Hello and welcome to today's lesson.

My name is Miss Holiday.

Thank you so much for joining me.

I'm really looking forward to today's lesson because we are examining one of my favourite characters in "A Christmas Carol" and the character that I feel is one of the most influential and impactful figures in the novella, Tiny Tim.

Even though he is called Tiny Tim, for me, he just plays such a massive role in Scrooge's transformation and I can't wait to examine that in more detail with you today.

By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to explain how Tiny Tim might be presented as a Christ-figure within the novella, who plays a significant role in the salvation of Scrooge.

Let's get started.

Here are some keywords that you'll need for today's lesson.

We've got pious, resurrection, salvation, significant and Christ-figure.

Here are the definitions of these keywords.

Let's talk through them together.

So first of all, somebody pious is somebody who is deeply religious and devotedly religious.

A resurrection is the act of coming back to life following death.

Salvation means being rescued from sin and its consequences, believed by Christians to be brought about by faith in Jesus Christ.

If something is significant, it's really important or it's deeply important.

And finally, a Christ-figure is somebody who is representative of Jesus Christ.

As we progress through the learning, it'd be great if you could keep a lookout for these keywords.

If you need to write them down, then please do feel free to pause the video and do so.

Here's our lesson outline for today.

We're going to start off by looking at Tiny Tim as a Christ-figure across the novella.

We're then going to focus in more specifically at Tiny Tim's resurrection.

But let's start with Tiny Tim as a Christ-figure first.

We're going to start as always with a discussion.

So in Christianity, who is Jesus Christ? What do you know about Jesus Christ? And what role do you know that Jesus Christ played in the salvation of mankind? So the saving of somebody from sin.

I'm going to invite you now to pause the video while you consider those questions either independently if you're on your own or in groups if you are with other people.

Pause the video and off you go.

Fantastic discussions, and I can see that many of you already know quite a lot about the figure of Jesus Christ and that's going to serve you really well in today's lesson.

So great discussions.

So here are some details from the Bible about Jesus' life.

First of all, Jesus is the Son of God in Christianity.

He was allegedly born on what we now know as Christmas Day to a poor carpenter Joseph and his wife Mary.

We know that Jesus was a prophet who preached about God to His followers.

And He told His followers parables, and these are moral stories.

He also performed miracles such as making blind men see and lame people walk again and turning water into wine and feeding vast numbers of people from very little sustenance.

We know that Jesus was sent to earth to absolve mankind of sin, so to save mankind.

But we also know that He was crucified by the Romans.

Following His crucifixion, Jesus rose again three days later and earned His rightful place in heaven.

So bearing those facts about Jesus in mind, I'd like you to think now, well, can you see any similarities already between Tiny Tim and Jesus Christ? So I'm going to invite you to pause the video while you consider that question now.

Again, some really fantastic discussions and lovely to see so many of you tying your arguments to specific moments in the text, and that's what we're going to move on to look at now, well done.

So Jesus was often described as patient and mild, just like in the Christmas Carol 'Silent Night' where Jesus is described as, "Holy infant, so tender and mild." Now Sam, one of our fantastic Oak pupils had this to say, "This description of Jesus Christ reminds me very much of the way that Tiny Tim is portrayed in "A Christmas Carol"." And that's a really interesting point from Sam.

And what I'd like you to do is see if you can find evidence from the text to support Sam's idea.

So in order to do this, you'll need to have your copy of "A Christmas Carol" open, and as you're discussing with the people around you, you need to be flicking through the text looking for evidence that supports Sam's idea that Tiny Tim is portrayed as a patient and mild child in the same way that Jesus Christ was.

So pause the video and off you go.

Fantastic work.

Really impressive, and some really fruitful discussions with many people making very comprehensive notes based on their discussions.

Excellent work.

So here's some of the evidence you might have found that arguably could link Tiny Tim with Jesus Christ.

So first of all, we have this quotation from state four after the death of Tiny Tim where the narrator states, "Spirit of Tiny Tim, thy childish essence was from God." Again, another quote from state four, "I know my dears, that when we recollect how patient and how mild he was, although he was a little, little child, we shall not quarrel easily among ourselves, and forget poor Tiny Tim in doing it." So again, another quotation there from state four following Tiny Tim's death.

We also of course have one of the most famous lines of the novella from Tiny Tim himself when he says, "God bless us, every one." And that's actually repeated twice in the novella.

Once in stave three and once right at the end of of the novella as the final words.

