Hello, everyone.

My name's Ms. Keller, and welcome to today's lesson.

In this session, we are going to be analysing how Charles Dickens critiques Victorian institutions in "A Christmas Carol." 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 explore how Dickens critiques Victorian institutions and laws in "A Christmas Carol." So let's explore today's keywords.

So I'd just like to zoom in on that word in the middle there, connotations.

The ideas or feelings a word invokes in addition to its literal meaning.

So these are the subtle clues or the subtle impressions that we might get from somebody's use of language.

So what is today's lesson going to look like? Well, we're going to start by exploring the consequences of poverty in the 1800s, and then we're going to explore Dickens' critique of Victorian attitudes to poverty.

So let's start by thinking about the support that is available for the poor and vulnerable.

So over to you for a discussion question.

What institutions or organisations exist in today's society to help and support people? So by organisations, I mean groups of people perhaps that work together to support people.

And then by institutions, this word has a slightly wider meaning because this could also relate to the things that are put in place.

So perhaps government policies or laws that are there to help and support people.

So pause the video here while you take some time to discuss this with the people around you or make some notes if you're working on your own.

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

Okay, welcome back.

So as you can see here, there are quite a lot of different ways that people can access help and support in today's society.

So take a moment to just look at the table below.

I have grouped the different types of help and support into these four categories: financial, social, community, and national.

How many of these things have you heard of? Perhaps you have experience or you know somebody that has experience of using one of these means of support.

So my next question to you is this: which of these things were available in the 1800s when Charles Dickens was writing "A Christmas Carol?" So pause the video here and click play when you're ready for us to discuss it together.

Okay, welcome back.

So unfortunately, I am sad to say that barely any of these things were available when Charles Dickens was writing "A Christmas Carol," and in fact, all that people could access was charities, local councils, MPs, and trade unions.

So let's explore these four institutions in a bit more detail.

So first of all, people were forced to rely on charities or philanthropists, and these were wealthy people who donated time and money in order to supporting the vulnerable.

But unfortunately, there was very little support.

Very little charities existed and also not many people were philanthropists.

Local councils, so they did exist, but they didn't support the poor, they didn't exist in the way that they do today.

They certainly didn't have as much scope with the changes they were able to make.

And in fact, they focused mainly on the physical aspects of the local community.

So they oversaw sanitation, public safety, street lighting, and workhouses.

And we'll come on to discussing what workhouses were a little bit later on.

So MPs, again, in today's society, MPs are actually a form of support for local people who can contact their MP for advice and support.

But in the 1800s, the role of the MP was very different.

They did exist, but their jobs were mainly focused on law making.

And only men who owned or rented property were able to vote in the 1800s.

What effect do you think that this might have had on the laws that were created? So pause the video here while you take some time to think or discuss it and make some notes and click play when you're ready for us to discuss it together.

Okay, welcome back.

I overheard some really interesting suggestions there, so well done if you are picking up on this idea that if only certain people were allowed to vote, pick one gender, and also within that gender, only people who owned or rented property.

So therefore, people that perhaps had a certain amount of money.

This reason meant that most laws only benefited the wealthier classes because the only people who could vote were wealthier people and therefore, it's likely to assume that they would vote in their own interests and vote for MPs who would support the things that they wanted.

And lastly then, trade unions.

So while they did exist in the 1800s, they were very new and therefore, they were very weak.

And as a result, working conditions were poor.

People worked long hours for little pay and often in dangerous conditions.

So let's explore the consequences of poverty in the 1800s.

So as we've discussed, poor Victorians suffered in abject, which means extreme poverty.

They were working long hours in dangerous conditions, their living quarters were often cramped and very unsanitary, which often led to health problems and malnutrition because there was no access to healthcare.

There was also no access to education.

And in fact, many children were forced into work.

And finally, poor people faced social stigma.

Many wealthier people believed that the poor were lazy or morally inferior, and they showed very unsympathetic attitudes towards those living in poverty.

So just having a look at this information, can you think of any words or phrases to describe what you think life was like for poor Victorians? So pause the video here, take some time to discuss this or make some notes.

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

Okay, welcome back.

Can I just say how impressed I was at some of the fantastic vocabulary that I overheard there? So let's just summarise some of those fantastic words and well done if you managed to include any of these in your notes or in your discussions.

