Hello, everyone, my name's Ms. Keller, and I'm so glad that you could join me for today's lesson.

In this session, we are going to be exploring how Dickens depicts different social classes in "A Christmas Carol," and comparing and contrasting these depictions and thinking about why it is that he might depict them so differently.

So grab your copy of the text and let's get started.

So by the end of today's lesson, we'll be able to compare how Dickens presents Christmas celebrations of characters from different social classes.

So let's have a look at today's keywords.

We have modest, social class, class divide, symbolise, and excess.

And I just want to draw your attention to a few of the words here.

First of all, the first and last word, modest and excess, because they have opposite meanings.

So excess is an amount beyond what is necessary.

It's too much, it's too overindulgent, more than anyone would need.

And modest is quite the opposite.

It's humble, it's moderate, it's not very much at all, not overly showy, perhaps just enough.

And finally, that word symbolise, we're going to be using it quite a lot in today's lesson.

For something to symbolise something else, it means it represents it, or it stands in for it often through a symbol or an action or an object.

So quite often, a heart symbolises love, for example.

So do take a moment to familiarise yourself with the rest of these definitions because we will be encountering them quite a lot in today's lesson.

So how is today's lesson going to look? Well, we're going to start off by exploring what Christmas was like during the Victorian era.

And then after that, we're going to jump into "A Christmas Carol" and explore Dickens's view of Christmas for the rich and poor.

So I'd like to start off by thinking about common symbols of Christmas, and we've got that keyword there.

So remember, we're thinking of things that represent or could stand in for the wider idea of Christmas.

So I'd like to hand over to you for a discussion to start us off.

What do you associate with Christmas? So take some time to discuss this with the people around you, or if you're working on your own, don't worry, just make some notes on your paper or on your laptop.

Pause the video here and click play when you're ready for us to feedback together.

Okay, welcome back.

I overheard lots of really interesting responses there.

So let's just summarise some common symbols of Christmas.

So we've got family, decorations, food, Santa Claus, gifts, and Christianity.

And these represent lots of different aspects of Christmas celebrations and things that perhaps people associate with their own personal experiences of Christmas.

So my next question to you is this.

Do you think everyone would associate all of these things with Christmas? So pause the video while you have a think.

Perhaps share your own personal experiences of Christmas with the people around you or make some notes.

And when you're ready for us to feedback together, click play and we'll continue.

Welcome back.

So some of you are pointing out there that no, we don't necessarily all have the same impression of Christmas, and we certainly wouldn't all associate the same symbols of Christmas.

So you might have said something along these lines.

For example, there are many people who celebrate Christmas, but aren't Christians or do not hold religious beliefs.

So they might associate lots of these symbols, but perhaps not Christianity.

Conversely, there are many people who prefer to focus on the religious aspects of Christmas and avoid the more commercial side of this holiday.

So perhaps decorations or gifts or Santa Claus would not necessarily be symbols of Christmas for them.

And there are also many people who can't afford to buy extravagant food, gifts, or decorations, and they may have to work on Christmas day and they cannot celebrate with their family.

So even though perhaps they might like to associate more of these symbols with their type of Christmas, unfortunately they can't.

During the Victorian era, social class played an important role in the lives people could lead and the opportunities that they had.

So I'd like you to start thinking about how Victorian social class might have impacted the day-to-day lives of people living in the Victorian era.

So take some time to discuss with the people around you or make some notes.

How do you think life was different for working class Victorians and then wealthy Victorians? Pause the video here and click play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, welcome back.

I could hear lots of really fantastic responses there with people coming up with some really important pieces of contextual knowledge about the Victorian era that is relevant to our study of "A Christmas Carol." So let's just summarise what life was like for the different social classes in the 1800s.

So for the Victorian working classes, they often worked long hours for very little pay.

They lived in overcrowded or unsanitary conditions, and unsanitary means unclean or unhygienic to the point where it actually might cause health problems for the people who were living there.

