fred essay a christmas carol

Fred (Scrooge's Nephew)

Fred represents Scrooge’s only living family. He is Scrooge’s nephew, the only child of Fan (his little sister whom he adored).

Highlights Scrooge's love for Fan

• Fred may show how much Scrooge misses his sister.
• It is possible that Scrooge doesn't want a relationship with his nephew because he is scared of losing someone else he loves.

Foil to Scrooge's character

• He is happy with life: Scrooge is miserable.
• He is in love with his wife and enjoys being with her: Scrooge lost his fiancée and hates relationships.
• He sees the magic in Christmas, especially the goodness it brings to people: Scrooge thinks that Christmas brings out the worst in people.
• He is polite and kind: Scrooge is nasty and rude.
• He is generous: Scrooge is tight-fisted.

Significance of laughter

• Fred laughs several times throughout the story, highlighting his love of life and the enjoyment he experiences.
• Interestingly, Stave 5 (after he has decided to make changes and be a better person) is where Scrooge laughs until he cries.

Fred: Key Quotes

Here are 3 quotes highlighting aspects of Fred's character:

Happy and kind

• Right from the start, Fred is shown to be so happy and kind that it seems to radiate from his skin – his goodness makes his skin and eyes glow.
• He directly contrasts Scrooge, who is dull and miserable. Fred loves life; Scrooge seems to hate it. Dickens uses Fred at the beginning to show what Scrooge could be like.

Constantly laughing

• This adds to the sense that Fred loves life. He laughs throughout the book, never seeming to take things too seriously or be offended at Scrooge’s behaviour.
• In his life, he also shows a sense of freedom; Scrooge seems to have locked away any sort of enjoyment in life – he does not laugh until he revisits the good times he had as a youth.

Example to the upper classes

• Fred shows what upper-class people should be like – whilst Scrooge has always been horribly rude and dismissive of him, he does not take this to heart.
• As soon as his uncle makes an effort, Fred forgives him and invites him into his home.

