Id give him a piece of my mind to feast upon, and I hope hed have a good appetite for it., My dear, said Bob, the children! Not to sea. At every fresh question that was put to him, this nephew burst into a fresh roar of laughter; and was so inexpressibly tickled, that he was obliged to get up off the sofa and stamp. Taken from the following passage inStave 3 (The Second Of The Three Spirits) ofA Christmas Carol: Mr. But he raised them speedily, on hearing his own name. What you need is to be surrounded by people who love and care about you. Hell be very merry and very happy, I have no doubt!The children drank the toast after her. Design changes: Please bear with us if you come across anything that may look a little disjointed. Uncle Scrooge had imperceptibly become so gay and light of heart, that he would have pledged the unconscious company in return, and thanked them in an inaudible speech, if the Ghost had given him time. If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, the child will die. asked Mrs Cratchit, when she had rallied Bob on his credulity, and Bob had hugged his daughter to his hearts content. All sorts of horrors were supposed. Of course there was. And all for the want of money. What we're witnessing here is a remarkable change in attitude. Tiny Tim drank it last of all, but he didnt care twopence for it. Mrs. Cratchit made the gravy (ready beforehand in a little saucepan) hissing hot; Master Peter mashed the potatoes with incredible vigour; Miss Belinda sweetened up the apple-sauce; Martha dusted the hot plates; Bob took Tiny Tim beside him in a tiny corner at the table; the two young Cratchits set chairs for everybody, not forgetting themselves, and mounting guard upon their posts, crammed spoons into their mouths, lest they should shriek for goose before their turn came to be helped. But they know me. For, Scrooge was the "Ogre of the family"; his name cast a pall over the celebration. But this the Spirit said could not be done. said the Spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words. Nobody knows it better than you do, poor fellow., My dear, was Bobs mild answer, Christmas Day., Ill drink his health for your sake and the Days, said Mrs Cratchit, not for his. Christmas Day., It should be Christmas Day, I am sure, said she, on which one drinks the health of such an odious, stingy, hard, unfeeling man as Mr. Scrooge. The old man, in a voice that seldom rose above the howling of the wind upon the barren waste, was singing them a Christmas songit had been a very old song when he was a boy!-and from time to time they all joined in the chorus. As Scrooge and the spirit went along the streets, the brightness of the roaring fires in the kitchens, parlors, and all sorts of rooms was wonderful. See the preface to. When the family is about to fade from view, Scrooge says to the Ghost of Christmas Present, Tell me if Tiny Tim will live, and the ghost declares that, if nothing changes, then the sweet child will die. The abused, underpaid clerk of Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit is a kind but very poor man with a large family and a very sick son, Tim. Somehow he gets thoughtful, sitting by himself so much, and thinks the strangest things you ever heard. Scrooge was the Ogre of the family. Hay and coal can self-ignite, but Dickens claimed that human bodies could do so as well. At last, however, he began to thinkas you or I would have thought at first; for it is always the person not in the predicament who knows what ought to have been done in it, and would unquestionably have done it tooat last, I say, he began to think that the source and secret of this ghostly light might be in the adjoining room, from whence, on further tracing it, it seemed to shine. To Scrooges horror, looking back, he saw the last of the land, a frightful range of rocks, behind them; and his ears were deafened by the thundering of water, as it rolled and roared, and raged among the dreadful caverns it had worn, and fiercely tried to undermine the earth. He is such a ridiculous fellow!. There might have been twenty people there, young and old, but they all played, and so did Scrooge; for wholly forgetting in the interest he had in what was going on, that his voice made no sound in their ears, he sometimes came out with his guess quite loud, and very often guessed quite right, too; for the sharpest needle, best Whitechapel, warranted not to cut in the eye, was not sharper than Scrooge; blunt as he took it in his head to be. Long life to him! Where angels might have sat enthroned, devils lurked, and glared out menacing. If you had fallen up against him (as some of them did), on purpose, he would have made a feint of endeavouring to seize you, which would have been an affront to your understanding, and would instantly have sidled off in the direction of the plump sister. Mrs Cratchitdressed out but poorly in a twice-turned gown, but brave in ribbons, which are cheap, and make a goodly show for sixpence. Examine the minor character of Mrs. Cratchit in ''A . Man, said the Ghost, if man you be in heart, not adamant, forbear that wicked cant until you have discovered What the surplus is, and Where it is. He always knew where the plump sister was. Are there no prisons? said the Spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words. Oh, Man! The two young Cratchits laughed