And finally again in stave 3 we're told that, "He hoped the people saw him in the church and it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas Day who made lame beggars walk and blind men see." Some really good evidence there.

And well done if you picked out any of those four quotations, excellent work.

What I'm going to ask you to do now is take each of these quotations and explain or annotate how it links Tiny Tim with Jesus Christ.

So I want you to really kind of delve in and start to think, well, exactly how is Dickens perhaps drawing parallels between Tiny Tim and Jesus Christ in these quotations? So what I'm going to do is I'm going to invite you to pause the video for a few moments while you discuss this with the people around you.

And I would recommend that you make notes as you're discussing, as these will be really useful pieces of information and ideas that you might want to refer back to.

So pause the video and off you go.

Some really fantastic discussions there.

And again, some really detailed analysis, some very perceptive ideas being shared there, some fantastic work.

So what I've done here is I've just put the quotations into a grid just to make it easier for you guys to see which quotation goes with which analysis.

So let's have a look at some of the analysis and some of the ideas that you might have come up with.

So first of all, this quotation, "Spirit of Tiny Tim, thy childish essence was from God." Well this idea of Tiny Tim being from God could reflect the idea that he is a Christ-figure because he is hailed as a child of God.

So it's that word from God.

It's almost like God has sent Tiny Tim in the same way that he sent Jesus Christ to earth to absolve mankind of its sins.

So again, there's this real kind of suggestion here potentially that actually Tiny Tim is almost like the Son of God, and therefore you could argue that there are parallels drawn between Tiny Tim and Jesus Christ in the novella.

The second quotation, "How patient and how mild he was." Again, we know that Dickens has used the very same language that is often used to describe Jesus to describe Tiny Tim here in stave 4 of the novella.

So again, that could be Dickens making really explicit links between the character of Tiny Tim and Jesus Christ in the novella.

Now the third quotation is actually said by Bob Cratchit in stave 3 when Mrs Cratchit asks him how Tiny Tim got on.

And Bob says, "He hoped the people saw him in the church and it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas Day who made lame beggar's walk, and blind men see." So here, Tiny Tim's actually explicitly stating that he hopes people look at him and are reminded of Jesus Christ and His miracles.

And that might be Dickens' positioning Tiny Tim as a Christ-figure by suggesting that we as the readers are supposed to regard Tiny Tim as almost like a representation of Christ in the novella.

And finally he says, "God bless us, every one." And as we said before, that is a direct quote from Tiny Tim himself.

Now, in the same way that Jesus preached and taught about God, you could argue that in this quotation Tiny Tim is hailing the glory of God and is thankful and grateful for his blessed life.

Tiny Tim is presented as really pious.

Okay, we know he went to church with his father.

We know that he kind of, you know, really believes in the miracles of Jesus Christ because he wants other people to be reminded of them when they look at him.

So here, Tiny Tim's piety and his religious devotion really perhaps are Dickens drawing parallels between Tiny Tim and Jesus Christ.

So well done if you've got any of those ideas, fantastic work.

And as always, please do feel free to write down anything that you think might be useful when you come back to revise this text.

So let's check for understanding before we move on.

Which quotation best supports this idea that Tiny Tim could be interpreted as a Christ-figure? Is it A, "I see a vacant seat in the poor chimney corner"? Is it B, "Thy childish essence was from God"? Or is it C, 'As good as gold and better"? I'm going to invite you now to pause the video while you make your answer selection.

Off you go.

And well done if you selected B, you're absolutely right.

If you remember we said it was those words from God that suggest that perhaps Tiny Tim, like Jesus Christ was sent to earth from God and that maybe positions him as the Son of God and therefore Jesus Christ.

So well done if you got B, you're absolutely right.

So onto our first task of the lesson.

In the Bible, Jesus Christ says, "There will never cease to be poor in the land.

Therefore, I command you, "You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor in your land."" Now during his visit with Scrooge, Marley's Ghost says, "Why did I walk through crowds of fellow beings with my eyes turned down and never raised them to that blessed Star which led the Wise Men to a poor abode? Were there no poor homes to which its light would've conducted me?" And you might be thinking, well, how do those two quotations link to one another? And that's your task.

So I'd like you to think, well, if we interpret Tiny Tim as a Christ-figure, who do the Wise Men that Marley's Ghost speak of represent in the novella and who do we meet whose home is poor? Now this is a really difficult task, so I'd like you to discuss it with the people around you.

