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 re-crossed 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. 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. Sit ye down before the fire, my dear, and have a warm, Lord bless ye!, No, no! Scrooge entered timidly, and hung his head before this Spirit. Man, said the Ghost, if man you be in heart, not adamant, forbear that wicked cant until you have discovered What the surplus is, and Where it is. Playing at forfeits thus means that the group was playing parlor games in which there were penalties for losing. Scrooge bent before the Ghosts rebuke, and trembling cast his eyes upon the ground. 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. Never mind so long as you are come, said Mrs. Cratchit. The moment Scrooge's hand was on the lock, a strange voice called him by his name, and bade him enter. I think Scrooge will likely change his ways because he seems so moved and scared about what he has seen. It is a perennial favourite at Christmastime, when it is frequently broadcast on television. The Ghost transports Scrooge to the modest house of Bob Cratchit. So did the room, the fire, the ruddy glow, the hour of night, and they stood in the city streets on Christmas morning, where (for the weather was severe) the people made a rough, but brisk and not unpleasant kind of music, in scraping the snow from the pavement in front of their dwellings, and from the tops of their houses, whence it was mad delight to the boys to see it come plumping down into the road below, and splitting into artificial little snowstorms. 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. 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. Marley's Ghost. 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. Oh, I have! said Scrooge's nephew. As the author describes Christmas morning in several paragraphs that follow, what are the people of London not doing? Brawn, also known as head cheese, is a type of cold cut that is usually made of jellied pork. 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. 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. Page 3 of 10. What then? 25 terms. 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. Scrooge has become more compassionate and understanding for those who are at a disadvantage, a change that is partially prompted by seeing the love that the Cratchits have for the good as gold Tiny Tim. For they said, it was a shame to quarrel upon Christmas Day. These are newborn or very young pigs that are prepared by roasting them whole, which is why a former name for them is "roasting pig.". Think of that! I am very glad to hear it, said Scrooge's nephew, because I haven't any great faith in these young housekeepers. are they yours? Scrooge could say no more. This is designe. He always knew where the plump sister was. He wouldn't take it from me, but may he have it, nevertheless. 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. Oh, perfectly satisfactory! A glee is a song performed by a group of three or more and usually a capella. I went forth last night on compulsion, and I learnt a lesson which is working now. a jolly Giant, glorious to see, who bore a glowing torch, Its feet, observable beneath the ample folds of the garment, were also bare. Do go on, Fred, said Scrooge's niece, clapping her hands. Its tenderness and flavour, size and cheapness, were the themes of universal admiration. He doesn't believe in all of the good cheer and charity that the season promotes, and he makes sure everyone knows it. There is no doubt whatever about that. When the player is called back into the room, the player must guess what the object or thing is by asking questions that start with how, when, or where. Note that there are different variations of the game and that it was played differently depending on things like age, gender, location, etc. And your brother, Tiny Tim; and Martha warn't as late last Christmas Day by half an hour?. He simply needs to appreciate those around him and treat others with kindness. he was ready for a good broad field of strange appearances, and that nothing between a baby and rhinoceros would have astonished him very much. There's such a goose, Martha!. 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. 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. A Christmas Carol (Part 2) Lyrics. I made it link by link, and yard by yard;. While Scrooge may have resolved to participate more actively in his reclamation, he is terrified that he may fail, and what the consequence of such failure might be. 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. They are Man's, said the Spirit, looking down upon them. I know what it is, Fred! The Ghost pulls Scrooge away from the games to a number of other Christmas scenes, all joyful despite the often meager environments. Open Document. he could accommodate himself to any place with ease; his own kind, generous, hearty nature, and his sympathy, Think of that. At last the plump sister, falling into a similar state, cried out: I have found it out! And it was a very uncommon kind of torch, for once or twice, when there were angry words between some dinner-carriers who had jostled each other, he shed a few drops of water on them from it, and their good-humour was restored directly. Description of stave 3 comprehension questions Name: Date: Advanced English Period: Due date: Weds., Dec. 3rd Quiz date: same day! A Christmas Carol Annotations. The Cratchits may not have the money (thanks to Mr. Scrooge) for an elaborate feast in beautiful glassware, but they are celebrating together nonetheless. 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. Tiny Tim drank it last of all, but he didn't care twopence for it. A merry Christmas and a happy New Year!hell be very merry and very happy, I have no doubt!. Scrooge's niece plays a tune on the harp, which softens Scrooge's heart. They knelt down at its feet, and clung upon the outside of its garment. A 'change is also, coloquially, a money changer's o ce, which is probably why Scrooge is typically pictured Genius is the ultimate source of music knowledge, created by scholars like you who share facts and insight about the songs and artists they love. It is associated with the holiday season in Western countries and specifically with Thanksgiving in North America. He wouldn't catch anybody else. The narrator often interrupts the story to speak directly to the reader, as he does here. Apart from its sacred meaning, it is a time for goodness and charity. There were great, round, pot-bellied baskets of chestnuts, shaped like the waistcoats of jolly old gentlemen, lolling at the doors, and tumbling out into the street in their apoplectic opulence. Dickens attributes the speed in which he wroteA Christmas Carol(reportedly just six weeks) in large part to his affection for his characters, the Cratchits. At last the dinner was all done, the cloth was cleared, the hearth swept, and the fire made up. The Ghost of Christmas Present helps Scrooge see this by showing him how people of different backgrounds celebrate Christmas. Plentys horn refers to the cornucopia, which is a hollowed horn that is filled with various foods. When Published: 19 December 1843. These would often involve penalties called forfeits in which losers of the games would have to do various things that the winners asked. Passing through the wall of mud and stone, they found, `He said that Christmas was a humbug, as I live. cried Scrooges nephew. My life upon this globe is very brief, replied the Ghost. In half a minute Mrs. Cratchit entered: flushed, but smiling proudly: with the pudding, like a speckled cannon-ball, so hard and firm, blazing in half of half a quartern of ignited brandy, and bedight with Christmas holly stuck into the top. And they cling to me, appealing from their fathers. Scrooge did as he was told, and held it fast. 