‘And every man on board, waking or sleeping, good or bad, had had a kinder word for another on that day than on any day in the year.’
In what ways is this story about the power of the Christmas spirit?
A Christmas Carol challenges the reader to consider far more than the power of the Christmas spirit.How? Introductions should tackle the essay topic holistically therefore there should be no generalised comments. Of course,Too casual and better left out. Dickens calls on his audience to recall the seasonal traditions that in his own time were changing.Why does he do this? But today, the story still resonates because its focus is not just ‘the power of the Christmas spirit’, but the universality of humankind. Christmas is merely the vehicle chosen by Dickens to deliver a broader message; that our shared humanity is precious and should be defended.Introduction is a bit general. I don't think it tackles the topic as a whole and does not present any concrete arguments. The last sentence could be reworded to avoid the use of the semi colon. For example, Dickens chooses to use Christmas to deliver the message that our shared humanity is precious and should be defended. I think a better link is needed between humanity and how it is evident in the text and how/why it links to Christmas.
Dickens’ conception of the Christmas spirit is firmly rooted in his surroundings.As a topic sentence it doesn't really explain what you're talking about. Also, I got confused because the first part of the paragraph was talking about Dickens' own experiences and then the following sentence talks about textual evidence. Maybe restructuring it could work better. In the swarming multitudes of London, he saw all around him greed, neglect and suffering. "He" needs to be clear as I have identified already.He saw that the human community was changing rapidly in the megalopolis, where it was all too easy to find oneself lost in the crowd, isolated and alone. I got lost here. It felt like there was a jump that happened and I didn't make that jump. I feel that this paragraph should have a concrete argument that relates to how the text is a story about the power of Christmas spirit. Fred tells his uncle that this alienation produces ‘shut-up hearts’, and the division of humanity into ‘races of creatures bound on other journeys.’ link to topic...which means what? How does this affect other characters?Dickens has to take Scrooge, and the reader, beyond the city to demonstrate the role of Christmas in fighting this alienation.What do you mean by this? Rephrase if you're talking about Dickens' authorial intentions. It doesn't sound good. It reads like Dickens is a character in the text but he really isn't. Also, explain what you need by alienation and give textual evidence. The brief views of Christmas among the miners, lighthouse keepers and sailors reveal an alternate community of man not subject to the strange isolation of the city.How is the city isolated? Also "of man..." sounds off and doesn't read well. Maybe use people. Dickens does not present these men as an ideal, but invites the reader to join with them in their modest celebrations. Their Christmases are not the roaring celebrations of the Fezziwigs or the family affairs of the Cratchits and Fred’s family, but a humble and sincere expression of Christmas spirit. In showing the diversity of Christmas celebrations, Dickens reminds the reader there is more to the spirit of the holiday than feasting and extravagance. How does Dickens do this?It is an opportunity for all to rekindle relationships, and an occasion to share kind words and love of mankind. Wrap up sentences here is good and I understood what your paragraph was about but you need to build a foundation for it in the first sentence as it is your topic sentence. I got lost and it is not only until I read these last two sentences that I was able to understand what the first para was about.