And it might be wise just to take a moment or two to consider it yourself before you take your ideas to the group or to another person.

So I would recommend that you take a few moments just to reflect on the questions yourself and then present them to the people around you.

So I'm going to invite you now to pause the video while you use the quotations to discuss the questions on screen.

Off you go.

Fantastic work and some really, really impressively insightful suggestions there.

This was a really difficult task and I'm so impressed by how many of you were able to come up with some really viable and well thought out ideas.

So excellent work.

So here's what you might have discussed.

When Dickens alluded to the Wise Men during Marley's Ghost's visit, he might be drawing parallels between the spirits and the Wise Men because both give light and guidance to those who they lead.

Okay, so if you think of, you know, Scrooge being led by the Wise Men, he's being led by the spirits, isn't he? Now, when Marley's Ghost questions why he didn't raise his eyes to the blessed Star, he's effectively advising Scrooge to allow himself to be guided towards the poor homes.

So in other words, the home of Tiny Tim Cratchit who we know is poor and is in massive need of help and support.

So therefore if we interpret Tiny Tim as a Christ-figure, we could say that Scrooge is actually being led by the spirits or the Wise Men towards the rebirth of a poor, tender and mild infant, so Tiny Tim.

So you could actually perhaps say that Scrooge's entire kind of end goal or end destination in his spiritual transformation is so that he can make a difference to the life of Tiny Tim.

And finally, perhaps Marley's Ghost is suggesting then like Jesus in the Bible, that man's true purpose is that of social responsibility.

So we looked at that quotation in the task, didn't we? Of you know, need to lend your hand to your brothers.

And that is a message of social responsibility.

So even in the Bible, Jesus was spreading a message of kinda kindness, empathy and charity and to help those in need.

And actually Marley's Ghost here is spouting the exact same message.

So it seems here that Dickens is drawing those biblical parallels because he is trying to suggest that our very, very key responsibility as human beings is to take care of one another in the same way that Jesus Christ advocated for social responsibility in the Bible.

So well done if you've got any of those ideas and let's move on.

So we're going to look now at Tiny Tim's resurrection.

So we know that Jesus Christ was a really significant figure who was born to two poor people and played a significant role in the salvation of mankind.

So in the saving of mankind from sin.

The Bible tells us that the son of man must be delivered over to the hands of the sinners, be crucified, and on the third day be raised again.

Now our lovely pupil Lucas said, "But Tiny Tim's also from humble beginnings and is also a significant figure who plays a very key role in the salvation of Scrooge." And I really like this idea from Lucas.

So what I'd like you to do now is see if you can help Lucas out a little bit by finding him some evidence from the text to support his view.

So I'm going to invite you now to pause the video while you look for evidence that actually Tiny Tim plays a significant role in the salvation of Scrooge.

Off you go.

Fantastic work.

And here's what you might have said.

So as Alex puts, "Tiny Tim is the son of Bob and his wife who live a challenging life because of their poverty.

Tiny Tim plays a very crucial role in the salvation of Scrooge because it is seeing Tiny Tim's struggle and then death that significantly contributes to Scrooge's realisation that he has been miserly and uncharitable, but also his willingness to change so that Tiny Tim will live." And Aisha adds to this.

"So just like Jesus Christ had to die for mankind since I think that Tiny Tim effectively has to die for Scrooge to realise the error of his ways." And I really like this idea because both these students are kind of suggesting that in the novella, Tiny Tim is somewhat of a martyr in the same way that Jesus Christ was.

So Tiny Tim is almost sacrificed in a way by Dickens, obviously metaphorically, because he actually doesn't end up dying, but he's almost metaphorically sacrificed for Scrooge's sake so that he can recognise exactly what he was doing wrong.

And then he's almost brought back to life by Dickens so that Scrooge can make that impressive transformation and really kind of enrich his life and prolong it through his transformation and his new found moral purpose.

So I really like this idea that both the students are kind of suggesting that perhaps in the novella Tiny Tim is almost positioned as this kind of martyr figure.

And that in itself kinda makes Dickens perhaps draw parallels between Tiny Tim and Jesus Christ.

So well done if you've got those ideas during your discussions.

So let's check for understanding.

In what way could Tiny Tim's death be linked to Jesus Christ? Is it A, that both had to die for the salvation of others? Is it B, that both are mourned by many? Or is it C, that both perform a miracle and are resurrected? So again, I'm going to invite you to pause the video while you consider the answers now.

And a massive well done, if you correctly identified that it is in fact A.

