'A Christmas Carol': Dickens’ depictions of wealth and status
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can analyse how and why Dickens uses language to contrast his depictions of wealthy characters in 'A Christmas Carol'.
Key learning points
- Reputation was important to wealthy Victorians because it ensured access to power, influence and social connections.
- The wealthy lived in large houses and had lavish lifestyles, attending operas, dinner parties and embarking on holidays.
- Dickens uses negative language and words linked to the cold to imply Scrooge's life was lonely due to his selfishness.
- He uses positive language to present Fezziwig as a jolly, lively figure who is well-liked and respected.
- He contrasts his depictions of both men to suggest that compassion can ultimately lead to a happy life.
Keywords
Affluent - having a lot of wealth or money; rich or prosperous
Miser - a person who hoards wealth and is reluctant to spend it
Philanthropy - the act of giving money or resources to help others or support causes
Compassion - sympathy and concern for the suffering or misfortune of others, often with a desire to help
Semantic field - a group of words related in meaning and used in a certain context (e.g. emotions = happy, sad, angry)
Common misconception
Wealth alone guaranteed a high social status in Victorian society.
While wealth was important to securing high social status, reputation was extremely important to wealthy Victorians. Arranged marriages and inheritance were key levers to ensure a good family reputation.
Teacher tip
This lesson explores two extracts from 'A Christmas Carol' describing Scrooge and Fezziwig. They are included on the slide deck but you may wish to encourage students to annotate their own copies of the text. Copies can be found in the Additional Materials section of the lesson.
Equipment
There are two extracts from 'A Christmas Carol' used in the lesson which are available on the slide deck and in the additional materials.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which character in 'A Christmas Carol' best represents the wealthy, miserly class in Victorian society?
Q2.In 'A Christmas Carol', what does Dickens use the Cratchit family to represent in Victorian society?
Q3.What Victorian social issue is highlighted through Scrooge's transformation in 'A Christmas Carol'?
Q4.Starting with the first, put each of these events from 'A Christmas Carol' in chronological order.
Q5.What is the name of Scrooge's former employer in 'A Christmas Carol'?
Q6.Which of these words would you use to describe Scrooge at the start of 'A Christmas Carol'?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is a miser?
Q2.Which of these these is an antonym (opposite word) for 'miser'?
Q3.Consider the context of 'A Christmas Carol' and the time it was written. Wealthy Victorians ...
Q4.Which of the following are examples of wealthy characters from 'A Christmas Carol'?
Q5.Which of these quotes from 'A Christmas Carol' imply Scrooge lives an empty and lonely life?
Q6.Which of these quotes presents Fezziwig as a jolly, lively person in 'A Christmas Carol'?
To help you plan your 11 English lesson on: 'A Christmas Carol': Dickens’ depictions of wealth and status, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 English lesson on: 'A Christmas Carol': Dickens’ depictions of wealth and status, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 English lessons from the ‘A Christmas Carol’: a critique of Victorian values unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.