The role of Christmas in the text is deeply symbolic; indeed Christmas in this text is a metaphor for the purity and wholesomeness of childhood.Again, topic sentence doesn't seem to relate to the topic and or provides us with concrete idea of what the paragraph is going to be about. There is good content but I fail to see the link and the essays address in regards to the question. The biblical story of Jesus’ birth is transposed into a defence against what Dickens saw as the erosion of community in an increasingly dehumanising setting.The setting which is what? I think this could be extended to show what you mean by dehumanising setting and how it is affected by Dickens' intentions. However, Dickens’ storySounds too casual. I think you can just refer to Dickens' story as "A Christmas Carol". is not a defence of the religious significance of ChristmasI think it's better to connect these two sentences together with a "but"; it is a secular parable for the city. Rather than a holy celebration, Dickens’ Christmas is an earthly celebration of human fellowship and the vitality of youth. Double tick. Very clear.References to youth and of children abound in the text,Hmm. I'm unsure about whether you can call it text or not as I've had teachers tell me not to refer to it as text when writing the essay. from the description of Fan, ‘brimful of glee’ in Stave One to the most obvious tribute to youthful optimism in the character of Tiny Tim. Which shows us that.... I think you need to connect your examples with its meaning and refer back to Dickens' intentions and the essay topic.The Ghost of Christmas Past appears ‘like a child, yet not so much like a child as like an old man’, and shows us snippets of Scrooge’s childhood. What does showing Scrooge's childhood entail?We watch, saddened, as the adult Scrooge shuts out all memory of his youth to appease the insatiable greed that has infected him. Link to previous sentence is needed here. This unhappy coming of age melds neatly with the appearance of Ignorance and Want, personified as two children who appear old, shaped by ‘a stale and shrivelled hand, like that of age’. Good.They are Scrooge in miniature, an allegorized Allegori[ s ] edimage of the man who denies his place in the community of man. Of man can be deleted. It doesn't add sophistication to your writing.Scrooge’s vulnerability as a child prompts his turn towards avarice; like Ignorance and Want, I don't understand the place of the second sentence here. Also how does Scrooge change into something monstrous?neglect will turn him into something monstrous. In triumphing over his childhood he has suppressed and forgotten his loneliness, but also forgotten the joys of laughter, imagination and love. In using the appearance of age to draw contrast between the Ghost of Christmas Past and the two wretched children, Dickens reminds us of the vitality of youth. The energy of the Ghost is in its childlike form, and the despondency of Ignorance and Want is in their untimely ageing. For Dickens, Christmas was firmly associated with the joy of childhood and of children. To this end, Scrooge’s transformation is completed when he is reborn as a child-man on Christmas morning, the unquestionably secular embodiment of the nativity story. He reclaims his innermost child, crying ‘I am as merry as a school-boy’, and once more revels in the world around him – ‘Golden sunlight; Heavenly sky…Oh, glorious. Glorious!’ In this sense, the power of Christmas is evident in its symbolism; it is a renewing force that Dickens argues should be as valued as ever. The rest of this paragraph is good but I feel like I need more explanation to some textual evidence used as they don't really explain your arguments.
In A Christmas Carol, title should be underlined or in quotation marks. I think that you know that already though.Dickens’ intention is not to present a twee Too colloquial for an essay.image of the ideal Christmas celebration, nor to deliver religious or moral platitudes. He uses the specific vehicle of Christmas to reveal something universal. In bringing Christmas into the city, he both secularises the holiday and repurposes it to expose the broader social injustices of his time. He reminds the reader of the joy of human fellowship in a world where traditional community structures are being eroded. Ultimately, he invites every reader to join Scrooge in rejoicing in the community of mankind all year round.Community of mankind sounds weird. I think when you say community, it does imply mankind so either use community or mankind but not both. I understand your conclusion but personally I feel that the words in the essay question could have been used in the intro paragraph to set the scene of your essay.
Overall:
This is a good essay and I think it will score about medium to very high, depending on how harsh a teacher marks. First of all, there are great points in this essay and textual evidence are used and there are also many references to authorial intentions which is great, BUT there could also be a finer link between textual evidence and what it implies, as well as an overall link to the arguments used. The topic sentences weren't very clear to me and some parts of the essay were generalised without having discussed the implications of a scene, a characterisation and very rarely deals with how and why Dickens' uses a certain authorial device. While there is sophisticated understanding of Dickens' intentions, the paragraphs needed to be more clear as there were some parts that I got lost at. There is fine understanding ot the text as a whole as there is numerous references to characterisation but there also needed to be an explanation as to why characters are the way the are and discussion about why they changed should also be explored. The conclusion, methinks was the best part of the essay.
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