In this case, the writer has used verbs and adjectives that share a sense of foreboding eg swung, flying, strode, brewed, stormy, icy. Look at the techniques used by the writer. Step 1: Identify what the writer has done Who knows what you might discover in your favourite texts. Use the tools of analysis to explore how a text works: start by looking at a short section make an observation on the language choice, explain the effect or meaning, explore further layers of meaning and context – then summarise with authority! The simile alludes to his relationship with others and hints that he doesn't want to be hurt. I believe Dickens compared Scrooge to an oyster to illustrate his isolation from society. To summarise your analysis, articulate your personal opinion with authority. Dickens would have experienced this first-hand from when he was a boy working in Warren’s Blacking factory. Most rich members of Victorian society only interacted with their social inferiors when it was necessary.

So perhaps Scrooge only interacts with people when it benefits him.Īnd you can add depth to your analysis by exploring the context in which the text was produced.

Try to explore additional connotations and further layers of meaning. This simile suggests that Scrooge could be isolating himself from the people around him as a defence mechanism. Oysters have hard shells that protect themselves from predators. What does Dickens’s language choice tell you about Scrooge?ĭickens presents Scrooge as a character isolated from society.īut how has Dickens achieved this? Take the simile: “solitary as an oyster”. 'Scrooge! A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint … secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster.' Start your analysis by finding a relevant or interesting section of text. How does Dickens present the character of Scrooge? For example, it might be interesting to understand how the characters are portrayed.

We can look at the overall structure, the individual sentences and the writer’s word choices to find different possible meanings. When we analyse a text, we are trying to understand how it works.

Short stories to write an analysis on