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 is then taken to his nephew Fred's house, where Fred tells his pretty wife and his sisters he feels sorry for Scrooge, since his miserly, hateful nature deprives him of pleasure in life. Though both are dangerous, Scrooges personal downfall will come from ignorance rather than want since he already has all the material things he desires. 16 terms. He hasn't the satisfaction of thinkingha, ha, ha!that he is ever going to benefit Us with it.. That was the cloth. katiebgrace1313. Reading of the text: 0:00 - 04:19Analysis of key quotations: 04:19 - 13:39Reading, discussion and annotation of Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'. Finally, the day is done, and Scrooge goes home to his apartment. 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. We are led to wonder if he will seek to participate in festivities in the real world once he returns to it. Key Facts about A Christmas Carol. Scrooge spends a lot of the time try to convince his nephew that he doesn't care about Christmas and wants to spend it by himself. All sorts of horrors were supposed, greatest success achieved by Mrs Cratchit. In Victorian England, it was popular to play various parlor games or indoor games, especially during celebrations like Christmas. Bob Cratchit said, and calmly too, that he regarded it as the greatest success achieved by Mrs. Cratchit since their marriage. Description of Ghost of Christmas Present, Stave 3, this ghost is very different in appearance to all the other ghosts. A Christmas Carol Analysis - Stave Three - Ignorance and Want Mrs Cogger's Literature Revision 1.71K subscribers Subscribe 70 Share Save 4K views 2 years ago A Christmas Carol Reading of. A Christmas Carol (Part 3) Lyrics Stave 3: The Second of the Three Spirits Awaking in the middle of a prodigiously tough snore, and sitting up in bed to get his thoughts together, Scrooge had. Precepts are principles that guide ones actions and thoughts. , Scrooge had his eye upon them, and especially on Tiny Tim, until the last. 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. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. 3 Stave Two : The First Of The Three Spirits 15 . `It ends to-night, `It might be a claw, for the flesh there is upon it,. But she joined in the forfeits, and loved her love to admiration with all the letters of the alphabet. He sat very close to his father's side, upon his little stool. 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. In time the bells ceased, and the bakers were shut up; and yet there was a genial shadowing forth of all these dinners and the progress of their cooking, in the thawed blotch of wet above each baker's oven; where the pavement smoked as if its stones were cooking too. Scrooge is a mean man because we can see this through the escalation of the story. Long life to him! The crisp leaves of holly, mistletoe, and ivy reflected back the light, as if so many little mirrors had been scattered there; and such a mighty blaze went roaring up the chimney, as that dull petrification of a hearth had never known in Scrooges time, or Marleys, or for many and many a winter season gone, Heaped up on the floor, to form a kind of throne, were turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn, great joints of meat, sucking-pigs, long wreaths of sausages, mince-pies, plum-puddings, barrels of oysters, red-hot chestnuts, cherry-cheeked apples, juicy oranges, luscious pears, immense twelfth-cakes, and seething bowls of punch, that made the chamber dim with their delicious steam. To sea. 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. . If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, the child will die., No, no, said Scrooge. She often cried out that it wasnt fair; and it really was not. Martha, who was a poor apprentice at a milliner's, 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. At least you always tell me so., What of that, my dear! said Scrooge's nephew. Furthermore, Topper inappropriately pretends not to know who she is even after he has caught her. Unlike before, when Scrooge was concerned with the present only insofar as it was related to the transaction of money, he is starting to see it in "seize the day" termsas an opportunity to change the lives of the less fortunate, right now. Bob said he didn't believe there ever was such a goose cooked. 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. Where graceful youth should have filled their features out, and touched them with its freshest tints, a stale and shrivelled hand, like that of age, had pinched, and twisted them, and pulled them into shreds, Where angels might have sat enthroned, devils lurked. Why, where's our Martha? cried Bob Cratchit, looking round. It was not alone that the scales descending on the counter made a merry sound, or that the twine and roller parted company so briskly, or that the canisters were rattled up and down like juggling tricks, or even that the blended scents of tea and coffee were so grateful to the nose, or even that the raisins were so plentiful and rare, the almonds so extremely white, the sticks of cinnamon so long and straight, the other spices so delicious, the candied fruits so caked and spotted with molten sugar as to make the coldest lookers-on feel faint and subsequently bilious. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. We are led to wonder, just as Scrooge himself does, whether Scrooge may have failed his task already. I was only going to say, said Scrooge's nephew, that the consequence of his taking a dislike to us, and not making merry with us, is, as I think, that he loses some pleasant moments, which could do him no harm. You know he is, Robert! 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! A light shone from the window of a hut, and swiftly they advanced towards it. Holly, mistletoe, red berries, ivy, turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn, meat, pigs, sausages, oysters, pies, puddings, fruit, and punch, all vanished instantly. Which it certainly was. 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. He is such a ridiculous fellow!. 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. Wayne, Teddy. 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 people's 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, 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. 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. oh the Grocers. Scrooge even joins in for some of their games, though they are not aware of his ghostly presence. pg. no perversion of humanity, in any grade, through all the mysteries of wonderful creation, has monsters half so horrible and dread.