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 depicts wealth and status 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 will be able to analyse how and why Dickens uses language to contrast his depictions of wealthy characters in "A Christmas Carol".

So let's explore today's keywords.

So I'd just like to zoom in on two really important words that would be great for you to have in your vocabulary toolkit when you're writing about this text.

So first of all is that second word, miser, which is a person who hoards wealth and is reluctant to spend it.

So as I'm sure you are already realising, this is a fantastic word we can use to describe Scrooge.

He is a miser.

And then also that last word, a semantic field.

Now this is a fantastic method for you to identify in a text, particularly if you're unable to spot anything else.

because we can usually always pull one out of an extract.

Because a semantic field is a group of words related in meaning and used in a certain context.

So the example I've got here, the semantic field of emotions, words we might expect to see are happy, sad, and angry.

So it's a fantastic method for you to use because you can always start to begin to group those words together.

So do take a moment to familiarise yourself with the rest of these definitions before we move on because we are going to be encountering these words quite frequently in today's lesson.

So how is today's lesson going to look? Well, we're going to start off by exploring what life was like for wealthy Victorians.

And then when we've done that, we're going to focus on the text itself, analysing how Dickens depicts his wealthy characters.

So I'd like to start off by looking at this picture and using it as a springboard to discuss social class in the 1800s.

So we've got an image here of two different women.

My question to you is this, which of these women is of a higher social class and why do you think that? Pause the video here and click play when you're ready for us to feedback together.

Welcome back, so most of you correctly identified that the woman on the left there was upper class.

And some clues then that we could have identified in this image.

So particularly focusing on the way that she's dressed, we can see here that her dress seems to be following fashion trends.

We've got quite an elaborate dress that this woman is wearing and we can also see that every element of her outfit matches.

And we can also infer that we've got luxurious, expensive fabrics here with all the frills running around the bottom of the dress.

And upper class women also wore lots of expensive jewellery.

And overall we're getting the impression that her sense of fashion here displays wealth and elegance.

That's the focus of this outfit.

It's important to look good.

Whereas if we compare this to the women on the right, we can see that she's dressed in more simple and practical clothes with cheaper fabrics that perhaps frequently repaired.

And here we could argue that the focus of this outfit is on function, warmth, and durability.

She's wearing an apron, which perhaps suggests this is an outfit that she wears for work or for completing practical tasks.

So over to you again then what do these differences suggest about the lives that these women lead? Pause the video here and click play when you're ready for us to go through it together.

Welcome back, some really interesting responses there.

So you might have said that life for the wealthier classes was focused on image, status and pleasure.

It was about how you were viewed by others perhaps and looking good.

Whereas for the working classes, it was focused on work and survival.

Perhaps they didn't have time to worry about their image.

Today we are going to explore what life was like for wealthy Victorians.

So over to you again.

What can you infer about each of the following aspects of upper or middle class life from these images? So first of all, we have an image of education.

We have two images here representing hobbies and leisure, and then we have one final image representing housing.

So do take some more time to study these images carefully and discuss your responses or make some notes.

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

Welcome back, I could hear lots of really fascinating responses there.

People zooming in on really small details in each of these images and making some really great inferences.

So well done for giving that such a good go.

Let's start off with education then.

What can we learn about education from this image? Well, education was a path to improving social status for Victorians.

Many upper class children were often educated at home by private tutors or governesses.

And we can see there in the image that the child is sat with the governess while her parents off to one side.

Other Victorian children attended private schools or grammar schools.

So we would usually assume that the upper class children would probably be educated at home and perhaps middle class children would attend private schools or grammar schools.

And a lot of these schools would boarding schools, meaning that children often stayed away from home for long periods of time.

Girls often attended finishing school to learn art, music and social etiquette.

This was often the focus of women and girls education.

Not only does this tell us a lot about social class, but it tells us a lot about gender because even though wealthy Victorian girls were educated, the focus was not necessarily on perhaps scientific subjects or maths or business, but rather the creative arts and social etiquette.

So on to hobbies and leisure.

So what can we infer from this image? Wealthy people had the time to engage in leisure activities.

The poor didn't, their life was primarily focused around working and survival.

There wasn't really a lot of spare time for them to pursue their hobbies.

And at home, wealthy Victorians engaged in lots of different activities, hunting, horse riding, croquet and tennis.

And what also gives us a real insight into wealthy Victorian life is that these activities could take place at home.

Wealthy Victorians lived on huge estates where they perhaps had the land and the space to be able to have the facilities to do these activities.

