I know what it is!. Scrooges 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. If it only puts him in the vein to leave his poor clerk fifty pounds, thats something; and I think I shook him yesterday.. The old man, in a voice that seldom rose above the howling of the wind upon the barren waste, was singing them a Christmas songit had been a very old song when he was a boyand from time to time they all joined in the chorus. Hes a comical old fellow, said Scrooges nephew, thats the truth: and not so pleasant as he might be. What is the theme of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens? Study Questions, Activities, and Resources, Appendix 1: A Mini-Casebook on The Turn of the Screw, Appendix 2: A Mini-Casebook on Brave New World, Appendix 3: A Mini-Casebook on Heart of Darkness, Appendix 5: Writing an Analysis of a Poem, Story, or Play, Appendix 6: Documenting Essays in MLA Style. Look upon me!. The children drank the toast after her. He regards Cratchit merely as an expense and resents having to pay his miserable wages. Scrooge even sends the Cratchit family a Christmas turkey. And so it was! Ebenezer Scrooge - Wikipedia As Scrooge and the spirit went along the streets, the brightness of the roaring fires in the kitchens, parlors, and all sorts of rooms was wonderful. The rise and fall of The Eagle and Grecian, City Road. Scrooge looked about him for the Ghost, and saw it not. There were pears and apples, clustered high in blooming pyramids; there were bunches of grapes, made, in the shopkeepers benevolence to dangle from conspicuous hooks, that peoples mouths might water gratis as they passed; there were piles of filberts, mossy and brown, recalling, in their fragrance, ancient walks among the woods, and pleasant shufflings ankle deep through withered leaves; there were Norfolk Biffins, squat and swarthy, setting off the yellow of the oranges and lemons, and, in the great compactness of their juicy persons, urgently entreating and beseeching to be carried home in paper bags and eaten after dinner. It has been done in your name, or at least in that of your family, said Scrooge. Explain Ignorance and Want, who appear in stave 3 of A Christmas Carol. Two tumblers, and a custard-cup without a handle. Deny it! cried the Spirit, stretching out its hand towards the city. Bob Cratchit thenmakes a toast to the health of Mr. Scrooge, "the Founder of the Feast." He may rail at Christmas till he dies, but he cant 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. As good as gold, said Bob, and better. 7. Despite these circumstances, Bob Cratchit represents the opposite qualities of Scrooge including kindness, generosity and the love of his family members. 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! Oh, a wonderful pudding! Bring wintertime, he is forced to try and stay warm with thick clothes and heat himself by the flame of a candle. He never finishes what he begins to say! Come in! "Are there no prisons?" A Christmas Carol is a novella, or short story, written by Charles Dickens and first published in the Christmas of 1843. When the Cratchit family toast to Scrooge, how is Bob Cratchit's The mention of his name cast a dark shadow on the party, which was not dispelled for full five minutes. The mention of his name cast a dark shadow on the party, which was not dispelled for full five minutes. What you need is to be surrounded by people who love and care about you. Not coming! said Bob, with a sudden declension in his high spirits; for he had been Tims blood horse all the way from church, and had come home rampant. It is the Ghost of Christmas present who takes Scrooge to view how the Crachit family celebrates Christmas. ", Thus chastised, Scrooge, "bent before the Ghost's rebuke," lifts his head as he hears his name. After a while they played at forfeits; for it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself. They stood beside the helmsman at the wheel, the look-out in the bow, the officers who had the watch; dark, ghostly figures in their several stations; but every man among them hummed a Christmas tune, or had a Christmas thought, or spoke below his breath to his companion of some bygone Christmas Day, with homeward hopes belonging to it. Hark! As Mr. Simpson sat with a smile upon his face and said Yes, or Certainly, at intervals of about four minutes each, he received full credit for understanding what was going forward. The lamp-lighter who ran before dotting the dusky streets with specks of the light laughed out loud as the spirits passed. The Grocers! This boy is Ignorance. Bob Cratchit said, and calmly too, that he regarded it as the greatest success achieved by Mrs Cratchit since their marriage. Sit ye down before the fire, my dear, and have a warm, Lord bless ye!, No, no! He begins to care about them, especially poor Tiny Tim, who can't get medical treatments because of how little Scrooge pays his father. Design changes: Please bear with us if you come across anything that may look a little disjointed. I am the Ghost of Christmas Present, said the Spirit. from The University of