As we've just said, there is kind of this suggestion that both Tiny Tim and Jesus Christ are martyrs that have to die unfortunately for the salvation of others.

And that is an idea that we do see in "A Christmas Carol" because it almost seems like Tiny Tim and seeing his struggles is kind of what catalyses Scrooge's change or is what you know really kind of spurs Scrooge on to make positive changes to his life.

And therefore you could argue that without, you know, the suffering of Tiny Tim in the novella, Scrooge perhaps wouldn't so quickly or so effectively realise where he's been going wrong and make such impressive changes to his life and his outlook.

So well done if you got A.

So as Aisha points out, "In the Bible, Jesus is crucified and then is resurrected.

And I think that Tiny Tim has a form of resurrection in the novella that makes him akin to Christ." So again, we have touched on this idea already, but I'd like to see if you are able to explain it.

So I'd like you to explain to somebody else or write it down if you're working independently, how this could be true.

So how does Tiny Tim have a form of resurrection in the novella and how does that kind of allow Dickens to draw parallels between him and Jesus Christ? So pause the video and off you go.

Fantastic work.

And let's turn to Andeep for his ideas and suggestions that you might also have got.

So Andeep identifies, "The moments between stave 4 and 5 are significant because Scrooge's transformation is what gives Tiny Tim a new life.

So this could be seen as a sort of resurrection because we've already witnessed Tiny Tim's death in stave 4." But then in stave 5 we're told that actually Scrooge became a second father to Tiny Tim.

And that kind of suggests that Tiny Tim was given a prosperous life and that Scrooge's kind of moral transformation enabled that.

And then Izzy adds to this, "Well, Dickens resurrects Tiny Tim to show the gift of vitality." So to show the gift of being alive.

"And the miracle of Scrooge's transformation, Tim's survival in itself is a miracle, which shows how much impact that one human being can have on another." And I really like this idea because actually here, Tiny Tim's survival is miraculous.

He's so frail and he's so weak in stave 3 of the novella.

And miraculously by stave 5, he's able to have this more prosperous life where Scrooge is kind of a second father to him.

And I think that Dickens does portray this as a miracle to show us how impressive Scrooge's transformation is and how much of a central role Scrooge's transformation has played in the kind of quality of life of Tiny Tim.

So Dickens here is really trying to show us what a difference one person can make to the life of another.

And then Lucas adds, "But surely if Scrooge gives Tiny Tim his new life, then that makes him the Christ-figure." And Andeep replies, "Hmm, that's an interesting idea.

I'm not sure Scrooge can be likened to Christ though because of his previous behavior."1 What do you think? And actually Andeep's throwing this out to you guys and he's asking you to discuss this.

So I'm going to invite you now to pause the video while you try and clarify this for Lucas, Andeep and Izzy.

So do you think that Scrooge is at any point positioned as a Christ-figure in the novella? So pause the video and discuss that with the people around you now.

Thank you, some really interesting ideas there and a real kind of diverse variety of different perspectives on this issue.

And some people saying they think Scrooge can be considered a Christ-figure, and then many people saying they don't think he can because of his immorality, but it was really interesting to hear the spectrum of different perspectives that you had.

So well done for those discussions, and thank you.

So in response to Lucas's question, Izzy states, "Scrooge is not a Christ-figure for the reasons that you mentioned, but he does teach us the importance of the Christian values of charity and empathy, though these are just essentially humanitarian values." And I have to agree with Izzy here because I really think it's quite problematic to try and view Scrooge as a Christ-figure because of all of his avaricious and immoral behaviour early on in the novella.

You know, we can't really say that he's representative of Jesus Christ.

I can see why somebody might say that, but I just think because of all his immorality and wickedness in the beginning of the novella, we really can't be drawing those parallels between Scrooge and Jesus Christ here.

And I think what is much more kind of viable and much more evidence suggestion is actually that it's Tiny Tim who is presented as the Christ-figure and not Scrooge.

So I'm going to agree with Izzy on this instance, but obviously you're all entitled to your own opinions.

This is just my opinion and I'm going to side with Izzy here.

So thank you for your suggestions and really well done for those discussions.

So answer the last task of the lesson where I'd like you to write a response to the following question using evidence from the text to justify your responses.

So the first question is, what parallels are drawn between Tiny Tim and Jesus Christ? Question two is, in what way might Tiny Tim be said to have been resurrected? And question three is, how does Dickens use the threat of Tiny Tim dying and then his second chance at life to deliver his moral message? So I'm sure you've noticed that we've actually in this task drawn together both learning cycles from this lesson into one quite challenging but very interesting task.

