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Transcript

So What Does all this Mean?

We are free to bring to any reading whatever

experiences, observations, ideas we have.

I used Muppets, an Irving Stone movie clip,

a dialogue from Charlie Chaplin, a speech from

Jimmy V, and a closure of a concert from a

reggae artist to this readingof Dickens'

"A Christmas Carol."

Why is this important? Literature does not belong

to the elites; it belongs to all of you. If you don't

recall anything else, please recall this fact: you

are readers and thinkers, just like the mini-lecture

just said. You don't HAVE to be what education

"made" you.

Literature is here to liberate you.

Welcome to Charles Dickens and

"A Christmas Carol"

or "Why are we here today and who the hell cares about Charles Dickens?"

Let's Get to Know Dickens

Here are some little known things about Charles Dickens (1812-1870):

  • Dickens’ father would make young Charles stand upon a tall stool, sing songs, and create stories for the entertainment of other clerks in the office.
  • Dickens admitted that David Copperfield was his favorite work. It was also his most autobiographical.
  • At the age of ten, Dickens was forced to work at a factory to pay off his father’s debts. Although Dickens himself spoke of this traumatizing experience only twice in his life, critics and readers agree that the two years he spent there forged much of the material for his later novels.
  • Edgar Allan Poe is said to be the only person who was ever able to predict the conclusion of the complex plots in Dickens’ novels.

Goals I have for this presentation:

  • You may choose to read more
  • You can demonstrate that you better understand the reasons for reading
  • You may be able to demonstrate some fundamental critical thinking skills

OK: Now that we know Dickens a little more, let's

get to know one (if not THE one) work know by everyone: "A Christmas Carol."

Let me ask first: What are five things that come to mind when you hear this short story title, "A Christmas Carol"?

Now that we know the basic plot, it is time to take a "test" about what you know!

Before we start, I need to put you in groups . . . .

Here is the first question:

What does Scrooge say the poor should do?

a. Get jobs and be productive

b. Die and stop draining the system

c. Nothing. They should accept their place in society

d. Beg on the streets

And your answer is. . . . ?

OK: How does "A Christmas Carol," Scrooge's commitment to the poor being allowed to die on the streets, and Gordon Gekko ("Wall Street," 1987) have in common?

Question 2:

Why does Scrooge's former girlfriend end their relationship? [Great Dictator speech]

a. She dies

b. She falls in love with his best friend

c. She tires of his devotion to school

d. She gets sick of his greediness

What do you think. . . . .?

Now: How does Jimmy V and his comments relate to Dicken's classic tale of a greedy man who has finally seen the light?

This is Charlie Chaplin in 1940's "The Great Dictator." How can this movie relate to a 19th century short story about a greedy man who seemingly cannot abide any personal relationships?

Are you ready for the next question:

What gift does the reformed Scrooge send to

his employee and his family?

a. A space heater

b. Fifty shillings

c. A turkey

d. A Christmas tree

I know you are thinking I

have been smoking too much ganja, but think for a minute: what does this reggae guy have to do with Dickens, his story, and the question about a gift from Scrooge?

Here is the last question:

What is Jacob Marley's punishment for a life of sin?

a. Dragging around heavy chains for eternity

b. Stabbed with hot pokers endlessly and forever

c. Immersion in the fires of Hell

d. Forced to push a stone uphill, only to have it roll back down again

And the survey says. . . .

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