Texas at Arlington. You have never seen the like of me before! exclaimed the Spirit. Give your view on Scrooge was the Ogre of the family. Do go on, Fred, said Scrooges niece, clapping her hands. Scrooge started back, appalled. On Christmas Eve. Here, he takes it into his head to dislike us, and he wont come and dine with us. The Spirit stood beside sick beds, and they were cheerful; on foreign lands, and they were close at home; by struggling men, and they were patient in their greater hope; by poverty, and it was rich. A Christmas Carol Full Text - Stave Three - Owl Eyes I have no patience with him, observed Scrooges niece. Suppose it should not be done enough! Scrooge is the main character of Dickens's novella and is first presented as a miserly, unpleasant man. Oh, Man! The Spirit did not tarry here, but bade Scrooge hold his robe, and passing on above the moor, spedwhither? 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 Scrooges clerks; 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 Cratchits dwelling with the sprinkling of his torch. I wish I had him here. Mrs. Cratchit made the gravy (ready beforehand in a little saucepan) hissing hot; Master Peter mashed the potatoes with incredible vigour; Miss Belinda sweetened up the apple-sauce; Martha dusted the hot plates; Bob took Tiny Tim beside him in a tiny corner at the table; the two young Cratchits set chairs for everybody, not forgetting themselves, and mounting guard upon their posts, crammed spoons into their mouths, lest they should shriek for goose before their turn came to be helped. From the foldings of its robe, it brought two children; wretched, abject, frightful, hideous, miserable. Deeply moved by the love and warmth in the home of his clerk, Scrooge also notices that Bob's voice "was tremulous" when he tells the family about Tiny Tim's visit to the church where he tells his father that he hopes others see him so that they will remember that it was Christ who made beggars walk and blind men see. If you should happen, by any unlikely chance, to know a man more blest in a laugh than Scrooges nephew, all I can say is, I should like to know him too. Oh God! 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. Hark! He wouldnt catch anybody else. Study Questions, Activities, and Resources, 58. 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. The pudding was out of the copper. 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. In easy state upon this couch, there sat a jolly Giant, glorious to see; who bore a glowing torch, in shape not unlike Plentys horn, and held it up, high up, to shed its light on Scrooge, as he came peeping round the door. Ha, ha! laughed Scrooges nephew. This part of the storybegins to effectthe change of character in Ebenezer Scrooge. To any kindly given. 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. Uncle Scrooge had imperceptibly become so gay and light of heart, that he would have pledged the unconscious company in return, and thanked them in an inaudible speech, if the Ghost had given him time. Scrooge promised that he would; and they went on, invisible, as they had been before, into the suburbs of the town. Tiny Tim drank it last of all, but he didnt care twopence for it. After it had passed away, they were ten times merrier than before, from the mere relief of Scrooge the Baleful being done with. Scrooge did as he was told, and held it fast. Study Questions, Activities, and Resources, 31. I know what it is, Fred! Mr. 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. For a mean old skinflint like Scrooge, someone obsessed with making and hoarding money, this is a remarkable sight indeed. 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved, "Secret, And Self-contained, And Solitary As An Oyster", https://www.enotes.com/topics/christmas-carol. But she joined in the forfeits, and loved her love to admiration with all the letters of the alphabet. Its dark brown curls were long and free; free as its genial face, its sparkling eye, its open hand, its cheery voice, its unconstrained demeanour, and its joyful air. Latest answer posted April 21, 2020 at 4:27:31 PM. Likewise at the game of How, When, and Where, she was very great, and to the secret joy of Scrooges nephew, beat her sisters hollow: though they were sharp girls too, as Topper could have told you. Oh, I have! said Scrooges nephew. Are there no workhouses?. Log in here. Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol - BBC Bitesize Five minutes, ten minutes, a quater of an hour went by, yet nothing came. Study Questions, Activities, and Resources, 130. Now, being prepared for almost anything, he was not by any means prepared for nothing; and, consequently, when the Bell struck One, and no shape appeared, he was taken with a violent fit of trembling. 