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Year 11
Edexcel

'A Christmas Carol': Dickens' ghosts as agents of time

I can understand how and why time is manipulated in the novella.

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New
New
Year 11
Edexcel

'A Christmas Carol': Dickens' ghosts as agents of time

I can understand how and why time is manipulated in the novella.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Before the spirits’ visits, Scrooge viewed time as a resource that he could use to make money.
  2. Scrooge learns that time is a privilege and a gift that many in society are not blessed with.
  3. Scrooge learns that time's fluid and that all aspects of time interact with one another to inform a person's experience.
  4. The spirits’ visits defy time, but all occur within the course of one evening.
  5. Dickens illustrates how one person's drastic change in a short space of time can vastly improve the lives of others.

Common misconception

Students think that Scrooge's visit with the Ghost of Christmas Present is limited to Christmas Day.

Scrooge's time with the spirit goes beyond Christmas Day - to the Twelfth Day of Christmas, showing how time is manipulated in the novella.

Keywords

  • Agent - If someone is the agent of something, it means that they act on its behalf or represent it.

  • Fluid - Something that is fluid does not have a fixed shape or pattern and flows freely.

  • Phenomenon - An extraordinary, unusual or abnormal occurrence.

  • Privilege - A privilege is a blessing or an advantage that someone has.

Ask students how the novella itself interacts with time. The novella continues to influence our present (its future) because of its cultural significance. The novella itself is timeless, much like the spirits.
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 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).

Video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which ghost's face appears in Scrooge's door knocker before he encounters it in 'A Christmas Carol'?
The Ghost of Christmas Past
Correct answer: Marley's Ghost
The Ghost of Christmas Present
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
Q2.
What is the opening line to the novella 'A Christmas Carol'?
"Oh! but he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone!"
"Come in man, and know me better!"
"Once upon a time—of all the good days in the year, on Christmas Eve..."
“A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!' cried a cheerful voice"
Correct answer: "Marley was dead: to begin with."
Q3.
What is the purpose of Marley's Ghost's visit to Scrooge in Stave 1 of 'A Christmas Carol'?
Correct answer: to show him the consequences of greed and avarice
to catch up with his old friend, whom he loved dearly
Correct answer: to warn him that he will be visited by three further ghosts
to reassure him that his future looks bright
to haunt him for being a bad friend and not mourning his death
Q4.
Which sentence uses the word 'privilege' correctly?
He was tall, with dark hair and a privilege.
Correct answer: She had grown up on the Upper East side - that was privilege for you!
She was fraught with privilege about how she was going to accomplish the feat.
The house was huge, with great privileges connecting lower and middle floors.
Q5.
What time do the Ghost of Christmas Past and Present both visit Scrooge in 'A Christmas Carol'?
12 am
Correct answer: 1 am
2 am
3 am
Q6.
Match the ghosts up with one of the lessons they teach Scrooge in 'A Christmas Carol'.
Correct Answer:Marley's Ghost,the consequences of greed and avarice

the consequences of greed and avarice

Correct Answer:The Ghost of Christmas Past,the importance of love and human connections

the importance of love and human connections

Correct Answer:The Ghost of Christmas Present,the importance of joy and charity

the importance of joy and charity

Correct Answer:Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come,the value of human life

the value of human life

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
In the beginning of 'A Christmas Carol', how did Scrooge view time?
as useless
Correct answer: as a resource
as a burden
Q2.
Select the quotation that best shows us that Scrooge views time as a resource for making money in the beginning of 'A Christmas Carol'.
Correct answer: "A poor excuse for picking a man’s pocket every twenty-fifth of December!"
"tight-fisted hand at the grindstone"
"You're poor enough!"
"Because you fell in love', growled Scrooge"
"warning all human sympathy to keep its distance"
Q3.
In 'A Christmas Carol', why does Dickens call the last spirit the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come and not The Ghost of Christmas Future?
Correct answer: The 'future' implies that our fate is sealed and unalterable.
The Victorians didn't use the word 'future'.
Dickens felt that 'future' was too positive a word for Scrooge's fate.
Q4.
Match the vocabulary up to its definition.
Correct Answer:agent,someone who acts on its behalf of, or represents something

someone who acts on its behalf of, or represents something

Correct Answer:fluid,does not have a fixed shape or pattern - flows freely

does not have a fixed shape or pattern - flows freely

Correct Answer:phenomenon,an extraordinary, unusual or abnormal occurrence

an extraordinary, unusual or abnormal occurrence

Correct Answer:privilege,a blessing or an advantage that someone has

a blessing or an advantage that someone has

Q5.
Why is the opening line of the novella 'A Christmas Carol' significant: 'Marley was dead; to begin with.'
It creates a dark and moody atmosphere.
It introduces the idea that time cannot be altered.
Correct answer: It sets us up to understand that time is fluid in the novella.
Correct answer: It challenges our perceptions of time and how it moves.
It foreshadows Scrooge's impressive transformation.
Q6.
What is Dickens' message about time in 'A Christmas Carol'?
that it is a resource with which to make money
Correct answer: that it is a gift that should be used productively
that it is fixed and cannot change or be altered
that it is guaranteed to all of us so should be used appropriately
Correct answer: that lots of positive change can be achieved in relatively little time