So I'd like you to give this your very best go.

You're absolutely welcome to use your copy of the text and your notes from this lesson to help you answer the questions.

But I am looking for full sentences with evidence from the text to justify your ideas.

So pause the video and off you go.

Really well done there.

And I saw some fantastic demonstrations of resilience because I know that many of you found this quite a difficult task because it is, it's a really hard task.

But I was blown away by your resilience and your perseverance in this task.

So a massive well done.

So here's what you might have said, and if you struggled with any of the questions, that's absolutely fine.

Just add anything that you might have missed to your own responses so you've got them in your notes.

So for the first question, what parallels are drawn between Tiny Tim and Jesus Christ? You might have said that Dickens makes several allusions to Jesus Christ through the character of Tiny Tim, most noticeably in his description of Tiny Tim as a patient and mild child.

And also Tiny Tim's hope that people might see him in church and remember upon Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk and blind men see.

So that is an outline of the basic parallels that arguably Dickens draws between Tiny Tim and Jesus.

Now in terms of the second question, and when might Tiny Tim be said to have been resurrected, you might have had this to say.

In stave 3 of the novella, Scrooge is told that if the shadows of these things remain unaltered, Tiny Tim will die.

We then see the aftermath of the death of Tiny Tim in stave four, and we witness the Cratchit family's grief and heartache, which makes the death feel really real to the reader.

Then in stave 5, we see Scrooge become a second father to Tiny Tim who miraculously has been spared from death.

And this in itself in a sense, is a resurrection for Tiny Tim and for Scrooge because both of them are given a new opportunity to almost have a spiritual or kind of physical rebirth.

So for Scrooge, it's more of a spiritual rebirth.

For Tiny Tim, it's more of a physical rebirth because he becomes well again, and it's miraculous nature.

So the miraculous nature of both of these kinds of resurrection show us the transformative power of Christian values like charity, empathy and kindness.

So Dickens is kinda suggesting here that you know, if you embody these Christian virtues and values, you are capable of performing real miracles on other people's lives and indeed your own.

So the fact that Dickens does present Tiny Tim's recovery as miraculous, allows him to really celebrate the transformative power of empathy, kindness, and charity.

And finally, how does Dickens use the threat of Tiny Tim dying and this second chance at life to deliver his moral message? Now we touched upon this already but to summarise, through the death and the resurrection of Tiny Tim Dickens is perhaps trying to show us the almost magic and transformative power of Christian values like kindness, generosity, and empathy.

The real miracle of the text is not only Tiny Tim's second chance at life, but also Scrooge's transformation, which I just said is an almost kind of resurrection in itself.

In the same way that Jesus Christ performed miracles, Tiny Tim becomes a miracle himself as it is implied that he goes on to live a prosperous and fulfilling life with Scrooge by his side.

Thus, Dickens is showing us the incredible power of social responsibility and philanthropy through the hypothetical death of Tiny Tim.

So as I said before, Tiny Tim's death shows us just how much of a difference one person, so Scrooge, is able to make to another's life just through those simple values of kindness, empathy and charity.

So well done if you've got any of those ideas.

And as always, feel free to pinch anything that you see on screen that you like for your own notes.

Well done.

So to summarise the learning from today, Dickens arguably draws parallels between Tiny Tim and Christ who both play significant roles in others salvation.

Like Jesus Christ, Tiny Tim is described as a patient and mild child.

And arguably, Tiny Tim has a sort of resurrection in the novella because we witness the aftermath of his death in stave 4 and then we see him alive and well in stave 5.

Furthermore, Tiny Tim's resurrection and Scrooge's transformation are both portrayed as miracles that are akin to the miracles that Jesus performs in the Bible.

Through the death and then resurrection of Tiny Tim, Dickens is perhaps trying to show us the almost magic and transformative power of Christian values like kindness, generosity, and empathy.

And finally, some parallels might be drawn between Scrooge and Christ, as he also arguably is reborn and teaches us in the end the importance of kindness and empathy.

Thank you so much for coming to today's lesson and engaging so actively in your learning.

It has been utterly fascinating to hear your ideas that have arisen from the discussions.

And I just love kind of the spectrum of perspectives that we've had in today's lesson.

So a massive thank you and a big well done.

Have a lovely rest of your day.

I'll see you later.

Bye.