They had books and papers in their hands, and bowed to him. This phrase is commonly employed at the very beginning of fairy tales. This paragraph creates a sense of tension, of anticipation, that something unusual is going to happen to Scrooge. Scrooge looked about him for the Ghost, and saw it not. he cried, tight clutching at its robe, "hear me! The fog and frost so hung about the black old gateway of the house, that it seemed as if the Genius of the Weather sat in mournful meditation on the threshold. It swung so softly in the outset that it scarcely made a sound; but soon it rang out loudly, and so did every bell in the house. Having established Marley's death at the beginning of the tale, Dickens now makes it clear that seven years have passed since his death while also informing us that Marley died on Christmas Eve. First Collector: At this festive time of year, Mr. Scrooge, it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the poor and destitute. Are there no workhouses? The chain he drew was clasped about his middle. In another example of Scrooge's perceiving things as business transactions, this question represents his desire to try and get a bargain with Marley's Ghost. It's enough for a man to understand his own business, and not to interfere with other people's. And then let any man explain to me, if he can, how it happened that Scrooge, having his key in the lock of the door, saw in the knocker, without its undergoing any intermediate process of change: not a knocker, but Marley's face. 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. The cellar-door flew open with a booming sound, and then he heard the noise much louder, on the floors below; then coming up the stairs; then coming straight towards his door. Nobody under the table, nobody under the sofa; a small fire in the grate; spoon and basin ready; and the little saucepan of gruel (Scrooge had a cold in his head) upon the hob. Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail. Such details point to a heavy storm on the way that might even bring about supernatural events. Marley makes an allusion to the biblical story of Jesuss birth to lament his single-minded pursuit of wealth. 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. He would have snapped 'em short off in a minute, like sticks of sealing-wax. Dickens uses "nuts" to mean that Scrooge is very fond of, or enthusiastic about, being separate from other people. And being, from the emotion he had undergone, or the fatigues of the day, or his glimpse of the Invisible World, or the dull conversation of the Ghost, or the lateness of the hour, much in need of repose, went straight to bed without undressing, and fell asleep upon the instant. The workhouses were notoriously overcrowded, unclean, and many people nearly starved. This means that many jails simply arent the kind of environments which are conducive to rehabilitation this is the focus of many documentaries, most recently the BBCs Life in Wandsworth Prison. What does Scrooge say must happen to the people who do not want to go to the workhouses? We have never had any quarrel, to which I have been a party. Let me hear another sound from you, said Scrooge, and youll keep your Christmas by losing your situation! Is that the chance and hope you mentioned, Jacob? he demanded, in a faltering voice. WebAre there no prisons? asked Scrooge. These three positions cover the range from government employees to the private sector: The "corporation" refers to business folk, the "aldermen" are council members close to the mayor, and the "livery" refers to the livery companies of London that included trade associations and guilds. This refers to the system of social welfare for poor people in Victorian England. "hard and sharp as flint" "it's not my business" "decrease the surplus population" Scrooge (after change): "tell me if tiny tim will live" "I am as light as a feather" "I will not shut out the lessons they teach" "I will honour Christmas in my heart" The tolling of bells has supernatural significance throughout this tale. A simile is a comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as." At the dinner, Mrs. Cratchit curses Scrooge, but her husband reminds her that it is Christmas. The fog came pouring in at every chink and keyhole, and was so dense without, that although the court was of the narrowest, the houses opposite were mere phantoms. WebAre there no prisonsare there no workhouses I will honour Christmas in my heart. The tale begins on Christmas Eve, but Dickens wants to emphasize just how terrible the weather is on what should be a happy day. But I have made the trial in homage to Christmas, and Ill keep my Christmas humour to the last. Abel chooses to sacrifice his very best lamb, but Cain gave God an offering of fruit. When Dickens notes that Scrooge had a cold in his head, he suggests that Scrooge may also be eating gruel to help remedy a cold, as it was believed to help cure the sick. To better describe how odd the narrator finds the location of Scrooge's house, Dickens personifies the house as a young child who hid from others during a game of hide-and-seek, only to be forgotten in an obscure place. It is unclear if Scrooge has read Malthus or not, but he seems to have been influenced by this popular belief that population control should start with the poor. Are there no workhouses? ask conservatives. Into the 19th century, this word "fancy" was synonymous with "imagination" and represented