but he answered to both names. `It is.’ cwoodford_23817. `How it is that I appear before you in a shape that you can see, I may not tell. The clerk in the Tank involuntarily applauded. It was all the Chapter Summary for Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, stave 1 summary. will therefore permit me to repeat, emphatically, that `Oh! A Christmas Carol Stave 1 DRAFT. But the wisdom of our ancestors An animated summary of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol"Stave I of VA Digital Arts & Humanities Project/The University of Texas at Dallas You have laboured on it, since. And Scrooge’s name was good upon ’Change, for anything he chose to put his hand to. On Christmas Eve, cruel penny-pincher Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by three spirits who show him visions of his past, present, and future. `Nephew!’ returned the uncle sternly, `keep Christmas in your own way, and let me keep it in mine.’ But what did Scrooge care! There’s more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are!’ Download free eBooks of classic literature, books and novels at Planet eBook. mourner. May nothing you dismay!’ Whether these creatures faded into mist, or mist enshrouded them, he could not tell. The clerk in the Tank involuntarily applauded. There it stood, years afterwards, above the warehouse door: Scrooge and Marley. 36 terms. `Let me hear another sound from you,’ said Scrooge, `and you’ll keep your Christmas by losing your situation! When they were within two paces of each other, Marley’s Ghost held up its hand, warning him to come no nearer. very low fire indeed; nothing on such a bitter night. Marley’s face. Being an undertaker is a very difficult job. A Christmas Carol. Fragen zum Text. The Lord Mayor, in the stronghold of the mighty Mansion House, gave orders to his fifty cooks and butlers to keep Christmas as a Lord Mayor’s household should; and even the little tailor, whom he had fined five shillings on the previous Monday for being drunk and bloodthirsty in the streets, stirred up to-morrow’s pudding in his garret, while his lean wife and the baby sallied out to buy the beef. `Come, then,’ returned the nephew gaily. signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, A Christmas Carol Stave 3. It was the very thing he liked. a year ago. Subscribe Now Fred, Scrooge’s young and … Marley was dead: to begin with. Summary of Stave 1 Becoming immediately sensible of the impropriety, he poked the fire, and extinguished the last frail spark for ever. Marley was dead, to begin with. But before he shut his heavy door, he walked through his rooms to see that all was right. `Christmas a humbug, uncle!’ said Scrooge’s nephew. A chance and hope of my procuring, Ebenezer.’ It was with great astonishment, and with a strange, inexplicable dread, that as he looked, he saw this bell begin to swing. Marley’s face. You will therefore permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as dead as a door-nail. `Because I fell in love.’ A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. And even Scrooge was not so dreadfully cut up by the sad event, but that he was an excellent man of business on the very day of the funeral, and solemnised it with an undoubted bargain. 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. `There’s another fellow,’ muttered Scrooge; who overheard him: `my clerk, with fifteen shillings a week, and a wife and family, talking about a merry Christmas. 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. Others want to carry documents around with them on their mobile phones and read while they are on the move. Oh! The ancient tower of a church, whose gruff old bell was always peeping slily down at Scrooge out of a Gothic window in the wall, became invisible, and struck the hours and quarters in the clouds, with tremulous vibrations afterwards as if its teeth were chattering in its frozen head up there. Much good it has ever done you!’ `You travel fast?’ said Scrooge. `Tell me why?’ e for the rest of my days persecuted by a legion of goblins, all of my own creation. But how much greater was his horror, 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! Scrooge fell upon his knees, and clasped his hands before his face. Scrooge signed it. `Mr. Marley has been dead these seven years,’ Scrooge replied. `Well!’ returned Scrooge, `I have but to swallow this, and be for the rest of my days persecuted by a legion of goblins, all of my own creation. Scrooge shivered, and wiped the perspiration from his brow. A Christmas Carol - Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis Charles Dickens This Study Guide consists of approximately 75 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of A Christmas Carol. `There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say,’ returned the nephew. Besides -- excuse me -- I don’t know that.’, It’s enough for a man to understand his own business, gruff old bell was always peeping slily down at Scrooge, ragged men and boys were gathered: warming their hands and winking their eyes before the blaze in rapture. You have laboured on it, since. nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going The yard was so dark that even Scrooge, who knew its every stone, was fain to grope with his hands. