A Christmas Carol Mckay Stephenson Charles Dickens Mr Pitcher 1st Period
Christmas is not yet lost for Mr. Scrooge. Mr. Scrooge is a wealthy old man who has lost the true spirit of Christmas. In his opinion, it is, a “humbug.” He denies Christmas to beggars, collectors, carolers, family and friends alike. His life is cold and lonely, but this doesn’t seem to register to Mr. Scrooge. He is visited one night by the ghost of his old friend Bob Marley, who warns him that he is on the path to endless suffering. He informs Scrooge that he will be visited by three ghosts to try to save him from his current destiny. Through the use of ethos, pathos, and logos, I believe that Christmas Present had the biggest effect on saving Mr. Scrooge from his current fate.
The first element that Christmas Future used was the use of ethos. Ethos was used to establish credibility to Christmas Present. Christmas Present quickly proved that he knows Scrooge’s current fate if his life doesn’t change. He does this by taking Scrooge to places of importance that Scrooge himself doesn’t know about. Examples of this would be Scrooge being taken to his own grave and being taken to the site of his stolen valuables. Also, Christmas Present proves his ethics by taking Scrooge to see the impact of the loss of Tiny Tim on the Cratchit family. He does this because from his all knowing perspective, he knows that it will have the effect of softening Scrooge’s heart. This set Christmas Present up to use the next element, Pathos.
Next, Christmas Present uses Pathos to stir up great emotion inside of Scrooge. One of the most suspenseful things that Scrooge picks up on right away about Christmas Present is that he won’t talk and is completely silent. This not only terrifies Scrooge but the audience as well. I believe this silence is what allowed Scrooge to hear his own heart for the first time in along time and what allowed Christmas to sink into it. Christmas present eventually show’s Scrooge his own dead body and that nobody cared. Nothing that Christmas Present could have done scared Scrooge more then this. No one cared for him because he literally didn’t care for anyone anymore. From here Scrooge’s reunion with the Christmas spirit was almost complete.
The final element that Christmas Future used was Logos or, logic. When Christmas Future showed Scrooge that no one was morning over his death, it showed Scrooge, that love works both ways. You must love others for it to be returned by them loving you. Most importantly however, the ghost showed Scrooge that everything that he had seen could be changed with the proper changes in Scrooge’s life. Scrooge was obviously a smart man so the logic that Christmas Present presented him with was easy for Scrooge to grasp. This was the final thing that pushes Scrooge over the edge and he begins to promise that he will change his ways and be a better man.
The three ghosts of Christmases certainly all contributed towards Scrooge’s change in holiday spirit, but I believe that Christmas Future, through the use of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos, was the most influential upon turning Scrooge’s life around. Now he can not only help himself, but Tiny Tim, the poor, and those like him who have lost the holiday cheer. Christmas has been found by Mr. Scrooge.
Charles Dickens Mr Pitcher 1st Period
Christmas is not yet lost for Mr. Scrooge. Mr. Scrooge is a wealthy old man who has lost the true spirit of Christmas. In his opinion, it is, a “humbug.” He denies Christmas to beggars, collectors, carolers, family and friends alike. His life is cold and lonely, but this doesn’t seem to register to Mr. Scrooge. He is visited one night by the ghost of his old friend Bob Marley, who warns him that he is on the path to endless suffering. He informs Scrooge that he will be visited by three ghosts to try to save him from his current destiny. Through the use of ethos, pathos, and logos, I believe that Christmas Present had the biggest effect on saving Mr. Scrooge from his current fate.
The first element that Christmas Future used was the use of ethos. Ethos was used to establish credibility to Christmas Present. Christmas Present quickly proved that he knows Scrooge’s current fate if his life doesn’t change. He does this by taking Scrooge to places of importance that Scrooge himself doesn’t know about. Examples of this would be Scrooge being taken to his own grave and being taken to the site of his stolen valuables. Also, Christmas Present proves his ethics by taking Scrooge to see the impact of the loss of Tiny Tim on the Cratchit family. He does this because from his all knowing perspective, he knows that it will have the effect of softening Scrooge’s heart. This set Christmas Present up to use the next element, Pathos.
Next, Christmas Present uses Pathos to stir up great emotion inside of Scrooge. One of the most suspenseful things that Scrooge picks up on right away about Christmas Present is that he won’t talk and is completely silent. This not only terrifies Scrooge but the audience as well. I believe this silence is what allowed Scrooge to hear his own heart for the first time in along time and what allowed Christmas to sink into it. Christmas present eventually show’s Scrooge his own dead body and that nobody cared. Nothing that Christmas Present could have done scared Scrooge more then this. No one cared for him because he literally didn’t care for anyone anymore. From here Scrooge’s reunion with the Christmas spirit was almost complete.
The final element that Christmas Future used was Logos or, logic. When Christmas Future showed Scrooge that no one was morning over his death, it showed Scrooge, that love works both ways. You must love others for it to be returned by them loving you. Most importantly however, the ghost showed Scrooge that everything that he had seen could be changed with the proper changes in Scrooge’s life. Scrooge was obviously a smart man so the logic that Christmas Present presented him with was easy for Scrooge to grasp. This was the final thing that pushes Scrooge over the edge and he begins to promise that he will change his ways and be a better man.
The three ghosts of Christmases certainly all contributed towards Scrooge’s change in holiday spirit, but I believe that Christmas Future, through the use of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos, was the most influential upon turning Scrooge’s life around. Now he can not only help himself, but Tiny Tim, the poor, and those like him who have lost the holiday cheer. Christmas has been found by Mr. Scrooge.