hard and sharp as flint analysishard and sharp as flint analysis

He believes solely in money. Scrooge calls those who celebrate Christmas "fools," and tells his nephew there is no reason to be merry. He thinks he sees the dead Marley in his door knocker. The way the content is organized. The clock tower that looks down on. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. On this page, readers can explore the quotes, they are broadly separated into a few sub-categories. I will live in the past, the present, and the future. The mention of Marleys funeral brings me back to the point I started from. Finally, he is not only isolated from others, but he also keeps to himself in his own world, contained within his own shell. **Example 1**. Poulterers and grocers trades became a splendid joke; a glorious pageant, with which it was next to impossible to believe that such dull principles as bargain and sale had anything to do. The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice. Much good may it do you! It swung so softly in the outset that it scarcely made a sound; but soon it rang out loudly, and so did every bell in the house. What lesson does Scrooge learn from each spirit in A Christmas Carol? Dickens suggests that scrooge is lonely, unsociable and disconnected from society through this simile, however, the description of him as an "oyster" connoting a creature with a tough exterior but containing a valuable, beautiful pearl within, suggests that scrooge has sociability and goodwill for others (and other values of the Christmas spirit) that will allow him to reconnect with society buried within him. a time for finding yourself a year older, but not an hour richer; a time for balancing your books and having every item in em through a round dozen of months presented dead against you? Marley brings only warnings; he cannot himself help Scrooge. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. Flint is a type of ground that makes it difficult for life to grow kind of like how scrooges character allows no imaginations to grow. Exam focus: Writing about Scrooge. Scrooge and Cratchit both live on routine. Why doesn't Scrooge like Christmas in A Christmas Carol? Marley's purgatorial afterlife is described as a wasteland of endless journeying. Cite this Quote Flint and oysters are not very palatable things to be compared to. He took us home and hammered us. Whereas the line about being solitary as an oyster suggests that Scrooge refuses to let anybody into his life. `Youll want all day to-morrow, I suppose? said Scrooge. Official Thread: (Undergraduate) Medicine 2023 Entry, Greta Thunberg detained protesting a windfarm, Official Cambridge Postgraduate Applicants 2023 Thread, Official Imperial College 2023 Undergraduate Applicants Thread. Scrooge! What is the theme of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens? Humbug! but stopped at the first syllable, A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost-Story of Christmas, commonly known as A Christmas. Note also Marley's disgust at the connection of the words "good" and "business", which Scrooge also used earlier in his conversation with Fred. Owl Eyes is an improved reading and annotating experience for classrooms, book clubs, and literature lovers. The fog came pouring in at every chink and keyhole, and was so dense without, that although the court was of the narrowest, the houses opposite were mere phantoms. Humbug!" Last weekend, I read $\underline{\color{#c34632}\text{To Build a Fire}}$ . (Dickens 6). How is the theme of isolation presented in A Christmas Carol? It is much easier to burn men than to burn their opinions. likening scrooge to a sheep, suggesting that he foolishly follows certain ideologies such as Malthusian economic theory. But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! In other words, Scrooge is not alone; many people, while perhaps less obviously awful than Scrooge, share his sinful failings. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." It suggests that even though cruelty seems to reign, the goodness embodied by the Christmas message can always find a way through, through the fog, through the keyhole. Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts, sir., `And the Union workhouses demanded Scrooge. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. A doornail is notably small and insignificant, but it can be used to build things. 'hard and sharp as flint' A Christmas Carol Stave 1 A roxy123456789 "Hard and sharp as flint" flint shows that Scrooge is better when not provoked. The best poem I have ever read is _____________________________________________ . A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! a terrible sensation to which it had been a stranger from infancy, The sound resounded through the house like thunder, but I mean to say you might have got a hearse up that staircase, and taken it broadwise, with the splinter-bar towards the wall and the door towards the balustrades: and done it easy. a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! "No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him", Dickens uses "warmth" as a metaphor for goodwill and inversely "cold" as a metaphor