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile; and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the Country’s done for. There is no doubt whatever about that. There it stood, years afterwards, above the warehouse 79% average accuracy. If we were not perfectly convinced that Outside the office creaks a little sign reading \"Scrooge and Marley\"--Jacob Marley, Scrooge's business partner, has died seven years previous. But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grind- stone, Scrooge! But there was nothing on the back of the door, except the screws and nuts that held the knocker on, so he said `Pooh, pooh!’ and closed it with a bang. We choose this time, because it is a time, of all others, when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices. Mine occupies me constantly. There was something very awful, too, in the spectre’s being provided with an infernal atmosphere of its own. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. `You don’t believe in me,’ observed the Ghost. The misery with them all was, clearly, that they sought to interfere, for good, in human matters, and had lost the power for ever. What reason have you to be morose? Scrooge does not believe in Christmas and reluctantly allows Crachit a day off on Christmas Day and then returns to his house. It was long, and wound about him like a tail; and it was made (for Scrooge observed it closely) of cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds, and heavy purses wrought in steel. Read the full text here. What right have you to be merry? `You must have been very slow about it, Jacob,’ Scrooge observed, in a business-like manner, though with humility and deference. Scrooge and he were partners for I don’t know how many years. It was long, and wound about him like a tail; and it was made (for Scrooge observed it closely) of cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds, and heavy purses wrought in steel. `Don’t be cross, uncle!’ said the nephew. What reason have you to be merry? The following links will take you to the Preface and the five parts – which Charles Dickens called Staves – that make up A Christmas Carol. They often `came down’ handsomely, and Scrooge never did. This might have lasted half a minute, or a minute, but it seemed an hour. shall not disturb it, or the Country's done for. he was all in a glow; his face was ruddy and handsome; his eyes sparkled, and his breath smoked again. The truth is, that he tried to be smart, as a means of distracting his own attention, and keeping down his terror; for the spectre’s voice disturbed. Subscribe to our free eBooks blog and email newsletter. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. `Can you -- can you sit down?’ asked Scrooge, looking doubtfully at him. We have never had any quarrel, to which I have been a party. He stopped at the outer door to bestow the greetings of the season on the clerk, who cold as he was, was warmer than Scrooge; for he returned them cordially. Many had been personally known to Scrooge in their lives. A Christmas Carol - Chapter 1 This is the B2 level text of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol chapter 1 with audio and comprehension questions. 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. Questions on the text. Of course he did. As Scrooge looked fixedly at this phenomenon, it was a knocker again. Their faithful Friend and Servant, C. D. December, 1843. `If quite convenient, sir.’ 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. Scrooge stopped. Yet such was I! `I do,’ replied the Ghost. Past, Present and Future – The Threat of Time. The chain he drew was clasped about his middle. I might have been inclined, myself, to regard a coffin-nail as the deadest piece of ironmongery in the trade. A Christmas Carol Stave 1: Quick Review. THE FIRST OF THE THREE SPIRITS. Quite satisfied, he closed his door, and locked himself in; double-locked himself in, which was not his custom. `At this time of the rolling year,’ the spectre said `I suffer most. `Who were you then?’ said Scrooge, raising his voice. `No rest, no peace. To see the dingy cloud come drooping down, obscuring everything, one might have thought that Nature lived hard by, and was brewing on a large scale. Out upon merry Christmas! Speak comfort to me, Jacob!’ Thus secured against surprise, he took off his cravat; put on his dressing-gown and slippers, and his nightcap; and sat down before the fire to take his gruel. [2] It was cold, bleak, biting, foggy weather; and the city clocks had only just gone three, but it was quite dark already. dawnlucas. I don't mean to say that I know, of my He tried to say `Humbug!’ but stopped at the first syllable. `You’ll want all day to-morrow, I suppose?’ said Scrooge. to relate. 23 A Christmas Carol: Stave 1 Charles Dickens. `And the Union workhouses’ demanded Scrooge. This lunatic, in letting Scrooge’s nephew out, had let two other people in. Anakin Scrooge signed the death certificate … He was as dead as a doornail. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE... Colin literature 2nd q exam review part 4. `I am sorry, with all my heart, to find you so resolute. `Since you ask me what I wish, gentlemen, that is my answer. 