A Christmas CarolBy Charles Dickens

The Author: Charles Dickenson

• Born in the 1800’s in England, one of seven children

• Father was hard worker who could not pay debts, was sent to debtor's prison until inherited money from a deceased relative and sent Charles to private school

• Charles became a reporter and focused on politics as a writer

• Commissioned to write stories such as Oliver Twist, Great Expectations & A Christmas Carol

Signs of the Times (History)

• Published A Christmas Carol in 1843, 1/3 of the people in London, England were living in poverty

• People who needed work came to London to work in factories, low wages, over crowded, and dirty

• The Poor Law of 1834 forced homeless to work in workhouses-prison-like conditions

Faces of the People• workhouses

& over crowed factories

• row houses & apartments

• homeless rounded up to work

The Author’s Purpose•Expose the suffering of the poor

•Convince readers that conditions had to

change in London

•Entertain the reader with vivid imagery through the genre of drama

Vocabulary1. stage directions- notes in the script of the

play which tell the characters where to stand or how to act

2. abundance-wealth, a lot of something3. destitute- people lacking life’s necessities( no

food, no money, no home)

4. endeavor-to try5. incoherent- confused, jumbled6. macabre-suggesting the horror of death7. mortal- of the earth; not a spirit

Vocabulary

8. odious- causing or deserving strong dislike9. provision- supplied needs10. surplus-extra goods; more than needed11. welfare-well-being12. in homage- in honor of13. liberality-generous14. gruel- thin watery food made of milk/water &

grain

Main CharactersEbenezer Scrooge• cold hearted• greedy• tight-fisted

Bob Cratchit• poor and under paid• loyal• has frail, crippled son

Fred• Scrooge’s nephew• eager• loves Christmas

Marley• Scrooge’s equally greedy

partner/nephew• Marley died seven years prior• appears to Scrooge as a

ghost

Symbolism and Theme

“ Just as children grow, the problem of hunger and ignorance only get greater.”

What does this mean?