a person's ability to creatively conjure images in their minds. ", "I wish to be left alone," said Scrooge. You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of an underdone potato. He had so heated himself with rapid walking in the fog and frost, this nephew of Scrooge's, that he was all in a glow; his face was ruddy and handsome; his eyes sparkled, and his breath smoked again. The term "dog-days" refers to the hottest time of the year, which is usually in the middle of summer. Scrooge awakes when the bell strikes one, and is immediately prepared for the second Ghost's arrival. Finally, he is not only isolated from others, but he also keeps to himself in his own world, contained within his own shell. At the ominous word liberality, Scrooge frowned, and shook his head, and handed the credentials back. The bed was his own, the room was his own. Marley was dead: to begin with. In other words, Scrooge is admittedly not compassionate, but Marley is not perfect either. As Christmas nears, how does Scrooge's nephew seem to feel? Scrooge shivered, and wiped the perspiration from his brow. Sometimes people new to the business called Scrooge Scrooge, and sometimes Marley, but he answered to both names: It was all the same to him. The same face: the very same. Humbug, I tell you-humbug!. Much!Marley's voice, no doubt about it. While in American English, the word "nuts" can be used to mean "mad" or "crazy," this British usage is quite different. The bells ceased as they had begun, together. This line provides us a further glimpse into his character. Pray!, How it is that I appear before you in a shape that you can see, I may not tell. A Christmas Carol is an allegorical story (a story with a moral lesson) and Dickens cleverly calls the five chapters staves as a means of creating an extended metaphor for his novel. Upon its coming in, the dying flame leaped up, as though it cried, I know him! That is, Scrooge helped the funeral ceremony occur with very few expenses. "Will he live? Scrooge is okay with the maltreatment of the poor because hes unaffected by it. The heaviest rain, and snow, and hail, and sleet, could boast of the advantage over him in only one respect. But there was nothing on the back of the door, except the screws and nuts that held the knocker on; so he said Pooh, pooh! and closed it with a bang. Of course he did. In another excellent example of how Dickens personifies the weather, he uses this adjective "misanthropic," meaning strong dislike for people and society, to suggest that the ice itself is working against the people. Scrooge's nephew turns his uncle's logic on it's own head: why would Scrooge not be happy when he has so much wealth? I must. Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts, sir." Scrooge then remembered to have heard that ghosts in haunted houses were described as dragging chains. They often came down handsomely, and Scrooge never did. Have I the pleasure of addressing Mr. Scrooge or Mr. Marley?, Mr. This boy is Ignorance. Malthus later supported the institution of workhouses since separating families was thought to decrease reproduction and increase industrial productivity. In 1843, Ebenezer Scrooge spoke those words in Charles Dickens A The Queen of Sheba brought with her spices, stones, and gold, which led many people to wonder if trade was her main goal. Are there no prisons? Many of these people subsisted solely on gruel for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which Dickens illustrates as extremely insufficient in his novel Oliver Twist. "Are they still in operation?" This belief reinforces how much value Scrooge places on physical wealth, and it serves as another example of how greed affects all aspects of Scrooge's life. Oh! In came a fiddler with a music-book, and went up to the lofty desk, and made an orchestra of it, and tuned like fifty stomach-aches. Why does Scrooge say if they would rather die? After a while, he sees a light come from the adjacent room. Dickens wants to show that giving does not deplete the giver, but rather enriches him. The fireplace was an old one, built by some Dutch merchant long ago, and paved all round with quaint Dutch tiles, designed to illustrate the Scriptures. If they would rather die, said Scrooge, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population. But why do spirits walk the earth, and why do they come to me?, It is required of every man, the Ghost returned, that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death. WebAre there no prisons? asked Scrooge. By phrasing it this way, the Ghost ensures that Scrooge knows that the Ghost is giving him this chance to save him from sharing the same fate. Lumber-room as usual. said Scrooge. One of the main political issues that Dickens was concerned with was the astounding level of poverty in 19th-century England, especially in London. Since we know that Scrooge and Marley shared most of the same traits, the emphasis on the word "you" demonstrates that the Ghost knows that Scrooge will in fact recognize the pattern of the chain. Scrooge even joins in for some of their games, though they are not aware of his ghostly presence. Now, it is a fact, that there was nothing at all particular about the knocker on the door, except that it was very large. Scrooge stopped. It's not convenient, said Scrooge, and it's not fair. To edge his way along the crowded paths of life, warning all human sympathy to keep its distance, was what the knowing ones call nuts to Scrooge. The mention of Marley's funeral brings me back to the point I started from. There is no doubt that Marley was dead. Another example that reveals Scrooge's character, this statement shows that Scrooge thinks his nephew foolish to be merry when he does not have a lot of money. And even Scrooge was not so dreadfully cut up by the sad event, but that he was an excellent man of business on the very day of the funeral, and solemnised it with an undoubted bargain. Why give it as a reason for not coming now?, I want nothing from you; I ask nothing of you; why cannot we be friends?, I am sorry, with all my heart, to find you so resolute. "-Scrooge 10. The work itself was grueling and designed to keep workers busy at all times. Describe Scrooge's attitude toward the poor and the unfortunate? 