The mortality rate was high.

And this means the rate at which people were dying, especially among women and children.

And actually in Victorian London, one in five children didn't make it beyond their first birthday.

And finally, many working class people often did jobs that involved serving the wealthier classes.

For example, they worked as butlers or maids or cooks.

And even those that didn't work directly perhaps in the homes of wealthier people, often worked for the businesses that were run by wealthier people.

So another really common job in the Victorian era was to work in factories.

And often, the factories were owned by middle or upper class Victorians.

So now let's explore what their life was like, how the other half lived.

So middle and upper class Victorians worked in comfortable conditions or they didn't have to work at all.

They often owned their own businesses or they worked in professional jobs.

For example, they might have been doctors.

They lived in enormous houses with lots of domestic staff.

So they had a lot of working class Victorians working in their homes and serving them and helping to make their day-to-day lives easier.

They had access to high-quality education and to healthcare, both of which were private in the 1800s, and they could be afforded by the wealthy classes.

And they often dehumanised the poor, showing very little sympathy for them.

And quite a common belief in the Victorian era was that poor people were lazy or stupid and actually if they just worked a bit harder, they might be able to escape poverty.

Now today, we know that that is a myth and it isn't true at all because working class people do not have access to the same opportunities and life chances that perhaps people from wealthier backgrounds do.

But in the Victorian times, this was quite a common belief.

So over to you again then for a quick discussion.

So now we've explored how day-to-day life looked very different for these two classes.

How do you think Christmas might have looked different for each of the social classes? Pause the video here while you take some time to discuss it and click play when you're ready for us to feedback together.

Okay, welcome back.

So you might have said that for the working classes, Christmas was modest and simple.

Remember we've got that word modest.

It means just enough, humble, not overly showy.

People had little or no time off work over Christmas, so they were only able to hold perhaps simple family gatherings, if they were able to gather with their loved ones at all.

There were humble meals that used cheap ingredients.

For example, it was quite common for working class people to eat goose for their Christmas dinner rather than turkey because it was a cheaper meat.

And even then, the idea that they would be eating goose would be quite luxurious for them.

And this is certainly not an ingredient that they would've been eating for the rest of the year.

Presents were often cheap or homemade, if they were able to give presents to their loved ones at all.

And there were little or no decorations, mainly because housing for working class people was often shared and often very cramped.

Whole families were often living in one single room.

So what about Christmas for the middle and upper classes? It was quite the opposite.

Christmas was an opportunity for the wealthy Victorians to show off their money and their status.

Fortunate enough to have the time and money that allowed them to toast lavish feasts, served by the staff that they employed in their houses.

These meals have multiple courses and festive delicacies, so they use lots of luxurious ingredients.

For example, plum pudding was quite often on the menu of wealthy Victorian Christmas dinners.

Their homes were elaborately decorated, and gifts were extravagant and indulgent.

So every aspect of wealthy Christmas could not have been more opposite from the Christmas celebrations that were enjoyed by the working classes.

So let's pause here and check our understanding so far.

Christmas was a modest and simple affair for working class Victorians because why? So take a look at these four reasons and decide which one you think best completes this sentence.

Pause the video while you have a think and click play when you're ready for me to reveal the correct answer.

Okay, welcome back, and well done to those of you who said A and D.

Because many people had to work on Christmas Day, so it was perhaps quite difficult for them to attend family gatherings at Christmas time, and also because working class people couldn't afford to indulge in lavish gifts and decorations.

Okay, so now a question about wealthy Victorians.

So for wealthy Victorians, Christmas was what? Again, read through the options and decide which you think best complete this sentence.

Pause the video here and click play when you're ready for me to reveal the correct answer.

Okay, welcome back, and well done to those of you that said B and C.

Christmas was an opportunity for wealthy Victorians to demonstrate their wealth and status, which was also a time where many people held lavish, indulgent parties.

