Weale, John, ed. London Exhibition in 1851. 1851. Pamphlet. Library of Congress. Washington, DC. https://www.loc.gov/item/03012188/.
This 964-page book talks about London from a statistical perspective. Many interesting facts are detailed throughout the pages. However, for the purpose of this study, it is important to look specifically at the pages addressing poverty and how it was handled in London in the 1800s. Charles Dickens often approached these concepts in his works. In A Christmas Carol, Dickens uses poverty as a central theme related to Scrooge’s decision-making. At the beginning of the tale, Scrooge feels that much is already being done to help those who are downtrodden in his city; therefore, he does not deem it necessary to donate to those who ask for charity. In turn, when he is later visited by Marley and other ghosts, it becomes clear that his lack of charity and good will might be just what land him in purgatory for eternity.
This source gives the reader a statistical image of London. The cover reads “ELUCIDATING ITS NATURAL AND PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS - ITS ANTIQUITY AND ARCHITECTURE; ITS ARTS, MANUFACTURES, TRADE, AND ORGANIZATION; ITS SOCIAL, LITERARY, AND SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTIONS; AND ITS NUMEROUS GALLERIES OF FINE ARTS.”
The England of the mid-1800s was much different from modern-day England in the way that education and aid were distributed to those in need:
- The wealthy paid to go to school and received a high-quality education, while those living in poverty were relegated to less desirable schools if they could pay a penny or to free religious study sessions if they could not.
- Those too poor to feed or clothe themselves were given aid; sometimes, that aid was in the form of free food or basic clothes because of the “poor law.”
- Begging was prohibited, and those who violated this law would sometimes be punished.
- Charity was established by this point. Sometimes it was provided by teachers who taught in the Sunday school; other times, it was in the form of clothing donations or care for the sick.
- Help was given to those with disabilities and to elderly persons; however, such help was still minimal at this time.
While there are 964 pages in this book, our focus questions and subsequent connections are based on three specific pages:
- Does a person’s job today impact how they will be remembered?
- How does Charles Dickens's portrayal of poverty in A Christmas Carol reflect the attitudes toward poverty and social responsibility in a realistic way?
- How does Charles Dickens use the theme of poverty in A Christmas Carol to highlight Scrooge’s moral development and his understanding of social responsibility?
Common Core State Standards
RL.9-10.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RI.9-10.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
- A comparison can be made between the nonfiction text from the Library of Congress about charity and Scrooge’s lack of charity. Students can pull textual evidence to support the comparison.
RL.9-10.2: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development; provide an objective summary of the text.
- A primary focus for this artifact is to hone in on the theme. Students should be able to identify Scrooge's lack of charity and its implications as they read to the end of the story.
W.9-10.1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence
- As students begin to see the differences between the London of Dickens’s time and the London of today, have them write about that difference, citing evidence both from the Library of Congress primary source and from A Christmas Carol.
W.9-10.1.b: Develop claims and counterclaims fairly, supporting evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.
- Allow students to form claims and counterclaims about why Scrooge might have been visited by the ghost of Marley and the other ghosts based on the knowledge they have gained from the Library of Congress’s primary source about charitable opportunities.
- Using a free program such as Kami, have students annotate a copy of images 78, 79, and 80. Have them focus on what was done for those in need at the time of Scrooge. This work can also be done on paper if you want to print the three pages and have the students highlight in different colors and make notes. This approach would work well as a group table activity for students to think aloud as they highlight.
- The primary theme in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is the lack of charity in Scrooge. Devote time to discussing Scrooge's attitude on this topic, specifically his belief that the prisons, the Union workhouses, the prison treadmill, and the Poor Law should take care of those who can’t work for their food. This discussion can then be applied to the annotations that students made in the Library of Congress primary source. Continue the discussion by asking students if they believe what was being done in London at the time was enough or if donations from those who were wealthy, like Scrooge, were necessary. This discussion can be done in the whole group or in debate style. Have one group of students represent the side that believes enough is enough and another group stand for being more charitable.
- Now that students have looked at the primary source from the Library of Congress and compared it with the attitude of the main character, ask them to write about it. Does Scrooge's uncharitable character throughout his adult life warrant a visit from Marley and the other ghosts? Should someone selfish be doomed to purgatory for not sharing the fruit of their labor? Students should utilize evidence from both the Library of Congress primary source and A Christmas Carol to defend their response.
A challenge could arise if a parent or guardian did not want their student to study another country. In this case, recommend having them study similar statistical information about an equivalent-size city in the United States.
- For an alternative study that is perhaps closer to home, have students study this list of New York charity statistics from roughly the same time as the London statistics. This comparison gives an interesting perspective on what might have been happening in the United States at the same time. Focus on pages 90–98.
- A second alternative would be this Children's Aid Society pamphlet from Baltimore, Maryland. This item contains an annual report about what was done with orphan children in this large city in 1865. It could be used in place of the London reading since it is equivalent in terms of a large city. Focus on pages 31–40.
- https://www.charlesdickenspage.com/charles-dickens-glossary.html#B
- This is an excellent list of terms used in A Christmas Carol with definitions. It is helpful for students to know these terms as they are studying the social class of Scrooge.
- https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sis/resources/data-tools/state-facts.html
- Utilize the United States Census Bureau to have students do a comparison of statistics on poverty in the Victorian era and today.