1 Plot Summary

1.1 Plot Summary

1.1.1 Outline

1.1.2 Introducing Scrooge & Marley

1.1.3 Stave 1

1.1.4 Stave 2

1.1.5 Stave 3

1.1.6 End of Topic Test - Staves 1-3

1.1.7 Stave 4

1.1.8 Stave 5

1.1.9 End of Topic Test - Staves 4-5

2 Key Characters & Quotes

2.1 Ebenezer Scrooge

2.1.1 Outline & Stave 1

2.1.2 Stave 2

2.1.3 Stave 3

2.1.4 Stave 4

2.1.5 Stave 5 & Key Quotes

2.1.6 End of Topic Test - Ebeneezer Scrooge

2.2 Other Characters

2.2.1 Bob Cratchit

2.2.2 Tiny Tim

2.2.4 The Ghosts Pt 1

2.2.5 The Ghosts Pt 2

2.2.6 End of Topic Test - Other Characters

2.3 Grade 9 - Key Characters

2.3.1 Grade 9 - Key Characters

2.3.2 Grade 9 - Extract Analysis

3 Key Ideas

3.1 Key Ideas

3.1.1 Inequality, Ignorance & Want

3.1.2 Duality, Family & Love

3.1.3 Christianity & Redemption

3.1.4 End of Topic Test - Key Ideas

3.1.5 Grade 9 - Key Themes

4.1 Context

4.1.1 Dickens & Victorian England

4.1.2 Poverty & Victorian Christmas

4.1.3 Exam-Style Questions - Poverty

4.1.4 Gothic Fiction

4.1.5 Gothic Fiction & Victorian England

4.1.6 End of Topic Test - Context

5 Authorial Method

5.1 Structure & Techniques

5.1.1 Structure & Time

5.1.2 Time Frame & Pace

5.1.3 Narrative Voice & Tone

5.1.4 Settings, Similes & Metaphors

5.1.5 End of Topic Test - Authorial Method

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The Ghosts Pt 1

A Christmas Carol

Charles dickens, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

How Scrooge Changes

How is scrooge presented as being selfish, the point behind the paragraph ao1 - big picture (plot) ao2 - zooming in (language) ao3 - context, during the opening of the novel, scrooge is presented as a selfish, closed character who only thinks of himself. the first section of the novel takes the form of a long piece of description where dickens highlights just how selfish scrooge is. he’s described as being “squeezing,” “wrenching,” and “grasping.” all these active verbs suggest different ways that he takes things. squeezing suggests that he holds things close to himself and won’t let them go. “wrenching” means to take things; to snatch them. this might refer to how he runs his business, snatching back what’s his own, as though he’s a selfish spoilt child who won’t share. “grasping” means to reach desperately for something, which isn’t something we’d associate with someone as wealthy as scrooge. equally, he’s described as being “solitary as an oyster.” this wonderful simile perfectly illustrates just how closed off scrooge is: he has a hard shell to keep himself away from the rest of the world. throughout the rest of stave 1 we see more examples of his selfishness: he refuses to go to fred’s house, arguing that christmas is a “humbug;” he refuses to give to the portly gentleman’s charity, saying that the poor should go to workhouses, prisons or simply die if they can’t afford to live and he resents giving bob cratchit the day off for christmas, thinking himself “ill-used.” scrooge clearly thinks only of himself. he doesn’t “make merry” at christmas, and he “can’t afford” to make anyone else merry either. here, dickens uses scrooge to shine a light on the selfishness of the victorian upper classes, who would happily sit by their firesides eating rich food while their poorer brothers froze in the dirt outside. it is also worth remembering, however, that the issue of poverty is not one that is consigned to victorian england; it’s very much alive today, and we would all do well to look outside of our bubbles to see those who suffer in the world around us ., the text above would represent one paragraph from an essay about scrooge being presented as selfish. the second paragraph would look at how scrooge learnt to be less selfish, while the last would focus on how scrooge was presented by the end. each paragraph would have a point, some language analysis (ao2), some key moments of plot (ao1) and a reference to context (ao3)., the extract, during the opening of the novel, and in the extract, scrooge is presented as a “tight-fisted hand at the grindstone.” this is to say that he doesn’t like sharing – he is tight fisted – while the “grindstone” image represents him at work. this image suggests that he drives people hard at work but doesn’t pay them much for it. and this is certainly true of scrooge. dickens also uses a string of verbs to describe his miserly hero: “squeezing, wrenching, grasping, clutching;” all of them imply that he is taking things and holding on to them. he’s described as “hard and sharp as flint” – which implies that he is difficult and even dangerous – “from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire” which implies that one thing flint does well is something scrooge is incapable of, because fire is warm and looks after others. most interestingly, however, scrooge is described as “edging his way along the crowded paths of life, warning all human sympathy to keep its distance.” this is an interesting image as it implies a certain strange compassion from scrooge. in fact, he isn’t just rude or obnoxious, it’s as though he recognised that he is socially and emotionally dysfunctional and now “warns” other humans to keep away., by the end of the book, however, he has changed and he does this by realising a few very important things., firstly, he understands that people and emotions are more important than money. at the beginning of the book scrooge things money equates to happiness – he says that “i can’t afford to make idle people merry,” suggesting that happiness can only be provided through financial means. during his visits with the ghost of christmas past, however, he sees his old manager fezziwig throwing a party and comments that “the happiness he gives is quite as great as if it had cost a fortune.” here, he shows the beginnings of an understanding that happiness isn’t just financial. throughout stave 3, also, scrooge sees people enjoying christmas without any money. he is taken across the country from the poor tin-mines in cornwall to the most distant lighthouses and even across the sea to where he sees people singing and laughing and making merry despite being on meagre means. he also sees the cratchitts enjoying christmas with next to nothing – with their chipped glasses and broken custard cups holding the drinks as well as “golden goblets.” dickens repeatedly uses references to gold in the book, and at one point bob mentions that tiny tim is “as good as gold and better.” here, bob is clearly celebrating the key theme of the book: that people and human relationships are more important than money. by the end of the book, with the third spirit, scrooge seems changed. he says “lead on, time is precious to me.” here he recognises that time – which is irreplaceable – is actually the most valuable commodity on earth and he seems changed., also, scrooge is changed by the compassion he sees other’s treating him with. when belle speaks to him, she does so with “tenderness” – suggesting that even at this moment of deepest sadness, she feels sorry for him, and not resentful. also, bob toasts him over their dinner, raising a glass to celebrate him. through this scrooge is forced to reflect on the fact that he is supported and loved despite his behaviour. his nephew, fred, also insists on defending him – albeit that he playfully teases him in the group’s game – when he says that he insists inviting scrooge to dinner every year – “for i pity him.” again, the compassion and sympathy felt by others would have affected scrooge and softened him, melting his cold and bitter heart, rather than making him angry and isolated. finally, scrooge allows himself to become absorbed in society when he becomes tiny tim’s “second father.” this final statement shows clearly that scrooge is now a fully-fledged member of society, and even though he had no relationship with his own family, he has an adopted, extended family that he can be a part of., it’s also worth noting, that the first person scrooge feels compassion for is himself. in the school room, when he “wept” to see his “poor forgotten self” scrooge shows sympathy for his own plight. it could well be that his father – the father that fanny didn’t have to feel “afraid” of anymore – was the source of scrooge’s anger and resentment. in this respect, you could easily argue that scrooge was deserted by those who were closest to him and, in turn, deserted those around him; however, by the end, an extended family of society have proven that they care for scrooge and can forgive him, and in this way he learns to feel compassion again., a christmas carol and death, a churchyard. here, then; the wretched man whose name he had now to learn, lay underneath the ground. it was a worthy place. walled in by houses; overrun by grass and weeds, the growth of vegetation’s death, not life; choked up with too much burying; fat with repleted appetite. a worthy place, the spirit stood among the graves, and pointed down to one. he advanced towards it trembling. the phantom was exactly as it had been, but he dreaded that he saw new meaning in its solemn shape., “before i draw nearer to that stone to which you point,” said scrooge, “answer me one question. are these the shadows of the things that will be, or are they shadows of things that may be, only”, still the ghost pointed downward to the grave by which it stood., “men’s courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead,” said scrooge. “but if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. say it is thus with what you show me”, the spirit was immovable as ever., scrooge crept towards it, trembling as he went; and following the finger, read upon the stone of the neglected grave his own name, ebenezer scrooge., the extract is from the end of stave 4 and explores scrooge’s final realisation of his fate as the ghost of christmas yet to come points to his grave. overall, death is a prevalent theme in the novella, one which haunts scrooge at every turn, enough to finally transform him for the better., at the beginning of the novel, scrooge’s encounter with the terrifying spectre of death, his old business partner jacob marley sows the early seeds of receptiveness to a new way of life. at first, scrooge refuses to believe that anything dead could return, joking ‘there’s more gravy than the grave about you’ however, the chilling horror of marley’s appearance ‘i wear the chains i forged in life’ –which are constructed of financial elements: purses, and sales ledgers, suggest an unhealthy obsession with money and the way one’s profession will manifest itself and weigh you down after death. also, the clear warning to scrooge ‘mankind was my business’ and the image he shows outside scrooge’s window of dead people desperately trying in vain to change their ways and reconcile themselves with their families, is a message that once one is dead, there is no opportunity for redemption and change. in this section, dickens draws on his knowledge of the gothic genre –churches, door knockers that turn into the face of marley, and marley’s stories from beyond the grave that to chill the victorian reader to the core. of course, they would also be only too aware of the potential of hell, something that dickens was sceptical of, but a huge proportion of his readership would have believed in., another aspect of death that strikes a chord with scrooge early in the novella is when the ghost of xmas past reveals the scene when his sister, fan came to take him home from the boarding school for christmas. this is clearly a treasured memory for scrooge and the reader learns of what a strong bond the two had. ‘fan, fan, dear fan’ and she reminds him ‘father has changed’. the ghost reminds scrooge of the fact she has died and has only one surviving relative, her son, fred. scrooge instantly feels guilty about how he treated fred at the beginning when he received his usual invite to xmas dinner. dickens conveys here how a memory of a death has a significant impact on scrooge’s gradual transformation into a more caring person., in the extract, the reader is presented with the final scene from the ghost of xmas future and scrooge’s terror reaches a dramatic peak. the setting is described as ‘a worthy place’ with this adjective from dickens’ narrator serving to identify the bleak spot as one which scrooge heartily deserves. pathetic fallacy is used to convey the place with lines like ‘overrun by grass and weeds –the growth of vegetation’s death’ indicating how the unwanted weeds, a clear metaphor for death, have destroyed any flowers, and made the location one that resembles the fate that potentially awaited scrooge: one where no-one would tend his grave. it is even ‘walled in by houses’ and at the start the reader learns ‘the furniture was not the same’ in his office. this suggests that in death, everything continues on as normal –someone will take scrooge’s place as a loan shark, and no-one will notice or visit his grave as it is hidden from view., the mood of this piece builds in dramatic tension as scrooge desperately implores the ghost to speak and to reassure him that ‘if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. say it is thus’ but the short sentence ‘the spirit was as immovable as ever’ conveys how dickens allies death with silence and that perhaps it is not god or anyone else who will change our life’s path, only by reaching within one’s self that a genuine transformation can occur., further evidence of scrooge’s doom laden panic as he faces up to the reality of his own death is found in the verb ‘trembling’ as he approaches his own grave, the question ‘am i the man who lay upon the bed’ and the repeated exclamations ‘no, spirit oh, no’ overall, it is an extract that encapsulates the horror of facing up to one’s death, and the added fear for scrooge that no-one will remember him. it is the final catalyst in making him change his ways., the cratchits, cratchits extract, intro / “happy, grateful pleased” vs scrooge at school “not afraid” // “shut out the darkness” vs fred welcoming scrooge // “in a glow” vs belle’s family // grave / as good as gold, charles dickens wrote a christmas carol during the victorian times, when the gap between rich and poor was very big. in the novel dickens shows that money is not as important as family when it comes to happiness. he was inspired partly because his father had been taken into debtors’ prison when he was younger, something that would have left dickens understanding just how much more important family was than money., the first paragraph of this extract deals with the cratchits, who are not wealthy – as shown by their “scanty” clothes – but are happy. dickens uses four key adjectives to describe them: “happy, grateful, pleased” and “contented.” these adjectives show that despite the fact that they didn’t have any of the things that victorian society would have valued, they are still capable of being happy in a range of different ways. this contrasts directly with scrooge’s younger years, where he was “forgotten” by his family and left in school. scrooge is rescued by his younger sister, fanny, who comes to tell him that he is welcomed back because their father doesn’t make her feel “afraid” anymore. this adjective gives us a suggestion that their father may have been abusive to them, and would go some way towards understanding why scrooge rejects family so firmly later in his life., despite fanny’s death – another desertion that would have affected scrooge – her spirit lives on through her son, scrooge’s nephew fred, who repeatedly invites scrooge to his house for christmas dinner. scrooge repeatedly refuses with his famous “bah humbug” line, but fred insists that he will keep inviting him for “i pity” him. the fact that fred pities scrooge for being rude, shows just how far family will go to remain loyal to each other. this idea is also shown in the extract, where the families prepare to close their curtains so they can “shut out the darkness.” in many ways, these curtains could be seen as metaphoric blinds that help keep families together; they keep out the outside and sometimes even blind each other to our failings in order that the family unit is kept happy., the second paragraph also describes some “handsome girls, all hooded and fur-booted” who enter a house “in a glow.” here, dickens makes the point that family is not just for poor people, but is something that unites us all (like the “trip to the grave” that fred mentions in a speech earlier in the book.) the fact that they are “in a glow” suggests that they aren’t just happy, but are actually glowing – a symbol of light that is used repeatedly through christmas carol. also, the preposition “in” suggests that they are within this glow, protected by it, in the same way that families protect us all. in one of the most heart-breaking scenes in the book, scrooge is taken to see his former girlfriend with her new family, a family that could have been his own, had scrooge not chosen worship his “golden idol” above her., in the end though, it is the lack of respect given to his death that really changes scrooge for the better. once he’s seen his own “neglected” grave, he understands the true cost of being alone and understands the reasons why tiny tim’s father calls him, proudly, “as good as gold – and better”.