So you might have said, gruelling, oppressive, degrading, harsh, unforgiving.

One that I really wanted to draw your attention to there is in that second line, dehumanising.

That word really gives us connotations of poor people being viewed as less than human.

They perhaps weren't valued in society.

So do take a moment here and perhaps make a note of one or two words that you didn't think of when you were coming up with your words and build yourself a fantastic word bank that you can use later on.

Okay, so if people found themselves in debt, there were consequences.

People in Victorian times could be sent to debtor's prison until the debt was settled.

And also, there was something known as the Poor Laws.

So the older Poor Laws that existed before this point actually allowed local parishes to provide financial support to the poor.

So there was a very small amount of money that was given to poor people in order to help them to pay off their debts.

However, in 1834, so just before "A Christmas Carol" was published, the government introduced new Poor Laws, creating workhouses to reduce the cost to the state for helping poor people.

So again, we're seeing this really unsympathetic attitude coming from the wealthier classes.

It was almost viewed as the government was spending too much money helping the poor, so this was a cheaper solution.

So over to you then for a quick fire discussion.

How does this information link to "A Christmas Carol?" Pause the video here and click play when you're ready for us to discuss it together.

Welcome back.

So you might have suggested that when Scrooge is visited by the charity collectors, the portly gentlemen, he refuses to donate and he says, "Are there no prisons? And the union workhouses?" So he refers to the prisons that debtors were sent to and also to the workhouses.

Let's explore what life in a workhouse was actually like.

So take a look at these two images depicting workhouses and use your inference skills here.

What do they suggest about what life was like to be in a workhouse? Pause the video here while you take some time to discuss it and click play when you're ready for us to feed back together.

Welcome back.

So you might have said that these people seem malnourished, unhappy, depressed, desperate, dirty, and most importantly, they seem to be suffering.

People who are sent to workhouses suffered in terrible conditions.

Families were often separated upon arrival, people were fed very little food and they were forced to work extremely long hours, 10 or 12 hours a day.

Work mostly consisted of hard physical labour.

And actually, one of the worst jobs that people were forced to do in workhouses was walk the treadmill, which was pushing a wheel in circle after circle after circle to generate power.

So not only was this hard physical labour, but it was quite menial work.

It almost felt like a punishment.

Inmates had to adhere to strictly daily routines and they lived in large shared rooms. So there was a complete lack of privacy in workhouses and they were often overcrowded and they lacked basic hygiene.

And as a result, diseases were rife in workhouses.

So just as we did before then, can you think of any words or phrases to describe what life was like in a workhouse? So pause the video here while you have a think and click play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, welcome back.

And again, some really, really fantastic suggestions that I overheard.

So you might have said inhumane.

Again, we're getting that link to people being treated as less than human, punitive.

That idea of it being linked to a punishment, monotonous, a really repetitive, tedious life, and that idea of stripped of dignity.

These people were being treated as though they were not valued by society, which I think perhaps to them would feel quite traumatic, that last word there.

So as we did before, do take a moment to note down one or two words that perhaps you wouldn't have thought of ready to use later on in today's lesson.

Okay, let's pause and check our understanding so far then.

So which of these statements is true? So 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 C, people who couldn't pay debts were sent to prison or workhouses.

So now we've reached the first practise task of today's lesson.

So in this table, we have a summary of the institutions that we have been discussing.

And what I would like you to do is take some time with the people around you to have a discussion or make some notes if you're working on your own, thinking carefully about how each of these institutions impacted Victorian society.

How might it have changed people's views? How might it have changed their day-to-day lives? And why do you think that is? So pause the video here while you take as much time as you need to discuss this in detail or make notes and when you're ready for us to feedback together, click play and we'll continue.

Okay, welcome back.

I could hear some really fascinating discussions taking place there, so well done for giving that such a good go.

So let's explore how our Oak pupils responded to the discussion task.

So Andeep said, "Debtors prison would've had a huge impact on the stigma poor people faced since it encouraged people to view those in poverty as criminals." Alex said, "Unfortunately, I think charity and philanthropy didn't have much impact because only a handful of wealthy people offered support and money." Jacob said, "I think workhouses impacted society negatively.

