A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. In this extract we are presented with Scrooge. From the beginning Scrooge is presented as a miser. In the extract we find out that he is an old, rude and ignorant man that doesn’t appreciate others around him. Dickens uses different language techniques to describe Scrooges appearance as clear as possible. In the opening paragraph Dickens uses imagery to create a vivid impression of Scrooge. He is described as ‘a tight-fisted hand at the grind-stone’, and this metaphor suggests that Scrooge works hard for his money but is very tight with his money. In the opening lines Dickens includes similes. ‘Hard and sharp as a flint.’ Flint is a hard stone that was used with iron to create sparks before people used matches. This makes me think that Scrooge would have very sharp features, a pointy nose and always has a scowl on his face. This then gives you an idea of what Scrooge looks like. The other simile in the opening line is ‘solitary as an oyster’, this shows that Scrooge is alone. He is a solitary person, who avoids other people. This quotation is also an example of foreshadowing. Overtime oysters open up and inside them are a pearl, Dickens has used this because throughout the book Scrooge will eventually begin to open up. Also in the first paragraph of the extract Charles Dickens uses alliteration. ‘Secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster.’ The effect that the alliteration gives makes you focus on the words more. The words ‘secret’, ‘self-contained’ and ‘solitary’ show the reader that Scrooge is a secretive, self-contained and solitary man which must be an important part of his character and Dickens has used alliteration to show this. In the first paragraph of this extract Dickens uses a long list of adjectives when describing Scrooge. ‘Nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek…’ When