of Stave 3, creates suspense and shows that Scrooge is taken by surprise by the final ghost. The extrended metaphor of the "mist" shows how the final ghost has been present since the beginning suggesting that Scrooge's fate is secured by his past actions unless he changes his future. |
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Term
"There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor" - Narrator |
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Definition
| Laughing is highly beneficial to an individuals spritual well-being and Scrooge's laugh is a sign of his changing character. |
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Term
| " A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to the old man, whatever he is!" - Fred |
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Definition
| This demonstrates the goodwill of Fred at Christmas so much that he is even prepared to offer kindness to Scrooge despite the way he has been treated. |
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