Lecture Notes: Using 10 Quotes to Ace "A Christmas Carol" Essay

Introduction

• Presenter's Objective: Show how to answer essay questions about "A Christmas Carol" using only 10 key quotes.
• Background: The presenter designs a course for students aiming to improve their grades.

Strategy Overview

• Method: Identify 10 essential quotes that cover all themes in "A Christmas Carol".
• Proof of Concept: Successful essays written for grades 3 to 9 using only these quotes.

Key Quotes and Analysis

Quote 1: "Oh but he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone"

• Themes Linked:
  • Scrooge's greed
  • Redemption
  • Christmas spirit
  • Supernatural intervention
  • Treatment of the poor
• Language Analysis:
  • Exclamation marks indicate importance
  • Alliteration and sibilance emphasize greed and harshness

Quote 2: "I don't make Merry at Christmas and I can't afford to make idle people merry"

• Themes Linked:
  • Criticism of societal views on the poor
  • Scrooge's self-centeredness
  • Christmas generosity
• Language Analysis:
  • Use of "idle" reflects Victorian views on poverty

Quote 3: "Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?"

• Themes Linked:
  • Societal attitudes toward the poor
  • Supernatural intervention
• Language Analysis:
  • Rhetorical questions emphasize cruelty

Quote 4: "If he's like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population"

• Themes Linked:
  • Malthusian economic views
  • Societal cruelty
• Language Analysis:
  • Euphemisms disguise harsh realities

Quote 5: "Mankind was my business"

• Themes Linked:
  • Social responsibility
  • Redemption
• Language Analysis:
  • Contrast between personal and societal business

Quote 6: "Another Idol has displaced me... a golden one"

• Themes Linked:
  • Loss of love
  • Greed
• Language Analysis:
  • Metaphor of a "golden idol" as false worship

Quote 7: "Father is so much kinder than he used to be"

• Themes Linked:
  • Fatherhood
  • Redemption
• Language Analysis:
  • Rhyme emphasizes kindness

Quote 8: "Spirit! Tell me if Tiny Tim will live"

• Themes Linked:
  • Beginning of Scrooge's redemption
  • Social responsibility
• Language Analysis:
  • Sibilance and alliteration highlight care

Quote 9: "This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want... Doom."

• Themes Linked:
  • Social criticism
  • Education and poverty
• Language Analysis:
  • Symbolism of children representing societal ills

Quote 10: "To Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father"

• Themes Linked:
  • Redemption
  • Fatherhood
• Language Analysis:
  • Alliteration highlights change

Essay Writing Strategy

• Quote Utilization:
  • Use two quotes in detail per essay
  • Supplement with quotes from the exam extract

Conclusion

• Scrooge's Redemption: Central theme of change through generosity and social awareness.
• Practical Application: 10 quotes cover all themes, making them versatile for any essay question.