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hello everybody welcome to this video
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another in the students exemplars series
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something a little bit different today
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not full exam answers but some really
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interesting notes and ideas on key
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themes in A Christmas Carol written by
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Eleanor let's have a look to begin with
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the theme of poverty versus wealth
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throughout the novella Dickens makes
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underlying references to the destructive
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and corrupt theme of poverty through the
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extended metaphor of the weather the
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constant blaze of grey in the sky the
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fact that the fog and darkness thickened
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could symbolize the invasion of
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factories and the brutality of the
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working conditions the verb thickened
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has connotations as something getting
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more intense and more obscure the smoke
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from work houses was suffocating society
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as a result of the Poor Law introduced
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stating that those in destitution needed
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to go and work at a factory in
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horrendously poor conditions in order to
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fix their financial instability
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thickened demonstrates an increase
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metaphorically implying to the reader
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that the numbers of desperation were
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rising yet the government did nothing to
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intervene during the period of ignorance
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and negligence in Victorian England the
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weather influences the extent of our
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optimism conveying the dismal attitudes
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within society the lack of color
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represents the repression and lack of
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emotion people felt
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additionally the Nevada etc in the
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winter which symbolically represents the
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division between the wealthy and the
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poor those who were financially stable
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didn't need to stay in the congenial
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frost they could return home and was
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sheltered from their ignorance
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alternatively those in the dangerous
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depth of poverty had no choice but to
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embrace the bitterness of the cold which
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is further explored through the semantic
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field of darkness and night despite
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Scrooge's opinion that darkness is cheap
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with the African adjectives cheap
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implying that this type of dull heavy
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lifestyle is more affordable making to
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Scrooge his attitude of avarice and his
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fears for poverty for many of the
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wealthy like Scrooge this was not a
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necessity by any means families like the
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crotchets had no choice but to enjoy the
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Tallis nests of not only the nighttime
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but the lack of warmth it brought -
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along with darkness
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and comes some form of light but the
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fact that the Bleak descriptions of the
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weather are not followed by a
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description of the Sun would emphasize
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from the perspective of Sigmund Freud
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that England during the Victorian times
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was saturated in the consequences from
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the heed of the government and the
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wealthy the Sun represents hope and a
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growth for something better
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symbolizing the super-ego of the
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government but the fact that the Sun
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doesn't seem to exist in Dickens his
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description indicates to the reader that
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there was a strong disturbed sense of
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corruption within society therefore from
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a psychodynamic perspective the
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components of the human psyche being
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imbalanced not only create a sense of
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disorientation but could also arguably
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be the explanation for the poverty in
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society negligence and avarice speed
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from the government and the wealthy well
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isn't that an amazing couple of
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paragraphs on the theme of poverty
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versus wealth let's have a look at the
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theme of redemption between stave 1 & 5
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there's an apparent reversal not only
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within Scrooge and the descriptions
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Dickens gives but also within scrooge's
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surroundings a remarkable sense of
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redemption this conveys to the reader
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that Scrooge is in fact a powerful
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influential protagonist perhaps
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representing Dickens's idea that even
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the impudence of the wealthy can change
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having noticeable impact and in fact
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diminishing the social injustice within
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Victorian England firstly there's a
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direct contrast between the descriptions
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of Scrooge at the very beginning of the
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novella to the very end
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yet still conveying something permanent
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within Scrooge hope while he is
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described as being hard and sharp as
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Flint the simile in the state now Flint
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has connotations as something powerful
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and perhaps revolutionary often as it is
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used to induce fires subtly hinting to
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the reader that the explosion of
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reformation within Scrooge is yet to
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come
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Flint is also a material which is
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underestimated alone it has no power but
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with the help of other materials it can
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have overwhelming force and this could
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from a Nietzschean perspective be
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highlighting the spiritual journey
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Scrooge is yet to encompass to discover
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his in urban ever
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God is not currently guiding him but
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through the cumulative appearance of the
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ghosts he's connecting with morality and
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nihilism is becoming a part of his later
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character it's not an amazing analysis
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of the idea or the word Flint this idea
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that actually even though it describes
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Scrooge at the beginning of the text as
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such a negative character it does
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actually foreshadow and hint at the
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Reformation which is to come what a
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fantastic analysis this is further
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explored at the end of the novella with
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the simile light is a feather
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contrastingly that now feather has
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completely different connotations to the
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solidity of Flint a feather is something
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with no real use symbolically showing
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the reader how the Flint has been
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activated as Scrooge is a new person
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alternatively a feather comes from a
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bird either as a result of destruction
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or because it is no longer needed and
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this could suggest that Scrooge's former
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unmoral self has either been destroyed
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while Nietzsche would argue that this is
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Scrooge's reincarnation it could also
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indicate Scrooge has grown as shed his
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callous bitter inconsiderate skin he's
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grown and left the part of himself he's
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ashamed of behind the redemption in
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Scrooge is the most iconic part of the
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novella as Dickens uses this to amplify
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the ease of change within society even
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if you were hostile and misanthropic
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there is every ability to change and
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resolve the injustice within society
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emphasizing how Victorian England had
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potential to reform absolutely fantastic
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I don't really need to say a lot about
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this do I it is just absolutely amazing
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theme with the supernatural Dickens is a
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Christmas carol is rather unusual
