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Year 11 - English

'A Christmas Carol': Dickens' depictions of Victorian London

'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 analyse how Dickens uses his descriptions of setting to depict Victorian London.

Key Notes

  • Victorian London was noisy, overcrowded and diverse, with people from various cultural backgrounds and social classes.
  • The Industrial Revolution transformed the city, worsening pollution and widening the class divide.
  • The poor lived in cramped, unsanitary conditions, with little support available to improve their lives.
  • Dickens campaigned for social reform and the novella encouraged middle-class readers to show compassion for the poor.
  • Descriptions of the setting foreshadow how this ghost story exposes the harsh realities of poverty in Victorian London.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • unsanitary: lacking cleanliness or hygiene, leading to potential health risks
  • Industrial Revolution: a period of major industrial and technological advancements, transforming economies and societies
  • ominous: suggesting something bad or threatening is about to happen
  • philanthropist: a person who donates money or resources to promote the welfare of others
  • foreshadows: hints at or predicts a future event in a story

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • The Industrial Revolution brought great prosperity to the Britain; factories helped to provide wealth equality because it provided jobs to help poor people out of poverty.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

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

Victorian London was noisy, overcrowded and diverse, with people from various cultural backgrounds and social classes. The Industrial Revolution transformed the city, worsening pollution and widening the class divide.

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

lacking cleanliness or hygiene, leading to potential health risks.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: The Industrial Revolution brought great prosperity to the Britain; factories helped to provide wealth equality because it provided jobs to help poor people out of poverty. Correction: The Industrial Revolution did bring great prosperity but unfortunately the wealth was not shared across all social classes. Industrial wealth improved the lives of business owners but poor people suffered due to low wages and overcrowding.

More Lessons In This Unit

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