In this extract, we see how the Cratchit family are happy despite their poverty. The novella was published in 1893 which was in the middle of the Industrial Revolution, so many people were moving into cities, leading them to become overcrowded and therefore poverty-stricken. This poverty is evident here in the quote ‘ the family display of glass’ which we then learn consists of ‘two tumblers’ and a ‘custard cup without a handle’. The word ‘display’ shows just how little they own, as they seem proud to showcase these small dilapidated objects off, as this is all they have. However, they seem content as such trivial matters don’t change how they feel towards each other. Dickens compares the cups to ‘golden goblets’ which to me suggests that the Cratchits feel enriched simply by each other’s company, which is worth more to them than anything materialistic.

Earlier in the same scene, we learn first how vibrant the scene is among this family when Dickens personifies even the potatoes, saying they were ‘knocking’ to get out of their pan, as if the joyous atmosphere was so desirable to be amongst that even inanimate objects wanted to be part of the festivities. In the extract, we are told that the chestnuts cracked ‘noisily’ which conveys the same ideas, building a feeling of community despite the poverty in the scene.

The Ghost of Christmas present first takes Scrooge to see the Cratchits Chirstmas, which makes him realise the importance of family at this time, then continues this theme of company by showing him other scenes brought to life by Christmas spirit. For example, when the ghost takes him to a lighthouse, the poor workers there are described as having ‘horny hands’. This suggests that they have struggled through great hardships and have suffered more in their life than Scrooge ever would, and yet their show of unison when they all sing together at Christmas let them disregard their struggles for a time. By comparing the Cratchits and these workers, Dickens shows how the poor could overcome their lack of materialistic value and settle for things of emotional value.

One member of the Cratchit family who strongly highlights the struggles of the poor is Tiny Tim. In this extract his hand is described as a ‘withered little hand’ suggesting it has prematurely withered like a flower with no light. As the word ‘withered’ has connotations of a flower, to me, this could perhaps be seen as a metaphor for how something beautiful has been hindered and killed by the tight fistedness of the rich in society which is something that Dickens was strongly trying to convey in this novella. Light is often a symbol of hope so this flower could be shrivelled due to a lack of light, which is the lack of generosity from the upper classes. Dickens may have untended ‘withered little’ as a juxtaposition, as we would normally associate ‘withered’ with age and ‘little’ with childhood. This contrast highlights how wrong it is that an innocent child should be so shunned by society due to his wealth and status, and this demonstrates Dickens’ frustration over the inequality.

Dickens uses a similar adjective to describe the hands of the children Ignorance and Want. The word ‘shrivelled’ is used here, which compares these children, who are also victims of the struggles of poverty [sic] to Tiny Tim. It creates a similar image of premature decay to highlight the neglect of lower classes in society. The boy in this scene represents Ignorance and the ghost of Christmas Present tells Scrooge to ‘most of all beware the boy’. This strongly conveys Dickens’ message about poverty and the poor, as he is trying to tell society that ignoring the struggles and problems of the poor will be their downfall .

This is demonstrated in Stave 4 when Tiny Tim dies, and the Cratchits say that when Bob had Tiny Tim on his shoulders he walked ‘very fast indeed’. When we have a weight on our shoulders, the phrases normally implies a burden and a worry. However here I think that Tiny Tim represents the burden that the rich think the poor put upon society. Here, Dickens could be saying that if we only realised the potential of the poor they may actually prove helpful and contribute to society, however they are seen only dead weight on the shoulders of society due to the ignorance of the rich.

A Christmas Carol and Family

Question: How does Dickens present family as important to society in A Christmas Carol?

Dicken’s presents family as incredibly important in his allegorical novella ‘A Christmas Carol’ as Dicken’s own father was put in prison when he was young, having a profound effect on him. Scrooge juxtaposes other characters as he rejects the possibility of his own family, we see joy in the Cratchitt’s (despite their poverty) and finally Fred’s kindness is also shown towards his family.

In Stave 2 Scrooge rejects his fiancée by not protesting that he will love her and care for her. Belle uses the metaphor “a golden idol has replaced me” when she “releases” Scrooge from his engagement to her. This suggests that money and wealth are infinitely more important to him than his own family. The Ghost of the Past is instrumental in showing Scrooge what could have been when Belle is described as a “comely Matro” by the omniscient narrator to suggest that she has aged well, is happy and content due to her family. Furthermore, she is “surrounded by children” which shows her large family and how this could have been Scrooge’s fate if he had not loved wealth as much. Family was comforting in the Victorian society as the Welfare State was not in existence meaning families has to look after their elderly relations or they would end up in workhouses (which was the worst fate for the poor). In Stave one Fred is also introduced to us as Scrooge’s nephew and also rejected by him with the repetition of “Good Afternoon” showing how dismissive Scrooge can be when there is no financial gain. Fred shows kindness and caring towards him, but he rejects his offer of “Christmas Dinner” and to “dine with us” suggesting Scrooge likes his isolation and lonely, money-filled life.