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. They were a boy and girl. Stop! He was not the dogged Scrooge he had been; and though the Spirits eyes were clear and kind, he did not like to meet them. Tiny Tim drank it last of all, but he didn't care twopence for it. eNotes Editorial, 20 Feb. 2021, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/how-is-scrooge-affected-by-seeing-the-cratchits-71891. Design changes: Please bear with us if you come across anything that may look a little disjointed. The moment Scrooges hand was on the lock, a strange voice called him by his name, and bade him enter. Mr Scrooge! said Bob; Ill give you Mr Scrooge, the Founder of the Feast!, The Founder of the Feast indeed! cried Mrs Cratchit, reddening. An old, old man and woman, with their children and their childrens children, and another generation beyond that, all decked out gaily in their holiday attire. They are Mans, said the Spirit, looking down upon them. Himself, always. They knelt down at its feet, and clung upon the outside of its garment. He then tells the men that he pays taxes to support the poor, and he does not need to give anything else. In A Christmas Carol, Scrooge is dramatically affected by the Cratchit familys poignant scene. He asks the Ghost of Christmas Present if Tiny Tim will live. Two tumblers, and a custard-cup without a handle. 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. He may rail at Christmas till he dies, but he cant 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? I have a big packet of the Christmas Carol Questions and I have barely read the book. Holly, mistletoe, red berries, ivy, turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn, meat, pigs, sausages, oysters, pies, puddings, fruit, and punch, all vanished instantly. Latest answer posted December 03, 2020 at 4:13:31 PM. The sight of these poor revellers appeared to interest the Spirit very much, for he stood with Scrooge beside him in a bakers doorway, and taking off the covers as their bearers passed, sprinkled incense on their dinners from his torch. Study Questions, Activities, and Resources, 166. Here, again, were shadows on the window-blind of guests assembling; and there a group of handsome girls, all hooded and fur-booted, and all chattering at once, tripped lightly off to some near neighbours house; where, woe upon the single man who saw them enter-artful witches, well they knew it - in a glow! Would it apply to any kind of dinner on this day? asked Scrooge. It does not matter to them that their meal is small, that the pudding smells like laundry, or that they dont have enough punch cups. Are there no prisons? said the Spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words. What we're witnessing here is a remarkable change in attitude. The mention of his name cast a dark shadow on the party, which was not dispelled for full five minutes. Here is a new game, said Scrooge. Although they don't have two brass ha'pennies to rub togetherlargely thanks to Scrooge's incorrigible stinginessthey still somehow manage to maintain a household full of love, warmth, and happiness. A great deal of steam! There were pears and apples, clustered high in blooming pyramids; there were bunches of grapes, made, in the shopkeepers benevolence to dangle from conspicuous hooks, that peoples mouths might water gratis as they passed; there were piles of filberts, mossy and brown, recalling, in their fragrance, ancient walks among the woods, and pleasant shufflings ankle deep through withered leaves; there were Norfolk Biffins[3], squab and swarthy, setting off the yellow of the oranges and lemons, and, in the great compactness of their juicy persons, urgently entreating and beseeching to be carried home in paper bags and eaten after dinner. 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. You have never seen the like of me before! exclaimed the Spirit. It may be, that in the sight of Heaven, you are more worthless and less fit to live than millions like this poor mans child. Spirit, said Scrooge submissively, conduct me where you will. Topper had clearly got his eye upon one of Scrooges nieces sisters, for he answered that a bachelor was a wretched outcast, who had no right to express an opinion on the subject. 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. Who is Belle in A Christmas Carol, and why was she important to Scrooge? But they know me. Look, look, down here! exclaimed the Ghost. He has given us plenty of merriment, I am sure, said Fred, and it would be ungrateful not to drink his health. Mrs. Cratchit voices her dislikes, and refers to Scrooge as an "odious, stingy, hard, unfeeling man." The family feels this way toward Scrooge because Mr. Cratchit works hard as his employee but is paid little and treated poorly. Heres Martha, mother! said a girl, appearing as she spoke. Scrooge had observed this change, but never spoke of it, until they left a childrens Twelfth Night party, when, looking at the Spirit as they stood together in an open place, he noticed that its hair was grey. He was not the dogged Scrooge he had been; and though the Spirits eyes were clear and kind, he did not like to meet them. You know he is, Robert! The Spirit stood beside sick beds, and they were cheerful; on foreign lands, and they were close at home; by struggling men, and they were patient in their greater hope; by poverty, and it was rich. 