Hello everyone.

My name's Miss.

Keller, welcome to today's lesson.

In this session, we are going to be exploring how Charles Dickens depicts Victorian values 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 analyse how Dickens depict Scrooge in stave one and five critiques common Victorian values.

So let's explore today's keywords.

We have frugal, Protestant, personal values, utilitarian and critique.

Now I'd just like to draw your attention to two of these words in particular because you might not have encountered them before.

And the first one is that second word there, Protestant, which is a branch of Christianity which focused on frugality, hard work, discipline and personal responsibility.

So it really focused on a simple way of living.

So do bear that in mind later on when we come to talk about something called a Protestant work ethic, because it didn't mean that everybody who followed the idea of Protestant work ethic was a Protestant, but it was based on this branch of Christianity.

And then I'd also like to zoom in at the bottom critique, a detailed devaluation or analysis, often focusing on weaknesses.

And that is important to remember because today's lesson focuses on how Dickens critiques Victorian values.

So we are really expecting to see Dickens pointing out how he thinks that these Victorian values are perhaps something that are weak or negative.

He's focusing on the things that aren't right.

So how is today's lesson going to look? Well we're going to start off by exploring common Victorian values, and then we are going to analyse Scrooge's redemption by comparing how he's depicted at the beginning and the end of "A Christmas Carol".

So I'd like to start off by thinking about personal values.

So below are some examples of personal values that somebody might have.

And I'd like you to think about, what are your personal values, which do you think is most important to have and why? So take some time to discuss this with the people around you or make some notes if you're working on your own.

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

Hey, welcome back.

So let's discuss personal values and let's remember, they are just that personal to us, so we might not have all necessarily had the same ideas.

So let's explore how some of our Oak pupils responded to this activity.

So Lucas said, "I think it is most important to be ambitious because this means you'll always be driven to succeed." Whereas Laura thought that resilience was most important because it helps us to overcome challenges in life and keep trying.

Whereas Alex thought that kindness and compassion were most important because we should help others in need.

You never know when you will fall on hard times and need help from others.

So here they've all got very different ideas of which personal values they thought were most important.

Personal values looked very different in the 1800s.

And instead of things perhaps like kindness or compassion or resilience, people commonly valued individualism, self-reliance and a Protestant work ethic.

And remember we've got that word Protestant there, that keyword link into that branch of Christianity.

So here are some definitions for these three words, and my challenge to you is can you match up each value to the correct definition? So pause the video here where you have a think and when you're ready for me to reveal the correct answers, click play and we'll continue.

Okay, welcome back.

So let's match up these words to their definitions.

Individualism then was emphasis on independence and self-interest over collective needs or responsibilities.

Self-reliance is only depending on oneself for support, decisions and survival.

And a Protestant work ethic is a belief that hard work, discipline and frugality are moral virtues leading to success.

So let's talk about these three different types of personal values.

How could they link to "A Christmas Carol", can you think of any characters or scenes where we might see these personal values in action? So pause the video again while you take some time to have a think.

Grab your copy of the text if you haven't already, and when you're ready for us to discuss it together, click play.

Okay, welcome back.

So actually there are quite a few moments in the text where we see these values in action.

Arguably, Scrooge embodies these values at the beginning of the novella because he doesn't believe in compassion and helping others in need.

And despite his wealth, he lives a frugal life, refusing to heat his office and not wanting to lose money by giving Bob time off at Christmas.

So let's have a look at each of these personal values one at a time, really zooming in on how they impacted Victorian society and how they're important to our study of this novella.

So starting with individualism then, can you think of any scenes or quotes where Scrooge embodies individualism? So pause the video again, have a look through the text and make some notes.

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

Okay, welcome back.

I could hear lots of fantastic suggestions there because Scrooge very much embodies individualism.

For example, in stage one, Scrooge refuses to donate to the charity collectors and they tell him people would rather die than go to a work house.

And his response is if they would rather die, they would better do it and decrease the surplus population.

How does this particular quote demonstrate scrooge's individualism? So really aiming to zoom in on the words and phrases that he uses here.

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

Okay, welcome back.

Some really interesting analysis that I overheard there.

So well done if you were picking up on this idea of if they would rather die, they had better do it, really suggests that Scrooge has a cold and utilitarian approach, which shows that he has no concern for others.

He almost thinks that people perhaps are more important for their usefulness than they are for the fact that they're three dimensional people with hopes and desires and ambitions and dreams of their own.

