1.     A Christmas Carol was published in the United Kingdom in 1843. What was going at the time (socially, politically) in the UK?

 a.     France?

 b.     Prussia?

 c.     Russia?

 d.     Netherlands/Belgium?

2.     What exactly do you think Scrooge’s occupation is? What point is Dickens making in giving Scrooge that particular occupation? What would be the modern-day equivalent to that occupation?

3.     Read the following excerpt from Thomas Malthus’ An Essay on the Principle of Population (1798):

That the increase of population is necessarily limited by the means of subsistence, That population does invariably increase when the means of subsistence increase, and, That the superior power of population is repressed by moral restraint, vice and misery.

In a short paragraph, evaluate how this sentiment relate to Ebenezer Scrooge’s thoughts on the poor, and how does it relate to Dickens’ beliefs.

4.     What has Marley’s ghost been doing since his death?

 5.     What does the Ghost of Christmas Present mean when it says the boy and the girl under his robes, Ignorance and Want, are “Man’s”?

 6.     The New Poor Law Act was passed in the UK in 1834. What examples of this law are shown?

 7.     Give an example of Dickens’ perceived satire of the rampant extreme industrialization.

 8.     Give an example of what Dickens perceived to be the social justice reaction to it.

 9.     What was your favourite part/scene?