Also, they enjoyed socialising.

So attending balls, operas, the theatre and dinner parties.

Socialising was a very important part of wealthy life.

And then also we have this idea of hobbies and leisure, meaning holidays.

The industrial revolution made travel easier because it brought about the introduction of lots of different transport types that didn't exist before, such as steamships and trains.

And these modes of transport allowed holidays to seaside resorts and abroad.

And if we compare this to life of poor Victorians, quite often they would not leave the towns or cities in which they have been born.

So for the first time here, wealthy Victorians were able to see the world.

And finally onto housing.

So as we just touched on, wealthy Victorians lived in large luxurious homes or estates with numerous servants.

So lots of cooks, gardeners, butlers, maids.

There wasn't a lot necessarily around the house that wealthy Victorians had to do themselves.

Homes were elaborately decorated as we can see there in that image.

They were full of fine furniture, expensive artworks, and also luxurious materials like marble.

Just as with wealthy Victorian clothes, their homes were also an opportunity to show off wealth, indulgence and status.

And hosting guests was a way to demonstrate this Wealth and status.

Meals were lavish events with multiple courses, often involving fine wines and exotic dishes.

So as we can see from these different images and this information, wealthy life was characterised by extravagance, indulgence and luxury.

So let's talk a little bit about the social expectations and responsibilities that faced wealthy Victorians.

They followed strict social codes.

They were unwritten rules almost for the manners and their behaviour in public and for the way that they should dress.

And in particular, these unwritten rules were often directed at women.

There were very strict ways for wealthy Victorian women to be seen or heard in public.

And as we touched upon earlier, social gatherings were an important part of wealthy life.

Maintaining family wealth and lineage through inheritance was also a key responsibility.

And what I mean by that is ensuring that money and estates and property that was owned was passed down through the family was something that was almost strategized by these families.

It was insured that the money would be passed to the right people.

Women were expected to marry within their social ranks.

So for example, upper class women would be expected to marry an upper class man.

And for this reason, arranged marriages were common.

And this actually often linked to that point there about family wealth and lineage.

Often, particularly with upper class families, arranged marriages could almost be viewed like a business deal between families, an agreement.

By marrying their children, there would be an agreement that these families would work together perhaps.

And many people engaged in philanthropy, supporting hospitals, schools, and charities.

And remember that word philanthropy is when wealthy people donate perhaps their money or time to support the needy.

So over to you for a quick discussion.

Why do you think these things were important to wealthy Victorians? So pause the video here while you take some time to discuss it and click play when you're ready to continue.

Welcome back, lots of really interesting discussions there.

And I definitely overheard some people touching on this idea that status and reputation were extremely important to wealthy Victorians.

And they were important because they ensured access to power, influence and social connections.

A really big part of wealthy life was networking.

It wasn't about what you know, it's about who you know.

So let's pause here and check our understanding.

Which of the following statements is false? Pause the video while you have a careful read of each of these answers and decide which statement you think is false.

And when you are ready for me to reveal the correct answer, click play.

Okay, welcome back.

So well done to those of you who said B, wealth alone guaranteed high social status in Victorian society.

This wasn't true and this was why it was so important for wealthy Victorians to socialise and build up those important networking connections.

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

And what I'd like us to do is to apply this contextual information that we've been discussing to our knowledge of "A Christmas Carol".

So if you haven't already, you will need to grab your copy of the text.

And what I would like you to do is discuss and make notes on the following questions.

So firstly, who are the wealthy characters in "A Christmas Carol"? How did Dickens depictions of wealthy characters or wealthy scenes link to what we know about wealthy Victorians? And can you miss any examples of wealthy Victorian life in the text? So pause the video here while you take some time to think carefully about your knowledge of the text, perhaps flick through to some key scenes and make your notes.

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

Welcome back, I certainly overheard lots of really interesting responses there.

So let's explore how our Oak pupils responded to these tasks.

So number one, who are the wealthy characters in "A Christmas Carol"? Well, Izzy rightly highlighted that we have Scrooge, our protagonist, Jacob Marley, Scrooge's nephew, Fred, Scrooge's former boss, Fezziwig and the portly gentleman who visits Scrooge in stave one to ask him to donate to charity.

Question two then, how do Dickens depictions link to what we know about wealthy Victorians? According to Sam, she says, "Scrooge is a typical rich Victorian who lives in a big house with servants and doesn't care about helping others." So it's certainly got this idea perhaps of a miserly rich person who is living in this luxurious mansion, perhaps.

