Exemplar AQA A Christmas Carol Essays

AQA English Literature - A Christmas Carol Essays

Model A Christmas Carol Essay - AQA June 2017 English Literature Exam - Struggles Of The Poor

This free A Christmas Carol (AQA) English Literature essay explores how Charles Dickens presents the struggles of the poor in the novel.  This GCSE A Christmas Carol essay is based upon the AQA English Literature exam format.  This A Christmas Carol essay is a top band, Grade 9 response, linked to the June 2017 AQA exam.

Starting with this extract, explore how Dickens uses the Cratchit family to show the struggles of the poor.
Write about:
• how Dickens presents the Cratchit family in this extract
• how Dickens uses the Cratchit family to show the struggles of the poor in the novel as a whole

Dickens uses the plight and poverty of the Cratchit family to attempt to shed light on the lives of the poor, in contrast to the lives of the rich aristocrats in Victorian society, like Scrooge.
 
The first exclamatory sentence of the extract stated by Bob Cratchit that it was a “wonderful pudding!” immediately implies that they are grateful and easily excited.  Despite it being a “small pudding” for a “large family”, they all regarded it as a “success”.  Perhaps this is because they usually did not have the luxury of a pudding, so any pudding at all was seen as a blessing.  The adverb “calmly” also creates an aura of excitement in the atmosphere, as it implies that there is an apprehensive glee about the family.

Model A Christmas Carol Essay - AQA June 2018 English Literature Exam - Scrooge's Fears

This free A Christmas Carol (AQA) English Literature essay explores how Charles Dickens presents Scrooge's fears in the novel.  This GCSE A Christmas Carol essay is based upon the AQA English Literature exam format.  This A Christmas Carol essay is a top band, Grade 9 response, linked to the June 2018 AQA exam.

Starting with this extract, explore how Dickens presents Scrooge’s fears in A Christmas Carol.
Write about:
• how Dickens presents what Scrooge is frightened of in this extract
• how Dickens presents Scrooge’s fears in the novel as a whole

Dickens presents Scrooge as a fearful character – one who is driven to change his negative perspective because of the poignant visions each of the ghosts reveal to him.
 
In this extract, from the beginning of Stave 4, both Scrooge and the reader are presented with uncertainty about this particular spirit.  The lexical field presents the idea of Scrooge’s ability to change, as everything is speculative: “mystery”, “vague” and “uncertain”.  This unknowingness could be argued as a fear of Scrooge, especially when one considers his numerical and systematic employment.  He is used to being in control in his “counting house”, but now he is introduced to a mysterious ghostly figure that does not respond to his questions (“answered not”) and therefore his control has gone; he is completely oblivious to his pending fate.  Contextually, Dickens would be warning privileged members of Victorian society to consider one’s actions, because selfishness and unpleasant actions can lead to severe consequences.

Model A Christmas Carol Essay - AQA June 2019 English Literature Exam - Scrooge's Fears

This free A Christmas Carol (AQA) English Literature essay explores how Charles Dickens uses the ghosts to help Scrooge change in the novel.  This GCSE A Christmas Carol essay is based upon the AQA English Literature exam format.  This A Christmas Carol essay is a top band, Grade 9 response, linked to the June 2019 AQA exam.

Starting with this extract, explore how Dickens uses the ghosts to help Scrooge change his attitudes and behaviour.
Write about:
• how Dickens uses Marley’s Ghost in this extract
• how Dickens uses the ghosts to help Scrooge change his attitudes and behaviour in the novel as a whole.

Dickens, in his political diatribe, ‘A Christmas Carol’, introduces the gothic element of ghosts to bring about a transformation in Scrooge, while subsequently subverting the notion of an ideal Christmas to haunt his readers ‘pleasantly’.
 
At the beginning of Stave 1, Marley and Scrooge are described as “kindred spirits”.  The adjective “kindred” suggests ‘two of a kind’ or in general suggests the similarities between Scrooge and his colleague.  Scrooge is described as “hard and sharp as flint”.  The simile expresses Scrooge to have the characteristics of a flint – dull and ugly, which reflects his personality too.  Flints are common rocks, which suggests that he is a representation of the masses: for example, the upper class of 19th century Victorian England.  The adjective “hard” suggests that he is impenetrable or difficult to change.  It also suggests that Scrooge is cold-hearted and reserved.  In addition, the adjective-suffix “sharp” has connotations of jagged or scabrous, which make Scrooge seem very unpleasant. 

Exemplar English Literature Essays

Poetry Essay helps you write essays about English Literature more confidently - providing you with a variety of helpful hints.  With Poetry Essay, you should find all the help you need - from analysing a text in detail to writing coherently about it.  Please visit the links below for exemplar student-style essays.

Romeo and Juliet Essays

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Power and Conflict Essays

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Unseen Poetry
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AQA Power and Conflict Poems - Analysed In Detail

Explore the 15 AQA Power and Conflict poems which students are required to analyse for the GCSE English Literature poetry exam (AQA English Literature Paper 2). AQA emphasises that students should study all 15 poems in their chosen cluster and be prepared to write about any of them in the examination.

The AQA Power and Conflict cluster of poems have been analysed in detail. If you need help analysing the collection of AQA Power and Conflict poems please look at the videos below. Each of the Power and Conflict poems have been concisely annotated to support your analysis and interpretation. The annotation prompts are a supportive tool, intended to encourage further analysis and interpretation. ​ ​
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