'A Christmas Carol': Dickens’ critique of Victorian institutions
I can explore how Dickens critiques Victorian institutions and laws in ‘A Christmas Carol’.
'A Christmas Carol': Dickens’ critique of Victorian institutions
I can explore how Dickens critiques Victorian institutions and laws in ‘A Christmas Carol’.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- 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 a lack of awareness of poor's struggles and warn of the consequences of ongoing social inequality.
Keywords
Philanthropy - the act of donating money or resources to help others, especially the poor
Workhouse - an institution where the poor worked in exchange for basic shelter and food under harsh conditions
Connotations - the ideas or feelings a word invokes in addition to its literal meaning
Symbolise - to represent or stand for something, especially a larger concept or idea
Redemption - the act of being saved from sin, error, or evil; moral or spiritual recovery
Common misconception
Workhouses were a positive form of social reform; instead of being sent to prison, poor people were offered the chance to work off any debts they had.
Workhouses were an alternative to debtor's prison but they were not positive places; inmates were separated from their families, lived in squalid conditions and forced to do hard labour for 10-12 hours a day.
Equipment
You will need access to two specific extracts from 'A Christmas Carol'. These can be found in the additional materials.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
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).
Lesson video
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