Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Christmas Carol Question #1
Much of this novel is about the obligations one has to his fellow human beings. When Scrooge tells Marley's ghost that he was always a good man of business, Marley replies, "Mankind was my business." What does Marley mean by this? Do you agree with Marley? Why or why not?
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ReplyDeleteMrs. Weddle
When Marley says that “mankind was his business”, he is now saying how he lives his life. When he was alive on earth, he did not do a lot to help his fellow man and community. Marley was too concerned about making a fortune and keeping to himself that he forgot about others who may have needed his help. Now that Marley is dead, his ghost sees humans in pain yet he can not help them. I agree with Marley’s quote. I think that we are put on this earth to grow and to help others. Anyone that can help someone else or encourage another person is doing what they are intended to do. Marley is letting Scrooge know that if he doesn’t change, he will end up just as he is; a pitiful ghost who roams the earth seeing others in pain. Now that Marley is dead, he regrets his ignorance and selfish attitude towards the less fortunate. Scrooge is just like Marley except he has grown more spiteful and selfish over the years. He has hardened his heart to the happy things in his life: his nephew, the poor, his worker, and even to himself.
ReplyDeleteI think that instead of being worried about money, finances, and being too into oneself, more people should worry about their neighbor. Homeless people are passed on the street and the poor are many times overlooked. If we as a community want to overlook others who are below us and only focus on ourselves, we are less than what we think we are. In order to gain a true happiness within ourselves, people should be more open to helping others. With more people becoming less selfless, our society can flourish and become a more close-knit community. Everyone can help everyone else and more people will flourish.
-Alisa Munford-
When Marley said that “mankind was my business,” what he meant was that he turned his back on the world while his time lasted and ignored the people that mattered around him. He spent so much time working, trying to make more money and get rich, that he forgot to recognize the people around him and how to associate with them. Marley spent his time ignoring every single person around him, not respecting anyone, and not receiving much respect in return, just like Scrooge he wasn’t a very wanted man in the streets and he wasn’t a very joyful fellow. I agree completely with Marley’s statement, if he were to have spent more time with the public and being social that would have limited the chains that he carried after he had expired. I believe that if you spend your time here on earth trying to make everyone happy instead of yourself then you will be miserable, but if you take the time to balance your pleasing skills and try to keep most people happy while you keep yourself happy it’s a life well spent on earth. Most people try to either just please themselves or just please everyone, some people can’t really balance and don’t know how, but if one can find that equilibrium then the people around you will respect and admire you. If Scrooge were to just open his eyes, and see what his life has been as an old man, he would realize how snooty and stuck up he has been, and maybe this would bring about change in his life. Scrooge is going to end up just like Marley with chains and cash-boxes attached out of the wazoo, but if he were to wake up and turn his swag on, he could find that pleasure in life is all around him he just needs to grab it.
ReplyDelete-Dillon Hollins
Yes I do agree with Marley, because there are so many people out in the world that have worse living conditions than we do, and it is our responsibility to help them. I am a religious person and in my belief we were put on this earth to do charitable acts and do what God has planned for us to do. He wants us to do good things with what he has given us. He blesses so many people in this world with money and he has given those people a responsibility to do with that money. He wants us to go out and tell people in third world countries about Jesus Christ and to help bring them food, clean water, and better education. We are not put on this earth to just make our own living and not have a care in the world about others. God blessed us and want us to do what he has done for us and do the same with others. If there is a family in need of money, food, or a home we should try to help them. We have food pantries in our county and I give to them every year. In my church we have angel food. Angel food is where you can go and buy food at a really cheap price for low income families. We also have a family life center where kids can come and enjoy time with friends and it gets them off the streets, but there are some people out there that come to these programs and take advantage of them. I have seen it at my church too many times. People come in with iphones and really expensive clothes and shoes. They are the only people I don’t feel sorry for if they are having hard times, because they need to learn to spend their money on more important things. For the most part there are lots of people who are in need and I just can’t stand to see them in pain, and I have to help them. It’s my responsibility to help them. I believe that I need to do what ever I can for them, because if our places were reversed I would want them to do the same for me. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I live by that motto.
