Christmas Carol- First Fishbowl STAVE ONE 12/4

Christmas Carol Fishbowl 12/4

• Scrooge thinks he is above everyone
• poor people are the problem
• value of life: strewn
• poor should be the first to die
• First stave: background, gives him room to improve
• bitter, selfish
• Sets atmosphere: fog (dreary)
• "'Mankind was my business.'" (Dickens, pg 49)
• Chain=warning
• Marley is telling him not to end up like him: he has time to change now
• Marley has always been there as a ghost, but Scrooge is just seeing him to tell him to change himself (bottom of 49, 50)
• Page 49: Dickens is conveying that people of London should be more charitable, kind, generous
• doesn't matter to be a good business
• business of mankind: caring for others
• Marley back: significant
• Scrooge doesn't believe at first
• tries to deny
• tells Scrooge there is more important business
• Good businessman but good man?
• Scrooge cares about money
• materialistic
• money not important, should care about other people
• recession
• Dickens showing: money is meaningless, importance of kindness and generosity
• Marley shows Scrooge that money is not important
• trying to say help people
• He wants to be miserable
• pg 36: why are you merry?
• Dead: lost power forever, regret not helping others in real life
• "none were free" (52)
• Familiar ghost
• Money doesn't make you happy
• the poor appreciate what he has
• Scrooge is greedy
• Nephew= Dickens' idea of a good person, happiness, appreciative of what little he has
• what people should be like
• Clerk: only one day off
• bitter, cruel
• reluctant to acknowledge Christmas: no religion
• joyous time of year
• Scrooge scared of ghost: pg 47
• No emotion until this
• more of a person
• Is it right to condemn Scrooge?
• he chooses to be miserable
• was he raised in a bad way
• blames his problems on other things
• Nephew: grateful for what he has
• Scrooge doesn't care about being a good person
• all he cares about is money
• Page 40: class difference
• Mayor vs tailor
• poor are happy
• christmas spirit
• Happiness?
• Scrooge is satisfied being unhappy
• Poor= nuisance 
• comes in his way: he gets upset
• Does he understand happiness?
• goes through motions: he's fine w/ that
• doesn't care about changing
• Nephew fell in love pg 37
• did something happen in past?
• Money is equal to morals
• doesn't understand why Marley is chained
• Page 36: everything is based on money
• Thinks people are crazy b/c they are happy