They trapped people in a cycle of poverty since they couldn't make money to pay off their original debt." And Izzy said, "Voting rights impacted society because they meant that political decisions mainly benefited the rich, making it even harder for poor people to survive and pay their way." So one final discussion question for you in this section.

Whose response here is most convincing and why do you think that is? So pause the video, review each Oak pupil's responses and discuss amongst yourselves whose is most convincing.

Click, pause and click play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, so we've made it to the halfway point of today's lesson and well done for all your hard work so far.

So now we've explored the consequences of poverty in the Victorian era, it's time for us to jump into "A Christmas Carol" and analyse how Dickens critiques attitudes to poverty.

So now we've discussed the support or the lack of support available for Victorians living in poverty, we're going to focus on Dickens' depictions of it.

And to do that we're going to explore two extracts, one from stave one where Dickens is approached by two charity collectors, the portly gentlemen, and then another from stave three where Scrooge is introduced to Ignorance and Want.

So just a quick recap question then to test your knowledge of the novella.

Which ghost visits Scrooge during stave three? So pause the video here while you have a think and when you're ready for me to reveal the correct answer, click play.

Okay, welcome back and well done if you said the Ghost of Christmas Present.

And it's this ghost that introduces Scrooge to Ignorance and Want.

So let's start by exploring extract one.

So take some time to read the extract.

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

And in this section, Scrooge is approached by the portly gentlemen.

So my first question to you is this: what is Scrooge's response when he's asked for a donation? So pause the video here while you read the extract carefully.

Answer that discussion question.

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

Okay, welcome back.

So I hope you had a chance to give the extract a really careful read through.

So what is Scrooge's response when he's asked for a donation? Well, he refuses.

So my next question to you is this: let's explore Scrooge's response in a bit more detail.

What contextual links do we have here to all the things, the institutions, the laws we were discussing in the first half of the lesson? So pause the video and take some time to reread over this section and see if you can identify any relevant words or phrases that Dickens is using.

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

Okay, welcome back and well done if you spotted that there are actually quite a few contextual links in this section.

So we have references to prisons, workhouses, the treadmill, and the poor law.

So we've definitely got this impression that Dickens is conveying this idea that poor people are imprisoned or sent to workhouses.

He really wants to emphasise these punitive measures that were taken in Victorian society.

And moreover, Dickens uses language to imply that they are commonly used.

At the top though, the gentleman says, "There are plenty of prisons." And then later on, he also says that "The Treadmill and the Poor Law are both very busy." So we've got this idea that lots of people living in poverty were forced into these horrible places.

So Dickens seems like he's really trying to emphasise the scale of the population that were forced to endure these harrowing experiences.

So their conversation continues.

So what does this dialogue suggest about each man's view of the poor? So pause the video and compare the views that are coming across in what each man says.

So pause the video and click play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, welcome back.

So as I overheard many of you discussing, both men here have very, very different attitudes to poverty.

So let's start with the gentleman then.

It seems here that he sympathises with the poor and he believes that they deserve kindness and support, especially at Christmas because he is part of a group of people who are trying to raise money to buy the poor some meat and drink and a means of warmth.

So he wants to feed them and make them comfortable at Christmas time.

So how does this compare to Scrooge's view? Well, Scrooge believes that he does enough by paying taxes which help to maintain prisons and workhouses.

He says, "I help to support the establishment I've mentioned and they cost enough." So we're already getting that link there to this idea that the Poor Laws were changed because what was taking place before was viewed to be costing too much money.

And Scrooge seems to also subscribe to that view as well.

He has no sympathy for poor people, instead believing, like many wealthy Victorians, that poor people were lazy and they could avoid poverty if they worked harder.

And we can see that there in that description of them as idle people.

He thinks they are lazy, they are idle.

So they continue their conversation.

Why do you think it is that many poor people would rather die than go to workhouses or prison? Pause the video here while you discuss it and click play when you're ready for us to feedback together.

Okay, welcome back.

Lots of really interesting suggestions, certain people making some fantastic contextual links to what we were discussing earlier about life in a workhouse.

So the gentleman here is implying that being separated from family, living in squalid, cramped conditions while working 10 to 12-hour days may be thought of by some people as a fate worse than death.

And I don't know about you, but I honestly could not think of a worst way to live.