So Scrooge makes it clear here that he only focuses on himself and he doesn't care that people could die without his help.

And that second statement there is rather worrying, decrease the surplus population, because here he's dehumanising the vulnerable, thinking of them as surplus people.

And the word surplus means extra, not needed.

If we say surplus to require them, they're not necessarily needed or valued, which suggests that he believes that poor people have no value in society.

And then he goes on to say "It's enough for a man to understand his own business and not to interfere with other people." So again, how does this demonstrate scrooge's individualism? Pause the video here while you have a think.

Take some time to discuss it and when you're ready to feedback, click play.

Welcome back, so how does this quotation demonstrate Scrooge's individualism then? Well, we've got this idea of man understanding his own business and not of interfering with other people's, which suggests that Scrooge rejects social responsibility and he only cares about his own affairs.

And he doesn't believe that people have a duty to help each other, and rather he sees it as interfering.

He uses that negative word there.

So now let's move on to self-reliance.

So at the beginning of the novella, Dickens describes Scrooge as hard and sharp as flint from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire, secret and self-contained and solitary as an oyster, are there any words or phrases here that demonstrate scrooge's self-reliance? So pause the video and take a really careful look at this quotation, seeing if you can identify or zoom in on any words or phrases.

Pause the video here and click play when you're ready to discuss it together.

Welcome back, I heard lots of interesting suggestions there, so well done if you are also picking up on this little list here, secret and self-contained and solitary.

This implies that screwed lives and lonely, isolated life, and he doesn't need other people.

Solitary means lonely, self-contained means he doesn't need anyone else.

And then this idea of secret gives the impression of him hidden away.

And arguably Dickens uses sibilance here.

The repeated S sounds to emphasise this secrecy and making it stand out to readers.

So it's something that Dickens really wants to emphasise about Scrooge's character.

So then you think of any other scenes or quotes where Scrooge embodies self-reliance.

So pause the video again where you take some time to have a think and discuss it and click play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, welcome back.

So yes, there are lots of other scenes or quotes where Scrooge seems to be embodying this self-reliance.

And one important scene is a conversation that takes place in stage one between Scrooge and his nephew Fred, when Fred wishes him a Merry Christmas and Scrooge responds, what's Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without money, a time for finding yourself a year older but not an hour richer.

So how could this quote demonstrate Scrooge's self-reliance? So pause the video here while you have a look over the words and phrases Dickens uses and press play when you are ready for us to discuss it together.

Welcome back.

So what are we able to identify in this quote that linked to self-reliance? Well, we've got this bit at the end here that he rejects community celebrations like Christmas because he views it as time wasted because people are unable to work and therefore unable to make money.

And he doesn't understand why Fred would want to waste money celebrating.

So spending his money on gifts and food and decorations, to get nothing in return and onto this Protestant work ethic.

So at the beginning of the novella, Dickens describes Scrooge saying, "He was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone scrooge, a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner." Are there any words or phrases here that demonstrate Scrooge's Protestant work ethic? So pause the video while you have a look over this quotation and click play when you're ready for us to discuss it together.

Okay, welcome back.

So first of all then, we've got this description of him as a tightfisted hand at the grindstone, which suggests that Scrooge works hard for his money because we have this idea of a hand at the grindstone, but he's also frugal with it.

He's tightfisted and then we've got this list of verbs, squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping and clutching, all of which are implying that Scrooge exercises self-discipline by squeezing and clutching onto his money, by refusing to spend it on indulgences, he's keeping that money close to him.

Are there any words or phrases here that suggest Dickens is critiquing the Protestant work ethic, so anything that perhaps presents it in a negative way.

So pause the video and take a moment to have a think and when you're ready to discuss it together, click play.

Welcome back.

Did you manage to spot any negative descriptions here then? Well, well done if you picked up on the use of these harsh verbs having negative connotations because it implies that scrooge's desire for wealth, it's not virtuous, it's not well-meaning, but it's actually destructive because his self-discipline has turned into an obsession.

And here he's presented as greedy and selfish.

He's not necessarily trying to make lots of money for the best reasons.

He's trying to make money purely because he wants to be richer and richer and richer.

It's all for his own gain and it's all done in a selfish way.

And then also we've got this description here at the end of him as a covetous old sinner.