Then Sofia count as this by suggesting that, "Not all of the wealthy characters were selfish; the portly gentleman and Fezziwig, for example, show the charitable and generous side of the wealthy who felt they had a duty to help others." So actually, it seems as though we're getting both sides of what it was like to be wealthy.

And then finally, list any examples of wealthy Victorian life in the text.

So Izzy highlights, "Scrooge's cold and large home, suggesting that it demonstrates wealth, yet it lacks warmth or comfort, reflecting his miserly nature." So we've got this idea that he does have enough money perhaps to live an extravagant lifestyle, but his miserly nature of hoarding that wealth means he actually doesn't.

Sam says, "Fred's Christmas party shows the middle-class enjoyment of leisure, social gatherings and festive celebration typical of Victorian traditions." So we are certainly seeing those links to what we were discussing earlier about how wealthy Victorians spent their spare time.

And finally, Sofia says, "The portly gentleman's request reflects the role of charitable giving, a common expectation of wealthy Victorians during the era." So we've got this example of philanthropists.

So one final discussion question to round off this part of the lesson then.

Why do you think Dick depicts wealthy Victorians in this way? So pause the video 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 some of the responses that you might have covered in your discussions then.

So Dickens readers were mostly wealthy Victorians, partly because as we discussed earlier, wealthy Victorians were really the only people that had the time to pursue leisure activities such as reading.

So perhaps he wanted to encourage them to show compassion for the poor, and also maybe he wanted to show how they take luxury and privilege for granted.

So all these extravagances they have in their lives, maybe he's trying to show them how the other half live.

Okay then, 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 what life was like for wealthy Victorians, let's analyse how Dickens depicts these wealthy characters that we've just been discussing.

As we've just covered, not all wealthy characters in "A Christmas Carol" are selfish.

And here I've just summarised those wealthy characters we were talking about a moment ago.

So on this side of the selfish characters, we arguably have Scrooge and Marley, and then the compassionate characters.

We have the portly gentleman, Fred, and Fezziwig.

So quick fire discussion for you then.

Why do you think Dickens depicts both selfish and compassionate wealthy characters? So pause the video here while you take some time to discuss it or make some notes and click play when you're ready to continue.

Welcome back, lots of people coming up with some really interesting responses there.

And in particular linking to the overall message of the novella.

So well done if your responses we're starting to touch on that as well.

So perhaps he's trying to challenge the idea that wealthy people should focus entirely on their own reputation and status.

And by depicting both sides of wealth, maybe he wants to teach his readers that they can be compassionate instead of selfish.

Maybe he's trying to suggest that there isn't one way for a rich person to act and perhaps there's always an opportunity for people to reflect on their behaviour and change for the better.

So in this part of the lesson, we are going to read two extracts from "A Christmas Carol", comparing the different types of wealthy characters that we see in the novella.

And you can find copies of these extracts in the additional materials.

So I'd like to start off by focusing on an extract that describes Scrooge.

So it's taken from stave one of the novella.

So this is before Scrooge embarks on his transformation.

So do pause the video here and take some time to read the entire extract carefully.

There isn't all of the extract on the screen at the moment, but afterwards we are gonna move on to the second part.

So do read through this extract carefully and we'll discuss it in a moment.

Pause the video for as long as you need and click play when you're ready for us to continue.

Welcome back, I hope that you had time to really get to grips with this extract.

So now we are just going to be focusing on this bit that you can see here on the screen.

And I'd like to focus on this first question.

How does Dickens use language to depict Scrooge here? So take a moment to go over this section carefully and see if you can identify any important words or phrases that Dickens uses to depict Scrooge and start to think about what impression he's giving of this character.

So pause the video again and click play when you're ready for us to go through it together.

Welcome back, so let's explore this extract in a bit more detail.

So well done if you identified this use of adjectives here, "squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching," they're all linked to actions.

They're all things you can do.

We can imagine squeezing or wrenching or grasping.

They're all clear actions that we can imagine.

And arguably they emphasise how miserly and selfish scrooge is because it gives this impression that he's constantly trying to grab hold of the money and clutch it close to him.

And then we've also got the use of a semantic field, that word we were discussing at the beginning of the lesson.

And this semantic field links to the cold.

And if you see actually Dickens is peppering it through this entire extract.

We have, "cold within him froze", "nipped, "blue", "frosty", "iced", the fact that he didn't thaw his office.

Lots of links here to the cold.

Perhaps this is really helping to build up that impression of Scrooge as somebody who is cold-hearted and unpleasant.

