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Year 11 - English

'A Christmas Carol': Dickens' depictions of poverty and suffering

'A Christmas Carol': a critique of Victorian values

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils explore how Dickens presents 'A Christmas Carol' as a critique of dominant Victorian values. They first look at how he presents Victorian London, before looking at how he depicts poverty, suffering, wealth and status. They then look at what Dickens is critiquing in the novella.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explore how Dickens uses the Cratchit family to humanise the poor and encourage his readers to show compassion towards them.

Key Notes

  • Dickens' detailed descriptions of the Cratchits and their belongings emphasise how they are living in abject poverty.
  • He conveys the message 'money doesn't buy happiness' by showing how they value family time over material possessions.
  • Dickens encourages his wealthy readers to show compassion by using the Cratchits to humanise poor people.
  • Poor Victorians lived in cramped conditions and endured awful working conditions to avoid debtors prisons or workhouses.
  • There was a lot of social stigma around poverty; many believed poor Victorians were lazy, stupid or morally inferior.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • abject poverty: extreme poverty where basic needs like food and shelter are not met
  • dialogue: a conversation between two or more characters in a story
  • stigma: a negative mark of shame or disgrace attached to a person or group by others' judgements of them
  • utilitarian: a belief focused on practical and functional purposes, valuing usefulness over beauty or comfort
  • workhouse: institutions where poor people worked in exchange for food and shelter, often in harsh conditions

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • People who work hard enough can escape poverty.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.

Dickens' detailed descriptions of the Cratchits and their belongings emphasise how they are living in abject poverty. He conveys the message 'money doesn't buy happiness' by showing how they value family time over material possessions.

2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'abject poverty'

extreme poverty where basic needs like food and shelter are not met.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: People who work hard enough can escape poverty. Correction: This was a common belief in Victorian times when people in poverty faced much social stigma. Unfortunately, poverty was not easy to escape; many poor people were uneducated, had no access to healthcare and lived in cramped conditions.

More Lessons In This Unit

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