New
New
Year 10
AQA

'A Christmas Carol': Scrooge as a very Victorian character

I can use context to explain the characterisation of Scrooge as a misanthropic character.

New
New
Year 10
AQA

'A Christmas Carol': Scrooge as a very Victorian character

I can use context to explain the characterisation of Scrooge as a misanthropic character.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Thomas Malthus was an economist who raised concerns about the sustainability of the growing Victorian population.
  2. Dickens fundamentally disagreed with the dismissive and callous attitudes of the wealthy towards the poor.
  3. Scrooge is an embodiment (and criticism) of the Malthusian ideology that pervaded Victorian society.
  4. The Poor Law in 1834 reduced the amount of individual charity the wealthy were willing to contribute.
  5. Scrooge exemplifies the quintessential misanthropic Victorian employer in his treatment of Bob Cratchit.

Common misconception

Students think Scrooge is just a wicked character who hates other people, especially the poor.

Scrooge is a product of his environment and exemplifies the attitudes of many Victorian employers and wealthy citizens.

Keywords

  • Malthusian - The word ‘Malthusian’ refers to the ideas of an economist called Thomas Malthus who influences Victorian attitudes towards poverty.

  • Embody - To embody means to be the perfect example of - to exemplify something.

  • Ideology - An ideology is a system of beliefs or values.

  • Philanthropist - A philanthropist promotes the welfare of others, often by giving money to charity or campaigning for equality.

  • Misanthropist - A misanthropist is someone who views the human race distinctly negatively. They harbour a dislike or hatred for other people.

Use the discussion tasks as a springboard for conversations about individual versus social responsibility and how these issues might still be relevant to today's society.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need access to a copy of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' for this lesson.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.
When was the Victorian era?
1801-1901
1823- 1906
Correct answer: 1837-1901
1873- 1932
1901-1983
Q2.
Where were poor people legally expected to go if they were fit to work in the Victorian era?
prison
Correct answer: the workhouse
the orphanages
abroad
the mines
Q3.
What is the business Scrooge owns in 'A Christmas Carol'?
a law firm
Correct answer: a counting house
a factory
a workhouse
a bakery
Q4.
What does fire symbolise in 'A Christmas Carol'?
love
greed
Correct answer: generosity
family
poverty
Q5.
What is the definition of 'ideology'?
a person thoughts and speech
a person's actions and behaviour
a person's relationships with others
Correct answer: a person's beliefs and values
a person's life experiences
Q6.
What does Marley say will happen to Scrooge in 'A Christmas Carol' if he does not change his miserly ways?
He will meet the same fate as Marley and be doomed to wander the earth unhappily
He will be able to rest in peace despite his immorality
Correct answer: His fate will be worse than Marley's, because he has sinned for longer
He will be doomed to labour in a workhouse forever as punishment for his actions
He will be haunted by the ghost of Jacob Marley forever

6 Questions

Q1.
What is the name given to someone who thinks negatively about the human race and harbours a mistrust and dislike of other people?
embody
philanthropist
Correct answer: misanthropist
heathen
Q2.
was a Victorian economist who argued that population growth would create a shortage of food because the country couldn’t manufacture enough to keep up with the growing demand.
Correct Answer: Malthus , Thomas Malthus, Malthus., malthus
Q3.
How were Victorian workhouses funded?
through individual charity
by the people who ran them
Correct answer: through taxation of the middle and upper classes
personally by the government minister
by the poor's wages
Q4.
Which of the following were beliefs of Malthus?
Correct answer: Charity would make poor people lazy.
Poor people should pay the rich money for having to live alongside them.
Correct answer: Poverty was the fault of the poor person.
Poor people wanted to go to the workhouses to make money.
Correct answer: Poor people shouldn't have children because they can't afford them.
Q5.
In which sentences is the word 'embody' used correctly?
A mean spirit embodied him.
Correct answer: She embodied the values of capitalism.
He decided to embody a white jumper with black jeans.
They were two of the same embodies - heart and soul.
Correct answer: She embodied perfection.
Q6.
Match the quote said by Scrooge in 'A Christmas Carol' up to the Malthusian belief that it exemplifies.
Correct Answer:The population is too large,"decrease the surplus population"

"decrease the surplus population"

Correct Answer:Poverty is poor people's fault,"it's not my business"

"it's not my business"

Correct Answer:Charity makes the poor lazy,"I can't afford to make idle people merry"

"I can't afford to make idle people merry"

Correct Answer:Poor people should be worked,"the Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigour then?"

"the Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigour then?"

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