A Christmas Carol Revision

Monday 11th October 2021

Learning purposes

• To explore the reactions of characters throughout the novella.

• To develop ability to write focused and precise topic sentences.

• To develop extract and whole-text responses.

Prior learning:➢ On the next slide…

Future learning:✓ ACC assessment before half term –

extract and whole text✓ Recap knowledge of significant

characters and themes in Macbeth.✓ Develop Lit Paper One skills.

Starter – A Christmas Carol recap

Explain the significance of FIVE words that link to A Christmas Carol. One has been completed for you but does NOT count as one of your five.

ClocksFire

MankindRebirth

MoralityBed

Singing/dancingLight/dark

PrisonsChildrenWeather

The bed is a recurrent motif, which suggests the ghosts want to access Scrooge’s most private thoughts.

Assessment – 18th October, 1 hour.

Part A)

• This extract response does not require context.

• You will be asked to consider the presentation of a particular character/theme/setting.

• This assesses AO2: analysis of language, form and structure.

• 30 minutes

Part B)• The whole text question for A

Christmas Carol does not require context.

• You will be asked to consider the presentation of a particular character or theme similar to that of your Part A question.

• This assesses AO1: interpretations, use of quotations and answering the question.

• 30 minutes

Scrooge’s reactions

• In Scrooge we see a man who is transformed from a greedy, selfish miser into a generous and good-natured character by the end. He is shown the error of his ways by the ghosts that visit him and is redeemed by his own willingness to change.

Scrooge’s reactionsTask:

➢ For each event, find a quote which conveys Scrooge’s reaction and write an adjective to describe his reaction.

➢ You may use some of the adjectives below or one of your own.

Quotation:Event

➢ Scrooge rejects the charity collectors (p.17)

➢ Scrooge sees Marley’s face on the door knocker (p.21)

➢Marley’s ghost leaves Scrooge (p.30)

➢ Scrooge wakes up but believes Marley’s Ghost was a dream (p.32)

➢ Scrooge sees his childhood and Fan (p.39-40)

➢ Scrooge sees Belle and her new family (p.48)

➢ Scrooge visits the Cratchit Christmas with the Ghost of Christmas Present (p.63)

➢ Scrooge sees Ignorance and Want (p.73)

➢ Scrooge realises that he was the man who was lying dead (p.87-88)

➢ Scrooge asks the young boy to get the turkey and finds the charity collectors (p.91/p.93)

Adjective:

➢Dismissive

➢Euphoric

➢Complacent

➢Remorseful

➢Nostalgic

➢Hopeful

➢Pained

➢Concerned

➢Horrified

➢Urgent

➢Arrogant

Read pages 67-72

As we are reading, consider the following:

• How Fred and his family are presented.

• How Scrooge has changed from the beginning of the novella based on his reactions.

• Why this scene is in the novella.

Extract practise

• Reread from ‘He’s a comical old fellow’ (p.68) - ‘and passed the bottle joyously’ (p.69).

• Explore how Dickens presents reactions to Scrooge’s behaviour in this extract.

• Spend a few minutes annotating the extract independently.

“He’s a comical old fellow,” said Scrooge’s nephew, “that’s the truth:

and not so pleasant as he might be. However, his offences carry their

own punishment, and I have nothing to say against him.”

“I’m sure he is very rich, Fred,” hinted Scrooge’s niece. “At least you

always tell me so.”

“What of that, my dear!” said Scrooge’s nephew. “His wealth is of no

use to him. He don’t do any good with it. He don’t make himself

comfortable with it. He hasn’t the satisfaction of thinking— ha, ha,

ha!—that he is ever going to benefit US with it.”

“I have no patience with him,” observed Scrooge’s niece. Scrooge’s

niece’s sisters, and all the other ladies, expressed the same opinion.

“Oh, I have!” said Scrooge’s nephew. “I am sorry for him; I couldn’t

be angry with him if I tried. Who suffers by his ill whims! Himself,

always. Here, he takes it into his head to dislike us, and he won’t

come and dine with us. What’s the consequence? He don’t lose much

of a dinner.”

