A Christmas Carol - Key
Quotes and detailed Analysis
Quotes will have missing words represented by underscores that
you must fill in to complete the quotation fully -->
On the Back will be "the complete quotation"
Which stave it is from - An overview of what it is talking about.
Detailed analysis underneath.
"E_______ heat and ____ had little _____________ on Scrooge. No __________
could warm, nor _______ weather chill him"
"External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge. No warmth
could warm, not wintry weather chill him"
Stave 1 - Description of Scrooge
The narrator reveals that when readers first meet Ebenezer
Scrooge, he lives an entirely self-contained life. Not even the cold
weather affects him, because—metaphorically—he has a cold heart.
Scrooge made the decision, over a lifetime, not to allow external
forces to influence his feelings or behavior. If atmospheric
conditions don't alter him, mere people certainly won't influence
him.
The use of anaphora and the repetition of 'no' shows that Scrooge
cannot be affected by outside influences. He is so cold and unfeeling
that nothing affects him at all.
"a ________, wrenching, ________, ________, clutching, covetous old
______!"
"a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old
sinner!"
Stave 1 - Description of Scrooge
The third person, intrusive narrator delivers an explicit judgement
of Scrooge - ensuring that the reader cannot misinterpret Dickens'
message that he is a bad person.
The asyndetic list composed of synonyms of dynamic verbs using
the imagery of hand movements could be a reference to Scrooge's
, desire for wealth and his firm hold of the wealth that already
surrounds him.
The verbs hint towards Scrooge attempting to squeeze money out of
people that are already poor enough. This presents him as greedy
and selfish which oppose the values of the Christians who were the
main readership.
Dickens does this in order to show the poor treatment of the poor
by the hands of Scrooge, who represents the wealthy.
"____ and _____ as _____"
"Hard and sharp as flint"
Stave 1 - Description of Scrooge
Simile describing Scrooge. Comparing him to flint could suggest
either that he has the features of a rock - with no warmth or
happiness.
It could alternatively suggest that a warm fire has the potential to
be lit, only if someone causes the spark.
"______, and self-_________, and ________ as an oyster."
"secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster."
Stave 1 - Description of Scrooge
Dickens uses this simile to emphasise how Scrooge locks himself
away from society and others, presenting him as lonely and
unwelcoming.
The use of sibilance gives it a sinister tone.
The adjective 'solitary' is also referenced later in the text when
Scrooge revisits his childhood - as a lonely boy (without a choice).
This could have been used by Dickens to show that money cannot
buy happiness as well as using it to award Scrooge some sympathy
as it was not his choice to be lonely as a child.
However, this simile could also represent Scrooge having a softer
inside and perhaps even a pearl foreshadowing Scrooge's
transformation.
"I don't make _______ myself at ___________, and I can't ________ to make
____ people _____."
"I don't make merry myself at Christmas, and I can't afford to make
idle people merry."
Stave 1 - Scrooge exclaims his selfish and uncaring ideas of
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