STUDY GUIDE A Christmas Carol: Scrooge & Marley

STUDY GUIDE

A Christmas Carol: Scrooge & Marley

Plot Structure

Mood: Setting & Imagery

Theme

PLOT STRUCTURE

• Exposition

  Inciting Incident - the CONFLICT BEGINS in the exposition

• Rising Action

• Climax/Turning Point

• Falling Action

• Resolution

EXPOSITION

• DESCRIBES THE SETTING: Time, Place, Weather, situation, historical context

• Introduction of characters

• The INCITING INCIDENT - how conflict begins for the main character

EXPOSITION: Historical Context

• 19th Century London

• Booming economy built on low wages and long work hours

• It was common for the poor to be thought of as deserving punishment for "laziness"

• Young children from poor families worked dangerous jobs

• Hard labor in workhouses was the only option for some families.

Multiple Choice

EXPOSITION:

What is historical context?

• Conditions in society at the time in history the story takes place

• History of the author

• History of the text

• Conditions in the author's life

Multiple Select

EXPOSITION:

What is the historical context of "A Christmas Carol"? What was life like in London at the time of the story?

Check all that apply.

• Everyone who worked hard was able to live comfortably. Only lazy people were poor.

• Families without enough money to support themselves could end up doing hard labor in workhouses.

• In poor families it was common for small children to work long hours in dangerous conditions.

• The wealthy believed harsh conditions in workhouses were necessary to keep poor people from being lazy.

• Anyone who had a job would have no problem supporting their family and living comfortably.

EXPOSITION: Ebenezer Scrooge

• selfish, greedy, stingy, miserly

• being wealthy is more important to him than family and friends

• believes workhouses and debtors' prisons are all the help poor people need

• no concern for the poor who end up dying because that will "decrease the surplus population"

• everyone avoids him

EXPO: Jacob Marley

• A ghost; Scrooge's former business partner

• Scrooge was his only friend, and the only one who mourned his death

• He was chained to his wealth in life, and now is chained to it in death, for eternity.

• Warns Scrooge he will end up like Marley unless he changes his ways

EXPOSITION:

Bob Cratchit

• a kind, hard-working man

• very poor

• works as Scrooge's clerk for little pay

• timid around Scrooge - does not want to lose his job

• He and his large family enjoy life because they have each other.

EXPOSITION: Fred

• Scrooge's nephew

• Is polite and gracious even when Scrooge tells him, "I'd rather see myself dead than see myself with your family."

• Invites his Uncle Scrooge every year because he pities him, and he sees his mom's face in his Uncle.

EXPOSITION: Thin Man & Portly Man

• Collect charity for the poor

• They tell Scrooge many who are poor would rather die than go to live in a workhouse

• Scrooge responds cruelly that it's ok if they die because that will "reduce the surplus population".

EXPOSITION:

Conflict/Inciting Incident

• Back at home, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of Jacob Marley, who will forever carry heavy chains and cash-boxes because of the greed and selfishness he showed during his life.

• Scrooge is warned he will end up like Marley if he does not change.

• 3 spirits will visit

Multiple Choice

What does portly mean?

• partial

• at a port

• kind

• overweight

Multiple Choice

EXPOSITION:

Which character is Scrooge's nephew?

• Jacob Marley

• Bob Cratchit

• Fred

• Fezziwig

Multiple Choice

EXPOSITION:

Which character was greedy like Scrooge?

• Jacob Marley

• Bob Cratchit

• Fred

• Fezziwig

Multiple Choice

EXPOSITION:

Why was Bob Cratchit and his family poor?

• He was irresponsible with his money.

• He was in debtor's prison.

• He and his family lived in a workhouse.

• Scrooge paid him low wages.

Multiple Select

The exposition of a story is where the author describes:

• main characters

• rising action

• setting

• conflict/inciting incident

• historical context

Multiple Choice

EXPOSITION

Why is Bob Cratchit so cold as he sits working in Scrooge's counting house?

• Scrooge doesn't want to spend money fixing the broken windows.

• His coat has holes and he cannot afford to buy a new one with the meager salary Scrooge pays him.

• The fire is too small because Scrooge does not want to give him more coal to burn.

• Scrooge does not want to pay someone to repair the heater.

Multiple Choice

In the EXPOSITION (beginning of the story), how does Scrooge reply to the invitation to his Nephew Fred's Christmas dinner?