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compared to most Christmas stories due
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to the noticeable emphasis upon ghosts
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around the novella ghosts are the theme
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of the supernatural and not necessarily
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positive and jubilant which would match
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our idea of Christmas however through
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their peculiar appearance they express
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Dickens's idea of the ease of having a
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perfect memorable Christmas the fact
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that ghosts are introduced to the reader
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from the very first stage of the novella
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made the precipitating incident not only
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uncommon but an implicit criticism
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society this is due to the fact that the
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vast majority of Victorian England were
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deep in belief at the supernatural which
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highlights to the reader the
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insensitivity of the wealthy represented
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by Scrooge this occurs through the
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concentration on avarice and hostility
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towards those in poverty while they grow
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more ignorant of real life a yet so
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easily manipulated through the
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spirituality of ghosts something to be
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questioned of its realism this conveys
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Dickinson's idea that anybody can change
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and that the division between classes in
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society was not as bitter and as strong
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as people may have presumed however
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while screwed represents the wealthy and
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lacks belief in religion and Christian
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values he's portrayed to the reader as
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having the typical attribute her society
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towards the supernatural he speaks of
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putting a stake of Holly through his
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heart the noun stake was a supernatural
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weapon used to protect oneself against
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vampires the fact that Scrooge uses this
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term in anger reflects his instinct to
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quote the supernatural in his speech
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there was a part of life and in his
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nature to do so however when faced
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directly with the presence of Marley's
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ghost Scrooge belittles and disbelieves
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will he is seen stating that there is
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more gravy than there is grave in the
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ghost for the perspective of jacque's
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the reader Scrooge and the supernatural
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could be seen as binary pair while
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Scrooge mocks his exposure to a ghost in
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stave one later in stay for he
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communicates to the reader his
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unexpected relevance to the spirit as
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his name is revealed to be on a
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gravestone in the possible future thus
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the binary pair of life and the
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supernatural is exposed
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Scrooge from what Marley's ghost stated
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will die to become a ghost faced by more
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restriction and more suffering as a
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consequence of his present good
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therefore Dickens amplifies to the
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reader the ease of redemption within any
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member of society through the unusually
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powerful use of the specters and theme
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of the supernatural in the novel now
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what we can see in these paragraphs on
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Eleanor is of course the bringing in of
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concepts and theories critical
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approaches to literature and the idea of
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binary opposites the idea of a Freudian
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analysis etc etc
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that's not something you have to do at
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GCSE but I've seen that a number of
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students are looking at bringing in this
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kind of analysis to their writing this
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is a great example of how you can do it
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so I don't want you to panic and watch
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this video and think oh do we need to
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learn all of those you know different
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approaches in some sense you don't need
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to because it is very much above or
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beyond the scope of GCSE but of course
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if you can bring some in then absolutely
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do so and if you look at the student
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exemplars series I know the full marks
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exam series that the first video an
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answer on Frankenstein it's similar the
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student did something similar and got
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full marks so it's not something you
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have to do I don't want you to panic but
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if you know some of these ideas and you
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can bring them into your writing and
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it's relevant to the question and the
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theme then go ahead let's have a look at
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the final one the theme of light and
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dark
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Dickens highlights the corruption within
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society and how the division between
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poverty and the wealthy had sharpened
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through the harsh contrast between the
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binary pair of light and darkness in
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state one
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Dickens portrays the brutality of the
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social injustice through the avarice of
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the wealthy because darkness is cheap
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and Scrooge liked it the Bleak now
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darkness literally conveys to the reader
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the general sense of society even the
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rich who could afford the luxury of
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light were afraid of poverty and so
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locked their wealth away from everybody
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including themselves
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Scrooge having the wealth which he
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believed was the source of his happiness
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now is surrounded by metaphorical and
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literal darkness however for the
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perspective of Jacques Derrida saved two
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screwed experiences the sense of hope
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and freedom of the past during the
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revisit to fezziwig's party as the hosts
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shown in every part of the dance like
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moons the verb sean has connotations in
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something pearlescent an exquisite
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emphasizing Dickens his idea that
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Victorian England had changed from a
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benevolent jubilant society to a fearful
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country surrounded by darkness and
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loneliness in a matter of time
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alternatively the cosmic imagery of the
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moon and the brightness could also
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reflect life in the past for the less
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wealthy aims were not set around the
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prospect of money and so people were
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happy and enjoyed them
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embracing the presence of others this
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may have been what gave them hope and
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provoked the munificent attributes to
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society the lightness surrounding the
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poor is further explored through
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Dickens's creation of the Cratchit
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family during stave three mrs. Cratchit
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Peter and the rest of the family
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prepared their dinner as a team
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displaying the lack of interest towards
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losing money but rather gaining precious
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memories and the repetition of the
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incandescent verb glowed it illuminates
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their love and compassion light and
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brightness surrounds them voluntarily
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while Scrooge lives in darkness because
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it is cheap which is further explored by
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the cosmic imagery associated with
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familial amiable characters the use of
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light represents goodwill and during
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stay five when Scrooge has transformed
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he too was glowing with good intentions
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absolutely fantastic clothes word
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analysis of the work glowed and then of
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course contrasting that to the
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difference that we see in the darkness
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used to present the character of Scrooge
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fantastic work from Alan oh thank you
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for sending it in
