Plaster Bagworm Life Cycle, Articles S

Open Document. Ha, ha! laughed Scrooge's nephew. Execrable is an adjective used to describe something that is awful or very unpleasant. The Ghost's brief life span of one day also reminds Scrooge, and the reader, that we must act quickly if we are to change the present. christmas carol. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. The people carry their dinners off with them and occasionally bump each other accidentally and argue. sprinkled incense on their dinners from his torch. 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. So strong were the images in his mind that Dickens said he felt them "tugging at [my] coat sleeve, as if impatient for [me] to get back to his desk and continue the story of their lives. 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. Scrooge then turns on the clerk and grudgingly gives him Christmas Day off with half payor as he calls it, the one day a year when the clerk is allowed to rob him. Indeed, I think he loses a very good dinner, interrupted Scrooge's niece. You would deprive them of their means of dining every seventh day, often the only day on which they can be said to dine at all, `You seek to close these places on the Seventh Day., `There are some upon this earth of yours, returned the Spirit, who lay claim to know us, and who do their deeds of passion, pride, ill-will, hatred, envy, bigotry, and selfishness in our name, who are as strange to us and all our kith and kin, as if they had never lived. 16 terms. They are described as wretched because they are almost a "Christmas kryptonite." Ignorance and Want go against all that is wholesome about Christmas, giving, kindness, and glee. "it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the Poor and Destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. The Ghost tells Scrooge they are named Ignorance and Want. My life upon this globe is very brief, replied the Ghost. There was no doubt about that. A WAKING IN THE MIDDLE of a prodigiously tough snore, and sitting up in bed to get his thoughts together, Scrooge had no occasion to be told that the bell was again upon the stroke of One. Id give him a piece of my mind to feast upon, and I hope hed have a good appetite for it., My dear, said Bob, the children; Christmas Day., It should be Christmas Day, I am sure, said she, on which one drinks the health of such an odious, stingy, hard, unfeeling man as Mr. Scrooge. At the dinner, Mrs. Cratchit curses Scrooge, but her husband reminds her that it is Christmas. Suppose it should break in turning out. and know me better, man!. Yet every one had had enough, and the youngest Cratchits in particular were steeped in sage and onion to the eyebrows! Then up rose Mrs. Cratchit, Cratchit's wife, dressed out but poorly in a twice-turned gown, but brave in ribbons, which are cheap, and make a goodly show for sixpence; and she laid the cloth, assisted by Belinda Cratchit, second of her daughters, also brave in ribbons; while Master Peter Cratchit plunged a fork into the saucepan of potatoes, and getting the corners of his monstrous shirt collar (Bob's private property, conferred upon his son and heir in honour of the day) into his mouth, rejoiced to find himself so gallantly attired, and yearned to show his linen in the fashionable Parks. Is it a foot or a claw?, It might be a claw, for the flesh there is upon it, was the Spirit's sorrowful reply. The Annotated Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, with introduction, notes, and bibliography by Michael Patrick Hearn, illustrated by John Leech, Clarkson N. Potter, 1976. Spirit, said Scrooge submissively, conduct me where you will. Page 3 of 12. Scrooge did as he was told, and held it fast. Scrooge promised that he would; and they went on, invisible, as they had been before, into the suburbs of the town. Stop! I am sure he loses pleasanter companions than he can find in his own thoughts, either in his mouldy old office or his dusty chambers. Before delivering Scrooge to his nephew's house, why would the Spirit take Scrooge to the old miner's home, the lighthouse, and the ship at sea? Knocking down the fire-irons, tumbling over the chairs, bumping against the piano, smothering himself among the curtains, wherever she went, there went he. Girded round its middle was an antique scabbard; but no sword was in it, and the ancient sheath was eaten up with rust. I am very glad to hear it, said Scrooge's nephew, because I haven't any great faith in these young housekeepers. Where angels might have sat enthroned devils lurked, and glared out menacing. Built upon a dismal reef of sunken rocks, some league or so from shore, on which the waters chafed and dashed, the wild year through, there stood a solitary lighthouse. Scrooge is a mean man because we can see this through the escalation of the story. File previews. This is reminiscent of his childhood, when he was always escaping into fictional worlds. . I went forth last night on compulsion, and I learnt a lesson which is working now. Without venturing for Scrooge quite as hardily as this, I don't mind calling on you to believe that he was ready for a good broad field of strange appearances, and that nothing between a baby and a rhinoceros would have astonished him very much. Note that Scrooges room has changed from dark and dreary to cheery and festive. Oh, I have! said Scrooge's nephew. It is really in this Stave that Dickens brings to life the Christmas that we all know and love today . Fred will continue to invite Scrooge to Christmas and to offer him his friendship, no matter how many times Scrooge refuses. How is Scrooge different as he waits for the second Spirit to appear? The scabbard, then, serves as a symbol for peace, making the second ghost symbolize both abundance and peace. Scrooge's niece plays a tune on the harp, which softens Scrooge's heart. Wayne, Teddy. Sparklet Chapter Summaries Summary & Analysis Stave One: Marley's Ghost Stave Two: The First of the Three Spirits It was a remarkable quality of the Ghost (which Scrooge had observed at the baker's), that notwithstanding his gigantic size, he could accommodate himself to any place with ease; and that he stood beneath a low roof quite as gracefully, and like a supernatural creature, as it was possible he could have done in any lofty hall. To-night, if you have aught to teach me, let me profit by it.. 50 terms. Remember that, and charge their doings on themselves, not us.. But the whole scene passed off in the breath of the last word spoken by his nephew; and he and the Spirit were again upon their travels. Admit it for your factious purposes, and make it worse! A smell like an eating-house and a pastry-cook's next door to each other, with a laundress's next door to that! 3 Pages. The Grocers. The two young Cratchits laughed tremendously at the idea of Peter's being a man of business; and Peter himself looked thoughtfully at the fire from between his collars, as if he were deliberating what particular investments he should favour when he came into the receipt of that bewildering income. In both cases, the Ghost suggests that Scrooge has a stake in changing the future. 