Throughout the extract the family is seen as paramount to the happiness of the Cratchitt family. Bob is crushed with disappointment when he thinks Martha is not coming for Christmas dinner suggesting love, tenderness and a family bond towards his child. The adjective in “sudden declension in his high spirits” shows how disappointed he is. Tiny Trim and his siblings are extremely caring towards each other when the younger one “spirit him off” so he can “hear the pudding sing” which seems a simple pleasure, but shows that the little things in life matter and that siblings kindness is important, especially as Tiny Tim is the “cripple” and represents Christian goodwill and charity. Perhaps, Dickens was showing the effects of poverty through the presentation of the symbolic Tiny Tim who encourages the people in church to see him as Christmas is about Jesus and he “made beggars walk and blind men see” showing that although Tiny Tim is crippled he is the heart of the family and represents the way people should be towards each other. Christianity is a recurring theme in the novella and Dicken’s may have been highlighting the juxtaposition in the teachings of the bible and the actions of the wealthy in Victorian London and how Christian values were often bent to suit the opinions and thoughts of the wealthy. Dicken’s appears to be criticising through the charitable and kind and loving Cratchitt’ s the way family is rejected by Scrooge, due to his avarice, while those with the least are celebrated and celebrating Christianity and Christian values. It is ironic that Scrooge covets money and wealth more than he covets family and humanity. Further focus on the love and happiness reflected in the Cratchitt household is the way they all join together and share in the chores “in high procession” is used by Dickens to reflect the joyful atmosphere that is created in the small household when the “goose” is brought in for carving. The enthusiasm with which the goose is met is contagious and all the Cratchitt household join in the celebration of the goose “one murmur of delight” describes vividly the whole family gasping in joy at the sight of the food they have for Christmas dinner, despite the clear evidence of poverty that abounds in the household. Mrs Cratchitt is “brave in ribbons” which metaphorically describes the way she has made do and mended her dress to make it appear more festive as a piece of ribbon would have been a relatively cheap way of dressing up, while a new dress would have been an unquestionable expense and out of reach for the family. Although, poor she shows pride in her appearance and wants to look her best for the festivities and not disappoint Bob, her loving husband. Family here is shown as important as they all collectively share in the hardship and even though they are poor they don’t complain or grumble, they just focus on making the best of their situation. Symbolically, the Cratchitt family are the antithesis of Scrooge and his cruel hearted rejection of his own family.

Earlier in the novella, when the Ghost of the Past took him to the boarding school, we see a glimpse of humanity and caring towards family when “Little Fan” arrives to “take him home”. He exclaims that she is “quite a woman” showing his admiration, love and affection for her and his sadness at the reminder that she “died a young woman” which implies that perhaps, like many women at the time, childbirth was too much for her and she died. Dickens doesn’t explicitly state that childbirth was the cause of her death but there is the implication that Fred, Scrooge’s nephew, is a painful reminder of his loving sister to Scrooge and this could be why Scrooge continues to harden his heart against Fred. Alternatively, his hardened nature and his inability to love could be a mechanism that he has used over the years as he became more and more isolated and less interested in sharing experiences with other people. Scrooge’s behaviour, therefore could indicate fear and an unwillingness to open himself up to loss again, as in Stave 2 it is incredibly evident that Scrooge does have a heart and is capable of love and Fan, his sister, has experienced this love and attention from Scrooge. Scrooge’s nephew Fred is also an excellent example of how family should stick together through all the pain and heartache life can throw at people. Fred arrives at the “counting-house” on a bleak, dark and foggy Christmas Eve in stave one with the pathetic fallacy reflecting the inner sadness and miserly nature of Scrooge. Fred is cheerful and welcoming towards his grumpy uncle, who rejects the offer of Christmas dinner and in Stave 3 we see Scrooge become the butt of the joke during a game of “Guess Who”. Scrooge watches amused and seems to ironically miss the fact that he is being compared to an animal of some sort “Uncle Sccccrooooogggeee” is used in the game, too much hilarity as an example that no-one can guess initially. Scrooge watches on with the Ghost of the Present wistfully and plays along with the games, even though he can’t be seen or heard by Fred and the other guests. Although, they are being slightly unkind and poking fun at Scrooge there is some clear evidence of affection for him, due to the fact that he is family. In this scene family is again seen to be normal, caring and loving and everyone is together, looking out for each other and enjoying each other’s company. Dickens presents Fred’s Christmas as a larger and more opulent affair than the Cratchitt’ s but the day seems to represent a wider sort of family gathering with friends and nieces invited to the festivities as well, suggesting that we are all part of the same human race and that there are more similarities between us than differences.

Towards the end of the novella Dickens introduces us to the idea that Scrooge has changed and has reflected on how family is important and why he should join in and become a part of the family, both the Cratchitt family and his own nephew Scrooge. At the end of the novella Tiny Tim utters the phrase that is synonymous with his good nature “God bless us everyone!” which summarises the change that overcame Scrooge. Tim lived because Scrooge changed and became a better man. Scrooge vowed after seeing the Ghost of the Future, the death of Tiny Tim and the death of himself that he would “live in the past, the present and the future” showing that he understood the importance of being a better person. His first act of kindness after this proclamation is to send a “Turkey to the Cratchitt family” which was a huge gesture and showed that he valued their family and really did not want to see Tiny Tim die, he asks the Ghost of the Future “Will Tiny Tim live?” and this rhetorical question reveals that he already knows the answer to this. Without Scrooge’s epiphany and change Tim will die, so Scrooge shows that he recognises how pivotal to happiness Tiny Tim is by sending the food to them. Due to the way family is presented throughout the novella it is obvious that Scrooge begins to understand that family keeps people together and makes them more humane. In the end Scrooge goes to Fred’s house and is invited in. He also becomes “like a second father” to Tiny Tim and shows that he understands the importance of being a better person and the role that having a family plays in this.

Evidently, Dickens felt that family was centrally important to the novella as he places the Cratchitt family in the heart of it. They are show to us in Stave 3 during the Ghost of the Present’s revelations to Scrooge and arguably the scene with the Cratchitt family helps to change Scrooge from being a unkind, miserly and covetous man to a more charitable, kind and loving man. The presentation of family was extremely important in showing Scrooge that he could be a much better man.

ANOTHER ONE

They were a boy and a girl. Yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling, wolfish; but prostrate, too, in their humility. Where graceful youth should have filled their features out, and touched them with its freshest tints, a stale and shrivelled hand, like that of age, had pinched, and twisted them, and pulled them into shreds. Where angels might have sat enthroned, devils lurked, and glared out menacing. No change, no degradation, no perversion of humanity, in any grade, through all the mysteries of wonderful creation, has monsters half so horrible and dread.

Scrooge started back, appalled. Having them shown to him in this way, he tried to say they were fine children, but the words choked themselves, rather than be parties to a lie of such enormous magnitude. "Spirit, are they yours?" Scrooge could say no more.

"They are Man's," said the Spirit, looking down upon them. "And they cling to me, appealing from their fathers. This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased. Deny it!" cried the Spirit, stretching out its hand towards the city. "Slander those who tell it ye. Admit it for your factious purposes, and make it worse. And abide the end." "Have they no refuge or resource?" cried Scrooge. "Are there no prisons?" said the Spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words. "Are there no workhouses?"

In A Christmas Carol, Dickens continually returns the readers’ focus on the children in Victorian society. The recurring character and the famous child in the novella is “Tiny” Tim Cratchit who becomes a metonym for thousands of faceless proletariat children neglected by a ruthless self-serving capitalist society. However, the shocking introduction of the minor characters of Ignorance and Want allows Dickens to create a political diatribe against the greed, selfishness and neglect of working-class children. These children contrasted against the earlier childhood version of Scrooge, serve to expose the dichotomy between the poor and rich in a deeply unequal and uneven society.