ReplyDeleteShelby Sprouse
I agree that man kind is everyone business because we are all here on this planet and we all have to live together. It makes no sense to only worry about yourself when you could spend a little bit of time and put forth an effort to help out someone in need because, one day you could need help with something. If you have the capability to help someone and you refuse then I think that you shouldn’t be helped in the future. The only real reason I see that would be okay to not really help someone is if you can’t help them the way they need to be helped. That probably shouldn’t happen too much because you may not be able to help them with everything they need help with but you could help with the process. I think Marley is pretty smart because he is trying to help his friend to keep him from having to live the same after life that he is living.
ReplyDeleteScrooge’s problem in stave 1 is that he is so concerned about his money and nothing else. He doesn’t pay attention to his family or the fact that Christmas is a time for giving and helping. Scrooge refuses to go to dinner with the one person who really cares about him because he doesn’t like the fact that his nephew married for love instead of money. Scrooge also throws a fit about the fact that his clerk wants one day off to spend with his family and get paid for it because he doesn’t have much money and has lots of mouths to feed, but Scrooge eventually gives him the day. He also turns away a caroler and two men collecting money for a charity because he doesn’t think that he needs to spend more money on poor people because he already pays taxes and that money goes towards things for the poor people. Scrooge just needs to learn that helping people is a good thing that he should do more often and then maybe people would like him instead of thinking he is just some mean, old, cold-hearted, stingy man.
~ Nikki Byers
When Marley says that “Mankind was my business” he means that he should have been thinking about other peoples needs, instead of thing about himself or about his money. I do agree with this because I think that it is respectful to help somebody if they are in need. Also it depends on what kind of help a person needs. If they need help because of something stupid that they did I probably wouldn’t help them as much as I would help a person that is out there trying to something for someone else. For an example if I new a guy that was working multiple jobs, trying to put food on the table, and need some financial help, then yes I would be willing to help him. But if there is a person that is out there that is doing drugs and is begging you for money them I’m sorry but I’m not going to give that person that money. But one thing that I will do is tell them that they need help and then I will show them where to get that help. I’ve been told growing up that you should help anybody that needs help even if they don’t help you. And when Marley dies he finally dies that his life would have been a lot better if he had just took his time and actually helped the people that asked him for help, instead he just staid in the counting house, where he worked and was greedy with his money. All in all I do agree with Marley because he is right. You’re life is going to be better off if you just take your time to help the people around you because then if you are in a time of need then they will take the time out of their way to help you.
ReplyDeleteAndrew
What Marley means by "Mankind was my business", is that in his whole life he never payed attention to anyone but himself and his work,and now he is paying for it. What seems like a good life to Scrooge is actually not. Marley is desperatly trying to warn his friend about the consequences if he does not take the right path in life. If Scrooge does not listen to his friend then in his after life he will have to do what Marley is doing now. I absolutley aggree with Marley; you can't go through self-centered, greedy, and never seeing what life is really about. I think this is true in real life. If you don't take in the good things life offers like family, friends, and love, then you will have a miserable life and pay for in the afterlife. I believe mankind is everyone's business. Yes you can be succseesful and work but what is life if you can't share it with someone special. This is my motto for my life. I really think life is too short to waste on yourself and money. You need to look out for your fellow man and woman. It makes me depress, to think that in this world there are people like Scrooge, it might sound funny but it's true. They get so wrapped up in thier wealth and living they forget about there love ones. In every situation these people are always extremely unhappy.208 Being greedy can kill a man. I feel Scrooge is lucky because Marley is letting him know whats up. Most people never come out of this personality. It's hard to belive that someone could fall under these ways, but I see how it can happen. I do belive however it can happen to the most loyal honest of people. To touch on what i said earlier, yes i do belive everyone in the world should live by this world. Do you know how at peace the world could actually be if everyone was truley following this motto? There would be no hunger cause the rich would give to the poor. No one would be out for that "extra buck", it would truley be a phenominal world. Just think in hard times money can't show you love. Work can give you materialbut will never give you affection. Friends and their love can though, always remember that.
