Introduction

Use this template to write your response to these two works of literature. Beneath is a series of points for discussion and explanation. You should respond to as many as you can. If it helps, you may change the order in which you discuss them. 

Remember to quote from the text to support your views. Both texts are available as files which your computer can read. A Christmas Carol is available as a text file, while The Oxen is available as a document (MS Word or Lotus WordPro) or HTML (Web page) file.

When you have completed your work delete everything except your work, save your work (it’s wise to keep more than one copy) and print when you are ready. Your teacher will advise you about when you must submit the work. The stuff you must delete has been coloured blue to help you!

Dickens’ subject in A Christmas Carol 

Write a short account (no more than a paragraph) outlining the main elements of the story. Then say what you think to be the moral or philosophical purpose of the story (what Dickens is trying to say about man’s duty to his fellow man).

— INSERT YOUR TEXT HERE —
AND DELETE THIS MESSAGE!

Comment on the narrative 

Explain (very briefly) the important events of each chapter, commenting on anything you think interesting or important; you should refer to the presentation of character (especially how Scrooge changes), of relationships, of theme, and of any features of the storyteller’s technique which you think interesting. Some suggestions are given below.

Stave 1: Marley’s Ghost 

What do we learn of Scrooge from his behaviour at the start of the story? Comment on anything he says which reveals his character. Why is Marley so miserable? What does Marley tell Scrooge is to happen to him, and why? 

— INSERT YOUR TEXT HERE —
AND DELETE THIS MESSAGE!

Stave 2: The First of the Three Spirits 

The Ghost of Christmas Past shows Scrooge his own past from boyhood to manhood. Comment on the glimpses the reader has of the younger Scrooge in each episode. Why might we be surprised by Scrooge’s conduct before Mr. Fezziwig’s ball? How is Scrooge changing over the years? How does the older Scrooge react to what he sees here?

— INSERT YOUR TEXT HERE —
AND DELETE THIS MESSAGE!

Stave 3: The Second of the Three Spirits 

The Ghost of Christmas Present shows Scrooge how Christmas is celebrated both by people he knows and by various humble strangers in far away places. What does he learn by witnessing these poor people (the miners, the sailors and the lighthouse-keepers)? What does he see when he enters his nephew’s house? How and why is Scrooge so deeply affected by his visit to the Cratchits. Comment on the Ghost’s reply to Scrooge’s question about whether Tiny Tim will live. Why does the Ghost quote Scrooge’s earlier speech about decreasing the “surplus population”? What does the Ghost mean when he speaks about “the Insect on the Leaf” and “his hungry brothers in the dust”? What are the horrible creatures which Scrooge sees under the Spirit’s robe? Why does the Spirit ask: “Are there no prisons...Are there no work-houses”?

— INSERT YOUR TEXT HERE —
AND DELETE THIS MESSAGE!

Stave 4: The Last of the Spirits 

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come does not speak, but shows Scrooge things which may happen in the future. Scrooge hopes they are things which may be, rather than things which will be. What does he see happening to himself, in the future? Comment on his failure, for most of this episode, to realize that the man whose death is foreseen here is himself. What does Scrooge see possibly happening to the Cratchits?

— INSERT YOUR TEXT HERE —
AND DELETE THIS MESSAGE!

Stave 5: The End of It 

How does Scrooge behave when he learns that it is still only Christmas Day? After the gloomy scenes in the previous chapter, what is the effect on the reader of Scrooge’s conduct here? Comment on the (very pleasant) tricks Scrooge plays on the Cratchits. What do you think Scrooge whispers to the portly gentleman who had earlier visited his counting house? Why is it right that Tiny Tim should have the last word in the story?

— INSERT YOUR TEXT HERE —
AND DELETE THIS MESSAGE!

In conclusion, say what you think is the moral purpose of this tale (if anything). You may like to comment on the supernatural elements. Finally, give your personal response to A Christmas Carol.

— INSERT YOUR TEXT HERE —
AND DELETE THIS MESSAGE!

The Oxen:

This part of the tutorial will help you study The Oxen. This short poem refers to a superstition about Christmas, which the author recalls from his childhood. Thomas Hardy was one of the greatest novelists of the 19th century, but preferred to write poetry. In 1895, disappointed by the public reaction to his latest novel, Jude the Obscure, Hardy published one more short story, before deciding to live off the royalties of his books, while writing poetry for his own pleasure. As a child, Hardy lived in rural Dorset, and this poem has its origins in the simple beliefs of country people. In writing about it, you should try to consider both the content (what the poet has to say) and his method (how he says it). Note: barton is a West Country dialect word for a cow-shed (byre or shippen); coomb which often appears in place names is, like Welsh cwm a word for a valley.