tremendously at the idea of Peter s being a man of business; and Peter himself looked thoughtfully at the fire from between his collars, as if he were deliberating what particular investments he should favour when he came into the receipt of that bewildering income. A smell like an eating-house and a pastrycooks next door to each other, with a laundresss next door to that! A smell like a washing-day! The walls and ceiling were so hung with living green, that it looked a perfect grove; from every part of which, bright gleaming berries glistened. Uncle Scrooge!. Joining their horny hands over the rough table at which they sat, they wished each other Merry Christmas in their can of grog; and one of them: the elder, too, with his face all damaged and scarred with hard weather, as the figure-head of an old ship might be: struck up a sturdy song that was like a Gale in itself. Which it certainly was. There were great, round, pot-bellied baskets of chestnuts, shaped like the waistcoats of jolly old gentlemen, lolling at the doors, and tumbling out into the street in their apoplectic opulence. Columbus Day is celebrated, on October 12 in many states and cities. Himself, always. Without venturing for Scrooge quite as hardily as this, I dont mind calling on you to believe that he was ready for a good broad field of strange appearances, and that nothing between a baby and rhinoceros would have astonished him very much. The pudding was out of the copper. He wears tattered clothes as he cannot afford a coat. It may be, that in the sight of Heaven, you are more worthless and less fit to live than millions like this poor mans child. What did Scrooge say about giving his clerk a day off to celebrate Christmas in Charles Dickens'sA Christmas Carol? The walls and ceiling were so hung with living green, that it looked a perfect grove; from every part of which, bright gleaming berries glistened. The narrator considers that the phrase "dead as a doornail" doesn't even describe Marley's lifelessness well enough. The spirit warns that unless his life changes and he has better conditions, he will die. The sight of these poor revellers appeared to interest the Spirit very much, for he stood with Scrooge beside him in a bakers doorway, and taking off the covers as their bearers passed, sprinkled incense on their dinners from his torch. It was the first of their proceedings which had no heartiness. Everybody had something to say about it, but nobody said or thought it was at all a small pudding for a large family. A tremendous family to provide for! muttered Scrooge. It was a long night, if it were only a night; but Scrooge had his doubts of this, because the Christmas Holidays appeared to be condensed into the space of time they passed together. And every man on board, waking or sleeping, good or bad, had had a kinder word for another on that day than on any day in the year; and had shared to some extent in its festivities; and had remembered those he cared for at a distance, and had known that they delighted to remember him. As the last stroke ceased to vibrate, he remembered the prediction of old Jacob Marley, and lifting up his eyes, beheld a solemn Phantom, draped and hooded, coming, like a mist along the ground, towards him. 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. Joining their horny hands over the rough table at which they sat, they wished each other Merry Christmas in their can of grog; and one of them: the elder, too, with his face all damaged and scarred with hard weather, as the figure-head of an old ship might be: struck up a sturdy song that was like a Gale in itself. The sky was gloomy, and the shortest streets were choked up with a dingy mist, half thawed, half frozen, whose heavier particles descended in a shower of sooty atoms, as if all the chimneys in Great Britain had, by one consent, caught fire, and were blazing away to their dear hearts content. The Song of the Shirt: Mrs Biddell and an early victory in the Victorian court of public opinion. But, they were happy, grateful, pleased with one another, and contented with the time; and when they faded, and looked happier yet in the bright sprinklings of the Spirits torch at parting, Scrooge had his eye upon them, and especially on Tiny Tim, until the last. And now two smaller Cratchits, boy and girl, came tearing in, screaming that outside the bakers they had smelt the goose, and known it for their own; and basking in luxurious thoughts of sage and onion, these young Cratchits danced about the table, and exalted Master Peter Cratchit to the skies, while he (not proud, although his collars nearly choked him) blew the fire, until the slow potatoes bubbling up, knocked loudly at the saucepan-lid to be let out and peeled. And every man on board, waking or sleeping, good or bad, had had a kinder word for another on that day than on any day in the year; and had shared to some extent in its festivities; and had remembered those he cared for at a distance, and had known that they delighted to remember him. What do you say, Topper?. But the whole scene passed off in the breath of the last word spoken by his nephew; and he and the Spirit were again upon their travels. Scrooge was the ogre of the family. Heres Martha, mother! said a girl, appearing as she spoke. Wed a deal of work to finish up last night, replied the girl, and had to clear away this morning, mother., Well! Scrooges nephew revelled in another laugh, and as it was impossible to keep the infection off; though the plump sister tried hard to do it with aromatic vinegar; his example was unanimously followed. Have they no refuge or resource? cried Scrooge. There was nothing very cheerful in the climate or the town, and yet was there an air of cheerfulness abroad that the clearest summer air and brightest summer sun might have endeavoured to diffuse in vain. Scrooge entered timidly, and hung his head before this Spirit. Hide, Martha, hide!. Also how she had seen a countess and a lord some days before, and how the lord was much about as tall as Peter; at which Peter pulled up his collars so high that you couldnt have seen his head if you had been there. Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. Complete the following sentences with the FUTURE forms of the verbs in parentheses. But it had undergone a surprising transformation. A Christmas Carol: Ebenezer Scrooge Quotes | SparkNotes ', When Scrooge protests against this future, the Spirit mocks him by retorting with Scrooge's cruel remark about the need for the poor to die, anyway, as they will "decrease the surplus population." If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, the child will die., No, no, said Scrooge. Heres Martha, mother! cried the two young Cratchits. 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. Uncle Scrooge!. Topper had clearly got his eye upon one of Scrooges nieces sisters, for he answered that a bachelor was a wretched outcast, who had no right to express an opinion on the subject. There are some upon this earth of yours, returned the Spirit, who lay claim to know us, and who do their deeds of passion, pride, ill-will, hatred, envy, bigotry, and selfishness in our name, who are as strange to us and all our kith and kin, as if they had never lived. Admit it for your factious purposes, and make it worse! And it was a very uncommon kind of torch, for once or twice when there were angry words between some dinner-carriers who had jostled each other, he shed a few drops of water on them from it, and their good humour was restored directly. Down in the west the setting sun had left a streak of fiery red, which glared upon the desolation for an instant, like a sullen eye, and frowning lower, lower, lower yet, was lost in the thick gloom of darkest night. It would have been flat heresy to do so. Bobs voice was tremulous when he told them this, and trembled more when he said that Tiny Tim was growing strong and hearty. Bakers were forbidden to bake bread on Sundays and holidays, but for a small fee they allowed people to bring meals to be cooked in their bakery ovens. After his interactions with the ghosts, Scrooge gratefully resolved to change his ways and be a more generous and kind person. If it only puts him in the vein to leave his poor clerk fifty pounds, thats something; and I think I shook him yesterday.. Accessed 1 May 2023. Who are the experts?Our certified Educators are real professors, teachers, and scholars who use their academic expertise to tackle your toughest questions. After it had passed away, they were ten times merrier than before, from the mere relief of Scrooge the Baleful being done with. Passing through the wall of mud and stone, they found a cheerful company assembled round a glowing fire. How do the Cratchits react to their Christmas feast, and what does their celebration show Scrooge in Dickens'sA Christmas Carol? Dickens says of Scrooge: ''To Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was a second father. Pop Goes The Weasel. 10 May 1851. The Spirit did not tarry here, but bade Scrooge hold his robe, and passing on above the moor, sped whither. He regards Cratchit merely as an expense and resents having to pay his miserable wages. The compound in the jug being tasted, and considered perfect, apples and oranges were put upon the table, and a shovel-full of chestnuts on the fire. . Study Questions, Activities, and Resources, 156. Now, being prepared for almost anything, he was not by any means prepared for nothing; and, consequently, when the Bell struck One, and no shape appeared, he was taken with a violent fit of trembling. Oh, no, kind Spirit! And they cling to me, appealing from their fathers. He said that Christmas was a humbug, as I live! cried Scrooges nephew. A glee is a song sung by three or more; a catch is a round, a song in which two or more voices sing the same melody but with each voice beginning at different times, as in Row, Row, Row Your Boat.. It was clothed in one simple green robe, or mantle, bordered with white fur. "A tremendous family to provide for!" muttered Scrooge. So surely as they raised their voices, the old man got quite blithe and loud; and so surely as they stopped, his vigour sank again. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Will you decide what men shall live, what men shall die? He dont do any good with it. 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. After a while they played at forfeits; for it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself. Tiny Tim drank it last of all, but he didn't care twopence for it. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Scrooge looked about him for the Ghost, and saw it not. This boy is Ignorance. If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.. 