So now let's have a look at the next part of the extract.

So what I would like you to do is take some time to reread it again.

And then thinking, what impression do we get of Scrooge here and how does Dickens convey this impression? So pause the video again and click play when you're ready for us to feed back together.

Welcome back, so well done if you picked up on this link to people's reactions towards him.

So we're getting the impression that poor and vulnerable people such as beggars or blind men actually go out of their way to avoid him, potentially suggesting that his selfish reputation is well known.

"No beggars implored him to bestow a trifle".

So no beggars asked him for money.

And "Even the blind men's dogs" guided their owners out of the way when they saw him coming.

And then also we've got the use of negative language.

So really building up this negative atmosphere that surrounds Scrooge.

Nobody ever stopped him in the street and no beggars implored him.

No man or woman, no children.

They were really building up this idea that he lives a lonely and empty life and nobody wants to talk to him.

So now we've explored Scrooge and how Dickens depict him.

Let's have a look at a different type of wealthy character.

So let's explore how Dickens presents a compassionate, wealthy character.

So I have chosen Fezziwig.

So take some time to read this extract carefully, read the whole thing through as we did before.

This extract is taken from stave two of the novella when Scrooge is with the ghost of Christmas past.

And they go and witness a moment from Scrooge's past where he attends one of Fezziwig's Christmas parties.

So pause the video here and read the extract in its entirety.

And then as we did before, we'll go through it in a bit more detail.

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

Welcome back, so I hope that you've had a good chance to familiarise yourself with this extract.

So now let's begin to analyse it.

So reread this section that you can see on the screen and think carefully to yourself about what initial impression Dickens gives us of Fezziwig here.

So pause the video while you take some time to reread and identify those all important words or phrases that give us this impression.

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

Welcome back, so what impression do we get of Fezziwig? Well, first of all, Dickens is building up this impression of him as a big and jolly character.

We've got this idea that he has a capacious waistcoat, so it has a big capacity.

He laughed all over himself and he has a fat, jovial voice.

So it's really building up this idea of him as a big and jolly person.

which other Christmas figures could also be described as big and jolly? So you're gonna have to think a little bit creative here.

Think perhaps outside the box.

Pause the video while take a moment to discuss it or make some notes and when you're ready for us to go through it together, click play.

Welcome back, so well done if you picked up on this idea that Santa is a big and jolly figure that we associate with Christmas and also the ghost of Christmas present, who Scrooge is about to meet during his next ghostly visit.

So we've got two really big jolly figures perhaps that Fezziwig might remind us of.

And then also we've got another aspect of Fezziwig's character that's coming through in this extract.

And this idea of is "organ of benevolence".

And benevolence is a word that means kind and generous.

So it has lots of positive connotations.

So if we look at this sentence, it says, "He laughed all over himself, from his shoes to his organ of benevolence." And I would argue that this could potentially represent one of two body parts, either perhaps Fezziwig's mouth.

So suggesting this idea it's an organ of benevolence, everything that comes out of his mouth is kind and generous and positive.

Or his mind, the idea that everything that goes on in his mind, he thinks kind and generous thoughts.

And most of these give this suggestion that his compassionate neighbour is a part of who he is, it's built into the fibre of his character.

Okay, so I have one final question about this extract there and it focuses on this description that I've highlighted there at the bottom.

What is interesting about Dickens use of language here? So pause at the video while you have a think, take some time to discuss it and when you're ready for us to feedback together, click play.

Welcome back, so well done if you picked up on this idea that not all of the words in this list unnecessarily positive, for example, oily, rich.

In fact, perhaps here Dickens is implying that Fezziwig isn't perfect, he is benevolent, he is a kind and generous person, but perhaps he isn't perfect.

So why do we think he does this? Well, perhaps Dickens is trying to humanise Fezziwig here.

There's no need to be perfect.

Perhaps this is what he's suggesting to his wealthy readers.

Human beings aren't perfect.

And in fact, just trying to show compassion like Fezziwig does is enough.

It's enough to try.

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

So just as we did before, take some time to read this part carefully and then I would like you to be thinking about what impression we get of Fezziwig.

But this time I would like you to start comparing it to the description of Scrooge that we explored earlier.

So pause the video here where you take some time to reread and have a little think about how these two characters are depicted and when you're ready for us to discuss it together, click play.

Welcome back, so what impression do we get of Fezziwig here then? Well, he isn't lonely like Scrooge.