What does Scrooge's response to this suggest then when he says, "If they would rather die, they had better do it." Pause the video here and click play when you're ready for us to discuss it together.

Okay, welcome back.

So what did Scrooge's response suggest? Well, it implies that he thinks the poor are choosing to suffer because he says they would rather die.

It's their choice to die.

And actually he doesn't care if they die as a result, they'd better do it.

And what about this last part of Scrooge's response? What is particularly troubling about the statement, "Decrease the surplus population." Pause the video again and click play when you're ready for us to go through it together.

Okay, welcome back.

So this statement is a particularly well-known quote from "A Christmas Carol," and it's particularly troubling because it implies that poor people dying would help to solve the problem of overcrowding in Victorian London.

And we can get the impression from this word surplus.

It's going to decrease the surplus population, so it's going to lessen the surplus population.

And we could argue that this word surplus is an example of dehumanising language because it actually suggests that poor people aren't needed or valued.

They're surplus to requirements.

So now let's move on to extract two.

So again, you can find this extract in the additional materials.

So in this part of the text, the Ghost of Christmas Past introduces Ignorance and Want, and we have an image from the original illustrations from the novella there of Ignorance and Want.

So take some time to read through this extract independently and see if you can identify any words or phrases that Dickens uses to describe these characters.

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

Okay, welcome back.

I could hear lots of people suggesting some really fantastic quotations there.

So let's just summarise some of the key descriptions that Dickens gives us of these two characters.

So "This boy is Ignorance.

This girl is Want." So he describes how they look, "Yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling, wolfish." And he says, "A stale and shrivelled hand, like that age, had pinched and twisted them." And then later, we have other descriptions that linked this idea of "horrible and dread" and how "devils lurked." And then this last description of how "They are Man's." So my next question to you is this.

What connotations do each of these descriptions have? And remember, connotations are those subtle ideas or emotions that are conveyed by the words that are used.

So not the literal meanings.

So pause the video here while you take some time to really think carefully about what is being suggested by each of these quotations.

Pause the video here and click play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, welcome back.

So we'll start with this first one, "Yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling and wolfish." That gives us the impression of Ignorance and Want as dirty, feral, and aggressive.

So they're almost being depicted here like wild animals.

And then that quotation underneath them, that poverty has aged and distorted them, it's pinched and twisted them.

Over on the right-hand side then, horrible and dread.

That perhaps these characters are scary, that they're upsetting to look at.

"Devils lurked" definitely links to that idea perhaps of them as evil or immoral.

And then finally, "They are man's," that in some way they belong to society or humanity.

So just looking at the connotations of each of these quotations, I think we're really starting to see perhaps how Dickens uses these characters to critique attitudes to poverty.

So my next question then, what do you think the boy and girl could symbolise and why do you think this? So pause the video, take some time to discuss it among yourselves.

And when you're ready for me to feed back, click play.

Okay, welcome back.

So what could the boy and girl symbolise? Well, Sam thinks that the boy symbolises the lack of sympathy shown by the wealthy towards the suffering of poor people.

Dickens describes how they are Man's, suggesting that society is responsible for the existence of ignorance.

I wonder if any of you covered this in your discussions or in your notes.

Sofia says, "He could also symbolise the ignorance of the poor caused by a lack of universal education.

Without this, poorer people would be more likely to make poor decisions or be taken advantage of by others, for example, employers or landlords." So here Sofia's reflecting on how perhaps this lack of education could lead to ignorance in poor people.

So onto the girl then.

Sam says, "I think the girl symbolises poverty and deprivation, emphasising how many people in Victorian society want or need food, water, warmth or comfort to survive." And Sofia says, "She could also symbolise the want of the wealthy.

Life for wealthy Victorians was characterised by luxury and excess.

Perhaps Dickens is highlighting how this excessive lifestyle has consequences for those who do not have access to wealth." So for both the boy and the girl here, we could read them as symbolising something for the wealthy and for the poor.

So it's interesting that particularly with English literature and especially "A Christmas Carol," there is never really one way to interpret this text.

So the ghost then issues the following warning to Scrooge.

So take some time to read through this warning carefully and then ask yourself the following question, why did Dickens include Ignorance and Want in this story? And how do you think it links to the overall message of the novella? Pause the video here and click play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, welcome back.