In this passage, Ignorance and Want become a metaphorical paradigm of society’s abandonment of the poor and the consequence of their inability to take social responsibility for poverty. The children have a primarily allegorical purpose evidenced in the focus of their physical features. The boy and girl are old before their time as Dickens says their faces are absent of “graceful youth” and the neglect of their physical, emotional and mental wellbeing is emphasised in the image of their “pinched” and “twisted” features. These adjectives heighten the idea of their youth being robbed and their childhood destroyed by physical hardships particularly given “twisted” is synonymous with something that is misshapen and grotesque. Their faces are described as being the antithesis of childhood innocence as Dickens uses hyperbolic language and describes how “devils lurked” in their faces and “glared out menacingly”. The use of hellish imagery accentuates the impression that their existence has been made unbearable by poverty and in turn has tainted and corrupted their view of the world as well as wrecked their own goodness and innocence. The children’s hostility, distrust and hatred of the Christian society meant to protect them is manifested in the verb “glared”, which is emblematic of their disillusionment and discontent. Dickens uses animal imagery to describe the children as “wolfish” which bolsters the impression of working-class children’s metamorphosis from innocent creatures to starving and exploited children hardened by their suffering. The colour “yellow” is symptomatic of sickness and ill health and furthers the idea of their physical and mental decay within a laissez faire society (where no welfare state or support to lift working class children out of absolute poverty exists). The philosopher John Locke theorised man is born a blank slate and our nature is changed by nurture; this idea is evidenced in the way in which societal neglect changes the nature of the children. It is clear that Dickens subverts the image of childhood innocence and sharply juxtaposes Ignorance and Want’s damaged childhood to the wealthy Scrooge’s happier memories of his powerful education (in which his imagination came alive by his schooling), in order to create pathos for working class children and force his contemporary Victorian readers to examine their conscience, particularly their lack of support for the “ragged” poor and homeless children in society.

Dickens believed how a society treated its children, revealed their social mores. He makes it evident that society is to blame for the suffering and dehumanisation of working-class children especially as the spirits uses the short declarative “They are man’s” to indicate societal responsibility and its moral failing. The hypocrisy of a Christian society is exemplified in the way in which the ghost mocks Scrooge and repeats his infamous questions back to him: “Are there no prisons?” and “Are there no workhouses?” The callousness of society and its evasion of social responsibility to take care of the most vulnerable is emphasised in the repetition of the nouns “prison” and “workhouses” which reminds contemporary readers that they marginalised and disenfranchisedinnocent working-class children by socially excluding them and denying them a good quality of life.

Dickens more importantly uses the recurring character construct of Tiny Tim to dispel the damaging societal stereotype that the working class are deserving of their poverty. In Stave 3, Tiny Tim is romanticised by Dickens to symbolise the beauty and goodness of working-class children who deserve society’s love and charity. He is poor but shows immense courage and huge generosity of spirit. When Tiny Tim uses the biblical story of how Jesus helped the blind and poor, and hopes the bourgeoise remember the poor during Christmas, he becomes a symbol of Jesus and once again exposes the hypocrisy of a Christian society that claims to help the poor but instead neglects them. Though Tiny Tim is dying, he shows courage and endless love and devotion to his family, best demonstrated when he says “God bless us everyone” as he sits next to his dad. Tiny Tim does not ask for anything for himself, but he is the antithesis to Scrooge because he is altruistic and puts others before him. In an increasingly amoral Victorian society, Tiny Tim provides comforting moral guidance on how to live a good life. However, Tiny Tim becomes a symbol of the abandonment of working-class children as he is powerless to improve his situation and is shown to die, leaving his family “still” and destroyed by their grief. His death symbolises how the bourgeoise have the power to change his fate and that of thousands of other vulnerable children but fail to do so, leaving innocent families broken by the death of their babies. The focus on the grief of the family after Tiny Tim dies creates intense pathos and is deliberate as Dickens reminds his readers of their shocking contextual reality - that one in five children in Victorian society did not live to see their fifth birthday.

The fairy-tale reversal in Tiny Tim’s death in Stave 5 is a piercing reminder that a progressive and utopic society is possible, but only if the bourgeoisie (represented by Scrooge) learn to love its children and take social responsibility by improving their poverty-stricken situations and therefore preventing their needless deaths. In this stave, Scrooge becomes a “second father” to Tiny Tim. This lexical phrase is highly symbolic because while it literally shows Scrooge has become more responsible and compassionate, it is an important metaphorical reminder that working-class parents desperately need the support of society to help raise their children and provide a good quality of life for them. The lexical choice “Second” is synonymous here with something that is additional and surplus and so consequently is a strong reminder of the importance of a more responsible and engaged society that is not ignorant or myopic of working-class suffering and exploitation. To reinforce this idea, In Stave 3, Dickens briefly uses the childhood character of Martha Cratchit to remind his readers of the exploitation and premature growing up of Victorian children. In this stave the children are working in the kitchen and Martha arrives home late as she has been working. She is responsible for bringing the goose. She is embraced by her mother. The image of Mrs Cratchit embracing her working child reminds readers how adult breadwinners simply could not support their family and relied upon them sacrificing their childhood. There is no doubt that these moments have great verisimilitude for modern readers, particularly given how two thirds of children living in poverty in the UK have working parents, painfully reminding new readers how the exploitation of the poor is as real as ever.

Finally, the gaiety of Fred's family dinner, contrasted against the hardship of the merry but compromised Cratchit family, is a strong reminder of the terrible and tragic disparity between the lives of the working class and wealthy in society, a context greatly affecting the Cratchit children. To conclude Dickens uses the recurring characters of children to explore society’s lack of responsibility towards its children but also its power to change the fate of these children simply by showing greater compassion and ensuring social justice happens.

https://money.com/ebenezer-scrooge-defense-charles-dickens-christmas-carol/

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A Christmas Carol Guide + 2024 PREDICTIONS FOR AQA (GCSE)

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1. In literature, an allegory is a work that can be understood on many levels; characters often symbolize ideas and contain a clear moral lesson.

• Reflect on the levels of interpretation of A Christmas Carol . If viewed allegorically, what is the moral lesson Dickens proposes in the text? ( topic sentence )
• Analyze Ebeneezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim, Jacob Marley, and the three spirits as symbolic figures. What idea or quality does each character represent, and how is this demonstrated to readers? If viewed as allegorical characters, which character is conveyed most effectively and why?
• In your conclusion, evaluate the timelessness of Dickens’s message; what makes this allegory popular and lasting?

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — A Christmas Carol — A Christmas Carol: Themes, Redemption, and Dickens’s Craft

A Christmas Carol: Themes, Redemption, and Dickens's Craft

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Published: Mar 13, 2024

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The novella begins, themes of the novel, memorable characters, literary devices.

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A Christmas Carol

How important are fred and bob to the story of a 'christmas carol'.

 Thomas Stevenson

Have you ever met a man so jolly that you could see “…he was all in a glow…” and so jolly that his euphoric spirit just poured off him like wine into a glass? Or, possibly, you have met a man so poor that his warmth for the winter is a mere flicker of a flame on a candlewick? Dickens demonstrates through the use of such characters that it does not matter how much money you posses, a person can hold a personality and characteristics independent of their financial status.