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-humor. Thirdly, at the same time as the prison population doubling, in the last five years the number of staff employed in the prison estate has been cut by 30%, with the prison budget being slashed by a quarter. He did pause, with a moment's irresolution, before he shut the door; and he did look cautiously behind it first, as if he half-expected to be terrified with the sight of Marley's pig-tail sticking out into the hall. said Scrooge. Are there no workhouses? Bob Cratchit gets a holiday off with pay! The story of Cain and Abel in the biblical book of Genesis is about the two sons of Adam and Eve. 4 Why does Scrooge say if they would rather die? "Since you ask me what I wish, gentlemen, that is my answer. How many more lives need to be lost before Liberals finally wake up & fix their broken bail system. Good afternoon, gentlemen!". "At this festive season of the year, Mr Scrooge, 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. "Oh! In the fevered haunting of the second night, Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present visit the holiday celebration of Bob Cratchit, with its tiny pudding to serve a family of seven. The sound resounded through the house like thunder. Scrooge closed the window, and examined the door by which the Ghost had entered. The rhetorical questions Are there no prisons? And union workhouses? are used to show where Scrooge believes the poor people belong, Are there no prisons said the spirit turning on him for the last time with his own words Are there no workhouses? Scrooge took his melancholy dinner in his usual melancholy tavern; and having read all the newspapers, and beguiled the rest of the evening with his banker's-book, went home to bed. If I could work my will, said Scrooge indignantly, every idiot who goes about with Merry Christmas' on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. While today a comforter means a quilt or duvet, in Dickenss time it meant a long, wide scarf or lap robe, usually slightly ragged and worn about the waist. It was cold, bleak, biting weather: foggy withal: and he could hear the people in the court outside, go wheezing up and down, beating their hands upon their breasts, and stamping their feet upon the pavement-stones to warm them. And the Union workhouses? demanded Scrooge. Are there no prisons? said the Spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words. In the main street, at the corner of the court, some labourers were repairing the gas-pipes, and had lighted a great fire in a brazier, round which a party of ragged men and boys were gathered: warming their hands and winking their eyes before the blaze in rapture. Site content may be used for any purpose without explicit permission unless otherwise specified. It was the voice of Scrooge's nephew, who came upon him so quickly that this was the first intimation he had of his approach. And the Union workhouses? demanded Scrooge. Quite satisfied, he closed his door, and locked himself in; double-locked himself in, which was not his custom. Are they still in I will not shut out the lessons that they teach. Fred Scrooges nephew whose party invitation This music that Scrooge hears contrasts heavily with the idea of a carol. The fact that the air was filled with phantoms singing this song of regret contributes to the dark tone, but it also reminds the reader that Scrooge is one of many people who ignore those in need. Foggier yet and colder! I will not be the man I must have been but for this intercourse. "Have they no refuge or resource?" Still, returned the gentleman, I wish I could say they were not. The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigour, then? said Scrooge. Much good may it do you! In both cases, the Ghost suggests that Scrooge has a stake in changing the future. We choose this time, because it is a time, of all others, when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices. The air was filled with phantoms, wandering hither and thither in restless haste, and moaning as they went. My time is nearly gone., I will, said Scrooge. They provide a healthy light in the neighboring offices, but not in Scrooge's counting-house. You have laboured on it, since. Solomon did not disappoint, and the Queen of Sheba left confident in his knowledge and wit. His body was transparent: so that Scrooge, observing him, and looking through his waistcoat, could see the two buttons on his coat behind. "It's enough for a man to understand his own business, and not to interfere with other people's. Who were you then? said Scrooge, raising his voice. I help to support the establishments