'Look upon me!'. say he will be spared., If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, none other of my race, returned the Ghost, will find him here. Eked out by apple-sauce and mashed potatoes, it was a sufficient dinner for the whole family; indeed, as Mrs Cratchit said with great delight (surveying one small atom of a bone upon the dish), they hadnt ate it all at last! There were great, round, pot-bellied baskets of chestnuts, shaped like the waistcoats of jolly old gentlemen, lolling at the doors, and tumbling out into the street in their apoplectic opulence. Everybody had something to say about it, but nobody said or thought it was at all a small pudding for a large family. He may rail at Christmas till he dies, but he cant help thinking better of itI defy himif he finds me going there, in good temper, year after year, and saying Uncle Scrooge, how are you. It was a great surprise to Scrooge, while listening to the moaning of the wind, and thinking what a solemn thing it was to move on through the lonely darkness over an unknown abyss, whose depths were secrets as profound as Death: it was a great surprise to Scrooge, while thus engaged, to hear a hearty laugh. Holly, mistletoe, red berries, ivy, turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn, meat, pigs, sausages, oysters, pies, puddings, fruit, and punch, all vanished instantly. In A Christmas Carol, what toast does Bob Cratchit make to the - eNotes AQA GCSE A Christmas Carol - Quotes Flashcards | Quizlet How does Dickens show this to be true? For a mean old skinflint like Scrooge, someone obsessed with making and hoarding money, this is a remarkable sight indeed. All this time the chestnuts and the jug went round and round; and by-and-bye they had a song, about a lost child travelling in the snow, from Tiny Tim, who had a plaintive little voice, and sang it very well indeed. And perhaps it was the pleasure the good Spirit had in showing off this power of his, or else it was his own kind, generous, hearty nature, and his sympathy with all poor men, that led him straight to Scrooges clerks; for there he went, and took Scrooge with him, holding to his robe; and on the threshold of the door the Spirit smiled, and stopped to bless Bob Cratchits dwelling with the sprinkling of his torch. As they move on with the spirit of Christmas future, the image of the Crachits and Tiny Tim remain with Scrooge who continues to be distressed by what he has seen of Tim's illness. Along the way he shouts angrily at poor people and at his nephew who invites him to dinner. say he will be spared., If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, none other of my race, returned the Ghost, will find him here. Give your view on Scrooge was the Ogre of the family. Although they don't have two brass ha'pennies to rub togetherlargely thanks to Scrooge's incorrigible stinginessthey still somehow manage to maintain a household full of love, warmth, and happiness. A place where Miners live, who labour in the bowels of the earth, returned the Spirit. But soon the steeples called good people all, to church and chapel, and away they came, flocking through the streets in their best clothes, and with their gayest faces. Scrooge started back, appalled. For he wished to challenge the Spirit on the moment of its appearance, and did not wish to be taken by surprise, and made nervous. ", poverty and lack of education will ruin the city of London. For they were a musical family, and knew what they were about, when they sung a Glee or Catch, I can assure you: especially Topper, who could growl away in the bass like a good one, and never swell the large veins in his forehead, or get red in the face over it. And at the same time there emerged from scores of bye-streets, lanes, and nameless turnings, innumerable people, carrying their dinners to the bakers shops. Ebenezer Scrooge - Wikipedia She was very pretty: exceedingly pretty. Mrs. Cratchit voices her dislikes, and refers to Scrooge as an "odious, stingy, hard, unfeeling man." The family feels this way toward Scrooge because Mr. Cratchit works hard as his employee but is paid little and treated poorly. It was their turn to laugh now at the notion of his shaking Scrooge. Scrooge appears both baffled by the family's happiness and to soften at this point, remembering some of the things he has said to Crachit and how he has treated him. Bless those women; they never do anything by halves. 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. It was strange, too, that while Scrooge remained unaltered in his outward form, the Ghost grew older, clearly older. Scrooge was the Ogre of the family. Study Questions, Activities, and Resources, 28. All this time, he lay upon his bed, the very core and centre of a blaze of ruddy light, which streamed upon it when the clock proclaimed the hour; and which, being only light, was more alarming than a dozen ghosts, as he was powerless to make out what it meant, or would be at; and was sometimes apprehensive that he might be at that very moment an interesting case of spontaneous combustion[1], without having the consolation of knowing it. The narrator calls Dickens an Ogre of the Cratchit Family. Id give him a piece of my mind to feast upon, and I hope hed have a good appetite for it.My dear, said Bob, the children!
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