16 terms. AP Human Geography Chapter 7 & 8. Page 1 of 27. But the ghost sat down on the opposite side of the fireplace, as if he were quite used to it. Despite the harsh weather Scrooge ref… Lumber-room as usual. a person whose job is to prepare the bodies of dead people to be buried or cremated, and to arrange funerals. How could it be otherwise? never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good. If we were not perfectly convinced that Hamlet’s 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 Paul’s Churchyard for instance -- literally to astonish his son’s weak mind. A Christmas Carol: Stave 1 Summary & Analysis Next. They were succeeded by a clanking noise, deep down below; as if some person were dragging a heavy chain over the casks in the wine merchant’s cellar. To sit, staring at those fixed glazed eyes, in silence for a moment, would play, Scrooge felt, the very deuce with him. The air was filled with phantoms, wandering hither and thither in restless haste, and moaning as they went. `It’s not convenient,’ said Scrooge, `and it’s not fair. Up Scrooge went, not caring a button for that. `I can.’ The bells ceased as they had begun, together. 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. The fireplace was an old one, built by some Dutch merchant long ago, and paved all round with quaint Dutch tiles, designed to illustrate the Scriptures. The Ghost of Jacob Marley. When they were within two paces of each other, Marley’s Ghost held up its hand, warning him to come no nearer. and candles were flaring in the windows of the neighbouring offices, like ruddy smears upon the palpable brown air. His body was transparent; so that Scrooge, observing him, and looking through his waistcoat, could see the two buttons on his coat behind. Search all of SparkNotes Search. `Good afternoon,’ said Scrooge. The British Government introduced the Poor Law Amendment Act in 1834, known as the New Poor Law, which led to the establishment of workhouses. Proficient. On a frigid, foggy Christmas Eve in London, a shrewd, mean-spirited cheapskate named Ebenezer Scrooge works meticulously in his counting-house. stroll at night, in an easterly wind, upon his own ramparts, Once upon a time -- of all the good days in the year, on Christmas Eve -- old Scrooge sat busy in his counting-house. There were Cains and Abels, Pharaohs’ daughters; Queens of Sheba, Angelic messengers descending through the air on clouds like feather-beds, Abrahams, Belshazzars, Apostles putting off to sea in butter-boats, hundreds of figures to attract his thoughts -- and yet that face of Marley, seven years dead, came like the ancient Prophet’s rod, and swallowed up the whole. Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–2, Chapter 3, … A Christmas Carol. `Keep it!’ repeated Scrooge’s nephew. Hot and Cold – Extensive imagery describes Scrooge as cold because of his cold heart; in contrast, his nephew is described as warm because he is merry and loving. `You are not looking at it,’ said Scrooge. If you would like the full address of these pages not as links (e.g. The heaviest rain, and snow, and hail, and sleet, could boast of the advantage over him in only one respect. That night, on the stroke of midnight, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of Marley. Meanwhile the fog and darkness thickened so, that people ran about with flaring links, proffering their services to go before horses in carriages, and conduct them on their way. man of business on the very day of the funeral, Scrooge had a very small fire, but the clerk’s fire was so very much smaller that it looked like one coal. If the good Saint Dunstan had but nipped the Evil Spirit’s nose with a touch of such weather as that, instead of using his familiar weapons, then indeed he would have roared to lusty purpose. It was not in impenetrable shadow as the other objects in the yard were, but had a dismal light about it, like a bad lobster in a dark cellar. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. for Scrooge kept the coal-box in his own room; and so surely as the clerk came in with the shovel, the master predicted that it would be necessary for them to part. With an ill-will Scrooge dismounted from his stool, and tacitly admitted the fact to the expectant clerk in the Tank, who instantly snuffed his candle out, and put on his hat. Scrooge knew he was dead? Scrooge had often heard it said that Marley had no bowels, but he had never believed it until now. `Scrooge and Marley’s, I believe,’ said one of the gentlemen, referring to his list. You’re quite a powerful speaker, sir,’ he added, turning to his nephew. A Christmas Carol Chapter 1 | Marley’s Ghost (Part 1) 10. There is no doubt whatever about that. Let it also be borne in mind that Scrooge had not bestowed one thought on Marley, since his last mention of his seven years’ dead partner that afternoon. No, nor did he believe it even now. Scrooge The mention of Marley’s funeral brings me back to the point I started from. `Or would you know,’ pursued the Ghost, `the weight and length of the strong coil you bear yourself?