A Christmas Carol - Lesson 6 - Meet the Cratchits Worksheet

In the educational resource provided for 'A Christmas Carol', students are tasked with examining the attitudes of the Cratchit family members towards Ebenezer Scrooge. The worksheet prompts learners to delve into the text and extract quotes that reveal individual family members' opinions of Scrooge. For example, Bob Cratchit, the patriarch of the family, raises a toast to Scrooge, calling him "the founder of the feast". This quote is a pivotal part of the exercise, as students are expected to analyse it and record their interpretations of what this tells them about Bob Cratchit's perspective on Scrooge.

The activity encourages a deeper understanding of character relationships and attitudes within the narrative of 'A Christmas Carol'. Students must consider the context in which Bob Cratchit refers to Scrooge as the founder of their modest feast, despite Scrooge's well-known miserly and unkind nature. The task is not only to note the quote but also to reflect on the character's disposition and reasons for such a statement, which may include gratitude, irony, or a complex sense of obligation. This exercise helps students explore themes of poverty, generosity, and human character in Charles Dickens' classic tale.