Social injustice
The year was 1843. At the time, Christmas was not considered an important holiday, but something was changing. Queen Victoria had married the German Prince Albert, and they had brought from Germany the tradition of the Christmas tree. Other customs, such as the Christmas card, the exchange of presents, and the singing of carols were slowly becoming popular. Dickens felt that Christmas was the time of year when people were willing ‘to open their shut-up hearts freely’. He wanted to write a story that could touch those hearts with a specific, strong moral message. Dickens was concerned and appalled by the conditions of the British poor and especially the conditions of poor children. In order to survive, many of them had to work in factories under horrible conditions. At first, Dickens wanted to write a political pamphlet denouncing this situation, but eventually he decided to write a short novel instead, which he titled A Christmas Carol.The power of literature
A Christmas Carol tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a rich old man who is rude, bitter and dreadfully selfish. On Christmas Eve he is visited by three ghosts who show him what a horrible person he has become and the terrible impact that his actions have had on other people. Scrooge realizes that he must change in order to save his soul and to help the people in need around him. On the following day, Christmas, he starts behaving in a generous and kind way. A Christmas Carol is a story of redemption, and it became immediately popular. Dickens had succeeded in touching the hearts of his readers. His novella delivered its moral message so well that there was an increase in charity around the country. Dickens received many letters from people who were inspired by his story. Its message has continued to affect millions of people around the world to this day.The Christmas spirit
Dickens’s A Christmas Carol has remained popular since it was first published, and it is probably the most famous non-religious Christmas tale. It has become a cultural icon, and it is one of those stories that people know well even if they have never read it. The expression ‘Merry Christmas’ was popularized by it. The name ‘Scrooge’ ended up in dictionaries as a word describing a miser or a grumpy, unfriendly person. The story promoted the idea of associating Christmas with family gatherings, songs, games and seasonal food. But the novella’s main contribution to the celebration of Christmas was its message. Dickens himself writes in the preface of the book: “I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea […] May it haunt [my readers’] houses pleasantly.” This ‘Idea’ is that Christmas should be a time of celebration and reconciliation, a time to be generous and kind. Dickens did not invent modern Christmas, but he surely helped to define the Christmas spirit.
Useful links
1) Learn more about Charles Dickens:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/famouspeople/charles_dickens/
2) Learn more about A Christmas Carol:
https://www.charlesdickensinfo.com/christmas-carol/
3) Read the plot of A Christmas Carol on the Simple English Wikipedia page:
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol
4) Browse this website about Charles Dickens and his writing:
http://charlesdickenspage.com/
5) Read about the Christmas Carol Walk and the story that inspired it:
http://www.dickenslondontours.co.uk/dickens-christmas-carol-walk.htm
COMPREHENSION
1) Read the article and complete the sentences with the right alternative.
1. Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol is
—
(Carlo Dellonte)
(Image credits: Wikipedia and Wikipedia)
- a film.
- a short novel.
- a play.
- invented modern Christmas.
- influenced modern Christmas.
- wrote The man who invented Christmas.
- in 1843.
- in Britain.
- in Germany.
- Dickens felt that, during Christmas, people were
- kinder.
- poorer.
- happier.
- denounce a social injustice.
- celebrate Christmas.
- earn money for charity.
- praise him.
- criticize him.
- give him presents.
- a ghost.
- rude and bitter.
- a better person.
- a failure.
- a success.
- a disappointment.
- meant an old miser.
- could be found in dictionaries.
- could not be found in dictionaries.
- ghosts.
- the Christmas tree.
- celebrations and seasonal food.
