MIKE: Snow day! But also Vomit in the Toilet Day!
Both of the above statements describe today. As per usual, I had every intention of writing my post yesterday but, well, you know. I should add, though, that I enjoyed reading A Christmas Carol so much that I finished it on Sunday.
I think it's incredibly interesting that everyone, EVERYONE, knows of A Christmas Carol. Even if someone hasn't seen a movie or theater production or read the book, everyone knows Dickens' Scrooge, the term Bah! Humbug!, the concept of Ghosts of Christmas Past/Present/Future, etc. I would argue that this is a story as well known as Adam and Eve. It has broad popularity because it's a good story but more so because it makes people feel warm and fuzzy or something along those lines.
I read this on the IPad and the version I have includes pictures. Although the pictures aren't in any sensible order, they're pretty cool. Here are the two I liked the best:
My experience with Dickens is limited. I've read part of A Tale of Two Cities but that's it. When I read Tale, I enjoyed Dickens' writing but there were times when I felt he went on a little to long. For the most part, Dickens doesn't do that in A Christmas Carol. Actually, the only part that I felt went on too much was in the next Stave and I'll go into detail then.
I also really enjoyed Dickens' humor. I thought it was funny that, "even the blind men's dogs appeared to know him; and when they saw him coming on, would tug their owners into doorways and up courts; and then would wag their tails as though they said, "No eye at all is better than an evil eye, dark master!"
Also, when trying to explain away Marley, "A slight disorder of the stomach makes them cheats. You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of an underdone potato. There's more of gravy than of grave about you..."
And while there are plenty of humorous parts, there are also some very poignant portions. Marley said, "I wear the chain I forged in life...I made it link by link, and yard by yard, I girded it on my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it." Poor Marley! What he really needed was for a ghost to visit him and warn him of his future. I guess he doesn't luck out in that respect. Using this same passage, I recently saw a teacher have his students make rings out of construction paper and write on their links the vises they have.
We are supposed to write about the Second Stave, right? I found Scrooge looking at himself in the school and sitting alone to be quite touching. After the ghost points out the "solitary child, neglected by his friends", Dickens writes, "Scrooge said he knew it. And he sobbed." Poor little lonely Scrooge. Here he sits, all these years later, still alone and friendless.
Regarding fog, of course I know what it means! Fog is symbolic of uncertainty and/or confusion. Duh! I hadn't really payed attention to the fog until you mentioned it. I went back to the text and performed a search on fog. It's only used on Scrooge's walk home. I suppose this was a time of uncertainty for him.
Finally, I looked humbug. According to Google, Noun: 1 - deceptive or false talk or behavior 2 - a hard candy, esp. one flavored with peppermint, Verb: deceive or trick.
Does this alter your view of the word and it's use? It does mine. Interesting.
Go team! Go Scrooge!
Both of the above statements describe today. As per usual, I had every intention of writing my post yesterday but, well, you know. I should add, though, that I enjoyed reading A Christmas Carol so much that I finished it on Sunday.
I think it's incredibly interesting that everyone, EVERYONE, knows of A Christmas Carol. Even if someone hasn't seen a movie or theater production or read the book, everyone knows Dickens' Scrooge, the term Bah! Humbug!, the concept of Ghosts of Christmas Past/Present/Future, etc. I would argue that this is a story as well known as Adam and Eve. It has broad popularity because it's a good story but more so because it makes people feel warm and fuzzy or something along those lines.
I read this on the IPad and the version I have includes pictures. Although the pictures aren't in any sensible order, they're pretty cool. Here are the two I liked the best:
My experience with Dickens is limited. I've read part of A Tale of Two Cities but that's it. When I read Tale, I enjoyed Dickens' writing but there were times when I felt he went on a little to long. For the most part, Dickens doesn't do that in A Christmas Carol. Actually, the only part that I felt went on too much was in the next Stave and I'll go into detail then.
I also really enjoyed Dickens' humor. I thought it was funny that, "even the blind men's dogs appeared to know him; and when they saw him coming on, would tug their owners into doorways and up courts; and then would wag their tails as though they said, "No eye at all is better than an evil eye, dark master!"
Also, when trying to explain away Marley, "A slight disorder of the stomach makes them cheats. You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of an underdone potato. There's more of gravy than of grave about you..."
And while there are plenty of humorous parts, there are also some very poignant portions. Marley said, "I wear the chain I forged in life...I made it link by link, and yard by yard, I girded it on my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it." Poor Marley! What he really needed was for a ghost to visit him and warn him of his future. I guess he doesn't luck out in that respect. Using this same passage, I recently saw a teacher have his students make rings out of construction paper and write on their links the vises they have.
We are supposed to write about the Second Stave, right? I found Scrooge looking at himself in the school and sitting alone to be quite touching. After the ghost points out the "solitary child, neglected by his friends", Dickens writes, "Scrooge said he knew it. And he sobbed." Poor little lonely Scrooge. Here he sits, all these years later, still alone and friendless.
Regarding fog, of course I know what it means! Fog is symbolic of uncertainty and/or confusion. Duh! I hadn't really payed attention to the fog until you mentioned it. I went back to the text and performed a search on fog. It's only used on Scrooge's walk home. I suppose this was a time of uncertainty for him.
Finally, I looked humbug. According to Google, Noun: 1 - deceptive or false talk or behavior 2 - a hard candy, esp. one flavored with peppermint, Verb: deceive or trick.
Does this alter your view of the word and it's use? It does mine. Interesting.
Go team! Go Scrooge!
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