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. 3 Stave Two : The First Of The Three Spirits 15 . 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. Description of Ghost of Christmas Present, Stave 3, this ghost is very different in appearance to all the other ghosts. Which literary element is found in this passage? A strange voice tells him to enter, and when he does, he sees his room has been decked out with Christmas decorations and a feast. Spirit! The sight of these poor revellers appeared to interest the Spirit very much, for he stood with Scrooge beside him in a baker's doorway, and taking off the covers as their bearers passed, sprinkled incense on their dinners from his torch. Of course there was. Arguably, this is the most famous quote from A Christmas Carol. 4.7. It has been done in your name, or at least in that of your family, said Scrooge. O man! 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 Stave 1: Marley's Ghost. After it had passed away they were ten times merrier than before, from the mere relief of Scrooge the Baleful being done with. Despite how badly Scrooge treats his nephew, Fred does not hold it against himhe feels sorry for him. And it comes to the same thing.. Deny it! cried the Spirit, stretching out its hand towards the city. to hear the Insect on the leaf pronouncing on the too much life among his hungry brothers in the dust!. He sat very close to his father's side, upon his little stool. Dickens wants to show that giving does not deplete the giver, but rather enriches him. After a while they played at forfeits; for it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child Himself. To a poor one most., Spirit, said Scrooge, after a moment's thought, I wonder you, of all the beings in the many worlds about us, should desire to cramp these people's opportunities of innocent enjoyment., You would deprive them of their means of dining every seventh day, often the only day on which they can be said to dine at all, said Scrooge. Stave Three: The Second of the Three Spirits Summary The church clock strikes one, startling Scrooge, who awakes in mid-snore. They knelt down at its feet, and clung upon the outside of its garment. Are there no workhouses?. Are Spirits' lives so short? asked Scrooge. You can check out the characters below and their relationship with Scrooge: https://www.gradesaver.com/a-christmas-carol/study-guide/character-list. Toppers behavior during the game of Blind Mans Buff is execrable because he continually chases the plump sister even though there were other players, which she states is unfair. Bob comes home from church with their youngest child, 'Tiny' Tim, who is disabled and walks with a crutch. And bide the end!. 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. "The boy is ignorance. Have you had many brothers, Spirit?. No doubt she told him her opinion of it, when, another blind-man being in office, they were so very confidential together, behind the curtains. Look upon me!. The walls and ceiling were so hung with living green, that it looked a perfect grove; from every part of which, bright gleaming berries glistened. The chimes were ringing the three quarters past eleven at that moment. he could accommodate himself to any place with ease; his own kind, generous, hearty nature, and his sympathy, Think of that. As Scrooge's room is described in this paragraph, what does it seem to symbolize? Though watching these games from the sidelines, Scrooge seems to share in their joy and excitement. For he wished to challenge the Spirit on the moment of its appearance, and did not wish to be taken by surprise and made nervous. The room is now adorned with Christmas decorations, a change that symbolizes Scrooges own (hopeful) transformation. 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. What then? Scrooge's niece played well upon the harp; and played among other tunes a simple little air (a mere nothing: you might learn to whistle it in two minutes) which had been familiar to the child who fetched Scrooge from the boarding-school, as he had been reminded by the Ghost of Christmas Past. More than eighteen hundred, said the Ghost. Description of stave 3 comprehension questions Name: Date: Advanced English Period: Due date: Weds., Dec. 3rd Quiz date: same day! When Scrooge asks, the Ghost informs him that, unless the future is altered, Tiny Tim will die. As the last stroke ceased to vibrate, he remembered the prediction of old Jacob Marley, and lifting up his eyes, beheld a solemn Phantom, draped and hooded, coming, like a mist along the ground, towards him. And now, without a word of warning from the Ghost, they stood upon a bleak and desert moor, where monstrous masses of rude stone were cast about, as though it were the burial-place of giants; and water spread itself wheresoever it listedor would have done so, but for the frost that held it prisoner; and nothing grew but moss and furze, and coarse rank grass. He is prepared for the ghost to take any shape. Everybody had something to say about it, but nobody said or thought it was at all a small pudding for a large family. Instead, Dickens focuses on the celebratory nature of Christmas while the Christian ideals of love and sacrifice are underscored. I am sorry for him; I couldn't be angry with him if I tried. He don't make himself comfortable with it. Again the Ghost sped on, above the black and heaving seaon, on until, being far away, as he told Scrooge, from any shore, they lighted on a ship. Textbook Questions. More shame for him, Fred! said Scrooge's niece indignantly. But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! He pays for the boy's time, the turkey, and even cab fare for him to haul the thing out to their house. A Christmas Carol: Annotation-Friendly Edition Ideal for . His family, dressed in its best clothing, waits for Bob to return from church before they eat dinner. oh the Grocers. The bell strikes twelve, the Ghost disappears, and Scrooge sees a new phantom, solemn and robed, approach. 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.