'I am the Ghost of Christmas Present,' said the Spirit. A Christmas Carol: Stave 3 Flashcards | Quizlet asked Mrs Cratchit, when she had rallied Bob on his credulity, and Bob had hugged his daughter to his hearts content. "Scrooge was the ogre of the family and the mention of his name cast a dark shadow" Hyperbole - showing how the rest of the family felt about Scrooge.6. When the family is about to fade from view, Scrooge says to the Ghost of Christmas Present, Tell me if Tiny Tim will live, and the ghost declares that, if nothing changes, then the sweet child will die. How does Dickens present ideas about joy and happiness in chapter 2 of A Christmas Carol? Scrooge entered timidly, and hung his head before this Spirit. Whats the consequence? But it had undergone a surprising transformation. 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.. More shame for him, Fred! said Scrooges niece, indignantly. Theres such a goose, Martha!. Somehow he gets thoughtful, sitting by himself so much, and thinks the strangest things you ever heard. The narrator calls Scrooge the ogre of the family. A Christmas Carol: The Second of the Three Spirits | SparkNotes Himself, always. Wouldnt you?, You seek to close these places on the Seventh Day? said Scrooge. They stood beside the helmsman at the wheel, the look-out in the bow, the officers who had the watch; dark, ghostly figures in their several stations; but every man among them hummed a Christmas tune, or had a Christmas thought, or spoke below his breath to his companion of some bygone Christmas Day, with homeward hopes belonging to it. When Scrooges nephew laughed in this way: holding his sides, rolling his head, and twisting his face into the most extravagant contortions: Scrooges niece, by marriage, laughed as heartily as he. He is especially emotionally affected by Tiny Tims poignant words and behavior, by seeing how much the child is loved and how much he loves others, even when his own lot in life is so difficult. 'Look upon me!'. Well. Martha, who was a poor apprentice at a milliners, then told them what kind of work she had to do, and how many hours she worked at a stretch, and how she meant to lie abed to-morrow morning for a good long rest; to-morrow being a holiday she passed at home. Much they saw, and far they went, and many homes they visited, but always with a happy end. 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. See eNotes Ad-Free Start your 48-hour free trial to. Describe a cada uno en tus propias palabras. Come in! Id give him a piece of my mind to feast upon, and I hope hed have a good appetite for it. Hallo! Much they saw, and far they went, and many homes they visited, but always with a happy end. To a poor one most., Spirit? said Scrooge, after a moments thought, I wonder you, of all the beings in the many worlds about us, should desire to cramp these peoples opportunities of innocent enjoyment., You would deprive them of their means of dining every seventh day[6], often the only day on which they can be said to dine at all, said Scrooge. 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. Scrooge was the Ogre of the family. At last the dishes were set on, and grace was said. A Christmas Carol: Scrooge Character Analysis Grade 7 They were not a handsome family; they were not well dressed; their shoes were far from being water-proof; their clothes were scanty; and Peter might have known, and very likely did, the inside of a pawnbrokers. 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. The children drank the toast after her. A smell like an eating-house and a pastrycooks next door to each other, with a laundresss next door to that! Why, bless your heart alive, my dear, how late you are! said Mrs. Cratchit, kissing her a dozen times, and taking off her shawl and bonnet for her with officious zeal. Never mind so long as you are come, said Mrs. Cratchit. What did Scrooge say about giving his clerk a day off to celebrate Christmas in Charles Dickens'sA Christmas Carol? A light shone from the window of a hut, and swiftly they advanced towards it. 5 scrooge was the ogre of the family and the mention - Course Hero The Song of the Shirt: Mrs Biddell and an early victory in the Victorian court of public opinion. Scrooge is a miserly, cruel employer who treats the father of the Crachit family cruelly everyday but particularly on Christmas Eve. The time is drawing near.. The mention of his name cast a dark shadow on the party, which was not dispelled for full five minutes. As they move on with the spirit of Christmas future, the image of the Crachits and Tiny Tim remain with Scrooge who continues to be distressed by what he has seen of Tim's illness. This girl is Want. But, finding that he turned uncomfortably cold when he began to wonder which of his curtains this new spectre would draw back, he put them every one aside with his own hands, and lying down again, established a sharp look-out all round the bed. Now, being prepared for almost anything, he was not by any means prepared for nothing; and, consequently, when the Bell struck One, and no shape appeared, he was taken with a violent fit of trembling. Forgive me if I am wrong. All sorts of horrors were supposed. He particularly resents having to pay him for the day off at Christmas, seeing it as a swindle. Hell be very merry and very happy, I have no doubt!The children drank the toast after her. Then, the Spirit reminds Scrooge that it is not for him to decide who is "surplus." But he raised them speedily, on hearing his own name. 