And this description implies that scrooge's behaviour is morally wrong and again, not virtuous, because he's described as a sinner, since his penny pinching ways link to covetous behaviour.

So to covet something means you are envious, you want what someone else has.

So we've got this idea again that perhaps he only wants to have this wealth because he doesn't want other people to have it.

So it's a very immoral approach to hard work, discipline and frugality that we have here, especially that word sinner because many Victorian people were religious.

So being a sinner was quite a serious thing to be.

So when Scrooge is talking to the charity collectors, he says, "I don't make merry myself at Christmas and I can't afford to make idle people merry." How could this quote show Scrooge's Protestant work ethic? Pause the video here and click play when you're ready to discuss it together.

So we've got this idea of him describing poor people as idle people.

The charity collectors are asking for money to help the poor and vulnerable who are struggling to survive, yet hear Scrooge describes them as idle, suggesting that he believes they found themselves in poverty because they're lazy and they haven't worked hard enough.

Oh, now it's time to pause and check our understanding so far, so true or false, Dickens uses the character of Scrooge to critique the Victorian values of individualism, self-reliance and the Protestant work ethic.

Pause the video here 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 true, the descriptions of Scrooge from the beginning of the novella before his transformation or redemption, suggest that Dickens believes is a positive thing for people to move away from these values.

He also describes the old Scrooge as a sinner, linking there to that immoral behaviour.

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

And I'd like us to think about how different readers could interpret "A Christmas Carol".

So I'd like you to discuss and make notes on the following questions.

How does the novella encourage Victorian readers to reflect on their own values? Do you think poor and wealthy Victorian readers would interpret the novella differently? How and why? Do you think modern readers would interpret the message of the text differently? How and why? I'd like you to support your responses with evidence from the text and your knowledge of Victorian and modern society.

So pause the video here and take as much time as you need to give this a really good go.

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

Welcome back.

So here is how you might responded and let's explore some of our Oak pupils' responses.

So Aisha says, "The novella critiques, greed and selfishness, urging Victorian readers to embrace generosity, compassion and social responsibility." And Jacob responds to that second question about poor Victorians by saying yes, he does think that they would interpret it differently because poor Victorians may feel hopeful about Scrooge's journey to redemption and how it could encourage other people to show compassion.

However, wealthy readers may feel outraged or ashamed at how rich characters are depicted.

And finally, Laura is reflecting on modern readers and she said, "I think modern readers may still identify with core messages of compassion and generosity.

However, I don't think it would have the same shock value today as during the 1800s, since it isn't as uncommon for rich people to feel sympathy for the poor and vulnerable and to support those in need." So we've made it to the halfway point of today's lesson and well done for all your hard work so far and keep it up.

So in this part of the lesson, we are going to be analysing Scrooge's redemption.

So we've explored what he was like in stage one, and now we're gonna jump to the end of the novella and explore how he's depicted in stage five.

So by the end of the novella, Scrooge's character transforms completely, shifting towards the opposite of the Victorian values we were discussing earlier.

So let's start by working out what the opposite of these values might look like.

So think really carefully about what each of these terms meant and what the opposite might be.

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

Welcome back.

So what could the opposite of these values look like? Well, the opposite of individualism could be collectivism, community spirit and cooperation.

All these ideas linked to working together and forming relationships with other people.

The opposite of self-reliance then could be being supportive of others and also asking for and accepting support from them.

And finally, the opposite of a Protestant work ethic could be prioritising leisure, rest, enjoyment and social connection over working and frugality and avoiding things so as not to spend extra money.

So now we're going to analyse some extracts from Stave five.

So what I would like you to do is read the first four extracts from Stave five carefully, and you can find them in the additional materials.

And then I'd like you to ask yourself now embody these new values, the ones we were just discussing a second ago, which I've put there under the question.

So pause the video while you take some time to read the extract carefully and have a think about where you might be able to identify these new values in action.

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

Okay, welcome back.

So I hope you've had a good chance to get to grips with these four extracts.

So let's take them one at a time discussing in detail how Scrooge now seems to embody these new values.

So starting with extract one, then when Scrooge wakes up in his bedroom after the final ghost visit, take a moment to discuss with the people around you or make some notes.

What is the first thing that Scrooge does after he wakes up? And how does this imply that his personal values have changed? So pause the video here while you take some time to think and discuss it.

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

Okay, welcome back.