So you know it's time for the first practise task of today's lesson.

So our Oak pupils are discussing the values that they associate with Christmas.

So Aisha says, "Christmas is a time for giving, giving presents and helping those who are less fortunate." Jacob thinks that Christmas is about family and being grateful for quality time spent together.

For one day of the year, society takes a day off to celebrate with loved ones.

And for Laura, Christmas is far too concerned with excess, extravagant meals and expensive presents.

She thinks we've forgotten what it's really about.

So what I would like you to do is take a moment to think about each of our Oak pupils' views there and ask yourself, do you think Charles Dickens would agree with these views? And can you think of any links to scenes or ideas in "A Christmas Carol" that might imply perhaps that he does or he doesn't agree with them? So pause the video here while you take some time to think about these views carefully, make your links and share your ideas with the people around you.

And when you're ready for us to go through it together, click play and we'll continue.

Okay, welcome back.

So here is how our Oak pupils responded.

So let's start with Aisha's view.

And if we remember, Aisha thought that Christmas was a time for giving and helping those who are less fortunate.

So how could this link to "A Christmas Carol?" Well, arguably, charity and compassion are key themes in the novella and Scrooge's journey of redemption.

So actually, these ideas are really central to our understanding of "A Christmas Carol." So over to Jacob then.

"Christmas is about family and being grateful for spending time together." So we could actually link this to the Cratchits, because arguably, they symbolise the importance of family in the text.

Despite the challenges of living in poverty, they're grateful for the time that they're able to spend together.

And finally down to Laura who said that Christmas was far too concerned with excess.

So while some characters like Scrooge selfishly hoard their wealth, others like Fezziwig and the portly gentleman use their wealth to show compassion.

So we're definitely getting that different depiction there perhaps of wealthy people from Dickens, suggesting that wealthy people don't need to necessarily behave as Scrooge does.

So over to you for one final discussion in this part of the lesson then.

Did you include any of these examples in your discussion? And can you think of any further examples from the text? So pause the video here while you take some time to discuss it or make some notes.

And when you're ready to continue, click play and we'll carry on.

Okay, so we've made it to the halfway point of today's lesson.

So now we've explored what Christmas was like during the Victorian era.

Let's have a look at the text more specifically and zoom in on some specific extracts from the novella that helps to explore Dickens's view of Christmas for the rich and poor.

So in "A Christmas Carol," Dickens portrays various examples of Christmas in the Victorian era.

Can you think of any scenes from the novella which specifically depict Christmas scenes? So do pause the video here for a moment, take some time to discuss it and make some notes.

And when you're ready for us to feedback together, click play.

Okay, welcome back.

I could overhear lots of really fantastic suggestions there.

There are quite a few scenes in the text that depict Christmas celebrations.

So you might have identified that in stave two, Scrooge witnesses Fezziwig's Christmas party when he visits with the ghost of Christmas past.

And he also explores his own isolated Christmases from his childhood.

And then in stave three, when he's with the ghost of Christmas present, he watches on as he sees Christmas scenes unfold in the streets with Christmas shoppers and people preparing for their own Christmas celebrations.

They also drop in on the Cratchit family Christmas and also on Fred's Christmas gathering.

And then they drop in on some various scenes of different working class people celebrating Christmas, such as miners and lighthouse keepers.

So for the rest of the lesson, we are going to analyse two different extracts from stave three, comparing how Dickens presents Christmas for the different social classes.

So we're going to start with extract one.

So what I would like you to do is read the extract carefully.

You can find a copy of it in the additional materials section of this lesson.

And once you've read it through, I'd like you to ask yourself, do you think this scene depicts Christmas for rich or poor Victorians? And even better, start to get an idea of why you think that might be.

So pause the video here while you take some time to read it, discuss it and make some notes.

And when you're ready for us to go through it together, click play.

Okay, welcome back.

I hope you had a chance to really get to grips with that extract.