• "I'd rather see myself dead than see myself with your family."

• "You owe me money and I will collect. I will have you jailed, if I have to."

• "If they would rather die, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."

• "Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?"

Multiple Choice

EXPOSITION

When the thin man and portly man enter Scrooge's counting house to ask for donations for the poor, he asks, "Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses"?

What does this reveal about Scrooge?

• He is concerned about overcrowding in prisons.

• He wants the men to go to prisons and workhouses to ask for donations.

• He would rather send poor people to prisons and workhouses than share any of his wealth.

• He is concerned about all of the prisons and workhouses closing.

Multiple Choice

EXPOSITION

What do we learn about Scrooge at the beginning of the story (Exposition)?

• He is sensible about his money.

• He is a cheapskate but people don't mind.

• He values money over people and relationships.

• He is realizes that he needs to change.

Multiple Choice

What is MOOD in a story?

• The feeling the author has while writing a novel.

• The attitude of the author toward a subject.

• The feelings the text creates in the reader.

• The feeling the reader has when the story is boring.

Multiple Choice

EXPOSITION

What mood does the author create with his description of the setting?

"Scrooge sits at his desk, at work. Near him is a tiny fire. His door is open and in his line of vision, we see Scrooge's clerk, Bob Cratchit, who sits in a dismal tank of a cubicle, copying letters. Near Cratchit is a fire so tiny as to barely cast a light....Cratchit rubs his hands together, puts on a white [scarf] and tries to heat his hands around his candle."

• miserable

• miserly

• freezing

• suspenseful

Multiple Select

What imagery from the text helps create a mood of misery?

"Scrooge sits at his desk, at work. Near him is a tiny fire. His door is open and in his line of vision, we see Scrooge's clerk, Bob Cratchit, who sits in a dismal tank of a cubicle, copying letters. Near Cratchit is a fire so tiny as to barely cast a light....Cratchit rubs his hands together, puts on a white [scarf] and tries to heat his hands around his candle."

• Cratchit "tries to heat his hands around his candle."

• "His door is open."

• "Near Cratchit is a fire so tiny as to barely cast a light."

• "Cratchit rubs his hands together..."

• "Scrooge sits at his desk, at work"

Multiple Select

How does the reader know Dickens uses imagery in this passage?

"Scrooge sits at his desk, at work. Near him is a tiny fire. His door is open and in his line of vision, we see Scrooge's clerk, Bob Cratchit, who sits in a dismal tank of a cubicle, copying letters. Near Cratchit is a fire so tiny as to barely cast a light....Cratchit rubs his hands together, puts on a white [scarf] and tries to heat his hands around his candle."

• Dickens describes the smell of the candle.

• Dickens describes the dim light of the candle.

• Dickens describes the sound of the tiny fire.

• Dickens describes the feeling of coldness.

• Dickens describes how Cratchit tries to stay warm with a candle.

Multiple Choice

EXPOSITION:

Which statement best describes the conflict?

• Marley is doomed to carry heavy chains and cash-boxes for eternity.

• Scrooge does not want to be visited by spirits.

• Scrooge does not believe he is seeing Marley's ghost.

• Scrooge must change his ways or end up in chains forever like his friend Jacob Marley.

RISING ACTION

• Events between the exposition and the climax/turning point

• How do characters react to the inciting incident?

• Rising Action accounts for the majority of the story.

RISING ACTION: Ghost of Christmas Past

• The first of 3 specters sent to teach Scrooge a lesson

• Scrooge was more interested in staying in bed and sleeping

• Took Scrooge on a journey into his past

• 3 visits: boarding school, apprenticeship with Fezziwig, Belle

Rising Action

• The Ghost of Christmas Past appears

• The ghost takes Scrooge on a journey revisiting scenes from Christmases in his past.

Rising Action

• The first stop is a memory of Scrooge as a young boy at a boarding school.

• He is lonely and neglected.

• Scrooge's sister, Fan, arrives to take him home.

• He remembers how Fan dies after giving birth to Fred, Scrooge's nephew.

Rising Action

• Next stop: a scene from Scrooge's young adulthood.

• Scrooge was an apprentice for Mr. Fezziwig, a merchant.

• He remembers how his boss treated his employees like family and made everyone feel loved.

• He thinks with regret about how he treats Bob Cratchit.