ReplyDeleteIn Christmas Carol, Jacob Marley wished he would have made mankind his business. Jacob Marley’s whole life he lived for profit and didn’t care about others. Marley has chains all over him, because he didn’t help mankind. Marley came to warn Scrooge that if he doesn’t change, he will end up with the same fate. I think that in life you should help mankind. Lots of things happen in life. There are plenty of opportunities you can help people. For example, every summer I go on a mission trip called World Changers. Each year at World Changers we work on someone house. Depending on the house we put on a roof, siding, paint, or building a porch. When helping others you feel accomplished knowing you help change someone else’s life. There are moments in life when you wonder should you help someone out. For example, if you hear something about someone’s past or just by looking at someone. Sometimes you may see people in the streets asking for food. When looking at the person it seems like they never missed a meal. Helping people can be hard to do. Especially if you see the person everyday and wonder if they really need it. Marley is right to tell scrooge that he should make mankind his life. Scrooge is slowly learning through chapter one that something big is going to happen to him. I think Scrooge is scared to help mankind since all he has ever known is how to make a profit. When Scrooge sees the other ghost trying to help others, it’s a flash-forward to what could happen to him if he doesn’t change. I think Jacob Marley was a small wake-up call to Scrooge, but it is going to take a lot more for Scrooge to see he needs to make his life for mankind and not for profit.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Marley. Mankind should be our business because other people are a part of our everyday lives. Scrooge worked in a counting house, which in today’s terms would be an accounting office. He managed money and sent bills out to other people. He was a very wealthy man but he was very frugal when he spent money and only cared about himself. His office was scarce and cold since the only source of heat was near his desk and even the fire in that was kept low. Scrooge was a very hard and bitter person, so everyone seemed to steer clear from him. He wanted nothing to do with other people and he only worried about taking care of himself and no one else. Marley used to be the same way when he was alive, so he came back to warn Scrooge to change his ways or he would end up just like him; bound by the chains of his selfishness for all eternity. No matter how you live your life, every action you make and every word you say affects the lives of others. Some people have the mentality that the world revolves around them and if something doesn’t benefit them then they won’t do it. It makes me sad to see that so many people go through their lives only worrying about themselves. Being concerned about the welfare of others and throwing your life away for them is two different things. I agree you should help people but that doesn’t mean that you should give up everything you have for them or sacrifice the well being of those in your family for others; there has to be balance in every aspect of life. You can’t go through life wearing blinders and living by the mentality that if you don’t see it then you don’t have to do anything about it. That’s a selfish way to live your life.
ReplyDeleteCharity Newman
March 23, 2010 6:46 a.m
ReplyDeleteThat on is my post.
Ashley Creed
I think Marley means that he only dealt with people when it came to business, and now he regrets it. And he is trying to help Scrooge become a better person now so Scrooge does not have to be like him. I do not agree with this because people need to be more than just business. Everyone needs someone for more than just that. But instead all Marley thought about was money. Marley just wants to save Scrooge while he is alive, so that when he dies he does not have to experience what Marley and the poor other souls that hunt their streets have to. They all want to help the less fortunate now that they are dead but they can't. All they can do is walk around and watch how sad things really are. Too bad for them they did not open their eyes while they were alive because now they have to suffer. And even though others like Marley and Scrooge were/are mean I still feel bad for them because all they needed was someone to come save them and they probably would have been better people. Some of the ghosts that run the street at nights can't even help the poor people now that they are dead. I am not sure why but I do not think they can. And I am sure that hurts them even more. Seeing all those really good-hearted people hurt because of the bitter people in the world, that really gets to the people in Marley's world because they were those bitter people. Hopefully Scrooge will become a better person after he is greeted by these ghosts. And hopefully Marley feels a little bit better now that he is finally able to help, even save, someone's life.