        Scrooge’s nephew, Fred, is a charismatic young man, who,  lives each second as though it were his last. Most importantly, Fred thinks a great deal about Christmas and how it should be celebrated with great caring spirit. Fred asks Scrooge “to dine” with them on Christmas Day, but Scrooge explains he “…would see him in extremity first.”  This shows the cruel, cold-hearted nature of Mr. Scrooge. But for Scrooge’s nephew to leave “…the room without an angry word…” proves that Fred is a true, delightful person that opens his care to even the most miserable of people. As Fred leaves the building and passes by Bob Cratchit, the clerk, he “…bestows the greetings of the season on the clerk…” This scene has a great importance to show, the pleasant nature of Fred and the depressing character of Scrooge.

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        In this same scene, Dickens under-mines the whole reason for the importance of Fred and Bob. Fred, although not as rich as Scrooge, still manages to “enjoy his wealth” and be a jolly person. Scrooge is unbelievably wealthy, and yet he does not spend even the smallest amount of his money to enjoy himself. “What reason have you to be merry? You’re poor enough.” This shows that Scrooge thinks all happiness is to do with wealth, yet if that were true, he would be happy himself, would he not? It is apparent, therefore, that Dickens created Fred as another side of the ‘Rich Man’ character that we see in Scrooge, the stereotypical miserable rich loner. Bob, unlike Fred, is the ‘Poor Man’ and the antithesis of Scrooge in the story. Thus, Dickens created a symbolic character to emulate the Lower classes. He is treated so unbelievably cruelly by Scrooge, yet, he remains a cheerful man who enjoys his Christmas. Without Fred and Bob, the story would not show that money means nothing in terms of happiness.

        We meet Fred again at his Christmas party, as people put Scrooge down with horrible but vital words to the moral, “His wealth is of no use to him. He don’t do any good with it.”  This action helps us to understand that although Scrooge could give pleasure with the wealth his possesses, he does not and is miserable. Fred helps the reader to understand, by explaining that Scrooge should not be “despised but pitied”. Fred quietly explained to us the first time we met him, Scrooge’s money does him no good and that “his offences carry their own punishment.” Fred is almost the complete opposite of Mr. Scrooge and the scene shows how compassionate he is and how caring he can be.  This is important to the story because it gives Scrooge a chance to redeem himself from the mistakes he has made and shows us that someone in the world still cares for him.  It also shows us what Scrooge can become, for both Fred and Scrooge come from very similar backgrounds. If Fred can enjoy Christmas, why can’t Scrooge?

        Although Bob is unlike Fred in the sense that they do not own the same amount of money, they are similar when you compare their loving nature. Bob cares so much for his family that when he is told his daughter is not coming for Christmas dinner, his joyous nature collapses and he has a “sudden declension of high spirits.” Also, when Bob gives a toast to “Mr Scrooge” his wife insults Scrooge; Even though Scrooge depreciates Bob, Bob honours his authority by standing up for his dignity and demonstrates his loyalty to Scrooge.  This character, like Fred, is caring but makes the reader believe that Scrooge is an awful cold-hearted man and to be so hurtful to such a joyful man is inhumane. That is why at the end of the story we understand that scrooge has changed because he now shows that he can also care for these characters and that by giving others money and caring for his workers, one of the morals of this story is explicated. Such an important personality cannot be missed for many of the morals throughout these staves.

        The importance of these characters cannot be put on a scale, but I can say that these characters are needed for the story to progress and without them; such significant messages cannot be made. I conclude that, although the names of the characters may not matter, the overall situations and characters of Fred and Bob, are pivotal because they show that it does not matter how much money you have, you can still be happy, honour others and make others happy. Fred and Bob are employed by Charles Dickens to show this in antithesis to Scrooge.

Document Details

• Word Count 878
• Page Count 4
• Subject English

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Mr Salles Teaches English

A Christmas Carol: Every Grade 9 Essay in One

There is some context which is relevant to any essay.

And is guaranteed to make parts of any essay worth grade 8 and 9.

As a free subscriber, I am going to give you all of it.

Paid subscribers will get it transformed into a 930 word 30/30 answer. Actually, it is way better than 30/30. If you write only 700 words of this, you’ll still get 30/30.

So, in my commentary, I also share which sentences are essential to getting 100%.

This is an extract from my Ultimate Guide to A Christmas Carol (which also includes 7 grade 9 essays).

I wrote it to help you love the novel, get grade 9 and understand and enjoy literature so that you could choose English literature A level (if you wanted to - some people have to become doctors and chemists, but 100X more will want to read and write for the rest of their lives!)

This topic is going to be 100% relevant to any question you ever get on A Christmas Carol.

How is A Christmas Carol a Criticism of Social Policy in Victorian England?

Dickens shows his opposition to The Poor Laws, which created “workhouses”, by making Scrooge support them: “Are they still in operation?”.

The Victorians Thought the Poor Deserved to Be Poor

Scrooge also supports the criminalisation of the poor, “Are there no prisons?” and believes these are necessary to “decrease the surplus population”, even if this means the poor would “rather die” than attend them. The Ghost of Christmas Present quotes Scrooge’s support back at him ironically when Scrooge is desperate to save Tiny Tim, now that he knows what “the surplus population” looks like.

Thomas Malthus

This language uses the politicians’ interpretation of Thomas Malthus’s economic theory. Because only male property holders could vote, Dickens targets his book at them, pricing it at an expensive five shillings, a third of the “fifteen shillings” a worker like Bob Cratchit earns. Dickens invites the readers into the warmth of the Cratchits’ family Christmas, so that they too can understand the social effects of low wages.

Trading Laws Which Starve the Poor

On the way, Scrooge challenges the ghost for shutting bakers on a Sunday, which was a law upholding the Christian tradition of the Sabbath, forbidding trade, which will “cramp these people’s opportunities of innocent enjoyment...deprive them of their means of dining every seventh day”. Dickens juxtaposes the harshness of society with the “hard and sharp as flint” Scrooge, pointing out that the miser is actually more generous than the reader who votes for such laws.

How the Cratchits Symbolise the Poor Working Class

Inside the Cratchits’ home on Christmas day, we wait for the eldest daughter Martha, a maid of all work, who has still had to “clear away” on Christmas morning for her thoughtless, and entirely normal, employers. The mother and second daughter make their old dresses appear more festive with “ribbons”, Peter wears a ridiculously large present of his father’s old shirt, whose collar is so big it gets “into his mouth”. Only Bob and Tiny Tim have been to church, presumably because the rest of the family lack suitable clothing. Bob himself has no “greatcoat” and his best clothes are “threadbare”. Although this is a comic portrait, it is also a clue that the winter is a threat to health in a poor family.

Next, Dickens italicises the children’s excitement at the feast: “there’s such a goose,” and contrasts this with the goose’s meagre size, so that the family even eat the bones, and there is only an “atom of a bone” left on the table. After witnessing this comic scene, Scrooge brings us back to real life, asking the Ghost “if Tiny Tim will live”. He won’t.

So, Dickens challenges his readers to realise that the going rate of pay creates the working poor, which leads to their malnourishment, poor health, servitude and often death. Scrooge, like the reader, has simply supposed the poor are “idle people'' who choose poverty because of defective character. Dickens wants to disabuse these readers, as he shocks Scrooge into transforming.

