Stave III: the Second of the Spirits

Stave III: The Second of the Spirits

1. Describe the Ghost of Christmas Present.

 He is sitting on top of a “throne” made of what?

 What is he wearing?

 How would you describe his personality?

2. What are some of the things that the stores have out for sale on Christmas morning? (pg 49-50)

3. What is special about the spirit’s torch? (pg. 51)

4. Who is Bob Cratchit?

5. Describe the Christmas meal at the Cratchit home. Who helped prepare the food? What did they eat? (pg. 54-55)

6. Scrooge asks the Ghost of Christmas Present what will happen to Tiny Tim in the future. What is the spirit’s response? (pg. 56)

7. What is Mrs. Cratchit’s opinion of Scrooge? How does mentioning his name change the atmosphere at the Cratchit home? (pg. 57)

8. The spirit shows Scrooge people on the moors, in a lighthouse, and on a ship during Christmas night. What are all of these people doing?

9. When the spirit takes Scrooge to his nephew’s house, who are they talking about? What do they say? (pg. 61-62)

10. What does this quote show us about Scrooge’s thoughts? “When this strain of music sounded, all the things that Ghost had shown him, came upon his mind; he softened more and more; and thought that if he could have listened to it often, years ago, he might have cultivated the kindnesses of life for his own happiness with his own hands, without resorting to the sexton’s spade that buried Jacob Marley”

11. When the guests at Scrooge’s nephew’s house began playing games, what did Scrooge do? (pg. 64) 12. The spirit revealed two creatures to Scrooge that had been hidden in his robe. What were their names? What did they look like? (pg. 67)

13. The spirit quoted things that Scrooge had said earlier in the text twice. The first time, when Scrooge asked about Tiny Tim’s future, the spirit said, “If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.” Then, when Scrooge asked if the two unfortunate creatures had a place to go to for help, the spirit replied with, “Are there no prisons?” said the Spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words. “Are there no workhouses?” Why do you think the spirit was doing this? What is he trying to teach Scrooge?