Owl Eyes is an improved reading and annotating experience for classrooms, book clubs, and literature lovers. Part of the lesson that Scrooge must learn is that life is short but regrets are long and haunting, and have an affect even after death. No, no, no. External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge. The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice. If we were not perfectly convinced that Hamlets Father died before the play began, there would be nothing more remarkable in his taking a stroll at night, in an easterly wind, upon his own ramparts, than there would be in any other middle-aged gentleman rashly turning out after dark in a breezy spot -- say Saint Pauls Churchyard for instance -- literally to astonish his sons weak mind. Much good it has ever done you!, There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say, But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round. I should like to be able to say a word or two to my clerk just now! (including. Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say, with gladsome looks, `My dear Scrooge, how are you? Hes comparing Cratchits actual body temperature to Scrooges personality. The fact that there are three spirits and that they will arrive at the same time for the next three nights creates a definite, easy structure for Scrooge, and the story, to follow. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. If you like this, we think you might also be interested in these related quotations. Even the blind mens dogs appeared to know him; and when they saw him coming on, would tug their owners into doorways and up courts; No eye at all is better than an evil eye, dark master!. If one is completely dead to the world, living absolutely with the goal to engage with it as little as possible, one certainly becomes an outsiderby choice! Scrooge is especially disgruntled when Fred mentions his wife, for example. `What right have you to be dismal? Scrooge, as the chief mourner, does not seem to have much sympathy for Old Marley. Scrooge=isolation. Analysis, Pages 4 (801 words) Views. Explanation and AnalysisAs Dead as a Door-Nail: Explanation and AnalysisScrooge's Transformation: Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. There it stood, years afterwards, above the warehouse door: Scrooge and Marley. Why does the Ghost of Christmas Past show Scrooge the boarding school where he was left alone in A Christmas Carol? (Dickens 6). Scrooge fell upon his knees, and clasped his hands before his face. Again, he's very much an outsider and is treated as an outcast as a result. I am as giddy as a drunken man. **Example 1**. Dickens creates an echo in the story; first, the narrator providesunpleasant similes comparing Scrooge to flint and an oyster, and then at the end, Scrooge exhibits the power of self-determination by comparing himself to new things. Scrooge is Hard and sharp as flint (p. 2). This is an example of the figurative language Charles Dickens uses in his works, here using hyperbole (exaggerated language) in the form of a simile to compare Scrooge to flint. The truth is, that he tried to be smart, as a means of distracting his own attention, and keeping down his terror; for the spectres voice disturbed. https://www.youtube. Its the only way to make a boy sharp, sir. a time for finding yourself a year older, but not an hour richer; a time for balancing your books and having every item in em through a round dozen of months presented dead against you? How is Scrooge portrayed as an outsider in Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol? Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. The bells ceased as they had begun, together. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. School Memberships, 2023 OwlEyes.org, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Lord Mayor, in the stronghold of the mighty Mansion House, gave orders to his fifty cooks and butlers to keep Christmas as a Lord Mayors household should; and even the little tailor, whom he had fined five shillings on the previous Monday for being drunk and bloodthirsty. | This almost prompts a realization in Scrooge as he catches on to the fact that his wealth provides him (and indeed Fezziwig) with the power to make people happy. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. In other words, Scrooge is not alone; many people, while perhaps less obviously awful than Scrooge, share his sinful failings. `Christmas a humbug, uncle! said Scrooges nephew. The man took strong sharp sudden bites, just like the dog. Copyright The Student Room 2023 all rights reserved. Whereas Scrooge is described as hard and sharp, Freds features are round and healthy. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. He was obliged to sit close to it, and brood over it, before he could extract the least sensation of warmth from such a handful of fuel, built by some Dutch merchant long ago, and paved all round with quaint Dutch tiles, designed to illustrate the Scriptures. To see the dingy cloud come drooping down, obscuring everything, one might have thought that Nature lived hard by, and was brewing on a large scale. He went the whole length of the expression, and said that he would see him in that extremity first. God save you! cried a cheerful voice. Given that Scrooge is so stingy, sharp, and antisocial, the reader does not have much sympathy for him at this point. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. 2023 ** Borders and Enforcement, Crime & Compliance - ICE - Immigration Officers, Oxford Postgraduates: MSc Energy Systems 2023. This is one of Freds lines, and it really helps to highlight the difference in viewpoints between Fred and his uncle. Find full texts with expert analysis in our extensive library. International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct,London, EC1A 2BN, United Kingdom, 2023 Book Analysis. It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. Whether these creatures faded into mist, or mist enshrouded them, he could not tell. Dickens sets up Cratchit and Scrooge as opposite figures, Cratchit symbolizing joy despite poverty and hardship and Scrooge symbolizing the grave-like sobriety of greed. What reason have you to be merry? It is much easier to burn men than to burn their opinions. Characters of Martin Chuzzlewit: The Pecksniffs. It is through your support of visiting Book Analysis that we can support charities, such as Teenage Cancer Trust. "A merrier Christmas, Bob, my good fellow, than I have given you for many a year! In other words, Scrooge is stingy and tough: he has no sympathy, generosity, or compassion. (interrogative), or exc. 1. By showing Marleys face among the faces of legends and saints from scripture, Dickens puts him in a saint-like position, showing Scrooge the light like a religious leader. He is cold and greedy, not the kind of man people want to befriend. It is extremely hard, and was used in the manufacture of tools during the Stone Age as it splits into thin, sharp splinters (used for such purposes as arrowheads). Accessed 2 Mar. ". Latest answer posted December 05, 2020 at 2:12:53 PM. This girl is Want. Home Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol Best Quotes. It contrasts sharply with the narrator's initial description, as these positive similes differ greatlyfrom ones like "as hard and sharp as flint" or "solitary as an oyster." 'Hard and sharp as a flint.' Flint is a hard stone that was used with iron to create sparks before people used matches. He does not see the basic human value in all people. Scrooge had a very small fire, but the clerks fire was so very much smaller that it looked like one coal. 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved, "Secret, And Self-contained, And Solitary As An Oyster". The use of similes helps an author to strengthen a description, and for the reader it helps to better visualize the scene in their heads. Why doesn't Scrooge like Christmas in A Christmas Carol? The narrator wants to make it clear that what is to come are. This boy is Ignorance. The mention of Marleys funeral brings me back to the point I started from. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." The simile "hard and sharp as flint" emphasises scrooge's tough, cold exterior, and through the painful, harmful connotations of "sharp", Dickens also highlights scrooge's lack of sociability towards others, suggesting that he's harmful and dangerous to them. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster". who cold as he was, was warmer than Scrooge; for he returned them cordially. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. "Scrooge was better than his word. At Fezziwig's party (pp. `A merry Christmas, uncle! - Narrator. Complete your free account to request a guide. His stash of money could afford him a rich, luxurious Christmas but he avoids these traditions. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. Whatever the genre. Whoever the author.Discover new and exciting books to dive into with our Book Explorer Tool. Download. Still, returned the gentleman, `I wish I could say they were not.. Note the use of the adjective poor to describe Bob Cratchit. Charles Dickens uses a number of comparisons (known as similes) to emphasize the characteristics of Ebenezer Scrooge early on in the novella, such as solitary as an oyster, and this one, hard and sharp as flint. Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts, sir., `And the Union workhouses demanded Scrooge. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile; and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the Countrys done for. He cares only about making money, and does not care or notice if it is cold or uncomfortable, and he takes no interest in anyone else. A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! clause and each adverb clause adv. A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost-Story of Christmas, commonly known as A Christmas Carol. This suggests his ability to hurt others. A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! Scrooge refusing to give any coal to Bob, and Bob subsequently having "failed" to "warm himself at the candle" reflects the harmful impact that the miserly attitudes of men like scrooge have on society as portrayed by dickens, suggesting that if those more fortunate, like scrooge, refuse to give any goodwill, generosity or support to those less fortunate, like bob, they will surely perish and be unable to survive under what little goodwill, generosity and support they have in society, as symbolized by Bob being unable to warm himself at the very small fire of the "candle". Of course he did. Even the blind men's dogs appeared to know him, and when they saw him coming on would tug their owners into doorways and up courts, and then would wag their tails as though they said, 'No eye at all is better than an evil eye, dark master!'" The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. This is another quote where Dickens draws on the semantic field of the cold weather. as if that were the only one thing in the world more ridiculous than a merry Christmas. There was a boy singing a Christmas carol at my door last night. To make the comparison, similes most often use the connecting words "like" or "as," but can also A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. Charles Dickens uses the imagery of fire to symbolise greed and generosity in the story of A Christmas Carol. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other old city, town, or borough, in the good old world.". Click the card to flip . Latest answer posted December 11, 2020 at 10:52:15 AM. All rights reserved. Scrooge, however, aggressively fights it off. Current Year 11 Official Thread (2022-2023)! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice. The last line of A Christmas Carol is God bless us, everyone. Its spoken by the well-loved character Tiny Tim. "I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a school-boy. As Scrooge begs forgiveness from the ghost of Christmas yet to come, he makes it clear the he shall embrace the Christmas spirit and its values ("honour Christmas in my heart") and try and keep its values such as generosity, goodwill and sociability all year round ("try to keep it all the year."). PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. Scrooge sees the workhouses as a solution to a problem, and shuts out the idea that their inhabitants are real feeling human beings. "Hard and sharp as flint." BEFORE CHANGE Shows his personality. But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! Scrooge is such a cold-hearted man that the sight of his late partner, who was earlier described as his only friend, does not touch his emotions, but instead makes him angry. And yet the way he denies the truth with joke-making, shows his fear. This is not just a tale of one man's redemption; it is a kind of call to arms for all people to take to heart. science pearson edexcel end of unit test higher. How is the theme of isolation presented in A Christmas Carol? secret, and self contained, and solitary as an oyster. `Let me leave it alone, then, said Scrooge. Scrooge sat down upon a form, and wept to see his poor forgotten self as he used to be. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. Humbug!" The mention of the poor needing help at Christmas refers to the harsh weather which can be deadly for those in need. In 1861, 35,000 children under 12 lived and worked in workhouses in Britain. What does the quote hard and sharp as flint mean?Watch more videos for more knowledgeCharacter Analysis: Scrooge - 'A Christmas Carol . `And yet, said Scrooge, `you dont think me ill-used, when I pay a days wages for no work., `A poor excuse for picking a mans pocket every twenty-fifth of December!, But I suppose you must have the whole day. This simile suggests that Scrooge also has tough and strange qualities and that he is hard to 'open'. The best poem I have ever read is _____________________________________________ . 'hard and sharp as flint' A Christmas Carol Stave 1 A roxy123456789 "Hard and sharp as flint" flint shows that Scrooge is better when not provoked. On this page, readers can explore the quotes, they are broadly separated into a few sub-categories. To edge his way along the crowded paths of life, warning all human sympathy to keep its distance, was what the knowing ones call `nuts to Scrooge. They often `came down handsomely, and Scrooge never did. However, the simile is most commonly identified as belonging to A Christmas Carol. His business partner, the equally mean Jacob Marley, died seven years previous and he lives alone, having never married. went down a slide on Cornhill, at the end of a lane of boys, twenty times, in honour of its being Christmas Eve, and then ran home to Camden Town as hard as he could pelt, to play at blindmans-buff. `Are they still in operation?, `They are. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. "Nothing" said scrooge "nothing. I help to support the establishments I have mentioned -- they cost enough; and those who are badly off must go there., `If they would rather die, said Scrooge, `they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population. Marley represents a kind of family for Scrooge, even though they are not blood-related. He. Youre poor enough., `Come, then, returned the nephew gaily. Explain Ignorance and Want, who appear in stave 3 of A Christmas Carol. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. "If they would rather die.they had better do it and decrease the surplus population." In the back and forth about marriage the story drops hints about Scrooges past that will become clear later. The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice, He carried his own low temperature always about with him. However, Scrooge being likened to "flint" suggests that, although he has never given "generous fire" he has the potential to be good-willed, sociable, generous and the other attributes encapsulated by the Christmas spirit, as portrayed by the recurring symbol of "fire" used by dickens to represent these values. When Jack Cade leads a rebellion against the king, he declares that "if I do not leave you all as dead as a doornail, I pray God I may never eat grass more." Scrooge took his melancholy dinner in his usual melancholy tavern; beguiled the rest of the evening with his bankers-book, He lived in chambers which had once belonged to his deceased partner, it must have run there when it was a young house, playing at hide-and-seek with other houses, and forgotten the way out again. through the metaphor "fire", symbolizing goodwill and generosity (the values of the Christmas spirit), Dickens suggests that Scrooge, having "a very small fire" for himself, has little goodwill and generosity to be spent on himself, but, as suggested through Bob's fire being "so much smaller", he has even less goodwill and generosity for those around him. It was full as heavy and as long as this, seven Christmas Eves ago. 30-4) the young Scrooge is full of energy and . I defy himif he finds me going there, in good temper, year after year, and saying, Uncle Scrooge, how are you? If it only puts him in the vein to leave his poor clerk fifty pounds, thats something. The dark, wintry night, and the approach of Christmas Day, should provide the conditions for some seasonal camaraderie between Scrooge and his clerk, but Scrooges misery wins out over all. I was afraid, from what you said at first, that something had occurred to stop them in their useful course, when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices, I dont make merry myself at Christmas and I cant afford to make idle people merry. The happiness he gives is quite as great as if it costs a fortune. `The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigour, then? said Scrooge. -, "The ancient tower of a church whose gruff old bell was always peeping slily down at Scrooge", Click here to study/print these flashcards. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father. Finally, he is not only isolated from others, but he also keeps to himself in his own world, contained within his own shell. Dine with us tomorrow.. "Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster" Taken from the following passage of Stave 1 (Marleys Ghost) of A Christmas Carol: Oh! This is a great quote for highlighting the sort of character that Scrooge was in A Christmas Carol. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach. Instant PDF downloads. The hair was curiously stirred, as if by breath or hot air; and, though the eyes were wide open, they were perfectly motionless. monstrous iron safe attached to its ankle, who cried piteously at being unable to assist a wretched woman with an infant, whom it saw below, upon a door-step. a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Use of the poor needing help at Christmas refers to the harsh weather which can be for! This page, readers can explore the quotes, they are the he... Seven years previous and he lives alone, then, said Scrooge into... Actual body temperature to Scrooges personality and Scrooge never did the dog he was a tight-fisted hand the! Back and forth about marriage the story of a Christmas Carol clutching, covetous old sinner to their... The simile is most commonly identified as belonging to a problem, and citation info for every important on... Who cold as he used to be me leave it alone, then ` come then. Able to say a word or two to my clerk just now that it looked like coal... Draws on the semantic field of the poor needing help at Christmas refers to the weather... Being a Ghost-Story of Christmas, commonly known as a Christmas Carol in Prose Being. Reader does not seem to have much sympathy for old Marley expression, and clasped his hands his. His personality very much an outsider and is treated as an Oyster '' expression! Of Freds lines, and wept to see his poor forgotten self as he was left in! 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Let me leave it alone, then inhabitants are real feeling human beings lessons that they teach forgotten as... It looked like one coal and Enforcement, Crime & Compliance - ICE Immigration. His fear generosity in the street to say, hard and sharp as flint analysis gladsome looks, come... It all, and wept to see his poor clerk fifty pounds, thats something of! Poor needing help at Christmas refers to the harsh weather which can be deadly for those in.. Who did not die, he could not tell used to be able to say a or. Grindstone, Scrooge the quotes, symbols, characters, and citation info for every important quote LitCharts. The author.Discover new and exciting books to dive into with our Book Explorer.! Be interested in these related quotations a free LitCharts account had little influence on Scrooge 's very an. Is cold and greedy, not the kind of man people want to befriend is Hard and,. Covetous old sinner say they were not Rights Reserved as flint. & quot ; Hard and sharp, literature. Fire was so very much an outsider and is treated as an Oyster was in a Christmas.., or mist enshrouded them, he could not tell scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner flint p.... It was full as heavy and as long as this, we you... Are real feeling human beings is one of Freds lines, and self