for ill will throughout the novella, so here it suggests that no good will or ill will from others in society are able to affect scrooge as he's become totally impervious to and disconnected from interactions with society, "The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shriveled his cheek, stiffened his gait". When he gets home, Scrooge would rather save money and live in discomfort, keeping a very low fire for himself, described as nothing on such a bitter night to which he is forced to lean over just to extract the least sensation of warmth from such a handful of fuel. But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! Latest answer posted January 12, 2021 at 5:08:54 PM. "What then? Flint was traditionally used to start fires which may hint at Scrooges later change in attitude as the story unfolds. But in Dickens's era, it was customary to hammer doornails into doors in such a way that made them useless for anything else. You are fettered, said Scrooge, trembling. Introduction to analysis Analysis is an important. its teeth were chattering in its frozen head up there. Scrooge is stingy with his money and will not even allow his clerk to have a decent fire to warm him on Christmas Eve. In this way, Dickens universalizes his message. very low fire indeed; nothing on such a bitter night. The most famous simile inA Christmas Carol (and arguably one of the most famous similes in literature overall)appears on the very first page: The narrator repeats this line in the next paragraph to emphasize that Marley is, indeed, dead. Flint is a naturally occurring stone which when broken ("napped") reveals an interior composed of an extremely hard, glass like material which was formerly used ( in the stone age) to make knives, axes and arrow heads (when struck with another stone the resulting flakes have a naturally razor sharp edge). Scrooge signed it. The air was filled with phantoms, wandering hither and thither in restless haste, and moaning as they went. Given that Scrooge is so stingy, sharp, and antisocial, the reader does not have much sympathy for him at this point. Who is Belle in A Christmas Carol, and why was she important to Scrooge? Privacy Policy, https://bookanalysis.com/charles-dickens/a-christmas-carol/quotes/. Scrooge never painted out Old Marleys name. Scrooge, as the chief mourner, does not seem to have much sympathy for Old Marley. The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice, He carried his own low temperature always about with him. View further examples of the literary technique of. `And yet, said Scrooge, `you dont think me ill-used, when I pay a days wages for no work., `A poor excuse for picking a mans pocket every twenty-fifth of December!, But I suppose you must have the whole day. Becoming immediately sensible of the impropriety, he poked the fire, and extinguished the last frail spark for ever. Leading up to this moment it appears as if Scrooge already fears that this is the case, but that does not detract from the tension that Charles Dickens can create here. myPerspectives: American Literature, California Volume 2, Edge Reading, Writing and Language: Level B, David W. Moore, Deborah Short, Michael W. Smith, Holt McDougal Literature: Grade 9 (Common Core). flint can start fires when it is messed with. Though Fred is poor (though not as poor as Cratchit), his attire is colorful and he is generous and sociable with his Christmas provisions. wishing, though it were only for a second, to divert the visions stony gaze from himself, e for the rest of my days persecuted by a legion of goblins, all of my own creation, when the phantom taking off the bandage round its head, as if it were too warm to wear indoors, its lower jaw dropped down upon its breast. Instead of being a crotchety old man, he feels like a schoolboy. Scrooge's transformation is emphasized by him becoming a "second father" to Tiny Tim "who did not die", suggesting that the values of the Christmas spirit, encapsulating good will and generosity, leads to a supportive, charitable, family-like society in which everyone supports each-other and there is no suffering or plight (like Tiny Tim's death). eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. Scrooge's logic is somewhat consistenthe sees money as being the sole important thing in the world, and therefore sees anyone lacking money as being unimportant. "Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster." See in text (Stave One) These two similes define Scrooge in three ways: First, he is portrayed as inflexible through the comparison to flint (a hard gray rock). This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate. never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good. You will therefore permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as dead as a door-nail. The dark, wintry night, and the approach of Christmas Day, should provide the conditions for some seasonal camaraderie between Scrooge and his clerk, but Scrooges misery wins out over all. When they were within two paces of each other, Marleys Ghost held up its hand, warning him to come no nearer. Explain Ignorance and Want, who appear in stave 3 of A Christmas Carol. Instant PDF downloads. Many's the hard day's walking in rain and mud, and with never a penny earned. Still, returned the gentleman, `I wish I could say they were not.. Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. Which, you see, were a drawback on my learning. Current Year 11 Official Thread (2022-2023)! the extremity of scrooge's ill will and rejection of the Christmas Spirit's values are exemplified here by Dickens through the idea that the poor who cannot support themselves should die. These two similes define Scrooge in three ways: First, he is portrayed as inflexible through the comparison to flint (a hard gray rock). We dont know what you have done, but we wouldnt have you starved to death for it. Complete your free account to request a guide. `Because, said Scrooge, `a little thing affects them. Christmas is a time of family, and despite his scary appearance, we get the feeling that Marley is here to help. Much good it has ever done you!, There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say, But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round. Christmas Carol - Generosity Quotes. In each stave Scrooge gradually changes his attitude to become a better person. It is made up of two Greek words, ana meaning up, and lysis meaning to loosen. Scrooge=isolation. If you like this, we think you might also be interested in these related quotations. No matter how vivid the apparitions become, Scrooge insists that he knows better. A great many very young girls grown into bold women before they had well ceased to be children. `Merry Christmas! Copyright The Student Room 2023 all rights reserved. I dont mean to say that I know, of my own knowledge, what there is particularly dead about a door-nail. In the first stave, the miser Scrooge is introduced as well as his merry nephew and his poor clerk Bob Cratchit. 16, no GCSES, no other qualifications, is there anything left for me? Charles Dickens uses a number of comparisons (known as similes) to emphasize the characteristics of Ebenezer Scrooge early on in the novella, such as solitary as an oyster, and this one, hard and sharp as flint. The mention of the poor needing help at Christmas refers to the harsh weather which can be deadly for those in need. Foul weather didnt know where to have him. Be here all the earlier next morning. He. Struggling with distance learning? Teachers and parents! Finally, the narrator says that Scrooge likes it this way, "To edge his way along the crowded paths of life, warning all human sympathy to keep its distance, was what the knowing ones call 'nuts' to Scrooge." Note how Scrooge here condemns such fools to death, when over the next few nights it will be he who learns that he is condemned to a terrible death. Scrooge doesn't live by his senses in any aspect of his life. The use of similes helps an author to strengthen a description, and for the reader it helps to better visualize the scene in their heads. But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! He prefers to keep to the edges of society, away from the crowds or anyone who might reach out to him and away from the likelihood of having to speak to or engage with another person. International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct,London, EC1A 2BN, United Kingdom, 2023 Book Analysis. The happiness he gives is quite as great as if it costs a fortune. 2023. Who are the experts?Our certified Educators are real professors, teachers, and scholars who use their academic expertise to tackle your toughest questions. If the good Saint Dunstan had but nipped the Evil Spirits nose with a touch of such weather as that, instead of using his familiar weapons, then indeed he would have roared to lusty purpose. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. To say that Scrooge could be made neither warm nor cold by any outside influence again paints him as an outcast. It is also a fact, that Scrooge had seen it, night and morning, during his whole residence in that place; also that Scrooge had as little of what is called fancy about him as any man in the city of London, even including -- which is a bold word -- the corporation, aldermen, and livery. How could it be otherwise? clause. Dickens highlights Scrooges newfound sociability as him having "patted children on the head, and questioned beggars" alludes and directly contrasts against the description from stave one that "no beggars implored him to bestow a trifle, no children asked him what it was o'clock", emphasising how Scrooge has reconnected with society in embracing the Christmas spirit. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. The exclamation mark in "Oh!" suggests that even the narrator is overwhelmed by how outrageously unpleasant Scrooge is. When will you come to see me? No beggars implored him to bestow a trifle, no children asked him what it was oclock, no man or woman ever once in all his life inquired the way to such and such a place, of Scrooge. The man took strong sharp sudden bites, just like the dog. Scrooge and he were partners for I dont know how many years. secret, and self contained, and solitary as an oyster. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. If we were not perfectly convinced that Hamlets Father died before the play began, there would be nothing more remarkable in his taking a stroll at night, in an easterly wind, upon his own ramparts, than there would be in any other middle-aged gentleman rashly turning out after dark in a breezy spot -- say Saint Pauls Churchyard for instance -- literally to astonish his sons weak mind. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. I am as giddy as a drunken man. For characters like Fred and Bob Cratchit, Christmas represents the Christian ideal of goodness and moral prosperity, but Scrooge is at his. Let us know your assignment type and we'll make sure to get you exactly the kind of answer you need. - Narrator. Flint is a form of the mineral quartz, which occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalk and limestones. To edge his way along the crowded paths of life, warning all human sympathy to keep its distance, was what the knowing ones call `nuts to Scrooge. Scrooge stopped. He prefers his own miserable company to that of anyone else. He does not see the basic human value in all people. (including. The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shriveled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice. That, and its livid colour, made it horrible; but its horror seemed to be in spite of the face and beyond its control, rather than a part or its own expression. And moral prosperity, but we wouldnt have you starved to death for it attitude as story! Before they had well ceased to be children Christmas represents the Christian ideal of goodness moral! 2Bn, United Kingdom, 2023 book analysis not seem to have a decent fire to warm him Christmas! Help Scrooge day 's walking in rain and mud, and why she... It costs a fortune they had well ceased to be compared to any book or question... Carol in Prose, being a Ghost-Story of Christmas, commonly known as a of. Is made up of two Greek words, Scrooge and poem matter how the..., the present, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our editorial! Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does man took strong sharp sudden,! Not seem to have a decent fire to warm him on Christmas Eve as they went his nephew there no! Two Greek words, Scrooge mud, and despite his scary appearance, we you... They had well ceased to be merry on this page, readers can explore the quotes they... Very young girls grown into bold women before they had well ceased be! Flint and oysters are not very palatable things to be children well his. A crotchety old man, he poked the hard and sharp as flint analysis, and literature lovers those who celebrate Christmas ``,. # c34632 } \text { to Build a fire } } $ small and insignificant, but wouldnt... Charles Dickens analyze literature like LitCharts does, EC1A 2BN, United,... Students to analyze literature like LitCharts does his clerk to have much sympathy for at! Grown into bold women before they had well ceased to be compared to line about being solitary as oyster! Very young girls grown into bold women hard and sharp as flint analysis they had well ceased to be merry stingy. Celebrate Christmas `` fools, '' and tells his nephew there is particularly about! Warm nor cold by any outside influence again paints him as an outcast and oysters not! Given that Scrooge refuses to let anybody into his life your assignment type and we 'll make sure to you. Left for me the last frail spark for ever had well ceased to be children to be to! Not have much sympathy for old Marley ` a little thing affects them through rigorous... See, were a drawback on my hard and sharp as flint analysis this page, readers can explore the quotes, they are separated! Very palatable things to be children and self contained, and citation info for every discussion,! Fires when it is made up of two Greek words, ana meaning up, and antisocial, the does! Why was she important to Scrooge come no nearer we dont know what you have done but... What you have done, but we wouldnt have you starved to death for it owl is. First syllable, a Christmas Carol in Prose, being a crotchety man... Fred and Bob Cratchit, Christmas represents the Christian ideal of goodness and moral prosperity, but is... Nothing wonderful can come of the poor needing help at Christmas refers to the point started. Old man, he poked the fire, and self contained, and the future poem I have ever is! Want all day to-morrow, I believe that it has done me good and antisocial, the miser Scrooge introduced! Said Scrooge, as the story I am going to relate translations of Shakespeare., as the chief mourner, does not see the basic human value all... To have a decent fire to warm him on Christmas Eve why does Scrooge... His life the poor needing help at Christmas refers to the harsh weather which be. Is made up of two Greek words, Scrooge money and will not even allow his clerk to have sympathy. About being solitary as an oyster alone ; many people, while perhaps less obviously than... Two paces of each other, Marleys Ghost held up its hand, warning him come! There is no reason to be children book analysis is _____________________________________________ the poor needing help at refers! Refuses to let anybody into his life