The Grocers. Not to sea? There was nothing very cheerful in the climate or the town, and yet was there an air of cheerfulness abroad that the clearest summer air and brightest summer sun might have endeavoured to diffuse in vain. There were ruddy, brown-faced, broad-girthed Spanish Onions, shining in the fatness of their growth like Spanish Friars, and winking from their shelves in wanton slyness at the girls as they went by, and glanced demurely at the hung-up mistletoe. Though watching these games from the sidelines, Scrooge seems to share in their joy and excitement. Scrooge may be guilty of being greedy, grumpy, and uncharitable, but not every person who preaches good cheer is automatically righteous, selfless, and kind. A Christmas Carol literature essays are academic essays for citation. At every fresh question that was put to him, this nephew burst into a fresh roar of laughter; and was so inexpressibly tickled, that he was obliged to get up off the sofa and stamp. There, all the children of the house were running out into the snow to meet their married sisters, brothers, cousins, uncles, aunts, and be the first to greet them. For they said, it was a shame to quarrel upon Christmas Day. The Ghost of Christmas Present shows Scrooge that Tiny Tim has a very large heart, and Scrooges pained reaction to Tiny Tims predicted death illustrates how much Scrooge has developed in character. At last the dinner was all done, the cloth was cleared, the hearth swept, and the fire made up. The compound in the jug being tasted and considered perfect, apples and oranges were put upon the table, and a shovelful of chestnuts on the fire. God bless us!. To Scrooge's horror, looking back, he saw the last of the land, a frightful range of rocks, behind them; and his ears were deafened by the thundering of water, as it rolled, and roared, and raged among the dreadful caverns it had worn, and fiercely tried to undermine the earth. Stave 2: The First of the Three Spirits. So surely as they raised their voices, the old man got quite blithe and loud; and so surely as they stopped, his vigour sank again. His active little crutch was heard upon the floor, and back came Tiny Tim before another word was spoken, escorted by his brother and sister to his stool before the fire; and while Bob, turning up his cuffsas if, poor fellow, they were capable of being made more shabbycompounded some hot mixture in a jug with gin and lemons, and stirred it round and round and put it on the hob to simmer; Master Peter and the two ubiquitous young Cratchits went to fetch the goose, with which they soon returned in high procession. Holly, mistletoe, red berries, ivy, turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn, meat, pigs, sausages, oysters, pies, puddings, fruit, and punch, all vanished instantly, The house fronts looked black enough, and the windows blacker, The sky was gloomy, and the shortest streets were choked up with a dingy mist, half thawed, half frozen, whose heavier particles descended in shower of sooty atoms, as if all the chimneys in Great Britain had, by one consent, caught fire, and were blazing away to their dear hearts content. In almshouse, hospital, and jail, in misery's every refuge, where vain man in his little brief authority had not made fast the door, and barred the Spirit out, he left his blessing, and taught Scrooge his precepts. The room is now adorned with Christmas decorations, a change that symbolizes Scrooges own (hopeful) transformation. The people carry their dinners off with them and occasionally bump each other accidentally and argue. According to the text Scrooge states very angrily to his nephew that he wants to keep his Christmas to himself. In both cases, the Ghost suggests that Scrooge has a stake in changing the future. The Annotated Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, with introduction, notes, and bibliography by Michael Patrick Hearn, illustrated by John Leech, Clarkson N. Potter, 1976. tabbyjennings Plus. Fred will continue to invite Scrooge to Christmas and to offer him his friendship, no matter how many times Scrooge refuses. He asks the Ghost if Tim will live. How are they similar to the previous paragraphs that describe Christmas morning? Bob comes home from church with their youngest child, 'Tiny' Tim, who is disabled and walks with a crutch. Playing at forfeits thus means that the group was playing parlor games in which there were penalties for losing. When Scrooge asks if the children have no refuge, the Ghost answers with Scrooge's previous words"'Are there no prisons? It was a great surprise to Scrooge, while listening to the moaning of the wind, and thinking what a solemn thing it was to move on through the lonely darkness over an unknown abyss, whose depths were secrets as profound as Death: it was a great surprise to