Introduction:

Briefly introduce or outline the argument of the poem: what was the belief Hardy had, as a child, about what happens on Christmas Eve, and what is his attitude to it now?

— INSERT YOUR TEXT HERE —
AND DELETE THIS MESSAGE!

Content:
 
•	Why is the poem called The Oxen? What do cattle have to do with Christmas traditionally?
•	When the poet was a child, what superstition did he have about the oxen (cattle) on Christmas Eve? Which people encouraged him to believe this? How firmly did he and his friends hold this belief? 
•	Does the poet still have this belief? Explain why, in spite of his doubts, the poet is still willing to see if the superstition could be true?
•	Is this poem, in your view, simply about one particular belief, or is it about a more general loss of religious faith?

— INSERT YOUR TEXT HERE —
AND DELETE THIS MESSAGE!

Method:

•	Comment on the picture given in the first stanza of the children listening to the elder. Why are they seen as a “flock”?
•	In what way did the children think of the cattle? Comment on the phrase “meek mild creatures”. 
•	What is suggested by Hardy’s claim that it did not occur to any of them to doubt?
•	Comment on the use of speech and colloquialism to suggest authenticity?
•	Comment on the poet’s use of short lines and simple ABAB rhyme scheme.
•	How does the poet show the connection between the past and the present?
•	Explain the relationship between the penultimate and the final stanzas or between doubt and hope in the poem.

— INSERT YOUR TEXT HERE —
AND DELETE THIS MESSAGE!

Conclusion: 

•	Do you like the poem or not? Why? 
•	Do you share the poet’s attitudes or outlook in any way? 
•	Has your attitude to Christmas changed since your childhood?

— INSERT YOUR TEXT HERE —
AND DELETE THIS MESSAGE!

Comparing the texts:

This guide will help you write about the texts you have studied. They are all by classic authors, and are linked by the common subject of Christmas. They have some other common ground, while they are concerned with different values and are written in different forms.

Introduction: 

Say briefly what kind of text each of these three works is, and what it has to do with the meaning of Christmas.

— INSERT YOUR TEXT HERE —
AND DELETE THIS MESSAGE!

Detailed comparison:

In looking at the texts, try to discuss as many of the following as possible:

Time - past and present: Is time important in each of these texts? In what way? Look at the relation of past and present (and future, if relevant).

— INSERT YOUR TEXT HERE —
AND DELETE THIS MESSAGE!

Dialogue and conversation: What use does each writer make of speech? For each text try to comment on memorable or interesting conversation, remarks or speeches.

— INSERT YOUR TEXT HERE —
AND DELETE THIS MESSAGE!

Setting - the importance of place: In every text, the reader is told the location (or locations for A Christmas Carol). For each work, comment on the significance of the place where it is set - this will be different for all three texts. 

— INSERT YOUR TEXT HERE —
AND DELETE THIS MESSAGE!

Images and symbolism: This is quite hard, but in every text, we are presented with striking and vivid images or word-pictures. In some cases (such as Ignorance and Want in A Christmas Carol) they obviously symbolise other things. Comment on any of the interesting or important images (including metaphors, similes and symbols) which you can find in any of these texts.

— INSERT YOUR TEXT HERE —
AND DELETE THIS MESSAGE!

The supernatural: All of the texts depict or suggest strange and supernatural events. Say what these are, and comment on what they contribute to the whole work - are they of central importance, or just one interesting feature among many? Do you enjoy them?

— INSERT YOUR TEXT HERE —
AND DELETE THIS MESSAGE!

Adults and children: How do the writers explore the different ways in which adults and children see things? Are adults shown as necessarily wiser than children?

— INSERT YOUR TEXT HERE —
AND DELETE THIS MESSAGE!

Moral or spiritual teaching: This is quite hard, but you are invited to judge whether these works are written to show or teach any particular moral or spiritual ideas. If so, try to say what these are and what you think of them.

— INSERT YOUR TEXT HERE —
AND DELETE THIS MESSAGE!

Optimism and pessimism: What is the balance each writer strikes between looking on the dark or the bright side of things? How optimistic or pessimistic is each?

— INSERT YOUR TEXT HERE —
AND DELETE THIS MESSAGE!

Making a personal judgement:

In conclusion, write what you think each work has to say to the reader about Christmas. Give your judgement about how good each work is. Do you like them? Do you think they are worth reading? Give reasons for your opinion.

— INSERT YOUR TEXT HERE —
AND DELETE THIS MESSAGE!

If you have finished delete all the type in blue, and what is left is your work. You can remove the borders by selecting the contents of the boxes and using the Borders and Shading dialogue box on the Format menu in Word. If you are working in Lotus WordPro or other software, please use the on-line help to remove the grids if you want to.