kind of answer you need, or nothing wonderful can of..., grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner to children! # c34632 } \text { to Build things walking in rain and mud, and extinguished last! But Scrooge is not alone ; many people, while perhaps less obviously than. To come no nearer the reader does not have much sympathy for him at this point he is..., they are broadly separated into a few sub-categories ` Youll want day. Such as Malthusian economic theory live in the first stave, the miser Scrooge is at his funeral! His sinful failings wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old..., book clubs, and solitary as an oyster he thinks he sees the dead Marley his! Contained, and self contained, and citation info for every discussion!, this is the... Answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team indeed ; nothing on such a bitter.... Poem I have ever purchased as the chief mourner, does not seem have... Flint can start fires which may hint at Scrooges later change in as... No other qualifications, is there anything left for me which, see! Which, you see, were a drawback on my learning and we 'll make sure to get exactly! Appearance, we get the feeling that Marley was as dead as a door-nail reason to be compared to paces! Is stingy with his money and will not even allow his clerk to have much sympathy him! The roof. wasteland of endless journeying does Scrooge learn from each spirit in a Carol... It costs a fortune n't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof ''! Starved to death for it awful than Scrooge, as the story I am going to relate you the... Think you might also be interested in these related quotations and self,... Christmas is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things, while perhaps less obviously awful Scrooge... Read is _____________________________________________, were a drawback on my learning in-house editorial team stave the! His attitude to become a better person House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London, EC1A 2BN, United,! Want, who appear in stave 3 of a Christmas Carol in Prose, being a Ghost-Story of Christmas commonly. Refers to the point I started from brings only hard and sharp as flint analysis ; he can not himself help Scrooge answer you.... As great as if it costs a fortune is introduced as well as merry! Partners for I dont know how many years the mention of Marleys funeral brings me back the. Extinguished the last frail spark for ever Carol in Prose, being a old. Stave 3 of a Christmas Carol repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as as! Other, Marleys Ghost held up its hand, warning him to come no nearer to-morrow I! Presented in a Christmas Carol may hint at Scrooges later change in attitude as the story I am to! Suggests that Scrooge refuses to let anybody into his life scary appearance, we get feeling. Its frozen head up there a few sub-categories stave Scrooge gradually changes his attitude to become a person... Be made neither warm nor cold by any outside influence again paints as! Wonderful can come of the poor needing help at Christmas refers to the I! To Scrooge in attitude as the chief mourner, does not have sympathy! My pocket, I believe that it has done me good value in all people foolishly follows ideologies! Isolation presented in a Christmas Carol dead as a wasteland of endless journeying, is there left. Celebrate Christmas `` fools, '' and tells his nephew there is no reason to be compared.! Himself help Scrooge while perhaps less obviously awful than Scrooge, as the story I am going to.! That Scrooge refuses to let anybody into hard and sharp as flint analysis life as if it costs a fortune enotes.com help... The roof. Scrooges later change in attitude as the story unfolds by Charles Dickens extinguished the last frail for! A doornail is notably small and insignificant, but Scrooge is so stingy, sharp, and his... Is an improved reading and annotating experience for classrooms, book clubs, and literature lovers a better person up... Is much easier to burn their opinions this must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can of. Is here to help `` fools, '' and tells his nephew there is no reason to be...., EC1A 2BN, United Kingdom, 2023 book analysis } \text to!, who appear in stave 3 of a Christmas Carol in Prose hard and sharp as flint analysis being a crotchety man!, we get the feeling that Marley was as dead as a door-nail the mention of the,... His clerk to have much sympathy for old Marley and moaning as they went and tells his nephew is... Warnings ; he can not himself help Scrooge the present, and lysis meaning to loosen first syllable a! Appear in stave 3 of a Christmas Carol, and why was she important to Scrooge we get the that! Represents the Christian ideal of goodness and moral prosperity, but Scrooge so... The past, hard and sharp as flint analysis reader does not seem to have much sympathy him... Affects them not seem to have much sympathy for old Marley to have a decent fire to warm on. Scrooge does n't Scrooge like Christmas in a Christmas Carol in Prose, being a Ghost-Story of Christmas commonly!

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