So you might have said that it suggests that the continued ignorance of poverty and suffering, symbolised by Want, will lead to society's doom because the ghost is saying that Scrooge should "beware them both" because they could lead to doom unless changes are made.

So how could this link to his overall message? Well, arguably, here Dickens is highlighting the consequences of social inequality in society.

And we could also argue that he's critiquing Victorian attitudes to social responsibility, encouraging readers to reflect on their own values.

So he's critiquing this idea of wealthy Victorians thinking that it wasn't their problem or their duty or their responsibility to help those in need.

So the scene ends.

How does this suggest that Scrooge's attitudes are changing, leading to his redemption? Pause the video here and click play when you're ready to continue.

Welcome back.

So first of all, we've got this idea that Scrooge cried out, which suggests that he's distressed by what he has seen and heard, and also, this question, "Have they no refuge or resource?" He wants to save them from their suffering.

But the ghost reminds Scrooge, and the reader of his early response to the charity collectors.

"Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?" And now Scrooge is faced with an embodiment of the consequences of those attitudes to poverty.

He all of a sudden isn't as ruthless and unsympathetic as he was before.

So we are seeing this transformation start to take place.

So let's pause and check our understanding.

Who do Ignorance and Want belong to? Pause the video while you have a think and click play when you're ready for us to feedback together.

Okay, welcome back.

Ignorance and Want belong to society or humanity.

So true or false this time.

Dickens includes Ignorance and Want to encourage poor readers to get themselves educated.

So pause the video again 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 false.

As there was no state education, poor people wouldn't be able to access education for free and they couldn't afford to be educated privately.

So it wasn't a choice for poor people not to be educated.

Dickens is arguably encouraging his wealthy readers, as educated people themselves, to reflect on the social responsibility they have towards the poor and uneducated.

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

And I would like you to use a single paragraph outline, as shown here, to plan a paragraph responding to this question.

How does Dickens present social responsibility in this extract from stave three? So as part of your single paragraph outline, you will need to use a topic sentence, some supporting detail, and a concluding sentence.

So here is some top tips and advice for what you should include in each section.

So pause the video here, take as much time as you need to plan this paragraph in detail, and then when you are ready for us to feedback together, click play.

Okay, welcome back.

I hope you had chance to plan a really detailed paragraph there.

So here is how you could have responded to this question.

So for your topic sentence then, you could have said, "Dickens highlights the consequences of Victorian attitudes to poverty and suffering by introducing the shocking figures of Ignorance and Want." For your supporting detail then, you could have chosen the quotation, "They are Man's, which suggests that society is responsible for the existence of Ignorance and Want, and implies that only they have the power to change it.

And then we could have also zoomed in on this repetition of the word beware in the ghost's warning, which emphasises the importance of the ghost's message, that society must show compassion and work towards equality or face doom.

And then your concluding sentence, "Arguably, Dickens uses this shocking scene to warn wealthy readers about the consequences of selfishness and ignorance to the struggles of the poor.

Here, he emphasises how social inequality will continue to divide society if it is not addressed and this scene helps to emphasise the urgency of the situation." So now it's time for you to review your response.

Does your topic sentence link to social responsibility? So read it carefully and make sure you've got that link to the question.

Does your supporting detail link to your topic sentence? So whatever point you're making at the top, we need to be really clear about whether that evidence directly supports that.

And finally, does your concluding sentence link to the message of the novella? So we're thinking about readers and Dickens' intentions.

So pause the video here while you take some time to carefully consider your response.

And when you're ready to continue, click play.

Okay, so you've made it to the end of today's lesson and well done for all your hard work.

So let's summarise what we've covered in this session.

There was no state support available for poor Victorians.

They were forced to rely on charities and philanthropy.

The Poor Laws made it legal for those in debt to be sent to prison or forced to live in squalid workhouses.

Scrooge's dialogue with the charity men critiques the Victorian belief that the poor were lazy or morally inferior.

Dickens later shows Scrooge's transformation towards redemption when he is introduced to Ignorance and Want.

They symbolise the lack of awareness of the poor's struggles and warn of the consequences of ongoing social inequality.

So thanks for joining me in today's lesson.

I hope you have a fantastic day and I look forward to seeing you again soon.