“You’ll want all day to-morrow, I suppose?’ ‘If quite convenient, sir.’ ‘It’s not convenient, and its not fair.” From the way Scrooge is complaining to his clerk that ‘its not fair’ to have Christmas day off and to when he comprehends how bitter he was towards him, it is distinct that the Ghost of Christmas Past helped him come to this realization. As the novel progresses so does Scrooges’ quest to seek self-improvement.
Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. He is miserly and not willing to spend a dime on the surplus population. He is opposed to the idea of the generosity that is expected at Christmas time and claims ‘Every person who goes about with Merry Christmas on their lips should be boiled in their own pudding’ this wretched attitude is the attitude Dickens despises. Scrooge’s obsession with money has led him down the path of utilitarianism where he has dedicated his life to making money and not spending it for the greater good. Scrooges obsession with money even loses Belle his beloved "another idol has displaced me” “a golden one” Scrooge has replaced all of his joyfulness with money, and the fear of being poor.
Eventually napoleon builds a very large support group and rarely appeared in public. When he did emerge…it was with several pigs and an escort of six dogs who closely surrounded him and growled if anyone came to near" (Orwell pg.30) Macbeth on the other hand is very lonesome person. He does not receive nay help from friends to steal the throne. The only people that helped him are hired thugs who do not care about Macbeths well being only their money. He even isolates himself from his wife, when she asks him "what is to be done" (3.1.44), he replies"be innocent of knowledge" and leaves her out of his plans.
A rude, crude, cold-hearted man, that’s what Ebenezer Scrooge (the protagonist in the novel, A Christmas Carol) was. He didn’t have the compassionateness to smile, much less to donate to charity! Oh! But he was … Hard and sharp as a flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire, secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shriveled his cheek, stiffened his gait, made his eyes red … He carried his own temperature always about him; he iced at his office in the dog days; and it didn’t thaw one degree at Christmas.
Dombey was rather bald, rather red, and though a handsome well-made man, too stern and pompous in appearance to be prepossessing. Son was very bald, very red and though (of course) and undeniably young infant, somewhat crushed and spotty in his general effect, as yet.” The author describes and compares them one another to provide that counter-parallelism between them, and how strikingly similar they are. In addition, the author uses literary devices such as metaphor and apostrophe, “on the brow of Mr. Dombey, Time and his brother Care had set some mark, as on a tree that was to come down in good time”. The personification of time and care act as imagery in the reader’s mind, and personify these abstract things. He also, then again, compares the way ‘Time and Care’ will affect Son, “Time would take delight in smoothing out and wearing away with the flat part of his scythe, as a preparation on the surface
The December 25 celebration was imported into the East later in Antioch by John Chrysostom towards the end of the 4th century, and in Alexandria only in the following century. (wikipedia) The popularity of Christmas grew until the religious Reformation of the 1500s, but also the Reformation got Christmas forbidden for a time in some regions of the world. In American, it was not until 19th century that Christmas was revived, with the warm-hearted story in Washington Irving’s books. Many popular customs of Christmas developed independently, and changed and created over time so that there are so many
No one hears his cries for help or recognizes his struggle. This poem explores the idea of isolation by being misunderstood by the people around you. The poet deepens the reader’s appreciation of the theme by employing imagery, contrast and an unclear tone. The poems' overall theme is that the dead man was lost his entire life. He was never waving to the people that passed in and out of his life, but crying for help all along.
The history of Christmas dates back over 4000 years and it tells us that celebration during the winter season were common, way before the Christ child was born and celebrated as Christmas on 25th December. In the Western world, the birth of Jesus Christ has been celebrated as Christmas since 354 AD, replacing an earlier date of 6th January. The main reason behind Christmas celebration was to replace the Pagan festival with the Christian one, which coincided with the pagan rituals of Winter Solstice or "Return of the Sun". The stories related to Christmas are based chiefly on the Gospels of Saint Luke and Saint Matthew in the New Testament. According to Luke, an angel appeared to shepherds outside the town of Bethlehem and told them of Jesus's birth.
Twelve Days of Christmas The Twelve Days of Christmas is the twelve days beginning on night of Christmas (December 25) and ending on Epiphany (January 6). In the middle Ages this period was one of continuous feasting and merrymaking, which climaxed on Twelfth Night, the traditional end of the Christmas season. Contrary to popular belief, Christmas is not the "first day of the Christmas." Instead, we might better describe them as the twelve days after Christmas. By ancient reckoning, days and nights were counted separately, and the important night was often the night before, not the night of, the celebration (hence modern traditions of Christmas Eve and All Hollow’s Eve, or Halloween).
Literature Coursework Both of the poems give different views on Christmas. W.R Rodgers view is that of a cynical one in “White Christmas” he describes the current state of corruption and hypocrisy. Where as in E.E Cumming’s “little tree” it tells the story of a naïve child who has not yet been exposed to this corrupt and twisted world. Of the two poems I would say that White Christmas appeals more to my own point of view. As it highlights the problems that are just simply ignored when it comes to Christmas time.