The Impact of Dickens Christmas Carol on Society - Free Essay Example

A Christmas Carol was written in 1843, and it touched readers hearts then and continues to do so today, although now it is not just through the written word but through stage and film adaptations, audio versions via CD and radio. Many people know the story of how a miserable man Scrooge who did not have any feelings of humanity or kindness towards others was shown the error of his ways by the Ghosts of Christmas and by the end of the story not only is filled with the spirit of Christmas Goodwill but became a better human being altogether. First of all lets start with a Trivial pursuit question! How many ghosts are there in A Christmas Carol? Most people answer three: The Ghosts of Christmas past, Christmas present and Christmas future/yet to come. However the official answer in quizzes is four including Marley of course. But when Marley leaves and Scrooge looks out of the window he sees many spectres outside. And dont forget the ghostly hearse going up the stairs as Scrooge enters his house! Although nowadays we think of a carol as being a Christmas song, the definition of the word is a song of joy or praise. So the title A Christmas Carol must signify a joyful song about Christmas or the Christmas ideal. By the end of the story this certainly becomes true. The Carol imagery is carried on throughout the story, with staves used instead of chapter headings. This was definately an interesting/unusual literary device for the time. [Something that Dickens friend Wilkie Collins and other authors in other ways would later do in a different way by laying out one of his novels like a play in Acts] But almost revolutionary for an author like Dickens to do this in 1843. Lets look at the three Christmas Ghosts a little more closely: The Ghost of Christmas Past Sounds somewhat like a candle which at the end their trip together Scrooge snuffs out. It was a Christmas custom to light a candle on Christmas eve. This Spirit shows the reader the reason for Scrooges actions but does not excuse him The Ghost of Christmas Present A representation of Father Christmas*. Victorian Father Christmases were dressed in any colour robes. This ghost shows Scrooge what he is missing by his actions but also offers a warning in the shape of the two children: Ignorance and WantDickens warning about the effects of the squalid conditions of the Industrial Revolution and exploitation of labour could have on the very poor The Ghost of Christmas Future An awful warning and also reminiscent of Old Father Time. And in fact he foretells Scrooges unmourned and lonely death unless he mends his ways. There are a lot of Dickens autobiographical details in the story. Because the young Dickens experienced so much hardship and poverty during his early life, his writing about social inequalities is often based on his own past. It could be that the Cratchits house is modelled on the small house at 16 Bayham Street in Camden Town where Dickens lived at the age of ten and the six Cratchit children mirror Dickens brothers and sisters Tiny Tim may be based on Dickens youngest, poorly brother who was known as Tiny Fred. Dickens was a pupil at Wellington House Academy, Hampstead Road, London which may be the model for the school Scrooge went to. It is set in a little market-town . . . with the bridge, its church, and winding river. Johnson in About A Christmas Carol (Dickensian 1931) identifies this description as referring to Strood, Rochester, and the river Medway, where Dickens spent part of his childhood. Johnson also noted that Dickens erased the word castle from the original manuscript, an apparent reference to Rochester Castle. [Michael Patrick Hearn, The Annotated Christmas Carol, 88] Like Scrooge, Dickens had a sister called Fan[ny] The women in A Christmas Carol are unusual for Dickens, who often had a silly woman in his novels who probably represented his mother, Elizabeth Dickensthink of Mrs Nickleby, Dora Copperfield, Bleak House etc although these are often balanced by a strong woman like Agnes Copperfield, Betsy Trotwood etc. But in A Christmas Carol the woman are quite pro-active: Fan, Belle, Mrs Cratchit all speak up for themselves. Even the laundress and the cleaning women have a certain something! Victorian readers would have picked up hints about the interesting condition of Mrs Fred: Scrooges niece was not one of the blindâ€Å"mans buff party, but was made comfortable with a large chair and a footstool and Dear heart alive, how his niece by marriage started. Scrooge had forgotten, for the moment, about her sitting in the corner with the footstool, or he wouldnt have done it, on any account. The children in A Christmas Carol are more typical of the Dickens type of child, although like Rose in Oliver Twist, Tiny Tim does not die. However Tim is like many too good to be true children in Dickens novels who do usually die: Paul Dombey, Little Nell. Tim is rather like Oliver Twist in that he seems to have an almost angelic streak. Dickens is playing up to the Victorian ideal that children were born good or bad, and Timagain like Oliver Twist and Paul Dombeyseems to have been born able to spout words of pious wisdom! Bear with me here, because I am going to talk about another little quirk of mine: Evidence of Time Travel in the story! The chronology of the story does not work if we try to be sensible! Scrooge and Marley dont part until 2 oclock on Christmas morning and the first Ghost is not due until one oclock the next day [Boxing Day], the second at one oclock on the 27th and the third at midnight on the 28th. Scrooge does say Couldnt I take em all at once, and have it over, Jacob? hinted Scrooge However Scrooge awakens at two oclock and then at all the other times and finally awakes on Christmas morning, crying Its Christmas Day! said Scrooge to himself. I havent missed it! The Spirits have done it all in one night. They can do anything they like. Another hint for time travel: When the Ghost of Christmas past takes Scrooge to see himself as a child at school we read: The panels shrunk, the windows cracked; fragments of plaster fell This is the sort of effect which suggests the image of unbuilding of the apartment which surrounds Scrooge, taking it back in time in fact. This effect has been used in other novels and films, particularly by H. G. Wells in The Time Machine (1895) and in film versions of that book.