So what does Scrooge do first? Well, he pays a young boy to go and buy him a huge turkey twice the size of Tiny Tim, which he sends round to Bob Crotchet's house.

And how does this action imply that his personal values have changed? Well now he seems to be showing compassion and generosity by providing the with a luxurious Christmas meal.

He desires that Bob shan't know who sent it, suggesting that he wants to do good without desiring any thanks or credit for his actions.

So he's gone from not wanting to give Bob Christmas day off to now providing him with a dinner.

So how does his behaviour towards the young boy that he speaks to further show his transformation? So think about how he addresses him.

Pause the video again while you listen in detail at Dickens' use of language and click play when you're ready for us to feedback together.

Okay, welcome back.

So let's explore this part of the text in a bit more detail.

So first of all, we've got this statement that he makes at the top here.

"What a delightful boy said Scrooge, it's a pleasure to talk to him.

Yes, my buck." Which really gives us the idea that he no longer dehumanises poor people because instead, he's treating this boy with respect, saying it's a pleasure to talk to him and what a delightful boy he is.

He's being polite and he's being respectful.

And then later on down here, he says, come back with the man and I'll give you a shilling.

Come back with him in less than five minutes and I'll give you half a crown.

So he doesn't actually expect the boy's service and he pays him well for doing him a favour.

I'm not sure Scrooge from Stave one would necessarily have offered this boy anything at all and may have even demanded that he did it and perhaps the boy would've because he'd been intimidated.

So this is a real change in Scrooge's behaviour, onto extract two then.

So after this interaction, Scrooge leaves his house.

So how do people react to him now and how does this compare to the way people treated him in Stave one? And why do you think people treat him differently now? So pause the video again while you read extract two carefully and think of some responses to these questions.

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

Okay, welcome back.

So how do people react to Scrooge in this part of the text then? Well, people aren't scared of him anymore as they were in Stave one, instead, three or four, good humoured fellows said, good morning, sir, a Merry Christmas to you.

And this is very different to Stave one where people were purposely trying to stay out of his path and not make eye contact with him because he was such an intimidating presence.

So why do we think it is that people treat him differently now? Well, I would argue that it's got a lot to do with the way that he comes across because he seems much more approachable in this scene as he's no longer scowling everyone coldly.

Instead, Scrooge regarded everyone with a delighted smile.

He looked so irresistibly pleasant.

So Dickens is really putting forward that idea that if we are more approachable and if we have a positive outlook, then perhaps that means that other people will treat us as we are treating them.

So let's continue exploring this extract.

So after he is left his house, he sees the charity collector that he spoke to in stave one.

So two more questions for you then.

What happens during his exchange with the charity collector and what personal values does he exhibit during this scene? So pause the video again here and click play when you're ready for us to feedback together.

Welcome back.

So what happens during his exchange with the charity collector then? Scrooge wishes him a Merry Christmas before offering a large sum of money, enough for the man to react as if his breath were taken away.

So we can assume that it is quite a surprising amount of money, even to a wealthy philanthropist like the charity collector as well as back payment.

And this suggests that he feels guilty about how selfish he used to be.

So not only is he trying to change his ways, but he's also perhaps trying to make up for the way that he behaved in the past.

And what personal values does he exhibit during this scene? Well, arguably he exhibits compassion, generosity, integrity and humility.

And these two in particular linked to that idea that he's trying to compensate for his earliest selfishness as well as being generous and compassionate moving forward.

So now let's move on to extract three.

So after his interaction with the charity collector, he goes to Fred's house and they have this interchange.

So take a look at this extract and ask yourself, how does Dickens use language to create a joyful atmosphere here? So we're really trying to zoom in on specific words and phrases.

So pause the video again while you look over this extract carefully and when you are ready to discuss it together, click play.

Okay, welcome back.

So I heard lots of really interesting suggestions there, so well done if you are picking up, first of all on this idea that there isn't any awkwardness, almost immediately, Scrooge feels comfortable in this environment, it says he was at home in five minutes.

And then Dickens also uses repetition to emphasise how much fun everyone is having.

It said, "So did Topper when he came, when the plump sister came, everyone when they came." It's really building up on this idea that as everybody arrives, this sense of fun, this sense of joy is only increasing.

And then at the end again, we've got repetition of the word wonderful, wonderful party, wonderful games, wonderful unanimity, wonderful happiness, and they're on that last one they separated that word to really emphasise the happiness that they're all feeling because the use of hyphens separates this word and helps to slow it down, meaning it really changes how we read it and therefore changes how this particular phrase sticks in our minds.