Scrooge’s Transformation

It is tempting to see Scrooge’s transformation as needing The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, but actually this question in Stave Three is the pivotal moment. Dickens shows us this structurally, as it occurs in the middle of the novel, and also thematically at the end, when Scrooge becomes a “second father” to Tiny Tim.

If this last ghost is not necessary for Scrooge’s transformation, why is he introduced? Dickens uses him to show the reader how wider society is affected by their poor pay. Bob has a comparatively good job for a working-class man. Those who earn less live in slums, where he now takes us: “the whole quarter reeked with crime, with filth, and misery”. Like the reader, Scrooge has avoided seeing the “wretched” conditions in which the poor live, and “never penetrated” there.

Don’t Forget the Workers Who are So Poor That They Become Criminals

Here we meet tradespeople Scrooge has employed, a “laundress” and “charwoman”, and an “undertaker’s man” who has prepared Scrooge’s body. They have all stolen from the dead man’s room. They have “all three met here without meaning it!” because they are embarrassed at their crimes. They are surprisingly polite to each other, and with “gallantry” decide that the poorest, the cleaner, should be last to ask old Joe for a price for her stolen goods, and therefore get a better price. Old Joe himself has made a tiny profit from crime. He is still having to do this, even though “nearly seventy years of age”. His poverty is introduced comically as he invites them into “the parlour... the space behind the screen of rags.” This ironic juxtaposition reveals Dickens' social commentary, where not just poverty, but a significant amount of crime is caused by middle class indifference to the consequence of low wages which they pay.

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This Book’s Readers are Employers

This is harder for a modern audience to grasp, but all Dickens’ original readers were exactly this kind of employer. Even Fred, the model of Christmas cheer who puts up with his uncle’s “Bah...Humbug!” has a live-in housekeeper who is still working on Christmas day to welcome Scrooge to Fred’s home!

Dickens expects the reader to identify with the morally good “master” Fred and perhaps now to question their indifference to the lives of their employees.

Revolution and Education

Dickens also warns of greater consequences than crime if society, and the reader, does not change. Because Scrooge begins his transformation, he notices the figures of “Ignorance” and “Want” whom Dickens personifies as a boy and a girl. The Ghost of Christmas Present delivers Dickens’ warning, “but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased.”

“Ignorance” symbolises the lack of education denied to the poor, which results in a spiral of unemployability, or a qualification only for low-wage work. This unspecified “doom” suggests violent crime or political protest, or perhaps predicts the kinds of revolution which swept Europe five years later.

This scene is not necessary to the plot of Scrooge’s redemption, so it works like an aside to the reader, calling our attention to the author’s wider purpose, which is not just to entertain, but persuade the reader to build a fairer society.

The Importance of the Ending

Therefore, Dickens ends the novella with Scrooge raising Bob’s “salary” as his final act.

We remember that his lack of charity was a sign of his miserly behaviour. But Bob’s salary was only the going rate in 1843, not a product of Scrooge’s miserliness. So, this action becomes a clear signal to the reader to increase what they pay their employees and domestic staff.

The final line, ending with “God bless us” is partly ironic. God isn’t going to help the poor, so we, like Scrooge, have to.

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Rewritten as an Exam Answer

Although Dickens writes the novel as an entertainment, he wants the story of Scrooge’s moral awakening to “haunt” the reader, and so lead to a change in how his readers think about the poor.

A 3 part thesis statement, which sets out Dickens’ ideas, and acts as a plan for your essay. I always write a 3 part thesis statement. Some grade 9 answers get away with 2 - but that leaves your marks to chance.

Dickens shows his opposition to The Poor Laws, which created “workhouses”, by making Scrooge support them: “Are they still in operation?”. Scrooge also supports the criminalisation of the poor, “Are there no prisons?” and believes these are necessary to “decrease the surplus population”. Then Dickens creates Tiny Tim to show us what “the surplus population” looks like, and he uses Tiny Tim’s impending death to transform Scrooge’s view.

Rather than explode a quote to death, use your quotes to build an argument. The argument has to be about the writer’s ideas. This gets your AO2 marks. The more quotes you use, the higher your AO1 mark. Exploding quotes adds very little to AO1, because you use too few ‘references to the text’. Obvious really!

I hope you can see how to turn the context into an essay. Paid subscribers get the rest, with my comments.

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Tennessean Student of the Week turns to high school drama. Vote for Middle Tennessee's best

• Students nominated represent a wide range of skills at their respective schools.

High schools are full of drama and some of it is good.

The latest installment of The Tennessean's Student of the Week for April 22 was full of nominations and it's time for your votes for the best of the best. This week we asked specifically for drama students who should be recognized, whether for acting, technical or other forms of participation in theater programs.

The Tennessean seeks student nominations from principals, teachers and guidance counselors at high schools from across the state.

This week's students had so many accolades, we had to trim some of the submissions so they would fit in our poll format.

The poll is open at the link below. Votes will be accepted through noon on Thursday, April 25.

Nominations are currently being accepted for next week's poll through 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 25. Here are this week's nominees and what the people who nominated them had to say:

Alexandria Norman, Gallatin

The senior has taken theater classes for three years, Gallatin High theater teacher Randy Burse said. “She is my technical expert and has run sound and lights for multiple shows. She has also performed roles on stage. She is so dependable and a joy to work with. She has also filled technical positions in the community at CenterStage and HPAC (Hendersonville Performing Arts Center). She is an outstanding student and plans to do professional theater after college. ”

Noah Woods, Jo Byrns

“Noah Woods is a senior-level drama student at Jo Byrns High School,” teacher Jacob Holt said. “He has completed all four years of theatre arts courses during his high school career, and he has greatly expanded his theatrical skills and experience, on and off stage, during this time. Noah is worthy of this recognition because he has demonstrated a level of excellence in the theatre arts, both as a dynamic stage actor and a knowledgeable technical designer/producer (lighting, sound, stage management). He has enriched every production of which he has been a part, and he always contributes his very best efforts to the theater. I simply cannot think of any student who is more deserving of this honor. ”

James Nelson, Wilson Central

A junior and “an incredible young man and leader, ” said Principal Jennifer Ankney. “He is active at Central as well as being a dance teacher for young students at Dynamic. He is also active with Audience of One, he will be doing the tap choreography for Newsies Jr. this summer." James is also a high performing student in the National Honor Society and “he encompasses what it means to be a Wilson Central Wildcat. ”

Ceanna Barnes, Beech

The school's International Thespian Society President who has earned both lead roles and supporting roles in the past three years. “She graciously accepts whatever role she earns and puts her whole heart and soul into the role, ” Counselor Christy Croft said. “She comes early and stays late to make sure the play (or whatever we’re doing) is 100 percent better. Ceanna is also a member of numerous other clubs where she holds leadership roles all while maintaining a 4.0 grade point average. She is a model student, caring, confident, considerate and welcoming to all.”

Joanna Martinez Perez, Cane Ridge

The senior "works diligently to design, build, and erect sets as our production manager," Academy Coach Denise King said. "Joanna is self-motivated and attained the position due to her ability to work without constant supervision. She has held this role for two and a half years. The sets that one sees during our productions are a direct result of her leadership and skill. She is also responsible for assigning people to market our annual Theatre Festival." 

