Christmas Carol Essay Example for Free

Christmas Carol Essay The light represents a sense of alertness to show that Scrooge has done great harm and hope. This quote also opens the sight to the audience of Scrooges past time and why he is the way he currently is. The Cratchits are an example of the impoverished people who, Dickens felt, were very honest. The poor people were never too worried about getting more than enough but just wanted something decent to live on. The clothes they whore were past down from parents or older siblings. The food was shared equally so that no one would be left too hungry, all these actions make the poor increase their love for each other. Dickens shows this when: There was nothing very cheerful in the climate( ) Yet there was an air of cheerfulness abroad This quote shows that even though the weather and atmosphere was very dull, the Cratchits still were happy for the sake of Christmas. This shows that Dickens is emphasizing that the poor had good characters, because they made the most of what they could and hardly complained whilst on the other hand the rich werent so graceful. Dickens clearly shows that the rich are greedy and do what will benefit them so they live in a crafty way to get more money. The rich do more and more to feel satisfied but they still want more which leaves them with corrupt lives. In this manner the rich never see the real wonder and beauty of life. This is shown by Dickens through the character of Scrooge when Scrooge has never been to Bob Cratchits house. Here he sees how the Cratchits, despite being very poor, can be happy at Christmas. Bob and Mrs. Cratchit struggle because their family is large: there are six children. Scrooge sees how frail Tiny Tim is and asks the Spirit if he will live. The ghost tells him that unless something changes in the future, the child will die. This makes Scrooge feel bad and some emotions in Scrooges feelings are shown. Later on in this stave the Ghost of Christmas Present takes Scrooge to Freds house. Fred is having a party and Scrooge is brought by the spirit to see and hear it to show him the benefit of a warm family life and that money could be used to share love and happiness. Scrooges nephew Fred says: his offences carry their own punishment. This quote shows that whoever does evil, then evil will come back to him, in this case Scrooge has no care for the poor and so he is punished by being lonely with no family or friends. It also shows how Fred does not have any ill feelings towards his uncle. This quote suggests that Dickens felt that the rich werent always happy and secure because of their possessions but needed respect for who they were, to be happy. Fred is a very generous rich man and Dickens shows that not every rich person was selfish and greedy but some were kind and caring. Dickens shows you could be rich of love and happiness with family and friends, even for the poor. Dickens explains this through the character of Fred when we are told: Scrooge is to be pitied, not despised. He is rich but his money does him no good This quote shows that the rich were not always seen as the mighty, glorious people in the Victorian times but some were seen as being very low. The second part of the quote clearly emphasizes that money couldnt buy everything. But in some circumstances money was a hindrance. Dickens also shows us that having all the money and wealth in the world cannot make you as joyous as being generous and kind. Dickens emphasizes this in his novel through the character Mr. Fezzywig, who is a very generous rich man, who had great love and joy. At this point in the novel, Scrooge is more emotional about how he has treated other people. He finds out that the Cratchits are happier than he had assumed but are suffering severely especially Tiny Tim. He finds out the truth of how his nephew really feels about him. However he knows that he has one more journey to go to and that is the future. The Ghost of Christmas future brings a sense of fear into the scenes, because of the way he only points but doesnt speak and his head is covered with a hood. The phantom slowly, gravely, silently approached This shows that Dickens was very serious about the issues of poverty and that he wanted everyone to know how horrific it was to be so greedy and not give anything to the poor. The quote shows us that something dreadful is to come. Similarly Dickens criticizes the rich who do not give to the poor by saying that they will have no one to care for them when they are feeble. Dickens shows this when the old woman says: I thought hed never die. This quote shows that Dickens is emphasizing how desperate people will be to get rid of such selfish, tight fisted people who have no care for others. The quote has a very strong message because it illustrates how worthless money can make a person. Dickens shows this worthlessness of money if not used properly can make a rich person worthless. This is shown when: Its likely to be a very cheap funeral This quote shows that people did not care about this person who has died. Dickens message here is that no matter how rich you are, you will not be worth a penny if you are careless and greedy. Scrooge gets scared and worried of what he sees. Scrooge shows lots of emotion, this is shown with: In his agony he caught the spectral hand. This quote shows that Scrooge has become very feeble of his feelings because he has finally realized how dreadful of a person he has been. Dickens uses agony to show the amount of pain and misery a greedy persons death would be. In conclusion, Scrooge learned that money isnt everything and that being generous and respectful to others is the most important thing. Scrooge also learns that family and friends come before money and business. In the following century society had many improvements such as benefits for the elderly and disabled. Most of these improvements were made into society after World War 2. This was mainly due to that in the world war, both the poor and rich fought together as one nation. Therefore the rich got to know the poor better and money was shared to provide for all the people so they could help in the war. Food rations were one of these schemes, so the world wars had a huge impact on how society was treated. In the modern society we live in there are many changes due to everybody contributing such as taxes. However in the Victorian times society was very closed and the message Dickens was trying to get over was that everyone should help each other whether poor or rich. There are many modern day Scrooges we can refer to even though its been over a century since Dickens era. However the Scrooges we can refer to in this century have been the more clever, sneaky ones. An example of this is when DNA was discovered. The men who were seen as discoverers were Watson and Crick. However the real people behind the scenes actually made this discovery but the credit and glory was all given to Watson and Crick. Unlike in Dickens times, the modern societys can get hold of money easily but nowadays it is more about pride and glory. Similarly of how poverty was present in Victorian England it still exists in the third world such as Africa but the Scrooges are known as the politicians however the poor are still the public.