Page 28 - Year 10 Knowledge Organiser

English Literature: ‘A Christmas Carol’: 4 of 4

Key word Definition
Question: How does Dickens present the Cratchit
Charity An organization set up to provide help and raise money for those in family?
need.
Society People living together to form a community. Dickens uses juxtaposition to present the Cratchit

Moral Knowing right from wrong. family as grateful for what they have despite their
poverty: ‘a small pudding for a large family’. By using
Message An idea/point being made by the writer.
the contrasting adjectives ‘small’ and ‘large’ Dickens
Stave A set of five parallel lines on which musical notes are written. emphasises how little the family have. This makes the
The chapters in ‘A Christmas Carol’ are called staves – and there are reader feel pity - not just for the Cratchits but for all
five of them.
those living in poverty. This seems particularly
Victorian Era ruled by Queen Victoria 1837-1901. This was the era when ‘A poignant as Dickens has set the novella at Christmas
Christmas Carol’ was written. time: a time associated with abundance. Whilst there
Flint Hard rock that was historically shaped to make weapons, tools and were high levels of poverty in Britain in 1843, Dickens
start fires. is suggesting in this scene that family is more

Solitary Being alone. important than wealth as they are all appreciative of
Oyster Shellfish with a very hard shell that is hard to open. Occasionally this ‘small pudding’. This idea is further developed
contains a pearl. through the use of a list of three: ‘they were happy,
grateful, pleased with one another’ reinforcing
Supernatural Things that cannot be explained by science or nature – the ghosts in
this novella. Dickens’ message that wealth is not as important as
family. By using such positive adjectives Dickens
Redemption The act of a character changing from being evil to being good.
highlights this major theme in the novel encouraging
Phantom A ghost. his Victorian readers to appreciate these values.

Miser A person who hoards wealth and spends as little money as possible.

Generosity The quality of being kind and generous
Responsibility Accepting the duty of dealing with something or someone.

Transformation A clear change.