He's surrounded by three or four or 20 pairs of partners on the dance floor and he is also married, Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig.

So he values people and they enjoy his company.

So compared to Scrooge, he lives quite a fulfilling life with lots of people around him.

And also we've got lots of positive language here to emphasise his warm and lively character, "A positive light appeared to issue from him" when he danced.

And then he "Shone and in every part of the dance like moons", his legs did.

So we've really got a big contrast there, to those cold icy descriptions that we were getting a scrooge at the beginning.

So let's pause and check our understanding.

So Dickens depicts Fezziwig as what? Pause the video while you make your mind up and click play when you're ready for me to reveal the correct answer.

Welcome back, and well done to those of you who said B and D, jolly and lively.

Second question then, which of these methods does Dickens use to emphasise how cold-hearted and selfish scrooge is? So pause the video here while you take some time to think.

And when you're ready for me to reveal the correct answer, click play.

Welcome back, and well done if you rightly identified that he uses words from the semantic field of the cold and remember that really contrasted to that positive language that he was using to describe Fezziwig a moment ago.

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

And what I would like you to do is complete the table that you can see on the screen, building a character profile for both Scrooge and Fezziwig.

And as you can see here in that left hand column, we have got a range of different aspects of each character that Dickens depicts in those extracts.

And then when you built a profile for each of the characters, I would like you to write a few sentences comparing them.

So explaining why you think Dickens depicts both men so differently.

And considering how it links to the wider message of "A Christmas Carol".

So pause the video here, take as much time as you need to build these detailed character profiles and start comparing the depictions of each character.

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

Welcome back, so now you've had a chance to build your character profiles.

I'm sure you're beginning to realise that Scrooge and Fezziwig could not be presented any more differently.

So when it comes to their physical appearance, we've got this idea that Scrooge has cold and pinched features, whereas Fezziwig is big, bright and fat.

Personality, Scrooge is miserly, selfish, unapproachable.

Again, Fezziwig is the opposite.

He's jolly, he's positive, and he's lively.

How other people react to them? So people avoid Scrooge in the street, they're intimidated by him.

Whereas Fezziwig, people actively join him for his parties, they enjoy his company and they feel valued by him.

Do they seem happy? What I would argue Scrooge doesn't seem very happy.

He seems to live a very lonely and empty life, whereas Fezziwig is quite the opposite.

He seems extremely happy.

He is surrounded by people who care for him.

And why do you think Dickens depicted each character in this way? Arguably depicting Scrooge in this way demonstrates the consequences of selfish and miserly behaviour.

It shows that behaving in this way doesn't lead to a happy life.

Whereas for Fezziwig, it demonstrates how fulfilling it can be to show compassion and respect for others.

Because Fezziwig treats people well, he enjoys a happy and joyful life.

So onto the second part of the task then.

So here's how our Oak pupil Lucas compared Dickens's depictions of both Scrooge and Fezziwig.

So he said, "I think contrasts these characters to show that respect and compassion lead to happiness and prosperity.

Scrooge is selfish, neglecting his workers like Bob, who endures a cold office and begs for a day off at Christmas.

Fezziwig, however, values his workers and rewards them with a Christmas celebration.

This simple gesture, since his employees can't afford such a feast, ensures their respect and loyalty, meaning his business will be more successful.

As Scrooge notes afterwards, 'his power lies in words and looks; in things so slight and insignificant that it is impossible to add and count them up: what then? The happiness he gives, is quite as great as if it costs a fortune.

'" So even Scrooge is coming round to this idea that just these little gestures that Fezziwig gives to his employees means so much to them and it ensures their loyalty, which actually then makes him a much more successful and wealthy businessman.

So take a moment to review how you summarised the depictions of these two characters and think really carefully about whether or not you have compared them.

So you are looking for that comparative language.

Here Lucas has used contrast and however.

So pause the video while you review your answer and click play when you're ready to continue.

So we've made it to the end of today's lesson and well done for all your hard work today.

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

Reputation was important to wealthy Victorians because it ensured access to power, influence, and social connections.

The wealthy lived in large houses and had lavish lifestyles, attending operas, dinner parties, and embarking on holidays.

Dickens uses negative language and words linked to the cold to imply Scrooge's life was lonely due to his selfishness.

He uses positive language to present Fezziwig as a jolly, lively figure who is well liked and respected.

And finally, he contrasts his depictions of both men to suggest that compassion can ultimately lead to a happy life.

Thanks for joining me in today's lesson and I look forward to seeing you again soon.

Have a fantastic day, everyone.