So did we think that this scene depicted Christmas for rich or for poor Victorians? Although it doesn't explicitly state it in the text, Dickens gives the reader many clues which suggest that this scene depicts Christmas for wealthy people.

So hopefully, you were starting to formulate an idea in your mind of why you think that might be.

So now it's time to see if you can identify some specific examples of how Dickens is using language to imply that this scene depicts Christmas for the wealthy.

So pause the video here or have another look over the text and perhaps annotate or underline some examples.

And then when you're ready for us to go through the extract together, click play and we'll continue.

Okay, so let's explore the extract in detail, starting with this section here at the beginning.

Arguably, this scene focuses on abundance and excess.

And remember that that word excess means too much, more than we could possibly need.

So how does it do that? Well, Dickens emphasises quite how much food there was in the shop using listing.

We've got all these commas here to really build up that sense of breathlessness, more and more and more food in this description.

Also, he uses repetition.

So briskly, so grateful, so plentiful, so extremely white, so long, so delicious.

Again, really building up that sense that there is more and more and more food.

And he also uses vivid descriptions of each of the food items. So we've got this idea that the raisins were so plentiful and rare, the almonds so extremely white, sticks of cinnamon were so long and straight, the candied fruits were so caked and spotted with molten sugar.

These are all really vivid descriptions that readers would find it quite easy to picture these food items in their minds.

So how do these descriptive words and phrases give the impression that this food is for wealthy people? So just focus in here on the words and phrases that we've got there highlighted in green.

How do these descriptive words give this impression? Pause the video here while you have a think and discuss it.

And when you're ready for us to discuss it together, click play.

Okay, welcome back.

So well done if you picked up on this idea that they imply that the food is high quality, it's delicious, so it's obviously gonna taste really nice.

Also, they imply that it's exclusive.

So we've got words like rare, which means it's perhaps not very easy to come by.

And if it's exclusive, that might also suggest that it's expensive.

It also uses sensory descriptions to help the reader imagine it vividly.

So we're really getting this idea that this food being described here is perhaps some of the best food that money can buy.

So let's move on to the next part of the extract.

So how does Dickens imply that the plums here are an indulgent treat? So take a moment to reread, specifically focusing on this description of the plums, and think about how they seem really indulgent.

So pause the video here and click play when you're ready for us to discuss it together.

Okay, welcome back.

So how were these plums an indulgent treat? Well, they are ripe and ready to eat.

It says here, everything was good to eat.

And they also come in fancy packaging.

They're in their Christmas dress.

And food eaten by poor people in Victorian time would've been plain and definitely not perfectly ripe.

In fact, many Victorian recipes were designed to use up stale or over-ripe food.

So ripe food in its prime was something that was reserved for wealthy people.

So how does Dickens imply that the people in this particular part of the extract are wealthy? And a little clue here, think about their behaviour.

What are they doing in this part of the scene? So pause the video here while you have a think and discuss it.

And when you're ready for us to feedback together, click play.

Welcome back.

So let's focus on the people in this scene then.

Well arguably, the verbs that Dickens uses to show what they're doing suggest that the people are frantically purchasing this fancy food in time for Christmas.

They're hurrying and tumbling up against each other and crashing their wicker baskets wildly.

And actually, they're even mistakenly forgetting to take it with them.

As it says here, they left their purchases on the counter and came running back to fetch them, which actually implies that money isn't a great concern for them.

If they didn't have very much money, it's likely to think that they might be carefully walking around the shop and considering perhaps what they could afford or prioritising one thing over another.

And they certainly wouldn't be forgetting to leave this fancy food behind.

So now it's time to move on to extract two.

So take some time to read the second extract.

Again, you can find a copy of it in the additional materials.

And this extract depicts an alternative view of Christmas and it focuses on the celebrations of poorer Victorians.