Valeria Sanchez Ramirez, Hunters Lane

The senior volunteered to work on the backstage crew for the spring musical and hand-crafted many of the props and painted many of the set pieces for the show. In class, Valeria has taken the lead on her IB Collaborative Project by keeping her group focused and on task. She contributed to the creation of a soundscape for their performance piece, directed one of the four scenes, and helped set up the set design. Valeria became involved in theatre as a sophomore and has grown in her talents on and off stage. "She's developed into an excellent theatre practitioner who is unafraid to think outside of the box with her design ideas," teacher Ashby Boze said.

Trynt Henderson, Riverdale

A four-year theater student who was "forced" to audition for "Romeo and Juliet" as part of the class requirements, .  "Trynt didn't think he was good at all and to his surprise, was asked by the theater teacher to be the lead," Riverdale Principal Tameria Blair said. "He has now been in multiple plays and enjoys it.  Trynt received Mid-State honors and All State alternate.  Trynt recently received a full scholarship to AMDA (American Musical and Dramatic Academy) in Los Angeles, California. Trynt is like a sponge and soaks up everything, even when you don't think he's listening, and can create any type of character on stage.  He has a natural talent.  We might just see him on film in the future." 

Will Kleiner, Father Ryan

The senior has been active in the performing arts programs at Father Ryan for four years.  He performs with Mosaic, the school’s show choir, has won many awards with the Speech, Acting, and Debate Club, and is a company leader of the school’s drama club, the Purple Masque Players. As part of the Purple Masque Players, Will has performed in several school plays and musicals.  He first caught our attention in the musical "You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown"  as the Linus understudy as a freshman.  He was awarded the Purple Masque Players Rising Star award and the Future Jacket at the end of his freshman year. Will has played a wide range of roles with Purple Masque Players including Lysander in "A Midsummer Night’s Dream," Chad in "High School Musical," Peter in " The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," Fred in "A Christmas Carol," the Beast in "Beauty and the Beast," and Lucas in this year’s "The Addams Family." He will play Arpad Lazlo in Pull-Tight Player’s upcoming production of " She Loves Me." In 2022, he received an All-Star Cast Spotlight Award for his role of Chad in "High School Musical" and was nominated for a Best Actor Spotlight Award for the Beast in "Beauty and the Beast" in 2023. Will has been accepted into prestigious collegiate programs for musical theatre and will begin his studies in the fall, Father Ryan Director of Choirs, Theater Instructor and Music Ministry Coordinator Julie Cox said.

Joseph Ghoslon, Cheatham County Central

A senior who joined the drama club as a sophomore, and he has dedicated himself to giving his very best effort regardless of the kind of job he is doing, teacher Lauren Street said. "Whether he is onstage as a swashbuckling pirate, singing cowboy, medieval knight, or suave gambler, Joseph commits to his performances. He brings nuance to each of his characters, making it clear he goes above and beyond for every role. He is also a skilled technician, who has contributed to the construction of multiple sets over the years, and he single-handedly built a new storage loft to improve conditions for future generations of theater students. Joseph is a great friend and role model to his peers, and he embraces leadership opportunities whenever they arise. We are incredibly proud of him and excited to see what his future holds."

Hannah "Blue" Rigsby, Springfield

The senior has been a member of Drama Club at Springfield since her freshman and sophomore years. Hannah is described as a tireless worker on creating and designing sets, designing programs and taking on lights and sound as much needed technical support for the show. She was the stage manager for "Alice in Wonderland," and she is also the stage manager for the upcoming musical, "The Wizard of Oz." In the past Hannah has also been part of the crew for "High School Musical" and "Come On Over for Dinner", and served as assistant stage manager for "Come On Over for Dinner." Hannah is always at rehearsals, even if she is not needed that day and is described showing an "immense amount of commitment, effort, and presence throughout this musical season."

Rachel Moscardelli, Lebanon

Earned the role of Elle Woods in Lebanon High School's 2024 production of "Legally Blonde, described by Principal Scott Walters as an "extremely difficult to step into your first lead role as a senior, but Rachel put in the work.  She went above and beyond to exceed the expectations and succeed in this role." Rachel is also an All-State singer, accomplished athlete, and high achieving scholar.  Rachel spent hours after each rehearsal to focus on vocal technique. Elle Wood's famously said "what, like it's hard?" but Rachel made it look easy in the performances.

Gavin Weddington, Rossview

The senior has been involved with drama at Rossview for four years. Gavin was named Best Actor at the Tennessee Theatre Association Secondary School One-Act Play Festival for his portrayal of the character B-Flat in the play "Second Samuel." He helped lead the cast and crew to be one of two high school in the state of Tennessee to qualify for the Southeastern Theatre Conference in Mobile, Alabama. Gavin and the cast of "Second Samuel" represented the state at the Southeastern Theatre Conference Secondary School Festival where he was named to the All-Star Cast. Gavin was also recognized as the Best Actor at the Tennessee High School Speech and Drama League District II One Act Play Festival. "Gavin is a true leader on and off stage," Principal Meghen Sanders said. "Gavin leads by example and understands that encouraging and supporting his peers is just as important as winning awards. He always lets his cast know that he has their back. Gavin is also a member of the Speech and Debate team where he was recognized as the Outstanding Speaker of the House and will be competing at the state level in duet acting. He is an honors student who will be graduating with honors in May. Outside of school, he is a lifeguard. Once he graduates, Gavin plans to go to college to become a doctor."

Abby Hendricks, Green Hill

The senior is described by Theater Director Bonny Davis as a student with an "extraordinary work ethic, knowledge of all subjects, and commitment to excellence firsthand." Has worked as the costume director and wardrobe manager for the Hawk Theater Department and "has been an absolute blessing and necessity for getting our costume program off the ground here on The Hill," Davis said." Her dedication to designing costumes and production excellence is inspiring. Abby’s academic accomplishments are rivaled only by her personal strengths, she is graduating Summa Cum Laude taking all honors and AP courses. Her work ethic, humility, and kindness are beyond her years and she is well-loved by her peers, as well as all those who have had the pleasure of teaching her. When faced with adversity, Abby handles every situation graciously and calmly to overcome challenges. She uses direct and professional communication when learning and building within her craft. Abby Hendricks has big dreams and huge opportunities in her future. She is not afraid to put in the hard work that it takes to excel in her academic and artistic career."

Jordan Roy, Mt. Juliet

The senior has been involved in the Golden Bear Theater Department and choir for four years. She has been involved in eight shows at Mt. Juliet High School, the past three years under the direction of theater teacher Mr. Mitchell Vantrease. This year she was elected to be the department’s club president and is currently directing a student-led production of “The Rainbow Fish” that will be brought to elementary schools around Wilson County. Last year Jordan was chosen for Mid-State Theater and this year for All-State Musical Theater, both of which honors were selected through solo auditions. Jordan has been part of school's vocal ensemble for the past two years and currently holds the title of Media Manager. She has attended the TN State Choral Festival where she and the MJHS  choir received the highest score of “Superior.” Her high school career also includes participation in other county performances. Jordan has also been active in her church’s student band and adult volleyball team that plays locally at The Goat. Outside of school Jordan has made short films with friends and has appeared in several commercials. Jordan is planning to attend the Jeanine Larson Dobbins Conservatory of Theater and Dance at Southeast Missouri State University. 

Reach Andy Humbles at [email protected] or 615-726-5939 and on X, formerly known as Twitter @ AndyHumbles.