I have mentioned: they cost enough: and those who are badly off must go there., Many can't go there; and many would rather die., If they would rather die, said Scrooge, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population. What right have you to be dismal? The term bowels during this time was used to refer to bowels of compassion or bowels of mercy. The phrase comes from the past belief that different emotional capacities came from certain organs of the body. The number that follows this word simply tells someone how many horses are pulling the coachin this case, six. Until this novella was published, the most common holiday greeting in the English-speaking world was to wish someone a "happy Christmas" much in the same way we wish someone "happy birthday" or "happy New Year." A Christmas Carol literature essays are academic essays for citation. I might have been inclined, myself, to regard a coffin-nail as the deadest piece of ironmongery in the trade. He fastened the door, and walked across the hall, and up the stairs; slowly too: trimming his candle as he went. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Whereas prisons are generally considered open when there are no physical barriers to prevent escape or when prisoners can freely walk around on the prison site, this is only partially the case for the prison of Hoogstraten. Mockingly, the ghost quotes Scrooges earlier retort, Are there no prisons? Are there no prisons in A Christmas Carol? There is no doubt whatever about that. The word "withal" means "in addition" or it draws attention to something else that is worthy of consideration. What is the difference between QFII and Rqfii? What did Scrooge do for the poor in A Christmas Carol? This trend would suggest that we have truly entered the era of mass incarceration (David Garlands concept), but does prison actually work? Notice what makes up Marleys chain; it is not typical metal, but instead symbolically comprised of what Marley valued in life. When Scrooge asks, the Ghost informs him that, unless the future is altered, Tiny Tim These chains are made of steel and are weighed down with cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds, and heavy purses.. Becoming immediately sensible of the impropriety, he poked the fire, and extinguished the last frail spark for ever. Nor can I tell you what I would. WebAre there no prisons are there no workhouses?Jul 4, 2019Ebenezer : But have they no refuge, no resource? Learn how your comment data is processed. It was with great astonishment, and with a strange, inexplicable dread, that as he looked, he saw this bell begin to swing. Registration error. Dine with us to-morrow.. Let it also be borne in mind that Scrooge had not bestowed one thought on Marley, since his last mention of his seven years' dead partner that afternoon. The apostrophe at the start of this word indicates that part of it has been omitted. Since Dickens takes the time to express that he also wants his readers to be convinced of Marleys death, is an important means of foreshadowing his eventual return from the grave. Can youcan you sit down? asked Scrooge, looking doubtfully at him. ", "Mr. Marley has been dead these seven years," Scrooge replied. Scrooge was not a man to be frightened by echoes. However, Scrooge's attitude is so against the season that a certain sense of mystery is evoked in exactly how Scrooge will be able to change. Good afternoon, gentlemen!. Have they no refuge or resource? cried Scrooge. It was long, and wound about him like a tail; and it was made (for Scrooge observed it closely) of cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds, and heavy purses wrought in steel. Here, if he can get all the "work" done more efficiently, then he saves his time for himself. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of A Christmas Carol. Read the Study Guide for A Christmas Carol, Have a Capitalist Christmas: The Critique of Christmas Time in "A Christmas Carol", A Secular Christmas: Examining Religion in Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Perceiving the Need for Social Change in "A Christmas Carol", View the lesson plan for A Christmas Carol, Stave III: The Second Of The Three Spirits, View Wikipedia Entries for A Christmas Carol. MARLEY WAS DEAD: to begin with. I was afraid, from what you said at first, that something had occurred to stop them in their useful course, said Scrooge. Expect the first to-morrow, when the bell tolls one.. Webthem whether there are prisons and workhouses for the poor. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased. You may talk vaguely about driving a coach-and-six up a good old flight of stairs, or through a bad young Act of Parliament; but I mean to say you might have got a hearse up that staircase, and taken it broadwise, with the splinter-bar towards the wall, and the door towards the balustrades: and done it easy. However, in this moment, he finally fears Marley's ghost for what it is and begins to cower before it. The truth is, that he tried to be smart, as a means of distracting his own attention, and keeping down his terror; for the spectre's voice disturbed the very marrow in his bones. Scrooge-"Are there no prisons?" But I suppose you must have the whole day. The apparition walked backward from him; and at every step it took, the window raised itself a little, so that when the spectre reached it, it was wide open.
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