Starter quiz
- When was the Victorian era?
- 1801-1901
- 1823- 1906
- 1837-1901 ✓
- 1873- 1932
- 1901-1983
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- Where were poor people legally expected to go if they were fit to work in the Victorian era?
- prison
- the workhouse ✓
- the orphanages
- abroad
- the mines
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- What is the business Scrooge owns in 'A Christmas Carol'?
- a law firm
- a counting house ✓
- a factory
- a workhouse
- a bakery
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- What does fire symbolise in 'A Christmas Carol'?
- love
- greed
- generosity ✓
- family
- poverty
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- What is the definition of 'ideology'?
- a person thoughts and speech
- a person's actions and behaviour
- a person's relationships with others
- a person's beliefs and values ✓
- a person's life experiences
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- 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
- 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
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Exit quiz
- 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
- misanthropist ✓
- heathen
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- ______ 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.
- 'Malthus ' ✓
- How were Victorian workhouses funded?
- through individual charity
- by the people who ran them
- through taxation of the middle and upper classes ✓
- personally by the government minister
- by the poor's wages
-
- Which of the following were beliefs of Malthus?
- Charity would make poor people lazy. ✓
- Poor people should pay the rich money for having to live alongside them.
- Poverty was the fault of the poor person. ✓
- Poor people wanted to go to the workhouses to make money.
- Poor people shouldn't have children because they can't afford them. ✓
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- In which sentences is the word 'embody' used correctly?
- A mean spirit embodied him.
- 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.
- She embodied perfection. ✓
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- Match the quote said by Scrooge in 'A Christmas Carol' up to the Malthusian belief that it exemplifies.
- The population is too large⇔"decrease the surplus population" ✓
- Poverty is poor people's fault⇔"it's not my business" ✓
- Charity makes the poor lazy⇔"I can't afford to make idle people merry" ✓
- Poor people should be worked⇔"the Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigour then?" ✓
Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Thomas Malthus was an economist who raised concerns about the sustainability of the growing Victorian population.
- Dickens fundamentally disagreed with the dismissive and callous attitudes of the wealthy towards the poor.
- Scrooge is an embodiment (and criticism) of the Malthusian ideology that pervaded Victorian society.
- The Poor Law in 1834 reduced the amount of individual charity the wealthy were willing to contribute.
- 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.
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