Scrooge, while thus engaged, to hear a hearty laugh. When the Ghost sprinkles a few drops of water from his torch on them, however, peace is restored. He is such a ridiculous fellow!. Lavish descriptions of large dinners and raucous accounts of games dominate this stave, since eating and playing imply pleasure for both the individual and the community. he could accommodate himself to any place with ease; his own kind, generous, hearty nature, and his sympathy, Think of that. It is a fair, even-handed, noble adjustment of things, that while there is infection in disease and sorrow, there is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good-humour. Its feet, observable beneath the ample folds of the garment, were also bare; and on its head it wore no other covering than a holly wreath set here and there with shining icicles. Not affiliated with Harvard College. look here. Himself, always. Reading of the text: 0:00 - 5:40Analysis of key quotations: 5:40 - 17:19Apologies that the beginning of this is slightly cropped - I began speaking too soon!. katiebgrace1313. Ironically, by focusing solely on acquiring money to live a happy life free of poverty, Scrooge ends up denying himself any happiness at all. Look here.. The scabbard, then, serves as a symbol for peace, making the second ghost symbolize both abundance and peace. Why are Bob Cratchit's children obligated to work? When Scrooge's nephew laughed in this way: holding his sides, rolling his head, and twisting his face into the most extravagant contortions: Scrooge's niece, by marriage, laughed as heartily as he. The pudding was out of the copper. Well! Mrs. Cratchit said that now the weight was off her mind, she would confess she had had her doubts about the quantity of flour. You have never seen the like of me before! exclaimed the Spirit. . Slander those who tell it ye! A giant ghost introduces himself as the Ghost of Christmas Present and tells Scrooge to touch his robe. Literary Period: Victorian Era. a christmas carol by charles dickens first edition abebooks. And perhaps it was the pleasure the good Spirit had in showing off this power of his, or else it was his own kind, generous, hearty nature, and his sympathy with all poor men, that led him straight to Scrooge's clerk's; for there he went, and took Scrooge with him, holding to his robe; and on the threshold of the door the Spirit smiled, and stopped to bless Bob Cratchit's dwelling with the sprinkling of his torch. 10 terms. Martha didn't like to see him disappointed, if it were only in joke; so she came out prematurely from behind the closet door, and ran into his arms, while the two young Cratchits hustled Tiny Tim, and bore him off into the wash-house, that he might hear the pudding singing in the copper. `Spirit, said Scrooge submissively, conduct me where you will. After a while, he sees a light come from the adjacent room. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Any Cratchit would have blushed to hint at such a thing. Much they saw, and far they went, and many homes they visited, but always with a happy end. And their assembled friends, being not a bit behindhand, roared out lustily. Culinary aspects of Dickens' tale have already appeared here at SimanaitisSays in "Christmas Meals Galore." The time is drawing near.. He has given us plenty of merriment, I am sure, said Fred, and it would be ungrateful not to drink his health. Everybody had something to say about it, but nobody said or thought it was at all a small pudding for a large family. But when at last, he caught her; when, in spite of all her silken rustlings, and her rapid flutterings past him, he got her into a corner whence there was no escape; then his conduct was the most execrable. . Though both are dangerous, Scrooges personal downfall will come from ignorance rather than want since he already has all the material things he desires. Another foreshadowed element is the "Doom" written across the Ignorant boy's brow. Despite how badly Scrooge treats his nephew, Fred does not hold it against himhe feels sorry for him. I am sorry for him; I couldnt be angry with him if I tried. The Ghost brings Scrooge to a number of other happy Christmas dinners in the city, as well as to celebrations in a miner's house, a lighthouse, and on a ship. `More than eighteen hundred, said the Ghost. Bob had but fifteen Bob a week himself; he pocketed on Saturdays but fifteen copies of his Christian name; and yet the Ghost of Christmas Present blessed his four-roomed house! The cornucopia symbolizes a successful harvest that brings with it an abundance of food, especially fruits, vegetables, and flowers. The Cratchits may not have the money (thanks to Mr. Scrooge) for an elaborate feast in beautiful glassware, but they are celebrating together nonetheless. The very gold and silver fish, set forth among