Fred Flashcards
(18 cards)
FINISH THE QUOTE (START)
‘A merry Christmas…
…uncle! God save you!’
START: ‘A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!’
- Exclamatory sentence → full of warmth & excitement; contrasts with Scrooge’s cold indifference.
- Religious reference (‘God save you’) → links Christmas to spiritual goodwill & Christian values of forgiveness.
- Shows Fred’s cheerful tone & emotional openness.
- Contrast between Fred’s joyful greeting & Scrooge’s ‘Bah! Humbug!’ → highlights isolation vs connection.
- Reflects Dickens’s ideal of the Christmas spirit as inclusive, joyful & generous.
FINISH THE QUOTE (START)
‘Christmas a humbug,…
…uncle! You don’t mean that, I am sure?’
START: ‘Christmas a humbug, uncle! You don’t mean that, I am sure?’
- Questioning tone → Fred is shocked, showing his strong belief in Christmas & moral clarity.
- Emphasises the irrationality of Scrooge’s bitterness — he’s ignorant of joy & love.
- Repetition of Scrooge’s word ‘humbug’ → mocks & questions it, showing Fred sees its absurdity.
- Reflects Fred’s emotional intelligence vs Scrooge’s emotional blindness.
- Dickens positions Fred as a foil to Scrooge — emotionally rich, not materially driven.
FINISH THE QUOTE (START)
‘Though it has never put a scrap…
…of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe it has done me good.’
START: ‘Though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe it has done me good.’
- Contrast between ‘gold or silver’ & ‘done me good’ → highlights spiritual over material value.
- Metaphor of Christmas as something that ‘does good’ → personifies it as a force for moral change.
- Fred values experiences and connection more than profit — complete opposite of Scrooge.
- Links to greed vs charity: Fred’s generosity isn’t financial, but emotional & social.
- Subtly critiques capitalist values — Dickens suggests wealth alone leads to misery.
FINISH THE QUOTE (MIDDLE)
‘He said that Christmas…
…was a humbug, as I live! He believed it too!
MIDDLE: ‘He said that Christmas was a humbug, as I live! He believed it too!’
- Exclamatory disbelief → Fred is shocked by how genuinely bitter Scrooge is.
- Repetition of ‘he’ = rhetorical distancing → Fred emotionally separates himself from Scrooge’s ignorance.
- ‘As I live!’ = colloquial idiom → adds realism + comedic lightness (Fred = comic relief figure too).
- The quote mocks ignorance → shows how far gone Scrooge is at this stage.
- Dickens uses Fred to represent enlightened values vs Scrooge’s emotional blindness.
FINISH THE QUOTE (MIDDLE)
‘His offences carry their own…
…punishment, and I have nothing to say against him.’
MIDDLE: ‘His offences carry their own punishment, and I have nothing to say against him.’
- Parallel clause → ‘offences’ / ‘punishment’ = poetic justice; Scrooge is already suffering emotionally.
- Forgiving tone → Fred distances himself from judgment, showing true Christian compassion.
- Abstract nouns (‘offences’, ‘punishment’) universalise the message — Scrooge’s punishment is internal, not legal.
- Reinforces charity vs cruelty: Fred chooses kindness over resentment.
- Dickens presents emotional punishment (loneliness) as worse than legal punishment — a key idea in Scrooge’s arc.
FINISH THE QUOTE (MIDDLE)
‘The consequence of his taking a dislike…
…to us, and not making merry with us, is… he loses some pleasant moments.’
MIDDLE: ‘The consequence of his taking a dislike to us, and not making merry with us, is… he loses some pleasant moments.’
- Measured tone → Fred doesn’t attack Scrooge, just states the outcome calmly.
- Euphemistic language (‘loses some pleasant moments’) = Fred avoids bitterness → shows forgiveness + maturity.
- Polysyndeton (‘and not making merry with us’) → gives the sentence a soft, flowing rhythm — reflects Fred’s gentle nature.
- Highlights Scrooge’s isolation as self-inflicted — his loneliness is his own doing.
- Dickens uses Fred to subtly show how joy is communal, not material.
FINISH THE QUOTE (END)
‘Scrooge’s nephew was not…
…one of the blind men’s dogs: his eyes sparkled.’
END: ‘Scrooge’s nephew was not one of the blind men’s dogs: his eyes sparkled.’
- Allusion to the blind men and the dogs idiom (those who follow blindly) → Fred sees clearly
- ‘Eyes sparkled’ = light imagery representing hope, joy & emotional clarity
- Contrast to Scrooge’s earlier cold, dull eyes → symbol of Scrooge’s renewed life thanks to Fred’s influence
- Fred as the enlightened figure, highlighting the theme of ignorance vs insight
- Shows Fred’s natural charisma & emotional warmth
FINISH THE QUOTE (END)
‘Let him in! It is a…
…mercy he didn’t shake his arm off.’
END: ‘Let him in! It is a mercy he didn’t shake his arm off.’
- Exclamative tone → bursting with joy + surprise at Scrooge’s transformation
- ‘Mercy’ = religious connotation → blessing & forgiveness linked to Christian morality
- Hyperbole (‘shake his arm off’) = warmth + enthusiasm, contrasts sharply with Scrooge’s former coldness
- Highlights Fred’s unwavering hope & family loyalty
- Dickens presents Fred as the moral anchor of the novella’s happy ending
FINISH THE QUOTE (END)
‘Nothing…
…could be heartier.’
END: ‘Nothing could be heartier.’
- Short, emphatic sentence → summarises Fred’s whole-hearted, generous spirit
- ‘Hearty’ = warmth, enthusiasm, vitality → embodying the Christmas spirit
- Narrator’s voice here adds authority — Fred is the embodiment of festive joy & kindness
- Links to family & charity themes — Fred’s spirit is open & inclusive
- Reinforces why Fred remains a beacon of hope & love throughout the novella