Treatment Of Drug Use And Drug Abuse Essay - 2194 Words

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2012), the intention of drug addiction treatment is to help addicted individuals stop compulsive drug use and drug-seeking behavior (p. 8). Substance use is a timeless practice of cultures around the world and can be found in religious ceremonies, celebratory engagements, and family gatherings. Substance abuse and addiction has also been lurking in the shadows of history and has morphed into what some are calling an epidemic today. Treatment for addiction is a necessary service all over the world, but the methods and modalities of its practice have changed throughout history often being molded by federal policy. In the following pages I will discuss some of these changes to treatment in the 20th century in the United States. According to Henninger and Sung (2014), in the late 1940s the Minnesota Model was introduced as a new method to treat alcoholism. The Minnesota Model included mutual respect for participants instead of shame and degradation. One of the first facilities to utilize the Minnesota Model was Willmar State Hospital in Minnesota. The Willmar State Hospital staff eventually developed the model which was based on insisting that treatment include a multidisciplinary and holistic approach. The staff at Willmar also believed that professionalization of addiction treatment was necessary to appropriately treat patients. This progression of change to the Minnesota Model would mean that doctors, nurses,Show MoreRelatedIllegal Substance Abuse And Addiction1196 Words   |  5 PagesIllegal substance abuse and addiction can have far-reaching negative impacts that affect not only the people who abuse drugs but also their friends, family members, the community, and government resources. 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Long-term use can effect and change a person’s ability to learn, judge, and make decisions. Stress, memory issues, and behavior problems are also common side effects of extended drug use. There is not one single factorRead MoreDrug Abuse And Addiction : Drugs977 Words   |  4 PagesDrug abuse/addiction Jeremy Graham May 11, 2015 Period, 5 Drug abuse and addiction Drug abuse/addiction is a major problem in Indiana that affects many individual. Several solutions such as rehab and drug classes have been tried. Yet, the best solution is taking drug classes. Many people do not understand why people become addicted to drugs or how drugs change the brain to foster compulsive drug abuse. 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Drug abuse generally leads a person down the path toward drug addiction, but not every individual who abuses drugs becomes an addict. The definition of drug abuse continues to change because the term is subjective and infused with the political and moral values of the society or culture one lives in. An example