Rising Action

• The Ghost of Christmas Past whisks Scrooge to a scene later in life, when he is concentrating on making more money.

• His fiancee, Belle, explains Scrooge's love of wealth has replaced her.

• Belle ends their relationship.

• Present-day Scrooge is filled with regret.

Multiple Choice

The rising action makes up the majority of the story.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

What part of the story makes up the rising action?

• The exposition and conflict

• Everything after the exposition

• Everything before the resolution

• Everything between the exposition and the climax

Multiple Choice

Which character was the kind merchant who Scrooge apprenticed for as a young man?

• Jacob Marley

• Bob Cratchit

• Fred

• Fezziwig

Multiple Choice

Why does Scrooge feel regret when visiting his young adult self apprenticing for Mr. Fezziwig?

• He wishes he never agreed to go with the Ghost of Christmas Past.

• He regrets treating Cratchit poorly after remembering how good his old boss was to him.

• He regrets treating Mr. Fezziwig poorly.

• He regrets choosing the wrong profession and making less money.

Multiple Choice

Why does Belle end her engagement to Scrooge?

• Scrooge loves wealth and making money more than he loves her.

• Scrooge hates Christmas.

• Scrooge treats his employees poorly.

• Scrooge travels around with ghosts.

Multiple Choice

What do we learn about Scrooge when the Ghost of Christmas Past shows him his past life as an apprentice to Mr. Fezziwig?

• Scrooge respected Fezziwig because Fezziwig was a stingy and cruel man.

• Scrooge became obsessed with making money when he saw how rich his boss, Mr. Fezziwig, was.

• Scrooge hoped to some day be a kind, generous and loving boss like Fezziwig.

• Both A & B

Multiple Choice

Why does Scrooge wish to speak to Bob Cratchit as he watches his younger self with Mr. Fezziwig?

• A He remembers his vow to one day treat his employees with the respect and grace that Mr. Fezziwig treated him.

• B He remembers how he learned about cruelty and stinginess from his old boss Fezziwig.

• C He regrets how badly he has treated Cratchit.

• A & C

• B & C

CLIMAX

The Turning Point

• Scrooge realizes HE is the dead man whose stolen belongings are being sold.

• Scrooge realizes HE is the dead man that everyone dislikes.

• Scrooge to Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come: "Spirit! Hear me! I am not the man I was!"

• Scrooge to the Ghost: "Assure me that I yet may change these shadows that you have shown me by an altered life!"

Multiple Choice

What is the climax of a story?

• The middle of the story.

• The big fight scene.

• The turning point

• The rising action

Multiple Choice

What happens during the climax of a story?

• It is the turning point when all of the problems are solved and the story is over.

• It is the turning point. The main character creates a new conflict.

• It is the turning point.

• It is the turning point. The main character makes a realization and changes in some way.

Multiple Choice

What is the reason Scrooge gives the Thin Man and Portly Man when declining to give donations for the poor?

• Scrooge lies and tells them he already donated money to the people who came in yesterday.

• He lies and says he is short on money because of the Christmas bonus he gave to Bob Cratchit.

• He says he would rather be dead than see himself giving money to the poor.

• He says the poor have prisons and workhouses they can go to and that's all the help they need.

Multiple Choice

Why are the Thin Man and Portly Man collecting donations instead of sending poor families to workhouses for free housing?

• Life in workhouses is so brutal that some people would rather die than end up in one.

• Poor families would rather stay home and collect donations than go to work every day.

• Some families don't have enough children to go to work and earn money.

• The workhouses are running out of space so they are collecting donations to build a new one.

Multiple Choice

Why does Scrooge tell the Thin Man and Portly Man, "If they would rather die, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."

• The population needs to decrease so there is more money to distribute to poor families.

• There is a surplus of donations so Scrooge's money is not needed.

• He had better give more money to prevent surplus deaths.

• Those who die from poverty will be doing society a favor by decreasing the population.

Multiple Choice

Which statement describes Scrooge's relationship to Bob Cratchit and his nephew, Fred, in the Exposition (beginning of the story)?

• Scrooge looks down on them and doesn't believe they can be happy because they are not wealthy. He treats them cruelly.

• Scrooge is too busy to spend time with his nephew. He would pay Cratchit more money if he was able.

• Scrooge is cruel to Cratchit and his nephew Fred because he is jealous of the love and happiness they enjoy with their families.