So once you've read the extract, I would like you to ask yourself, how does Dickens use language here to imply that this scene depicts Christmas for poor people? And it's a really good idea to think about all the things we've just been discussing with regards to the wealthy Christmas and seeing if we can look perhaps for Dickens using language in an opposite way, describing things in the opposite way to the way that he was before.

So pause the video here while you take some time to read, discuss it and make your notes.

And when you're ready for us to feedback together, click play.

Okay, welcome back.

So I hope that you had time to read the extract carefully.

So the previous scene focused on abundance and excess.

What would you argue this scene focuses on instead? So really have a careful look at this bit you can see on the screen and think what is the focus of this particular part? Pause the video here and click play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, welcome back.

So well done if you picked up on this idea that this scene focuses on family and the joy we can experience from simple pleasures.

So where the other scene focused on excess, this scene is very modest.

It focuses on the simple pleasures in life.

And we can see this in that description there of how the people were assembled around a glowing fire.

So we've got this idea of warmth.

We've also got good company, so the old, old man and the woman with their children and their grandchildren and another generation beyond that.

So all the way through the family, four different generations of people are gathered together.

And we also have music.

The old man is sat there with his family singing a Christmas song.

So it isn't about the things you can buy, it isn't about bustling each other out of the way to get the most luxurious Christmas food.

Instead, Christmas for poor people focuses on the warmth, the good company, and the music.

Things that money can't buy.

Do you argue is it the atmosphere here and how does it compare to the wealthy Christmas scene? So pause the video again while you have a look for some specific words or phrases that you think link to the atmosphere and contribute to building that atmosphere.

And click play when you're ready for us to discuss it together.

Welcome back.

So arguably, the atmosphere is calm and joyful.

We've got this cheerful company.

Because despite the challenges of the poverty they face, the family here are happy just to be celebrating together.

And actually, this is the opposite of the other scene, which was noisy and frantic and chaotic and people bumping into each other and only worrying about themselves, perhaps pushing each other out of the way to get hold of the products that they wanted.

It was very much about individualism, that first scene.

Whereas everything here is about that sense of community and family, the importance of the relationships that we have with one another.

So now let's move on to the second scene.

So we explored what it was like for the miners and their families.

So now let's move on to this second part, focusing on the lighthouse keepers.

So what would you argue is the focus of this scene and how does Dickens use language to present the people here? So pause the video again and click play when you're ready for us to discuss it together.

Okay, welcome back.

So let's track through what this scene is about.

So this scene begins by describing an awful and lonely landscape.

Arguably the worst place that someone could think of living, dismal reef, sunken rock, some league or so from the shore.

So in the middle of nowhere, there was a solitary lighthouse.

But despite these awful surroundings, the people in this scene are grateful for each other's company.

Even here, as it says at the beginning of that second paragraph, they're grateful for each other and the warmth of the fire.

And arguably, this fire could symbolise a light in the darkness for them.

It shed out a ray of brightness on the awful sea.

And again, they're sat together, wishing each other a merry Christmas.

So let's compare these depictions of Christmas now we've explored the wealthy Christmas versus Christmas for working class people.

What do you think Christmas means to each of the different social classes? So pause the video here and click play when you're ready to continue.

Welcome back.

So for working class people, Christmas was about simple pleasures, whether that was the music or spending time with friends or family.

And the people in these scene didn't need extravagance or indulgence.

Joy was just spending time with loved ones.

Whereas for wealthier Victorians, Christmas that was about indulgence and excess.

It was a time to show off wealth and enjoy luxury food and drinks and gifts.

So as we can see here, the true meaning of Christmas for each of these social classes was very, very different.

Why do you think Dickens contrasts his depiction of the two social classes and how do you think that links to the wider message of "A Christmas Carol?" So pause the video here while you have a think and click play when you're ready for us to feedback together.

Welcome back.

So well done if you picked up on this idea that Dickens is depicting the wealthier classes as materialistic and selfish.

So they're concerned with material possessions, perhaps over the relationships or other simple pleasures that people might value.

