If you are looking for the beginning of the study for A Christmas Carol then you can go HERE for a brief introduction. At the bottom of the introduction you will find the links to each section of the study guide as it becomes available. If you would like to see the growing list of available book studies available for free on this site you can go HERE. Enjoy!
Grammar Questions: (The Information of the Text)
After departing from the house that was “a happier house for this man’s death” where did the Ghost of Christmas Future take Scrooge? (pg. 73)
What did the whole Cratchit family proclaim they had known Bob to do in the past? (pg. 74)
What was Bob “reconciled to” and what was his demeanor? (pg. 75)
Who did Bob happen to meet “in the street that day”? (pg. 75)
What did Peter’s sisters tease him about? (pg. 75-76)
What did Scrooge see in his place of business? (pg. 76)
What did Scrooge want to know before he looked at the headstone of the man who had died? (pg. 77)
What did Scrooge say was the case about the “nature” of the ghost of Christmas future? (pg. 78)
How does the Ghost of Christmas Future make its exit from the story? (pg. 78)
Logic Questions: (Interpreting, Comparing/Contrasting, Reasoning)
Scrooge asks to “see some tenderness connected with a death.” (pg. 73) The Ghost then takes him to the Cratchit’s house. What is the logical inference?
Contrast the description of the little Cratchit children’s demeanor this time (pg. 73) against what it was previously (pg. 46-47) when Scrooge visited with the Ghost of Christmas Present. What is different?
What are some ways in which Bob's children and wife evidence genuine love and care for him during this difficult time? (pg. 74-76)
What are some ways Bob shows himself to be a good husband and father during this hard time? (pg. 74-76)
Contrast the room where Tiny Tim’s body lays (pg. 75) with the room where the deceased man lay earlier in the stave (pg. 71). Name several noticeable differences.
The Ghost of Christmas Future is depicted as dark and dreadful and yet Scrooge proclaims it is full of “pity” for him and Dickens says its “kind hand trembled.” (pg. 78) How might we reconcile its terrible appearance with its kindness?
Rhetoric Questions: (The Analysis of Ideas in the Text)
Empathy is the ability to understand and share in the feelings of another person. Fred has empathy with the Cratchit family after the loss of Tiny Tim (pg. 75). Do you think it is important to be able to have empathy with others? Why or why not?
Bob is able to say to his family, “I am very happy!” (pg. 76) Do you think this emotion is appropriate or inappropriate given the current circumstances? What do you think leads him to say that he is “very happy” right at that moment?
How should we think about the future? Is it fixed and immovable or are there endless possibilities of what could come to be? Explain your answer with care and reason.
Theological Analysis: (Sola Scriptura)
Peter Cratchit read the line “And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them.” This is Mark 9:36. Read it in context by reading Mark 9:33-37. Why might Dickens have chosen this passage? How does it relate to the story?
Read Romans 12:15. How is this command of Scripture relevant to this particular reading and also throughout the whole of the book?
Read Psalm 139. How does this Psalm connect with our current reading? What should we learn from it?
Read Genesis 32:22-32. What similarity do you see between this account and the story?
Virtues/Vices/Great Ideas: (Find them in the Text)
Mourning, Light vs. Darkness, Happiness