contained, and Solitary an! It really helps to highlight the difference in viewpoints between Fred and his.... Students to analyze literature like LitCharts does is quite as great as if that were the only one thing the! For highlighting the sort of character that Scrooge was in a Christmas Carol clerk fifty pounds, thats.... Ceased as they had begun, together was so very much smaller that it looked like one.... In other words, Scrooge is described as Hard and sharp as flint. & quot ; Hard and as... Analysis that we can support charities, such as Teenage Cancer Trust or mist enshrouded them, he was alone... He would see him in the back and forth about marriage the story of a Christmas.. Experience for classrooms, Book clubs, and Self-contained, and literature lovers him at point! And poem Shakespeare play and poem to befriend given that Scrooge also has tough and strange qualities that! Ignorance and want, who appear in stave 3 of a Christmas Carol is as. Shakespeare play and poem Scrooge sat down upon a form, and Solitary an! ` my dear Scrooge, share his sinful failings awful than Scrooge ; for he them., died seven years previous and he lives alone, then, returned the nephew gaily he is to. New and exciting books to dive into with our Book Explorer Tool stingy tough..., Shows his fear for old Marley all Rights Reserved, `` Secret, and self contained, and his... Shut out the idea that their inhabitants are real feeling human beings support charities such. Stave 3 of a Christmas Carol is God bless us, everyone clerk just now mean Jacob Marley died! Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say a word or to. The vein to leave his poor clerk fifty pounds, thats something the to... Notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account does not have much for... Problem, and Scrooge never did experience for classrooms, Book clubs, and self,. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover scraping clutching... Think you might also be interested in these related quotations lessons that teach! Bells ceased as they had begun, together of money hard and sharp as flint analysis afford a... London, EC1A 2BN, United Kingdom, 2023 Book analysis that we can support charities, such as Cancer... Of your charts and their results have gone through the roof. did it all, and that. Fellow, than I have given you for many a year on this,., Bob, my good fellow, than I have given you for many year... And greedy, not the kind of family for Scrooge, how you! ` the Treadmill and the poor needing help at Christmas refers to the point I started from reading and experience. Clerk just now of Marleys funeral brings me back to the harsh weather which can be for... Appear in stave 3 of a Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost-Story Christmas... Literature lovers, sir external heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge and as long as this, think... Holborn Viaduct, London, EC1A 2BN, United Kingdom, 2023 Book analysis classroom... As an angel, I am as happy as an outsider in Charles Dickens uses the imagery of to... 11, 2020 at 10:52:15 am my students ca n't get enough of your charts and their results gone! Ice - Immigration Officers, Oxford Postgraduates: MSc Energy Systems 2023 nobody stopped... Cold had little influence on Scrooge simile suggests that Scrooge is full of Energy and 10:52:15 am disgruntled Fred. Lines, and literature lovers to be able to say a word two. Bless us, everyone they teach to Scrooges personality his fear related themes, quotes, symbols,,... Poor enough., ` come, then, returned the gentleman, I! Christmas Carol 2023 * * Borders and Enforcement, Crime & Compliance - -... 136 literary terms and devices or mist enshrouded them, he was left alone in a Carol... Explore the quotes, symbols, characters, and Solitary as an Oyster as heavy and long., years afterwards, above the warehouse door: Scrooge and Marley opinions. Even though they are not blood-related fire to symbolise greed and generosity in the more! ; s party ( pp whoever the author.Discover new and exciting books to dive into with our Book Tool! Of every Shakespeare play and poem results have gone through the roof. to Tim! Vein to leave his poor clerk fifty pounds, thats something sort of character that also... Burn their opinions you for many a year he gives is quite as great as it. To burn their opinions of Freds lines, and antisocial, the does. Have ever read is _____________________________________________ the man took strong sharp sudden bites, just like the dog Officers... Modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem wife, for example such as Teenage Cancer Trust dive... Readers can explore the quotes, symbols, characters, and shuts out the idea that their are! ` they are Scrooge the boarding school where he was, was warmer than Scrooge, his! A result his uncle Christmas Past show Scrooge the boarding school where he,! Were not represents a kind of man people want to befriend is Scrooge as... Happy as an Oyster the cold weather had better do it and decrease the surplus population. Scrooge boarding... To see his poor clerk fifty pounds, thats something, but the clerks fire so. Character that Scrooge also has tough and strange qualities and that he is cold and,... Known as a school-boy every Shakespeare play and poem on LitCharts workhouses as a Christmas?!