Starter quiz
- Select the pairs that demonstrate two opposites.
- Charitable and miserly. ✓
- Benevolent and kind.
- Ignorant and enlightened. ✓
- Empathetic and understanding.
- Poor and impoverished.
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- Who is Fred in 'A Christmas Carol'?
- Scrooge's business partner.
- Scrooge's brother.
- Scrooge's great nephew.
- Scrooge's employee.
- Scrooge's nephew. ✓
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- Which of the following explanations best describes how Dickens portrays Scrooge's physical appearance in stave 1 of 'A Christmas Carol'?
- Dickens likens Scrooge to a gargoyle, showing his ugly personality.
- Dickens compares Scrooge to the colour red, to suggest he is dangerous.
- Dickens compares Scrooge to a warm fire, to show his potential to change.
- Dickens describes Scrooge as handsome, which contrasts with his cruel nature.
- Dickens likens Scrooge to the cold, illustrating his cold-hearted nature. ✓
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- Which values does Charles Dickens suggest are especially important at Christmas in 'A Christmas Carol'?
- Empathy. ✓
- Wealth.
- Luxury.
- Generosity. ✓
- Charity. ✓
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- When Fred invites Scrooge to his Christmas celebrations in stave 1 of 'A Christmas Carol', Scrooge replies "Bah... "
- 'Humbug' ✓
- Why does Scrooge from 'A Christmas Carol' hate Christmas? Choose the most appropriate responses.
- Scrooge has nobody to spend Christmas with, so he hates it because he is alone.
- Scrooge regards Christmas as a time for losing money and slacking off work. ✓
- Scrooge resents having to buy people he doesn't care for presents and gifts.
- Scrooge resents the goodwill and joy that people demonstrate at Christmas. ✓
- Scrooge's business doesn't thrive at Christmas, so he hates the festive season.
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Exit quiz
- Which of the following are qualities and characteristics that Fred demonstrates in Stave 1 of 'A Christmas Carol'?
- He is selfish with his wealth.
- He is kind and optimistic. ✓
- He values family. ✓
- He shuns society and hates community.
- He is generous with his time. ✓
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- Which methods does Dickens use in Stave 1 of 'A Christmas Carol' to characterise Fred and Scrooge as opposite characters?
- Mirroring.
- Pathetic fallacy.
- Colour symbolism. ✓
- Onomatopoeia.
- Extended metaphor. ✓
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- Which of the following words also indicate that two characters are opposite, or distinctly different?
- Frivolous.
- Contrasting. ✓
- Identical.
- Antithesis. ✓
- Integral.
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- What do we learn from the character of Fred in 'A Christmas Carol'?
- The importance of family: Fred's family don't have much money but they're happy.
- The importance of wealth: we see Fred's luxurious Christmas dinner.
- The importance of empathy: we see Scrooge as somebody to be pitied. ✓
- The value of Christmas: we see all the fun party games Fred plays.
- The value of charity: Fred gives a lot of money to charity.
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- Starting with the first, put the events at Fred's Christmas party from Stave 3 of 'A Christmas Carol' in chronological order.
- 1⇔Scrooge hears Fred laughing about him saying "Bah...Humbug!'
- 2⇔Scrooge’s niece remarks that she "has no patience" with him.
- 3⇔Fred says that whilst Scrooge is wealthy, he doesn’t use his wealth to do good.
- 4⇔Fred states that he will continue to invite Scrooge to Christmas dinner.
- 5⇔Fred and his guests sing songs and play instruments together.
- 6⇔Fred and his guests play party games and make fun of Scrooge.
- 7⇔Fred raises a glass and drinks to Scrooge's health.
- What does the motif of laughter represent in 'A Christmas Carol'?
- Hope and transformation.
- Empathy and charity.
- Goodwill and generosity. ✓
- Poverty and hardship.
- Comedy and jokes.
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Worksheet
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Presentation
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Dickens uses colour symbolism and extended metaphors to characterise Scrooge and Fred as opposite characters.
- Scrooge is likened to the cold, whereas Fred is described as ‘ruddy’, ‘handsome’ and warm.
- Fred exemplifies Christmas spirit, empathy and goodwill.
- Through showing us Scrooge through the eyes of Fred, we learn the importance of humour and empathy.
- Seeing Fred's Christmas party causes Scrooge to 'soften', showing his moral progress.
Common misconception
Pupils think that Fred making fun of Scrooge is mean.
Fred is shown to have a great sense of humour and this is what he's expressing when talking about his uncle. It is this sense of humour that enables him to remain optimistic despite financial struggle.
Keywords
Antithesis - The antithesis of something is the direct opposite of it.
Opposing - If two people hold opposing views on something, they have totally different opinions.
Colour symbolism - Colour symbolism is when a writer uses colours (and the particular associations they hold) to characterise a character or setting.
Frivolous - Being frivolous means being unserious or being silly about something.
To contrast - Two contrasting things would be strikingly different from one another.
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