Whereas the working class precisely appreciate the joy in the simple things in life.

And it seems as though despite the challenges of poverty, the working class are ultimately happier than those with more money.

Because if we compare the atmosphere of these two scenes, the wealthy Christmas, there wasn't really much time for joy.

Everybody was pushing and shoving each other out of the way just to get hold of the products that they wanted.

Whereas it seemed like the most important thing about the atmosphere in the two working class scenes that we explored was the joy that the people were experiencing.

So let's pause and check our understanding.

True or false.

Dickens encourages his wealthy readers to show compassion by showing how poor people cannot enjoy Christmas because of the poverty they are living in.

Pause the video while you have a think.

And when you're ready for me to reveal the correct answer, click play, Welcome back, and well done to those of you who said false.

While we could argue then that the novella does encourage wealthy readers to show compassion, Dickens's poorer characters are actually the ones who are enjoying Christmas.

And in fact, they seem to be enjoying it more than the wealthy characters because they're able to appreciate the simple things in life.

So now it's time for the final practise task of today's lesson.

And I'd like you to imagine that you are taking part in a debate, responding to the following statement.

Dickens believes that the class divide in Victorian England can be overcome.

So I'd like you to write a response to this statement.

And what you need to include is first of all, your response.

Do you agree that this is what you think Dickens believes or do you disagree? And then I'd like you to support your ideas with reasons and evidence from "A Christmas Carol" and links to your knowledge of Victorian society and the message of the novella.

And there's also a useful word bank down there at the bottom to help you really upgrade the vocabulary that you're using and ensure that your debate response is really, really persuasive.

So pause at the video here while you take some time to think about your views and express them in the most persuasive way that you can.

And when you're ready to feedback together, click play and we'll continue.

So here is how some of our Oak pupils responded to the statement.

So starting first with Andeep who says, "Dickens doesn't believe the class divide can easily be overcome because each class views Christmas very differently.

There are clear examples of inequality, especially in the contrast between the excess at the Grocers' and the humble, but joyful celebrations of the miners and lighthouse keepers.

The Grocers' shop is full of plentiful and rare goods, showing how the wealthy views Christmas as a time to indulge.

However, the Spirit shows Scrooge miners who, despite their poverty, are grateful for their modest celebration, gathered round a glowing fire.

This highlights the economic divide and shows how the wealthier classes are selfish and materialistic, concerned with expensive food and gifts, while so many are struggling to enjoy a simple celebration because of poverty." And here is Jun's response.

So he says, "Dickens suggests the class divide in Victorian England could be overcome through compassion and charity.

He portrays moments which demonstrate how human connection can transcend wealth.

Miners living in poverty still celebrate Christmas joyfully with a glowing fire and family, showing happiness comes from community, not wealth.

The lighthouse keepers, despite their isolation, wish each other Merry Christmas, highlighting the power of shared celebration.

These scenes are more joyful than the wealthy shopping scene, suggesting that true happiness comes from simple pleasures and not material possessions.

By writing this novella, Dickens aims to convince his wealthy readers to care less about money and show compassion for others in need." So I have one final discussion question for you then.

Whose argument is most convincing, Andeep's or Jun's, and why? Pause the video and click play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, so we have made it to today's finish line and a massive well done for all your hard work.

So let's summarise what we've covered today.

Christmas for wealthy Victorians was a time of extravagant parties, feasts, and gift giving.

Poorer people often had to work at Christmas for little money.

So Christmas was a time of simple, modest celebrations.

Dickens depicts wealthy Victorians as materialistic and oblivious to the struggles of others.

Dickens suggests poor people are happier than the wealthy because they're able to appreciate simple pleasures.

And finally, he arguably does this to urge wealthy readers to focus less on wealth and show compassion to those in need.

So thanks again for joining me in today's lesson, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Have a fantastic day, everyone, and I look forward to seeing you again soon.