Key Quotes. Greed, Generosity and Forgiveness. Word Count: 279. A Christmas Carol - Grade 9 Essay on Social Responsibility Module English Institution GCSE Full mark essay written on the theme of social responsibility in 'A Christmas Carol'. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach! In easy state upon this couch, there sat a jolly Giant, glorious to see, who bore a glowing torch, in shape not unlike Plenty's horn, and held it up, high up, to shed its light on Scrooge, as he came peeping round the door. However, if the wealthy businessmen, such as Scrooge stood up and took their social responsibility seriously, then this indignity could have been stopped. The summaries and scripture references were taken from The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website. How does Dickens in A Christmas Carol imply that the whole of mankind need to be more involved in taking social responsibility seriously? Dickens uses the novel to get across his message that the rich must help the poor in order for the world to be improved, and that it is the rich's responsibility to help the poorest in society. This highlights how money was deemed much more important by employers than the health, happiness or prosperity of their employees. Teachers and parents! His only concerns are for himself and his money. But, as Scrooge learns that he must become a part of his society in order to be fully human in Stave Five, meaning and happiness is, thus, restored to his life since only by sharing does one acquire this sense of meaning and worth. Leveraging an annual workplace campaign, United Way fundraising drives usually kick-off after Labor Day and wrap up right around Christmas. The Catholic tradition teaches that human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met. What reason have you to be morose? Here Dickens is showing how familial social responsibility is also important, as well as reminding us that Christmas is a time for spending time with those you love and that we have a social responsibility to uphold the time of year as sacred and special in keeping with Christian beliefs. In Stave I, Scrooge is shown examples of responsible giving, for example, in the form of Fezziwg, his former employer. But what is less well-known about United Way is its humble beginnings a genesis rooted in faith. B.A. We begin Lent on St. Valentine's Day. First, bells tolling and chiming fit into the storys song-like structure and also recur at key moments, reminding Scrooge of the time and of time passing. Among his many enduring observations is the uniquely American phenomenon of forming associations of many different types. To mark the fortieth anniversary ofRerum Novarum, Pius XI issued an encyclical explaining the flaws and injustices in communism and materialistic individualism. We later see the Cratchit family and the suffering that the whole family endure at the hands of Scrooges poor employment in stave three such a goose is the exaggerated way the whole family discuss the small goose that feed them all but the description by Dickens of sufficient dinner belies the fact that it was a paltry amount of food for the whole family to enjoy. Dickens here appears to show Scrooge throughout the stave that he has a social responsibility to be good, kind, charitable and benevolent in life, or in death there will be no-one to remember you or to grieve for you. With this in mind, Ive written about social responsibility here and hopefully there is something interesting to take away from this. The social justice Christmas carol. This responsibility of one man for another is clearly a major trope for Charles Dickens and is exemplified fully in A Christmas Carol, which evinces much social criticism. For example, a little boy learns to tie his shoes by doing it himself. The ghosts too highlight different aspects of social responsibility when they take Scrooge to different places and show him different elements of his own behaviour and the way this links to the social responsibility, not only at an individual level, but also from a wider societal point of view. He does not believe in giving charity but rather feels the poor belong in jails and poorhouses. In the book, Christmas Carol happiness is one idea that beautifully connects each theme in the story together. Acts as slight contrast to Scrooge - Rich (like Scrooge) but has the opposite attitude towards humanity, community and Christmas. Every time he stood up before his congregation, he grew sick. In childhood, we have a special need for nurturing and loving families to provide guidance and support. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. Essentially, Dickens message seems to be that death is an equaliser and once dead it doesnt matter how much money you had in life, you cant take it with you and it wont benefit you once you are dead. Dickens knew this and campaigned against this and perhaps the repetition in Stave three of A Christmas Carol, by the Ghost of the Present, of Scrooges callous disregard for the poor is a reminder that all mankind of the time had a social responsibility to object to the cruelty of the workhouses and indeed the prisons. Some, like the rather well-fed gentlemen were taking their turn during the season of goodwill to try to ensure that the poor were able to enjoy Christmas. What do the children "Want" and "Ignorance" symbolize in A Christmas Carol? To be truly happy one must embrace others and their responsibilities (both financial and personal) to them. They were feared by ordinary people as only the most desperate and wretched people would go there for help. We see responsibility to family in Bob Cratchit and how he takes care of his family and puts them first above everything. Shows Scrooge doesn't care for the plight of the poor. All of the first three characters steal from the dead Scrooge and then pawn the measly stolen goods to Old Joe who gives them very little for their troubles. There is no doubt whatever about that. Already a member? Fred mirrors his questions with What right have you to be dismal? Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. In a similar way, the decision to pursue a religious vocation or to pursue the vocation of marriage is a personal decision, and it is wrong for a family or group of friends to make that decision for someone else. To raise awareness, a school or class could hold a "hunger banquet" to talk about food distribution and hunger awareness. But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! Are there no workhouses?. The key to understanding the principle of subsidiarity in its fullness is to remember that it is tripartite. He's miserly in spirit and with his money. For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. Three ghosts appear to Scrooge to show him how he is living sinfully and what the consequences will be if he doesnt choose to live a better life. And since it is the Christmas holidays, I thought this would be a great time to remind us about an important bit of history that all CSR professionals share. Every person is created in Gods image and endowed with the capacity to use reason and to make self-determining decisions ordered to the common good. Scrooge at the end is deserving of redemption and if someone with such little regard for humanity and low scruples can change, then perhaps Dickens is telling his audience, you too can change. Registered office: International House, Queens Road, Brighton, BN1 3XE, Christmas Carol - poverty and social responsibility. Today we understand prison is designed as a place of incarceration for wrongdoing, but for many prisons in the Victorian times, being unable to pay your debts was reason enough to be sent to jail (which was an indignity that would have been insufferable). Mankind needs to be more socially responsible and that message is reinforced in modern times through: the climate change movement championed by Greta Thurnburg; the upsurge of food banks in the country that shows the welfare state is not coping with the demands of modern society; and the rising number of homeless people who have nowhere to go. And, when told that people die in these institutions, Scrooge remarks, "If they would rather die,they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.". Below you will find the important quotes in A Christmas Carol related to the theme of Family. How does Dickens present ideas about joy and happiness in chapter 2 of A Christmas Carol? Modern Tie-in: Issues of hunger, homelessness, poverty locally, and how elected leaders are working to address it. Ive been working on A Christmas Carol with Year 10 and thought it might be interesting to look at social responsibility. Change. https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Victorian-Workhouse/, English teacher, lover of books, life-long learner, enthusiastic and excitable about teaching Shows another side of businessmen - Shows that upper class can be good people. Oh, hear the angel voices! His nephew, Fred, is rejected by Scrooge and he shows that he has no desire to be kind towards him either. "I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. Social injustice in a Christmas Carol Dickens felt strongly that Victorian society ignored the poverty of its underclass. How is the theme of isolation presented in A Christmas Carol? The genius of United Way was to harness the marketing capacity of companies (and their payroll systems!) We are asked to "repent and hear the Good News." As their circumstances stand Tim is stoic and endures his suffering well and charitably. Instant PDF downloads. What do the children "Want" and "Ignorance" symbolize in A Christmas Carol? In A Christmas Carol these include Christmas, redemption and social injustice. Service Project Tie-in: Schools could connect with Catholic Relief Services and organize a fundraiser that helps distribute needed food, water or other items to communities around the world. February/March: Rights and Responsibilities. It is the night of the dear Saviors birth. O night divine, the night when Christ was born; The hymns verse which grabbed him and shook him by the shoulders spoke directly to his passion for advocating on behalf of the oppressed: Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother; and in his name all oppression shall cease. God needs us to favor those who are oppressed. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. Latest answer posted January 12, 2021 at 5:08:54 PM. I wish to be left alone, said Scrooge. Subsidiarity is grounded in the nature of the human person. Then, in the 1960s, we add the terms Corporate Social Responsibility (or CSR) to our philanthropy lexicon, as business writers became interested in the subject and coin the appropriately descriptive phrase. Explain Ignorance and Want, who appear in stave 3 of A Christmas Carol. Intervention should come first from the next higher and larger social group. The Vatican repeatedly condemned both of these social systems, beginning with Pope Leos bold 1891 encyclical on the condition of the working classes,Rerum Novarum. Fall on your knees! He struggled to earn much money. Unseen Poetry. Pope Benedict XVI takes up the question of how we should carry out charitable activitiesfeeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and consoling the sufferingin his first encyclical,Deus Caritas Est(God Is Love). Pope Pius XIs encyclical on the reconstruction of the social order contains a blueprint for social reformthe classic formulation of the principle of subsidiarity: Just as it is gravely wrong to take from individuals what they can accomplish by their own ability and effort and entrust it to the community, so also it is an injustice and at the same time both a serious evil and disturbance of right order to assign to a greater and higher society what lesser and subordinate organizations can do, for every social activity ought of its very nature to furnish help to the members of the body social, and never destroy and absorb them (QA 79). This shows a general lack of personal responsibility, as well as a lack of empathy. The people of France apparently didnt get the memo, because they continued to sing it and love it and no one was going to take it away from them. Get Revising is one of the trading names of The Student Room Group Ltd. Register Number: 04666380 (England and Wales), VAT No. Christmas, faith and Corporate Social Responsibility. Even more important than raising money, an idea is born and an organization founded.
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