What does this noun phrase suggest about Fred’s reaction?

What semantic field is created through the words identified? Consider how this contrasts with the tone at the end of the extract.

How does this present Fred’s reaction?

How does Fred’s wife’s reaction contrast with Fred’s reaction?

“Indeed, I think he loses a very good dinner,” interrupted Scrooge’s niece. Everybody else said the same, and they must be allowed to have been competent judges, because they had just had dinner; and, with the dessert upon the table, were clustered round the fire, by lamplight.

“Well! I’m very glad to hear it,” said Scrooge’s nephew, “because I haven’t great faith in these young housekeepers. What do you say, Topper?”

Topper had clearly got his eye upon one of Scrooge’s niece’s sisters, for he answered that a bachelor was a wretched outcast, who had no right to express an opinion on the subject. Whereat Scrooge’s niece’s sister—the plump one with the lace tucker: not the one with the roses—blushed.

“Do go on, Fred,” said Scrooge’s niece, clapping her hands. “He never finishes what he begins to say! He is such a ridiculous fellow!”

Scrooge’s nephew revelled in another laugh, and as it was impossible to keep the infection off; though the plump sister tried hard to do it with aromatic vinegar; his example was unanimously followed.

How eager is Fred’s niece to offer her thoughts about Scrooge?

How effective is this dialogue in providing Fred’s wife’s reaction?

“I was only going to say,” said Scrooge’s nephew, “that the consequence of his taking a dislike to us, and not making merry with us, is, as I think, that he loses some pleasant moments, which could do him no harm. I am sure he loses pleasanter companions than he can find in his own thoughts, either in his mouldy old office, or his dusty chambers. I mean to give him the same chance every year, whether he likes it or not, for I pity him. He may rail at Christmas till he dies, but he can’t help thinking better of it—I defy him—if he finds me going there, in good temper, year after year, and saying Uncle Scrooge, how are you? If it only puts him in the vein to leave his poor clerk fifty pounds, that’s something; and I think I shook him yesterday.”

It was their turn to laugh now at the notion of his shaking Scrooge. But being thoroughly good-natured, and not much caring what they laughed at, so that they laughed at any rate, he encouraged them in their merriment, and passed the bottle joyously.

How does Fred view Scrooge’s life/ the way he lives?

What does this suggest about Fred’s attitude towards Scrooge’s misanthropic ways?

What semantic field is created through the words identified? Consider how this contrasts with the tone at the beginning of the extract.

Topic sentencesImprove the topic sentences below, linking closely to the question and offering a more sophisticated insight into the extract.

• Fred’s wife’s reaction is different to Fred’s reaction.

• Fred’s wife’s really wants to offer a bad opinion of Scrooge.

• Fred’s reaction is presented as persistent.

• The tone changes from the beginning to the end of the extract.

Extract response

• Using one of your topic sentences, write one paragraph exploring the question.

Explore how Dickens presents reactions to Scrooge’s behaviour in this extract.

• You can focus on the reactions of Fred, his wife, or both.

Whole text response

In this extract, Fred suggests that Scrooge does not show regret for his behaviour.

Explain how regret is portrayed elsewhere in the novel.

In your answer, you must consider:

• who shows regret

• when regret is suggested

Example

In A Christmas Carol, Scrooge shows regret when he sees Ignorance and Want in Stave 3. When he sees the children he asks the spirit if they have ‘no refuge or resource’ to which the spirit reflects Scrooge’s words from Stave 1 back to him, replying ‘Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?’. This is included because it forces Scrooge to reconsider his attitude towards the poor. Scrooge will regret how he thought of the poor before the Spirits visited him. Overall, this is effective because the reader is able to see a different side of Scrooge.

TASK: Using the next slide, which level would this response fall into?

Explain how regret is portrayed elsewhere in the novella.

TASK: Complete the worksheet.

Whole text response

• Considering another part of the novella, explain how regret is presented elsewhere in the novella..

• 1 paragraph.

Plenary

Refer back to the mark scheme.

Read your work together with your partner – which level do you think your work would fit into?

What could you do to improve?