A Christmas Carol Week 1
Who was Charles Dickens, and why did he write A Christmas
Carol?
To truly understand this novella (a short novel), you need to understand Charles Dickens and the world he lived in. This is what we will be looking at in this session.
Before you read on, do the Starter on page 3 of your study book (10 minutes).
Assessment Objective 3
When you write about A Christmas Carol in your GCSE English Literature exam, your answer is marked against three Assessment Objectives (AOs). This post explains AO3, which is all about context.
What does AO3 mean?
AO3 asks you to show that you understand the relationship between a text and the context in which it was written.
Context is the world around the writer when they wrote the text; that is the time, the place, the events, and the beliefs and values of the people around them. A writer doesn’t write in a bubble. What happened in their life and in their society shapes what they write and why.
The context of A Christmas Carol
Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in 1843. Some key pieces of context are:
Dickens’s own childhood. When he was twelve, his father was sent to a debtors’ prison, and Charles had to work in a factory. He never forgot what it felt like to be poor and hungry.
The 1834 Poor Law. People who couldn’t support themselves were sent to workhouses, which were made deliberately harsh.
Thomas Malthus. This economist argued that the population was growing too fast, and some people used his ideas to argue against helping the poor.
Child poverty. In 1843 Dickens read a report about children working in mines and factories, and he visited a “ragged school” for the poorest children in London.
How to use context well
The most important rule is to link context to the text. Don’t write a separate history lesson. Use context to explain why Dickens wrote something, and what he wanted his readers to think or do.
A weak answer just states a fact:
In Victorian times there were workhouses for poor people.
A strong answer links the fact to the novella and to Dickens’s purpose:
When Scrooge asks, “Are there no prisons?”, Dickens is mocking wealthy Victorians who believed the workhouses set up by the 1834 Poor Law were enough. By putting these views in the mouth of the cold, unlikeable Scrooge, he encourages his readers to reject them.
Quick checklist
Mention context in the same paragraph as your quotation and analysis, not on its own.
Ask yourself: why did Dickens write this, and what did he want readers to feel or do?
Use phrases like Dickens wanted his readers to…, Victorian readers would have… or Dickens is criticising…
Keep it short: one or two sentences of context per paragraph is plenty.
Remember: AO3 isn’t about how much history you know. It’s about using what you know to explain the writer’s purpose.
Who was Dickens and Why was his Writing so Important?
As you watch the video by The Schhol Life, take some basic notes in the form of a timeline to record the main events in Charles' life.
TedEd Why Should you read Charles Dickens?
How it Links to the Novella
Throughout the novella, Dickens' sympathy for poor children, such as Tiny Tim and Ignorance and Want is evident and a reflection of his own childhood trauma.
Now read “Charles Dickens and the hungry forties” (pages 3–4) and answer the Check your understanding questions on page 4.
Why Dickens Wrote 'A Christmas Carol'
Make a note of the five key points.
GCSE English Literature Revision
Read Dickens’s Preface on page 5 and answer “The Ghost of an Idea” in your study book. Then read the explanation below and add anything you missed in a different colour.
How it Links to the Novella
The Preface is short, but almost every phrase in it points to a reason Dickens had for writing the book. Here’s how to link them, phrase by phrase.
“to raise the Ghost of an Idea”
The “Idea” is his message: everyone has a duty to care for others, especially the poor. That’s the same message as the 1843 report on child workers and his visit to the ragged school.
“Raise” works two ways. You raise a ghost, and you raise awareness.
Calling the idea a ghost suggests he wants it to come back to readers again and again, the way Marley and the spirits come back to Scrooge. The readers are being put in Scrooge’s place.
“this Ghostly little book”
He chose a ghost story, not a pamphlet. Ghost stories were a popular Christmas entertainment, so a story would reach far more people than a lecture on poverty.
“which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me”
“with each other” hints at the gap between rich and poor, and the book’s hope of bringing people together.
“with the season” links to his wish to celebrate Christmas as a time of generosity and family.
“May it haunt their houses pleasantly”
He wants the message to stay in people’s homes and change how they live, not just be enjoyed for one evening.
This matches Scrooge’s promise: “I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.”
“Pleasantly” shows his method: persuade through enjoyment, not fear.
“and no one wish to lay it”
To “lay” a ghost is to make it rest, so it stops haunting. Dickens hopes no reader will try to push his idea away.
This is exactly what Scrooge does at first. He dismisses Marley as a bit of undigested food, says “Humbug!”, and presses the cap down on the Ghost of Christmas Past’s light. Readers are invited to do better than Scrooge.
“Their faithful Friend and Servant, C. D.”
He signs himself as a friend, not a preacher. That matches the chatty, warm narrator who talks directly to us all through the book, right up to “May that be truly said of us, and all of us!”
“December, 1843”
It was published in time for Christmas, and written in the year he was shocked by child poverty. The message was meant to be urgent and current.
Theme - Poverty in Victorian Britain
As you watch, take some basic notes on poverty and injustice, noting any important dates or terms.
Poverty by Beyond Revision.
How it Links to the Novella
Dickens uses the contrast between Scrooge’s wealth and the Cratchits’ poverty to illustrate the gap between the wealthy and poor in Victorian Britain.
Scrooge's quote ‘Are there no prisons? ... And the Union workhouses?’ can be used to demonstrate the idea that there were 'deserving' and 'undeserving' poor.
‘decrease the surplus population’ - supports the ideas of Thomas Malthus.
Complete the “Context into story: predict” table on page 5.
PEEL Paragraphs
There are many ways to structure paragraphs when writing answers for your English questions. PEEL is just the method we will be using. We will come back to this method over and over until your paragraph writing is awesome.
Here's an introduction by Awesome English - How to Write a Paragraph.
Use what you have learned so far to write a paragraph answering the following question.
Why did Dickens care so much about poor children?
Write your paragraph in the Exam focus box on page 6, then tick off the checklist at the bottom of the page.
