Ghost of Christmas Past Flashcards
(6 cards)
What is the Ghost of Christmas Past a construct for?
Metaphor for memory’s power to shape identity
Epitomises Jesus Christ through the illuminating power of truth and hope
Forces Scrooge to confront past choices, ghost highlights consequence of neglecting emotional connections
Introduces the concept of Scrooge’s choice to love or to hate, to alienate or to heal, to redeem or to continue his moral demise
‘not so like a child as like an old man’
juxtaposition conveys the fusion of innocence and experience, the inescapable passage of time and how this haunts us
in this way, Scrooge begins to see parallels between all human nature which will aid his redemption - ‘a solitary child, neglected by his friends’ and ‘the surplus population’
‘white as if with age; yet the face had not a wrinkle on it’
symbolic of Jesus and Jesus embodies all of mankind - symbolises the youth who must work, and grow up with sore realities - experience has made their lives corrupt - I & W too
‘branch of fresh green holly’ ‘bright clear jet of light’
biblical allusion of peace - the Holy Spirit brings an olive branch in the Bible, here the metaphor is associated with Christmas to emblemise the offering of peace, joy and hope the spirit makes to Scrooge through their presence
emphasises a truth, when memory and time is transparently explored through the lens of hindsight - Dickens is encouraging his readers to reflect, to learn, to evolve and to change
‘summer flowers’
seasonal imagery is a metaphor for the eternal peace and paradise brought by Jesus’ values and truth. Summarises the ending of Scrooge’s winter and his stillness in time, signposts a promise of growth in a time of his character’s evolution
flowers typically grow before summer - imagery suggests this moment is a sign of Scrooge’s coming summer
‘seized the extinguisher cap’
Scrooge is a construct of the avaricious upper classes, and here Dickens challenges the deceitful nature of capitalism against Christianity, as a denial of Jesus’ truth
dynamic verb, ‘seized’ also reflects how far Scrooge controls and owns his fate, he has possession of his own redemption and can choose moral failure at his own discretion