Born February 12, 1809, Charles Robert Darwin Was An English

Born February 12, 1809, Charles Robert Darwin was an English naturalist and geologist. Best known for his bold scientific approach in explaining â€Å"transmutation† or evolution, as it is recently termed, of natural selection. Formulating his theory secretly from 1837-39, after returning aboard the HMS Beagle from a voyage around the world. Charles Darwin published his evolution theory, in his book entitled ‘On the Origin of Species’ two decades after his return in 1959. Darwin’s Evolutionary Theory or Darwinism is considered to be the â€Å"change in the genetic composition of a population during successive generations, as a result of natural selection acting on the genetic variation among individuals, and resulting in the development of new†¦show more content†¦Others believe in Darwin’s theory of natural selection, where it all started about five millions year ago. It is said that there were once apes, different to the known species of the 20th century that advanced genetically as time progressed. Beliefs are held that these apes or Hominines evolved becoming bipedal causing them to walk up right, and their babies to be twisted and turned to pass through the birth canal. Overtime their cognitive abilities allowed them to generate new ideas to build new tools that also increased survival and reproduction. Darwin believed that humans, apes and chimpanzees all share a common ancestry. â€Å"The recent sequencing of the gorilla, chimpanzee and bonobo genomes confirms that supposition and provides a clearer view of how we are connected: chimps and bonobos in particular take pride of place as our nearest living relatives, sharing approximately 99 percent of our DNA, with gorillas trailing at 98 percent† (Wong, 2014). Fossil records today strengthen Darwin’s theory as results concluded that the phylogenic of species and ontogeny of human s evolved from an organism known as the great ape or Hominid- a large tailless primitive that lived 7 million years ago. Darwin’s theory of evolution contains some basic biological principles as it relates to natural selection and contributes to survival, these includes: 1. Variation-Show MoreRelatedDr. Charles. Darwin s Theory Of Evolution1714 Words   |  7 Pages Dr. Charles Robert Darwin was an English naturalist and geologist. He is best known for his contributions to the theory of evolution. He stated that all species have descended over time from common ancestors. With his joint publication with Alfred Russell Wallace he introduced the process called natural selection. Darwin published his theory of evolution in 1859 with a book, On the Origin of Species; many people rejected his idea of natural selection and his theory of evolution. 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Charles Robert Darwin was an English geologist and naturalist, best known for his significant addition to the science of evolution. He had a theory that all species have inherited traits over time from common ancestors, and in a partnership with Alfred Russel Wallace introducedRead MoreDarwins Legacy Essay1295 Words   |  6 PagesCharles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury on February 12, 1809. His father and grandfather, being admired and respected doctors, Charles grew up in a we ll-educated and freethinking family. At the age of eight, his mother died, leaving Charles and his five siblings with their stern and often overbearing father. A short time later, he was sent to boarding school in Shrewsbury to study Greek and Latin. Outside of class Charles collected beetles and conducted his own chemistry experiments, earning himRead MoreCharles Darwing and The Theory of Evolution Essay803 Words   |  4 Pagesinvulnerable to pesticides we use. 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All Quiet On The Western Front Themes Essay Example For Students

All Quiet On The Western Front Themes Essay 1) The Destructiveness of WarA major theme, not only on lives and property, but also on the humanspirit. Men are subject to physical torment-eyes are blinded, limbs areblown off, blood flows everywhere, and innocent men die in agony. Whensoldiers take shelter in the graveyard, bombs explode all around them,the living hide in coffins and the dead are thrown from their graves. The destructive power is so great that even the fundamental differencesbetween life and death become blurred. The impact of war on the spiritis subtle. They find themselves less able to returrn to civilian life-friends die all around them. 2) The Lost GenerationThis theme is an offshoot of the destructiveness of war. Paulsgeneration grew up too fast, its perceptins of life grossly distorted bythe horror or war. The youthful idealism that might someday haveblossomed into constructive maturity has been nipped in the bud. Unlikeearlier generations, Paul can never again hope to find comfort andinspiration in the hollow rhetoric of politicians and generals. The warhas shattered their illusions. Their innocence is gone, and only inaimless skepticism is left to fill the void. 3) ComraderieThe theme of comraderie occurs constantly in the novel. The comraderiethat exists in Pauls company keeps them from being driven insane by thehorrors all around them. In a sense, the comraderie among Paulsfriends can be seen as a last desperate clinging to the innocence ofyouth. These young men were transported almost directly to thebattlefield from the schoolyard. The adolescent pranks of Paul and hisclassmates can be seen in their adult behavior, as in their attack onHimmelstoss. If the social responses of Paul adn his friends seem attime childish, it is essential to remember that these are young menwhose experience of life took them directly to the barracks from theclassroom. If they seem immature, it may be because they werent giventhe chance to grow up normally. The best example of this theme os whenKat and Paul shared their roasted goose with Kropp and Tjaden. Theywere taking care of each other. 4) AlienationThe theme of alienation develops as the novel progresses. At first,Paul and his friends still behave as if their lives will someday returnto normal. In the middle of the book, Paul goes home on leave, only todiscover that his real home is now with his friends on the front. Bythe time Kat dies, Paul feels that his own life no longer has meaning. The process of alienation is now complete. 5) Shared HumanityThe theme of shared humanity takes the eheme of comraderie one hugestep forward. Just as Paul comes to look upon his comrades almost asbrothers, he also comes to recognize that all men are brothers under theskin. The irony of war is that brothers are forced to kill oneanother. Pauls compassion for the captured Russian soldiers and theFrench soldier he kills in the trench are examples of this theme. Words/ Pages : 491 / 24