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. For they said, it was a shame to quarrel upon Christmas Day. The compound in the jug being tasted, and considered perfect, apples and oranges were put upon the table, and a shovel-full of chestnuts on the fire. He was not the dogged Scrooge he had been; and though the Spirit's eyes were clear and kind, he did not like to meet them. Also how she had seen a countess and a lord some days before, and how the lord was much about as tall as Peter; at which Peter pulled up his collars so high that you couldnt have seen his head if you had been there. The spirit reminds Scrooge that in the past, he has wished that the sick would just die and decrease the population. What has ever got your precious father then? said Mrs Cratchit. 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 listed, or would have done so, but for the frost that held it prisoner; and nothing grew but moss and furze[9], and coarse rank grass. The house fronts looked black enough, and the windows blacker, contrasting with the smooth white sheet of snow upon the roofs, and with the dirtier snow upon the ground; which last deposit had been ploughed up in deep furrows by the heavy wheels of carts and waggons; furrows that crossed and recrossed each other hundreds of times where the great streets branched off; and made intricate channels, hard to trace in the thick yellow mud and icy water. 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. And they cling to me, appealing from their fathers. Spirit! Of course there was. Scrooge did as he was told, and held it fast. 5. 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. Scrooge's eyes are well and truly opened by the sight of the Cratchits' homelife. 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. 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. No change, no degradation, no perversion of humanity, in any grade, through all the mysteries of wonderful creation, has monsters half so horrible and dread. To sea. ", Scrooge wants to profit in a different way, he recognises that there are things that are just as valuable as money. Lauren has taught English at the university level and has a master's degree in literature. Bob held his withered little hand in his, as if he loved the child, and wished to keep him by his side, and dreaded that he might be taken from him. He then looked at the knocker with great affection. You know he is, Robert! He dont do any good with it. Suppose somebody should have got over the wall of the back-yard, and stolen it, while they were merry with the goosea supposition at which the two young Cratchits became livid! The poulterers shops were still half open, and the fruiterers were radiant in their glory. Have never walked forth with the younger members of my family; meaning (for I am very young) my elder brothers born in these later years? pursued the Phantom. Bobs voice was tremulous when he told them this, and trembled more when he said that Tiny Tim was growing strong and hearty. Im very glad to hear it, said Scrooges nephew, because I havent great faith in these young housekeepers. Stave Three: The second of the three spirits And so it was! It was strange, too, that while Scrooge remained unaltered in his outward form, the Ghost grew older, clearly older. 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. At least you always tell me so., What of that, my dear! said Scrooges nephew. God bless us!. Where angels might have sat enthroned, devils lurked, and glared out menacing. At least you always tell me so., What of that, my dear! said Scrooges nephew. Nobody knows it better than you do, poor fellow., My dear, was Bobs mild answer, Christmas Day., Ill drink his health for your sake and the Days, said Mrs Cratchit, not for his. The narrator considers that the phrase "dead as a doornail" doesn't even describe Marley's lifelessness well enough. It was succeeded by a breathless pause, as Mrs. Cratchit, looking slowly all along the carving-knife, prepared to plunge it in the breast; but when she did, and when the long expected gush of stuffing issued forth, one murmur of delight arose all round the board, and even Tiny Tim, excited by the two young Cratchits, beat on the table with the handle of his knife, and feebly cried Hurrah! Is it a foot or a claw?, It might be a claw, for the flesh there is upon it, was the Spirits sorrowful reply. Bob said he didnt believe there ever was such a goose cooked. 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. Ghost of Xmas Past "A solitary child, neglected by his friends, is left there still - Scrooge sobbed."