Students keep emailing me essays. If I can see that they are using ideas in my videos or guides, I consider publishing them. This one uses a few ideas from my videos, so enjoy.
Dickens presents the fears of Scrooge as a warning towards the rich, mainly focusing on the afterlife they will soon/later face. He also advises them against inflicting fear towards the destitute. Dickens tries to change this financial segregation from within.
My Comments
A 3 part thesis - you know by now that I always recommend this.
In the start of Scrooge’s journey towards redemption, Dickens uses Scrooge’s younger self in order to evoke fear within Scrooge. Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Past watch how a “solitary child neglected by his friends is left there still.” Scrooge later realises that this “solitary child” is him. The verb “neglected” shows his isolation and how his experience at boarding school has made him feel unwanted and unloved. Consequently, this serves to remind Scrooge of his loneliness and how he is here to confront his fears with the Ghost of Christmas Past. Dickens uses sympathetic imagery in order to make the reader feel remorseful for Scrooge. Perhaps it may link to Stave 1 where the protagonist is described “as solitary as an oyster”, highlighting how his alienation has affected him as an adult.
My Comments
This is the top AO2 skill - interpret quotes from different parts of the text, and link them together. This shows how a character is changing, which is always exploratory, which is at the top of the mark scheme.
Learn this one skill and top grades are yours!
His childhood experience makes him fearful of being rejected by others and so he keeps his distance even from Fred, his own family. This links to the theme of isolation as Scrooge has chosen loneliness as a result of his fears despite it negatively impacting his wellbeing. It may also link to Fred and Bob as they are victims of Scrooge’s self-inflicted loneliness. Rather than prevent this being problematic, Scrooge simply ignores it. At that time Dickens was split away from his father and may well have created Scrooge in his father’s image. This links to the question Dickens uses Scrooge’s isolation in order to make Scrooge overcome his fears.
In stave 3, Dickens uses the “crippled” yet innocent boy (Tiny Tim) to portray Scrooge’s fear. This can be seen when the Ghost of Christmas Present warns him “if these shadows remained unaltered by the future, the child will die.” The dramatic phrase “the child will die” tells us that his ignorance and miserliness is responsible for Tiny Tim's death, highlighting that his fate is in Scrooges hands. It could make Scrooge fearful/guilty as he could be accountable for the death of a disabled child. Possibly the ghost is utilising Scrooges fear of Tiny Tim's fate in order to change him.
It is also his only chance to save a person before it is to late – he has lost Fan to her death and lost Belle due to his worship of a “golden idol”, wealth. This links to to Stave 5 where he becomes a “second father” and overcomes his fears of fatherhood and human contact. Perhaps, It may also link to the theme of family as Scrooge needs to act like the Cratchits: be loving, caring before a catastrophe such as the death of Tiny Tim. The reader may feel hopeful towards Scrooge’s future change as not only does it save the life of Tiny Tim, it improves Scrooge’s personality. Dickens may have tasked Scrooge into being Tiny Tim's saviour in order to show the readers that we too should be helping those less wealthy than we are (such as our employees/poor families). Instead of treating them as worthless, we should treat them as family. Dickens therefore uses Scrooge’s fears to advocate how we should kindly treat people like the Cratchits and Tiny Tim.
My Comments
These paragraphs show that brilliant AO2 skill again, linking quotes from different parts of the text. You can clearly see how well this reveals the character’s change.
However, it misses out on the banker quote ‘“If they would rather die,'' said Scrooge, "they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.’ This always give you the political context, the views of readers which he is trying to change, and introduces the change in Scrooge.
Context is AO3, so you can nail that too with the same quote.
Easy marks!
In the beginning of Stave 4, Dickens uses the supernatural yet ominous appearance of the final ghost to to represent Scrooge’s fears. Scrooge watches the “Phantom slowly, gravely, silently” approach him. The triplet “slowly, gravely, silently” creates tension because we are worried for Scrooge’s safety and yet we are unaware if this Phantom is a threat towards Scrooge. It being described as a “Phantom” while the other ghosts are “spirits” may convey superiority in a ghostly hierarchy, suggesting it has power which threatens the protagonist.
As a result of the ghosts appearance, Scrooge “bends down upon his knees,” which depicts his deep fear of the Phantom. Possibly, it may also show that the ghost has put Scrooge in his place and has broken his bold yet arrogant character. Dickens may have given it similar characteristics to the grim reaper to exemplify how his readers will feel when death comes for them: hopeless and regretful. This emphasises the Christian message of the text, that the way to save our souls is to help others. It links to the readers’ possible fear of hell.
This is designed to change the attitudes of the rich during the Victorian Era, who had a negative attitude towards the poor. Dickens wants the rich to change their behaviour before they are judged by God. Dickens uses Scrooge’s fear to mimic the purgatory readers will face if there is no religious change in their behaviour. Like Marley, we will “suffer the chains you will have forged in life”. The reader may feel shocked and may acknowledge how they will be judged in accordance to their mistreatment of the poor.
My Comments
There it is again! Quotes linked from different parts of the text. The Christian message also nails those AO3 marks.
In the Industrial Revolution, the rich were able to buy a copy of a Christmas Carol which was specifically targeted towards the rich in order for a moral yet religious approach to their life. Dickens present Scrooge as fearful to highlight the religious punishment his readers will face.
My Comments
This is a weak conclusion, because it doesn’t deal with the end of the novel, and Scrooge’s transformation. There is a lot to say about the liberation from fear and the return of his sense of joy.
This promises a heaven on earth, if you like, rather than simply sacrificing wealth in order to ensure an afterlife which isn’t in hell!
Always write about the ending of your text - it will always be relevant to any question.
This is definitely “thoughtful” and “developed” because it is pretty long! Points make prizes. Anyway, that guarantees a grade 7.
Parts of it are “convincing” and “exploratory”, which means it achieves grade 8 overall.
It also helps that, including individual work analysis, there are about 13 quotes, which is what is needed in a top grade essay.
Can you do an example comparing either emigree or kamikaze