ACC quotes Flashcards
(12 cards)
“I should like to have given him something: that’s all.”
Redemption / Compassion
Regret shown through short, broken sentence (structure)
Early guilt — shows Scrooge beginning to emotionally awaken after mistreating the carol singer.
“Another idol has displaced me… a golden one.”
Greed / Loss of Love
Metaphor (“golden idol”)
Belle shows money has replaced real human connection for Scrooge, leading to his loneliness.
“A solitary child, neglected by his friends, is left there still.”
Isolation / Childhood Trauma
Emotive imagery
Dickens uses pity to explain Scrooge’s later bitterness, encouraging reader empathy.
“The clerks copied no more. Trembling.”
Fear / Power
Short sentence / Physical reaction (trembling)
Shows how Scrooge rules through fear and oppression, hinting at his abuse of power.
“Scrooge hung his head to hear his own words quoted by the Spirit.”
Guilt / Redemption
Irony (his words turned against him)
Scrooge experiences shame — the beginning of sincere reflection and potential change.
“If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, the child will die.”
Poverty / Social Responsibility
Metaphor (“shadows”)
Dickens criticizes society’s neglect of the poor; urgent warning about consequences if attitudes don’t change.
“The noise in this room was perfectly tumultuous.”
Family / Joy despite Poverty
Hyperbole (“perfectly tumultuous”)
Cratchit family’s chaotic love shows that happiness isn’t tied to wealth. Dickens celebrates family values.
“His own heart laughed: and that was quite enough for him.”
Redemption / Joy
Personification (“heart laughed”)
True happiness comes from internal change and generosity, not material wealth.
“The Phantom slowly, gravely, silently approached.”
Death / Fear of Future
Triple adverb (“slowly, gravely, silently”)
Builds gothic tension — death is inevitable and terrifying, forcing Scrooge (and reader) to face morality.
“They are Man’s.”
Social Responsibility / Ignorance
Blunt statement / Symbolism (Ignorance and Want)
Dickens blames humanity itself for societal problems, pushing readers toward personal responsibility.
“Quite alone in the world, I do believe.”
Theme: Isolation / Family / Redemption
Technique: Irony & Dialogue
highlights Scrooge’s emotional exile
quite” intensifies the loneliness,
“Father is so much kinder than he used to be, that home’s like Heaven!”
Theme: Family / Change / Redemption
Technique: Simile + Dialogue
Fan’s joyful simile to suggest that positive change is possible, even in the harshest people. foreshadowing of Scrooge’s own future redemption