• Scrooge keeps his promise to change his greedy and cruel ways. He makes up for the past by buying a huge turkey for the Cratchits, and accepting Fred's party invitation.

Multiple Choice

What change do we see in Scrooge during the Climax?

• Scrooge realizes his love for money has hurt and angered people. He vows to change.

• Scrooge realizes he hasn't worked hard enough to make a profit. He vows to change.

• Scrooge realizes Bob Cratchit is too lazy to take care of his family. He vows to send him to a workhouse.

• Scrooge realizes Fred's Christmas party will be a lot of fun. He vows to accept the invitation.

THEME:

The Evolution of Scrooge

• Theme can be determined from details in the text

• Follow the main character!

• Look for lessons learned; realizations; "A-Ha!" moments

• What does Scrooge realize as he is visited by spirits?

• What life lessons are learned? What message about life does the author send?

Scrooge's True Love (Exposition)

• First words we hear from Scrooge: "They owe me money and I will collect. I will have them jailed, if I have to."

• Cratchit is freezing because Scrooge is too stingy to heat the counting house where they work.

• Reply to Fred's invitation: "I'd rather see myself dead than see myself with your family."

• Believes workhouses and prisons are all the help the poor need.

• When told some families would rather die than go to workhouses, Scrooge replies: "If they would rather die, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."

Young Scrooge & Fezziwig-

Lessons Learned (Past)

• Fezziwig and his entire family celebrate Christmas with Scrooge and all the employees. They dance and have a wonderful time.

• Young Scrooge says about his boss, Mr. Fezziwig: "He is the absolute best! If I ever own a firm of my own, I shall treat my apprentices with the same dignity and grace."

• Scrooge sees he was happy when he was younger, even though he did not have much money.

• After witnessing this scene, Scrooge tells the Ghost of Christmas Past he would like to speak to Bob Cratchit

• Scrooge regrets the way he has been treating his employee Bob Cratchit

Young Scrooge & Belle-

Lessons Learned (Past)

• Once Scrooge became so obsessed with money, the woman he loved broke off their engagement

• (Belle to Young Scrooge): "Our contract is an old one. It was made when we were both poor and content to be so. You are changed."

• (Belle to Young Scrooge): "May you be happy in the life you have chosen for yourself."

• (Scrooge to Ghost of Christmas Past): "Remove me! I cannot bear it!"

The Evolution of Scrooge-

Lessons From the Cratchits (Present)

• The Ghost of Christmas Present shows Scrooge how the people around him live.

• Bob Cratchit and his family are preparing for Christmas dinner. Scrooge is surprised that a family with so little money can enjoy life and each other's company so much.

• Scrooge is upset that Tiny Tim will soon die and the Ghost reminds him of his words: "If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."

• Bob Cratchit toasts Scrooge out of gratitude for his job, but his wife is angry about Scrooge's cruelty.

The Evolution of Scrooge -

Lessons From Nephew Fred (Present)

• Fred reveals to his wife he knows Scrooge will never accept his invitation to Christmas dinner

• He only continues to invite him because Scrooge reminds Fred of his mother (Scrooge's sister)

• Fred pities Scrooge because Scrooge has no one to share love and happiness with.

The Evolution of Scrooge -

Lessons From the Fred & the Cratchits (Present)

• Scrooge's visits to Fred's and the Cratchit's households make him see the love and joy he is missing out on.

• Scrooge begins to question his beliefs about money, relationships and happiness.

The Evolution of Scrooge -

Lessons From the Future

• Scrooge witnesses businessmen he knows speaking disrespectfully about a deceased Future Scrooge.

• Scrooge's prized possessions end up in the hands of thieves being sold for a fraction of their worth.

• "He frightened everyone away from him when he was alive, to profit us when he was dead! Hahaha!"

• Scrooge realizes he is worth more dead than alive in the eyes of those he has offended and mistreated.

• His miserliness contributed to the future death of Tiny Tim which robs the Cratchit family of their happiness.

• Scrooge vows to change and focus on people and relationships instead of money.

Open Ended

What does Scrooge realize after his journey visiting the past?

Open Ended

What does Scrooge realize after the Ghost of Christmas Present brings him to the homes of Bob Cratchit and Fred?

Open Ended

What does Scrooge realize after seeing his future?

Open Ended

What is a possible theme of the story "A Christmas Carol"?