'Are there no workhouses?'" Only the starving went there to starve. Cancel. which echoes through the night as he fades out of existence. The workhouses were said to be "voluntary", but today they would be considered a crime against humanity. Solitary as an oyster. Completing the CAPTCHA proves you are a human and gives you temporary access to the web property. The bell struck twelve. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from Sparknotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. Scrooge asks if they have no refuge or resources. In 1843, when A Christmas Carol was written, England had particularly stringent laws in governing the payment of debts and the condition of penury. The spirit replies that given the current conditions in the Cratchit house, there will inevitably be an empty chair at next year's Christmas dinner. Dickens was particularly disgusted with the writings of an economist named Thomas Robert Malthus, a wealthy man, who argued in his Essay on the Principle of Population (1798) that population growth would always outpace food supply resulting in unavoidable and catastrophic poverty and starvation. "Are they still in operation?" Christmas is a time of sharing one's riches--emotional, spiritual, monetary, etc.--with the community of man. Again the spirit spits back Scrooge’s words, fading as he says, “Are there no prisons or workhouses?” “And the Union workhouses?” demanded Scrooge. A situation when two gentlemen came to scrooge to make him contribute some money in the festive season of christmas. ‘Are there no workhouses?’” This is said to remind Scrooge and the reader that: in Dickens’s time workhouses and prisons did exist [Stave 3: 108-109] Read the following excerpt from Stave 3: “… ‘Have they no refuge or resource?’ cried Scrooge. The spirit disappears as the clock strikes midnight and … Stave 3: 'wretched, abject, frightful, hideous, miserable'. Taken from the following passage in Stave 3 (The Second Of The Three Spirits) of A Christmas Carol: The church clock strikes one, startling Scrooge, who awakes in mid-snore. Are there no workhouses?" A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens Stave 1: Marley's Ghost arley was dead: to begin with. Stave 3: The Second of the Three Spirits | Stave 4: The Last of the Spirits Stave 5: The End of It. Are there no workhouses?" said the Spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words. ‘Are there no prisons?’ said the Spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words. Similarly, the moral outlook of A Christmas Carol has little to do with the solemnity of a religious occasion. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. He then uses Scrooge’s own words about “decreasing the surplus population” against him. The oldest son, Peter, wears a stiff-collared shirt, a hand-me-down from his father. After seeing Ignorance and Want, Scrooge asks if they have no refuge or resource. 2. Scrooge (1951) - Yarn is the best way to find video clips by quote. Card 3. Upon doing so, the feast and the room vanish instantly and Scrooge finds himself alongside the spirit in the midst of the bustling city on Christmas morning. So what in Stave III contributes to the transformation of Scrooge’s heart? Source. Stave 4: The Last of the Spirits He says, “Are there no prisons? Still,” returned the gentleman, “I wish I could say they were not.” Scrooge was not a friend to his fellow man. Appearing on a throne made of food, the spirit evokes thoughts of prosperity, satiety, and merriment. Read this extract from A Christmas Carol and answer questions 1-3 below. He is saying he gives enough money to places like 'prisons' and 'workhouses' and he says that he refuses to give out any more money because the places he mentioned 'cost enough' as it is. Front. "Are there no prisons?" “Are there no workhouses?” The bell struck twelve. Are there no workhouses?” And with this, the Ghost of Christmas Past disappears along with his pitiful children. (His equations, long sin ce debunked, postulate that population growth will occur according to a geometric sequence, while food supply will grow according to an arithmetic sequence.) Are there no workhouses? The oldest daughter, Martha, returns from her job at a milliner's. A feast is a wonderful thing but only if one has loved ones with whom to share it. The workhouses were supposed to be bad so poor people should ned seek help from the UK state. Find the exact moment in a TV show, movie, or music video you want to share. Are there no workhouses ?". "The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigour, then?" You're signed out. The scene at Bob Cratchit's unassuming little abode is pivotal to the development of the novella. People merrily shovel snow, tote bags of presents, and greet one another with a cheery "Merry Christmas!". Christmas should stimulate within people a concern for the wants and needs of ot hers and a euphoric joy in fulfilling these desires. ... "Are there no prisons?" Scrooge. Dickens uses the opportunity to put forth a poignant criticism of the unfeeling members of a disconnected upper class and to present a highly sentimentalize d portrait of the lower classes. Scene The Original Story A Christmas Carol (1984) "Are there no workhouses?" This picture is designed to address and undermine Victorian class prejudice and awaken Dickens' readers to the harsh realities of poverty. "Plenty of prisons," said the gentleman, laying down the pen again. Scrooge feared the final Spirit, but he knew he had to go with him to become a better man. said the Spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words. As the night unfolds, the ghost grows older. “Plenty of prisons,” said the gentleman, laying down the pen again. Source. It was as full and as long as this seven Christmas eves ago and you have labored on it since. The bell struck twelve. At the same time, many prominent politicians and theorists were attempting to justify th ese conditions with arguments designed to de-legitimize the rights of the underclass, a move that further hindered the ability of the poor to affect the governing of their own society. STAVE 3 The ghost of Christmas present ... way and let me keep it in mine’ ‘What’s Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without money’ ‘Are there no prisons..... the union workhouses... and the poor law’ ‘Decrease the surplus population’ I can’t afford to . Scrooge looked about him for the Ghost, and saw it not. These draconian rules forced many poor people into prisons and provisional workhouses. At last, Scrooge and the ghost come to a vast and desolate expanse. `Are there no workhouses.' The family is more than content despite its skimpy Christmas feast. said the Spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words. said the Spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words. The spirit orders Scrooge to touch his robe. Mockingly, the ghost quotes Scrooge's earlier retort, "Are there no prisons? Scrooge inquires if nothing can be done to help them. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Stave 1/3: 'If he be like to die, he better do it and decrease the surplus population'. The spirit disappears as the clock strikes midnight and Scrooge eyes a hooded phantom coming toward him. Now Scrooge is obviously a very different man. There is no doubt whatever about that. Have they no refuge or resource? • In this sense, the Ghost of Christmas Present also represents empathy enabl ing Scrooge to not only see the Cratchits but to feel the sorrow and hardships of their daily toil. Cloudflare Ray ID: 6318cc511cd557fd Scrooge thinks that prisons are a good place to send the poor and destitute. “Have they no refuge or resource?” cried Scrooge. He tells Scrooge that he has more than 1800 brothers and his lifespan is a mere single day. Here, the ghost shows Scrooge a pair of starving children who travel with him beneath his robes--their names are Ignorance and Want. In stave 3, Dickens writes, "'Are there no prisons?' The bell struck twelve. Somewhat disappointed, Scrooge waits for 15 minutes after which a bright light begins to stream down upon him. The bell struck twelve. said the Spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words. In a booming voice, the spirit announces himself as the Ghost of Christmas Present. In his pamphlet "The Crisis," Malthus supported the Poor Laws and the workhouses, arguing that a ny man unable to sustain himself had no right to live, much less participate in the development of society. “Are there no prisons?” asked Scrooge. The Ghost of Christmas Present serves as the central symbol of the Christmas ideal--generosity, goodwill, and celebration. Easily move forward or backward to get to the perfect spot. This quote shows how selfish and cold hearted Scrooge is. “Are there no prisons?” asked Scrooge. Are there no workhouses?” Stave Four (The Last of the Spirits): 1. ‘ The spirit once again quotes Scrooge, who asks if the grotesque children have ‘no refuge, no resource,‘ and the spirit retorts with more of Scrooge’s unkind words: ‘Are there no prisons? After singing about Tiny Tim, Scrooge ends up in his room alone. Christmas, in Dickens' mind, should not bring about self-denial, renunciation, or emotional withdrawal. The echoes of the church bell fade, however, and no ghost appears. STAVE … You may need to download version 2.0 now from the Chrome Web Store. "Are there no workhouses?" Are there no workhouses?" When they told scrooge that hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts, Srooge directly asked this question! T he Cratchits are Dickens' defense against this large-scale, purely economic, almost inhuman mode of thought--a reminder that England's poor are all individuals, living beings with families and lives who could not and should not be swept behind a math equa tion like some numerical discrepancy. Read the full text of Stave 3 of A Christmas Carol on Shmoop. Dickens alludes to Malthus in Stave One, when Scrooge echoes the economist's views on overpopulation in his rebuke of the portly gentlemen. Glad to be awake, he hopes to confront the second spirit just as it arrives. He also takes Scrooge to Fred's Christmas party, where Scrooge looses himself in the numerous party games and has a wildly entertaining time, though none of the party guests can actually see him. Your IP: 51.81.83.181 asked Scrooge. "Are there no prisons?" Scrooge looked about him for the Ghost, and saw it not. “Are there no prisons?” said the Spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words. You can view our. “And the Union workhouses?” demanded Scrooge. The boy is called Ignorance, and the Girl is called Want. Are there no workhouses?‘. Stave 2: 'I should like to be able to say a word or two to my clerk just now'. The spirit takes Scrooge to a number of other Christmas gatherings, including the festivities of an isolated community of miners and a party aboard a ship. "Both very busy, sir." The spirit then takes Scrooge to the meager home of Bob Cratchit, where Mrs. Cratchit and her children prepare a Christmas goose and savor the few Christmas treats they can afford.