Poverty Essay
• Write about how Dickens presents the theme of poverty in his novel.
• In your response you should:
• Refer to the extract and the novel as a whole
• Show your understanding of characters and events in the novel
• Refer to the contexts of the novel (40 marks)
Dickens himself was deeply concerned by the plight of the poor and was involved
with number of charities and this is reflected in his exploration of the theme of
poverty. He is very clear about the evils of poverty and in particular the lack of
education that helped to perpetuate it. Dickens reveals the divisions between the
rich and poor and uses the characters of Scrooge and Marley to exemplify the
callous attitude of the more affluent and underprivileged in Victorian Society.
In the extract, the charity collectors come to Scrooge’s at his office. Dickens
effectively reveals the terrible situation of the poor and how they were treated as
inhuman, and their lives as worthless and to be exploited. Scrooge’s repeatedly
asks the charity men if there are any prisons or if the Union Workhouses are still
in operation. He also asks them if the ‘Treadmill and Poor Law are in full vigour’.
The Poor Law was a law that ensured that poor people worked in workhouses.
This suggests that Scrooge believes he doesn’t have to help as there are already
measured in place to help them. This highlights the injustice of wealth
distribution in Victorian England. The Treadmill was a punishment in Victorian
prisons where the poor would be punished. This shows the extent of the
sufferings the poor had to endure to get even the most basic privileges in life.
The noun ‘vigour’ indicates enthusiasm, energy and strength. This emphasizes
how Scrooge believes that these laws and punishments are a good act in society.
This further, implies to the reader the sharp contrast between rich and poor.
The extract also displays the way Dickens uses Scrooge as a representation of
one end of the scale between wealth and poverty: ‘Since you ask me what I wish,
gentlemen that is my answer. I don’t make merry myself at Christmas and I can’t
afford to make idle people merry. I help to support the establishments I have
mentioned – they cost enough; and those who are badly off must go there.’ The
noun ‘merry’ shows how Scrooge feels that if he isn’t happy he doesn’t think the
poor deserve to be either. This emphasizes the view on the poor, that because
they were poor they weren’t worthy enough to be happy and that they should be
glad that they are alive. This demonstrates how the upper classes in society view
those in poverty as inferior and the injustice towards them. The determiner
‘enough’ illustrates how Scrooge is so money-conscious that he only supports
hardly anything and is still complaining about this miniscule amount. The modal
verb ‘must’ implies how the poor are forced to go there with no other choice.
This stresses how the poor had no freedom and had to work exhausting hours for
an insufficient wage. The charity collectors then reveal how many of the poor
‘would rather die’ than go to the Union Workhouses or the Treadmill. The use of
hyperbole here suggests the conditions are alarmingly unsanitary and the way
• Write about how Dickens presents the theme of poverty in his novel.
• In your response you should:
• Refer to the extract and the novel as a whole
• Show your understanding of characters and events in the novel
• Refer to the contexts of the novel (40 marks)
Dickens himself was deeply concerned by the plight of the poor and was involved
with number of charities and this is reflected in his exploration of the theme of
poverty. He is very clear about the evils of poverty and in particular the lack of
education that helped to perpetuate it. Dickens reveals the divisions between the
rich and poor and uses the characters of Scrooge and Marley to exemplify the
callous attitude of the more affluent and underprivileged in Victorian Society.
In the extract, the charity collectors come to Scrooge’s at his office. Dickens
effectively reveals the terrible situation of the poor and how they were treated as
inhuman, and their lives as worthless and to be exploited. Scrooge’s repeatedly
asks the charity men if there are any prisons or if the Union Workhouses are still
in operation. He also asks them if the ‘Treadmill and Poor Law are in full vigour’.
The Poor Law was a law that ensured that poor people worked in workhouses.
This suggests that Scrooge believes he doesn’t have to help as there are already
measured in place to help them. This highlights the injustice of wealth
distribution in Victorian England. The Treadmill was a punishment in Victorian
prisons where the poor would be punished. This shows the extent of the
sufferings the poor had to endure to get even the most basic privileges in life.
The noun ‘vigour’ indicates enthusiasm, energy and strength. This emphasizes
how Scrooge believes that these laws and punishments are a good act in society.
This further, implies to the reader the sharp contrast between rich and poor.
The extract also displays the way Dickens uses Scrooge as a representation of
one end of the scale between wealth and poverty: ‘Since you ask me what I wish,
gentlemen that is my answer. I don’t make merry myself at Christmas and I can’t
afford to make idle people merry. I help to support the establishments I have
mentioned – they cost enough; and those who are badly off must go there.’ The
noun ‘merry’ shows how Scrooge feels that if he isn’t happy he doesn’t think the
poor deserve to be either. This emphasizes the view on the poor, that because
they were poor they weren’t worthy enough to be happy and that they should be
glad that they are alive. This demonstrates how the upper classes in society view
those in poverty as inferior and the injustice towards them. The determiner
‘enough’ illustrates how Scrooge is so money-conscious that he only supports
hardly anything and is still complaining about this miniscule amount. The modal
verb ‘must’ implies how the poor are forced to go there with no other choice.
This stresses how the poor had no freedom and had to work exhausting hours for
an insufficient wage. The charity collectors then reveal how many of the poor
‘would rather die’ than go to the Union Workhouses or the Treadmill. The use of
hyperbole here suggests the conditions are alarmingly unsanitary and the way
