Charles Dickens: A Christmas Carol Chapter 3 Extract – The Ghost of
Christmas Present
The chimes were ringing the three quarters past eleven at that moment. "Forgive
me if I am not justified in what I ask," said Scrooge, looking intently at the Spirit's
robe, "but I see something strange, and not belonging to yourself, protruding
from your skirts. 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. "Look here!" From the foldings of its
robe, it brought two children; wretched, abject, frightful, hideous, miserable.
They knelt down at its feet, and clung upon the outside of its garment. "Oh man!
look here. Look, look down here!" exclaimed the Ghost. They were a boy and girl.
Yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling, wolfish; but prostrate too in their humility.
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, and glared out menacing. No change, no degradation,
no perversion of humanity, in any grade, through all the mysteries of wonderful
creation, has monsters half so horrible and dread. Scrooge started back,
appalled. Having them shown to him in this way, he tried to say they were fine
children, but the words choked themselves, rather than be parties to a lie of such
enormous magnitude. "Spirit! are they yours?" Scrooge could say no more. "They
are Man's," said the Spirit, looking down upon them. "And they cling to me,
appealing from their fathers. This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware
them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his
brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased. Deny it!"
cried the Spirit, stretching out its hand towards the city. "Slander those who tell it
ye! Admit it for your factious purposes, and make it worse! And bide the end!"
Essay Question (30 marks) Starting with this extract, explore how
Dickens presents the suffering of the poor in A Christmas Carol.
Write about:
how Dickens presents the suffering of the poor in this extract
how Dickens presents the suffering of the poor in the novel as a
whole
Christmas Present
The chimes were ringing the three quarters past eleven at that moment. "Forgive
me if I am not justified in what I ask," said Scrooge, looking intently at the Spirit's
robe, "but I see something strange, and not belonging to yourself, protruding
from your skirts. 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. "Look here!" From the foldings of its
robe, it brought two children; wretched, abject, frightful, hideous, miserable.
They knelt down at its feet, and clung upon the outside of its garment. "Oh man!
look here. Look, look down here!" exclaimed the Ghost. They were a boy and girl.
Yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling, wolfish; but prostrate too in their humility.
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, and glared out menacing. No change, no degradation,
no perversion of humanity, in any grade, through all the mysteries of wonderful
creation, has monsters half so horrible and dread. Scrooge started back,
appalled. Having them shown to him in this way, he tried to say they were fine
children, but the words choked themselves, rather than be parties to a lie of such
enormous magnitude. "Spirit! are they yours?" Scrooge could say no more. "They
are Man's," said the Spirit, looking down upon them. "And they cling to me,
appealing from their fathers. This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware
them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his
brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased. Deny it!"
cried the Spirit, stretching out its hand towards the city. "Slander those who tell it
ye! Admit it for your factious purposes, and make it worse! And bide the end!"
Essay Question (30 marks) Starting with this extract, explore how
Dickens presents the suffering of the poor in A Christmas Carol.
Write about:
how Dickens presents the suffering of the poor in this extract
how Dickens presents the suffering of the poor in the novel as a
whole
