A Christmas Carol

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serves as examples and support.

1. In literature, an allegory is a work that can be understood on many levels; characters often symbolize ideas and contain a clear moral lesson.

• Reflect on the levels of interpretation of A Christmas Carol. If viewed allegorically, what is the moral lesson Dickens proposes in the text? (topic sentence)
• Analyze Ebeneezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim, Jacob Marley, and the three spirits as symbolic figures. What idea or quality does each character represent, and how is this demonstrated to readers? If viewed as allegorical characters, which character is conveyed most effectively and why?
• In your conclusion, evaluate the timelessness of Dickens’s message; what makes this allegory popular and lasting?

2. Consider the theme of Mothers and Fathers and the motif of family relationships.

• How do Scrooge’s relationships with family members impact his life? (topic sentence)
• Analyze Scrooge’s relationships with family members and discuss his actions and feelings in support of your topic sentence. What does he observe in other family relationships, and how do these qualities compare? After the third spirit’s visitation, how has Scrooge’s view of family relationships changed, and why?
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, make a prediction about the way in which Scrooge will treat his family members in the future.

3. Empathy is the quality of showing understanding for or identifying with the plight of another person.

• How does Dickens demonstrate the value of empathy for others before Scrooge learns empathy? (topic sentence)
• In a well-developed paragraph, discuss and analyze the three most effective moments that support your topic sentence.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, summarize the enduring moral lesson regarding empathy for modern readers.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Consider Dickens’s descriptions of the setting, which demonstrate the poverty of the citizens and convey the visions presented by the Ghost of Christmas Present. Contrast Scrooge’s approach (before his transformation) to dealing with social inequities with Dickens’s clear admonition that social justice is the responsibility of everyone in the community, not just the government. How are these views made apparent in the text? What scenes or situations convey them most clearly? How does Dickens use imagery and juxtaposition to make the contrast more apparent? Cite examples from the text to support your response.

2. Evaluate Dickens’s portrayal of true generosity. What prevailing message about generosity is intended for the reader? Which character best represents generosity, and how does Dickens demonstrate this quality? In your analysis, discuss how Scrooge’s miserliness with money goes beyond just penny-pinching and is symptomatic of a deeper character flaw.