And finally on to extract four.

So after he is been to Fred's, Scrooge finally goes to his office.

So two more questions for you here.

So first of all, what does he offer Bob during this scene and how does he show a change in his personality? So pause the video here while you read this extract carefully.

Answer these questions and when you're ready for us to discuss it together, click play.

Okay, welcome back.

So what does he offer Bob in this scene? While he gives Bob a pay rise and he offers to support his family, he says they will sit down and discuss it over a glass of Smoking Bishop, which is a type of mould wine that was enjoyed during the Victorian era.

Or arguably here Scrooge is showing compassion and generosity.

He no longer dehumanises Bob as just an employee.

And he also seems to have found his sense of humour, playing a trick on Bob beforehand because he actually pretends that he's really annoyed that Bob has arrived a few minutes late.

And as Bob is apologising, that is when Scrooge surprises him with this pay rise.

So let's pause here and check our understanding during stave five, which of the following personal values does Scrooge exhibit? Pause the video 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 to those of you who said B and C, compassion and generosity.

So now it's time for the final practise task of today's lesson, and there are many parallels between stave one and Stave five.

And parallels are elements perhaps that are similar, the same or mirrored.

For each event on the right, which is for Stave five, I'd like you to identify another from Stave one that links to it.

And then when you've done that, I'd like you to discuss why you think it is that Dickens uses these parallels.

So pause the video here where you think really carefully about the events of Stave one and try to match them up there with these events from Stave five.

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 you could have completed the table.

So we'll take each of the events on this list one at a time.

So the first event on our list for stave five then, people wish Scrooge a Merry Christmas.

So what is our parallel with stave one? Well, we have this quotation, "Nobody ever stopped him in the street", which links to that description that people were actively trying to stay out of his way.

They were intimidated by him and they didn't want to speak to him.

And then the second event on our list, we have the moment where he pays a young boy to fetch him a turkey.

And we could link this to the moment in stave one where a young Carol singer turns up that Scrooge's door and then flees in terror because of the way that Scrooge treats him.

For the third event then, he gives the charity collector lots of money.

And then we can link that to the earlier conversation that Scrooge has with the charity collector in Stave one.

When he says, "I can't afford to make idle people merry." The fourth event on our list then, he goes to Fred's Christmas party.

Whereas in stage one, Fred arrives to invite Scrooge to his Christmas party, Scrooge responds, bah humbug, and he refuses to go.

And the final event on the list then, he gives Bob a pay rise, and we can compare that to the event in Stave one where he thinks it's not fair that he has to give Bob Christmas off, and he demands that Bob arrive early the following day to make up the time that he missed.

So why do we think Dickens uses these parallels? Well, here are some of our Oak students' responses.

So Aisha said "He wants to emphasise how Scrooge has changed.

He makes amends for his mistakes." Jacob said, it gives the novella a cyclical structure, meaning its circular.

We end where we began, we've ended where we began, except this time, Scrooge makes all the moral decisions, whereas before they were immoral.

And Laura says, Dickens encourages his wealthy readers to show compassion by showing how a small change in Scrooge's behaviour makes such a difference to his happiness and the happiness of others around him.

So it's almost as if Dickens is really cleverly playing that first stave again, except showing Scrooge, making all the right decisions this time and showing the positive outcome of that behaviour.

So just taking a look at these three responses then, one final discussion question for you, which of these ideas do you find the most compelling? So pause the video here and click play when you're ready to continue.

Okay, so we've made it to the end of today's lesson, and I hope you are pleased with everything that you have achieved in this session.

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

Many Victorians embodied the personal values of individualism, self-reliance and a Protestant work ethic.

Scrooge embodies all of these values in Stave One, he's described as tight-fisted and refuses to help Bob or donate to charity.

Dickens critiques these values when he describes Scrooge as a sinner, suggesting ruthless frugality is immoral.

In stave five, Scrooge embodies the opposite values, compassion, generosity, humility and integrity.

And finally, Dickens uses parallels between stave one and five to emphasise the scale of Scrooge's redemption.

So thanks for joining me in today's lesson.

I hope that you've enjoyed it as much as I have and you're feeling a bit more confident when it comes to discussing Dickens' depictions of Victorian values.

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