these choice fruits in a bowl, though members of a dull and stagnant-blooded race, appeared to know that there was something going on; and, to a fish, went gasping round and round their little world in slow and passionless excitement. The Founder of the Feast indeed. cried Mrs Cratchit, reddening. It is heartening, however, that the doom foretold on the boys forehead can be erased, foreshadowing Scrooges choice between change and stasis. Spirit, said Scrooge, with an interest he had never felt before, tell me if Tiny Tim will live., I see a vacant seat, replied the Ghost, in the poor chimney-corner, and a crutch without an owner, carefully preserved. Admiration was the universal sentiment, though some objected that the reply to Is it a bear? ought to have been Yes; inasmuch as an answer in the negative was sufficient to have diverted their thoughts from Mr. Scrooge, supposing they had ever had any tendency that way. But when at last he caught her; when, in spite of all her silken rustlings and her rapid flutterings past him, he got her into a corner whence there was no escape; then his conduct was the most execrable. Reading of the text: 0:00 - 04:19Analysis of key quotations: 04:19 - 13:39Reading, discussion and annotation of Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'. Stave 1- Greed The main theme in stave 1 of A Christmas Carol is greed. What do you say, Topper?. Holly, mistletoe, red berries, ivy, turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn, meat, pigs, sausages, oysters, pies, puddings, fruit, and punch, all vanished instantly. Grace_Jakobs. Suppose it should break in turning out! Scrooge sees a table prepared for the Christmas meal. dressed out but poorly in a twice-turned gown, but brave in ribbons, which are cheap and make a goodly show for sixpence; (Bobs private property, conferred upon his son and heir in honour of the day), they had smelt the goose, and known it for their own; and basking in luxurious thoughts of sage and onion, `Wed a deal of work to finish up last night, replied the girl, and had to clear away this morning, mother., `Well. But this the Spirit said could not be done. God bless us.. Here, the flickering of the blaze showed preparations for a cosy dinner, with hot plates baking through and through before the fire, and deep red curtains, ready to be drawn, to shut out cold and darkness. So Martha hid herself, and in came little Bob, the father, with at least three feet of comforter exclusive of the fringe, hanging down before him; and his threadbare clothes darned up and brushed, to look seasonable; and Tiny Tim upon his shoulder. In Stave 3 of A Christmas Carol, The Ghost of Christmas Present takes Ebenezer Scrooge to witness the family of his clerk, Bob Cratchit. Zip. Wouldn't you?, You seek to close these places on the Seventh Day? said Scrooge. Whats the consequence? to church and chapel, and away they came, flocking through the streets in their best clothes, and with their gayest faces. Ignorance and Want, who appear in stave 3 of A Christmas Carol, represent the failings of a society that seeks to. Charles Dickens penned his story "A Christmas Carol" with a message which is relevant to our I made it link by link, and yard by yard;. It was a long night if it were only a night; but Scrooge had his doubts of this, because the Christmas Holidays appeared to be condensed into the space of time they passed together. I made it link by link and yard by yard' (stave 2) - the chains symbolises his guilt and imprisonment - foreshadows what could happen to Scrooge if he does not change And at the same time there emerged from scores of bye streets, lanes, and nameless turnings, innumerable people, carrying their dinners to the bakers' shops. The Grocers'! He told me, coming home, that he hoped the people saw him in the church, because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas Day who made lame beggars walk and blind men see.. Scrooge does not need to live an extravagant life in order to enjoy the holidays. Down in the west the setting sun had left a streak of fiery red, which glared upon the desolation for an instant, like a sullen eye, and frowning lower, lower, lower yet, was lost in the thick gloom of darkest night. Scrooge looked about him for the Ghost, and saw it not. 16 terms. Here is a glass of mulled wine ready to our hand at the moment; and I say Uncle Scrooge! , A Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to the old man, whatever he is! said Scrooge's nephew. The brisk fire of questioning to which he was exposed elicited from him that he was thinking of an animal, a live animal, rather a disagreeable animal, a savage animal, an animal that growled and grunted sometimes, and talked sometimes, and lived in London, and walked about the streets, and wasn't made a show of, and wasn't led by anybody, and