New
New
Year 10
Edexcel

'A Christmas Carol' Stave 4: death in the novella

I can understand the significance of death in the novella.

New
New
Year 10
Edexcel

'A Christmas Carol' Stave 4: death in the novella

I can understand the significance of death in the novella.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Scrooge’s reactions to the first two deaths in the novella are callous - he represses his emotions.
  2. Over the course of the novella, Scrooge learns the value of individual human life, so is more affected by the deaths.
  3. Through Tiny Tim’s death, Scrooge recognises that the "surplus population" are, in fact, human beings worthy of life.
  4. Scrooge recognises the importance of living a fulfilling life and contributing positively to the welfare of others.
  5. Dickens emphasises that having a positive impact on others doesn’t always require money, it requires compassion/empathy.

Common misconception

Pupils think that Dickens is solely emphasising the value of human life.

Dickens is also emphasising the importance of what we do with our lives - how we use them to enrich other people's human experience.

Keywords

  • Indifferent - If you are indifferent to something, you are not bothered about it.

  • Callous - Someone callous is exceptionally harsh and cruel.

  • To repress - If you repress your emotions, you push them to the back of your mind and try to ignore them.

  • Welfare - A person’s welfare is their happiness, health and wellbeing.

  • Social responsibility - Somebody who believes in social responsibility invests in their community and supports those in need.

An extension for task B in learning cycle 2 could be to get students to gather evidence from the text to support the statement on the slide.
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).

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6 Questions

Q1.
What figure does the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come most resemble in 'A Christmas Carol'?
Father Christmas
Jack Frost
Jesus Christ
Correct answer: The Grim Reaper
Q2.
Starting with the first, put the scenes that the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows Scrooge in stave 4 of 'A Christmas Carol' in chronological order.
1 - the businessmen's conversations about a dead man
2 - Mrs. Dilber and her criminal accomplices in the beetling shop
3 - the 'uncared for' dead body
4 - the aftermath of the death of Tiny Tim
Q3.
Why doesn't the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come speak in 'A Christmas Carol'?
because it's disgusted by Scrooge's attitude so doesn't want to speak to him
Correct answer: because this allows Dickens to make it a more threatening presence
because it has nothing to teach Scrooge so doesn't feel the need to speak
Correct answer: because this means that Scrooge has to interpret its lessons for himself
because it represents Scrooge's silence in the past about social issues
Q4.
What do we know about Scrooge's little sister Fan in 'A Christmas Carol'?
They didn't have a close relationship.
Correct answer: She died as a young adult.
She was impoverished and disabled.
Correct answer: They shared a very close relationship.
She was the only family member Scrooge had.
Q5.
What is the opening line of 'A Christmas Carol'?
"A merry Christmas Uncle!"
Oh! but he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone.
Little Fan had died: seven years ago.
Correct answer: Marley was dead; to begin with.
It was a cold December night in the counting house.
Q6.
What method does Dickens use in stave 4 of 'A Christmas Carol' to slowly reveal the identity of the anonymous dead man?
mirroring
extended metaphor
Correct answer: foreshadowing
symbolism
allegory

6 Questions

Q1.
Which is the first death mentioned in 'A Christmas Carol?'
little Fan's
Correct answer: Marley's
Scrooge's
Tiny Tim's
Q2.
Which of the following deaths does Scrooge react compassionately to in 'A Christmas Carol'?
Correct answer: his own death
the death of Marley
the death of little Fan
Correct answer: the death of Tiny Tim
Correct answer: the death of the anonymous man
Q3.
Which of the following definitions is the correct one for 'repression'?
the feeling of not being bothered by something
being exceptionally harsh and cruel
a person's happiness, health and wellbeing
Correct answer: when emotions are pushed down and ignored
the process of investing in one's community
Q4.
Complete the quotation from Stave 4 of 'A Christmas Carol': "unwatched, unwept, for, was the body of this man."
Correct Answer: uncared, Uncared, uncared., Uncared.
Q5.
What do the deaths in stave 3 and 4 of 'A Christmas Carol' teach Scrooge?
Correct answer: the value of human life
the importance of wealth and possessions
the importance of a sense of humour
Correct answer: how important it is to live a fulfilling and moral life
how widespread and brutal poverty is
Q6.
What did Dickens believe our purpose in life was?
to make as many friends as possible to leave a lasting legacy
to make as much money as possible so we can donate it
Correct answer: to contribute to the welfare and happiness of others
to eradicate poverty and criminality
to speak to others and understand what they go through