Loneliness and Isolation Flashcards
‘as solitary as an oyster’
L - simile
Scrooge is described as a man who chose to live his life alone like an oyster in its shell.
D - he does not open up easily.
‘gasping out his last there, alone by himself’
L - verb
Scrooge’s last breath may be painful because he is lonely and there is no one to care for him.
L - adjective
Scrooge’s death is lonely which is a result of his unpleasant behaviour towards others in life.
‘it’s enough for a man to understand his own business, and not to interfere with other people’s’
L - adjective
L - verb
Scrooge is a capitalist who does not believe in getting involved in other people’s lives and does not want them to be involved in his.
‘a solitary child, neglected by his friends, is left there still’
L - adjectives
L - verb
Scrooge did not choose to be alone in his childhood. He was abandoned by his friends.
R - this creates sympathy for Scrooge as he was lonely in his childhood. This makes us understand how his past might have made Scrooge chooses to be alone as an adult.
‘a solitary lighthouse…two man joining their hands, wished each other merry Christmas’
L - adjective
L - verb
Dickens shows that even in the most solitary places, an individual can choose not to be lonely.
This contrasts with Scrooge as he is surrounded by people and still chooses to be alone. His loneliness is by choice.
‘he frightened every one away from him when he was alive, to profit us when he was dead’
L - verbs
Scrooge’s charwoman makes the point that, because Scrooge was so unpleasant in his life time due to his obsession with money, he died alone, which ironically enabled her to steal his properties.
‘another idol has displaced me’
L - metaphor
Scrooge’s obsession with money has caused him to lost Belle.
‘patted children on the head, and questioned beggars’
L - active verbs
Scrooge actively interacts with other people after he realises that interacting with other people can bring him happiness.
‘he turned his steps towards his nephew’s house’
L - verb
D - Scrooge has decided to change the way he lives. Instead of rejecting other people and living alone, he tries to reconnect with his family.
‘edge his way along the crowded path of life’
L - metaphor
Scrooge is on the edge of society as he keeps himself away from other as much as possible.
‘human beings are fellow passengers to the grave’ not ‘another race of creatures’
L - imagery
C - a Christian message that we should all respect each other and help each other in our lifetime because we are all created by God equally regardless of our status.
‘father is so much kinder than he used to be’
L - comparative adjective
R - creates pathos as Scrooge was abused by his father when he was a child. Him being a misanthrope as an adult may be the result of psychological damage from the past by his father.