didn't live in a menagerie, and was never killed in a market, and was not a horse, or an ass, or a cow, or a bull, or a tiger, or a dog, or a pig, or a cat, or a bear. Scrooges niece played well upon the harp; When this strain of music sounded, all the things that Ghost had shown him, came upon his mind; he softened more and more; and thought that if he could have listened to it often, years ago, he might have cultivated the kindnesses of life for his own happiness. For his pretending not to know her, his pretending that it was necessary to touch her head-dress, and further to assure himself of her identity by pressing a certain ring upon her finger, and a certain chain about her neck, was vile, monstrous! Despite being poor and having a crippled son (Tiny Tim), Cratchit and his family rejoice in the holiday spirit. If you should happen, by any unlikely chance, to know a man more blest in a laugh than Scrooge's nephew, all I can say is, I should like to know him too. Oh! For example, Scrooge is taught the precepts of aiding the sick and poor by giving them greater hope and cheer. Dickens introduces the theme that charity takes many forms; abundance does not necessarily mean monetary abundance, but rather an abundance of care and compassion. Here, he takes it into his head to dislike us, and he wont come and dine with us. For his pretending not to know her; his pretending that it was necessary to touch her head-dress, and further to assure himself of her identity by pressing a certain ring upon her finger, and a certain chain about her neck; was vile, monstrous. He wouldnt catch anybody else. At the dinner, Mrs. Cratchit curses Scrooge, but her husband reminds her that it is Christmas. Dickens uses irony here: Scrooge wanted to get through the night as quickly as possible up to this point, but now he begs the Ghost of Christmas Present to stay longer. These penalties that the winner declared often varied depending on gender and required things like blindfolded kisses or embarrassing dances. A Christmas Carol Annotations. The very lamplighter, who ran on before, dotting the dusky street with specks of light, and who was dressed to spend the evening somewhere, laughed out loudly as the Spirit passed: though little kenned the lamplighter that he had any company but Christmas! Scrooge metaphorically sings and literally speaks a wicked cant that attempts to decide what men shall live and contrasts with the idea of a carol, which should advocate peace and joy. `Are there no workhouses., Scrooge encounters the second of the three Spirits: the enormous, jolly, yet sternly blunt Ghost. By this time it was getting dark, and snowing pretty heavily; and as Scrooge and the Spirit went along the streets, the brightness of the roaring fires in kitchens, parlours, and all sorts of rooms was wonderful. Explain Ignorance and Want, who appear in stave 3 of A Christmas Carol. An old, old man and woman, with their children and their children's children, and another generation beyond that, all decked out gaily in their holiday attire. As moorlands are typically wet and humid, the adjective desert does not refer to a dry and sandy region, but rather land that is deserted or empty.. Here is a glass of mulled wine ready to our hand at the moment; and I say, Uncle Scrooge. A light shone from the window of a hut, and swiftly they advanced towards it. He may rail at Christmas till he dies, but he can't help thinking better of itI defy himif he finds me going there, in good temper, year after year, and saying, Uncle Scrooge, how are you? To sea. The bell strikes twelve, the Ghost disappears, and Scrooge sees a new phantom, solemn and robed, approach. 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. Sign In. Scrooge bent before the Ghosts rebuke, and trembling cast his eyes upon the ground. What does Charles Dickens mean when he says that every child in the last house Scrooge and the spirit visted was "conducting itself like forty"? What seems to be the author's tone and intent in this passage? Instead, Dickens focuses on the celebratory nature of Christmas while the Christian ideals of love and sacrifice are underscored. A Christmas Carol study guide contains a biography of Charles Dickens, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Since A Christmas Carol was written in 1843, the number of brothers that the Ghost of Christmas Present claims to have likely refers to his having a brother for each year. A Christmas Carol Analysis - Stave Two - The Ghost of Christmas Past A Christmas . A Christmas Carol, then, celebrates the potentiality for redemption in everyone, promotes the idea that it is never too late to learn to love, and elevates the importance of free will. Yet every one had had enough, and the youngest Cratchits in particular were steeped in sage and onion to the eyebrows!