ACC Poverty B

“A squeezing,wrenching, grasping,scraping,

clutching, covetous old sinner”

Through Scrooge's introduction, Dickens exposes how the wealthy accumulate riches whilst neglecting the suffering of the impoverished working class.

"Scraping" and "grasping" suggest Scrooge's desperation to accumulate wealth and unwillingness to share it, highlighting how the wealthy withhold resources from the impoverished.

"Covetous" connotes excessive desire for wealth, with biblical allusions to sin. Dickens condemns the upper classes' greed and failure to fulfil their Christian responsibility to alleviate poverty.

"I'll give you Mr Scrooge, the founder of the feast!”

Through Bob's reaction to Scrooge, Dickens exposes the power imbalance between wealthy employers and impoverished workers, who depend on them for their livelihoods.

"Founder" ironically presents Scrooge as a generous benefactor, despite his exploitation of Bob through poor wages.

Dickens criticises a society where the working class remain dependent on wealthy employers, highlighting how unfair wages perpetuate poverty.

"Quite a baby/Merry as a schoolboy"

Through Scrooge's transformation, Dickens demonstrates that the wealthy can change their attitudes towards poverty and recognise their responsibility to the less fortunate.

"Baby" symbolises innocence and a fresh beginning, whilst "schoolboy" connotes youthful happiness and freedom.

Dickens uses Scrooge's redemption as a moral call to action, encouraging the wealthy to redistribute their wealth through generosity and charity to alleviate poverty.

Introduction

Poverty is both a structural framework and a thematic driving force in A Christmas Carol. Dickens uses the stark contrasts between wealth and destitution - embodied in characters like Scrooge and the Cratchits - as a vehicle to illuminate the corrosive effects of greed and to argue for the transformative power of generosity in confronting systematic inequality.