ReplyDelete-Wendi Frankart
I agree with this statement made by Marley, but I think he realized it too late and that if he knew then (while he was still living), what he knows now (while he’s dead) he would have made sure to make mankind his first priority. I feel that we should all make mankind our business, because if we all neglect the people around us, there will be no one there when we actually need them. I feel that we should help mankind to the best of our abilities, but only if they truly need and deserve it. I believe that we can and should help people, but make sure we are capable of taking care of ourselves first, because you cannot truly help someone else if you cannot help yourself. You need to be sure that when you help someone that it will not put you in the same boat they are in. We need the people around us, whether we want to admit it or not, so we should make them our business and they should do the same for us. If we help one another, then it would make life so much easier. We should lend a helping hand, to our neighbors, our coworkers, our classmates, etc. If we do this then if we ever get into a troubling situation, we will know that they will be there for us when we need them. We deal with people everyday, whether it’s the first time meeting them or the hundredth, so we might as well help them out. If Marley had realized this before he died and treated the people around him the way he did, then he might have saved himself from the fate that he was given. He would not have been wearing the chains, and roaming the world about trying to help people, knowing full well that he could not help them no matter how much he wanted to.
ReplyDelete-Curtis Brown
When Marley says "Mankind was my business," he means that his business was to help people and be giving and kind instead of being stingy and selfish. He was supposed to help people in need and care about humanity. Like the many ghosts on the street below, held down by the chains of their insatiable lifestyles, punishment for them is that they are aware now of the true way to real happiness in life and they can do nothing about it. They can’t help anyone. I agree completely with Marley's statement. Everyone will be in need in some way at some point in their life and everyone needs someone there for them. I always put the ones I care about before myself. I also give to charity any chance I get. If I see someone in need, I help them out. Caring about other people will give you a greater feeling than any to know that you made someone happy. This is what Marley is trying to warn Scrooge of before he is locked in the same greed-chained fate. Scrooge is cold-hearted and ravenous for money just as Marley had been before he died. In a way, Marley gets his wish of caring for mankind by helping an old friend realize the horrible path of life he is taking.
ReplyDelete-Melissa Dolatowski
I do not necessarily believe that everyone has a responsibility to help other people, but I do feel that we should. When someone passes a homeless man begging for change on the street, that person is not obligated to help the homeless man, because that person was not responsible for the man’s unemployment or lack of housing or poverty. However, if you were in the situation of the homeless man, wouldn’t you want someone to help you out? There are thousands, if not millions, of people in the United States starving and homeless, and there are millions, if not billions, who are well off and can afford to give a little bit of time, money, or food to those in need. So, while it is not our duty to help others, the vast majority of us are capable of doing so, and therefore we should. In The Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is more than capable of helping the poor, but absolutely refuses to because he feels that it is not he is not responsible for their falling into poverty, and is therefore not responsible for pulling them out of it. When the ghost of Jacob Marley and the ghost of Christmas past visit Scrooge, he begins to realize how much of a difference he can make in people’s lives. He sees the terrible things that he can prevent, such as the death of a child, and he sees the wonderful things that he can help make happen, such as a Christmas celebration. The two ghosts help him see that having a little kindness is not such a big inconvenience at all. So, while Scrooge was right the whole time when he said that it was not his duty to help other people, he realizes that that does not matter, and that he should help people because he wants to make a positive impact in someone’s life.
ReplyDelete-Vicki Poe
What Marley means by "Mankind was my business", is that in his whole life he never paid attention to anyone but himself and his work,and now he is paying for it. What seems like a good life to Scrooge is actually not. Marley is desperatly trying to warn his friend about the consequences if he does not take the right path in life. If Scrooge does not listen to his friend then in his after life he will have to do what Marley is doing now. I absolutley aggree with Marley; you can't go through your life self-centered, greedy, and never seeing what it is really about. I think this is true in real life. If you don't take in the good things life offers like family, friends, and love, then you will have a miserable life and pay for in the afterlife. I believe mankind is everyone's business. Yes you can be succseesful and work but what is life if you can't share it with someone special. This is my motto for my life. I really think life is too short to waste on yourself and money. You need to look out for your fellow man and woman. It makes me depress, to think that in this world there are people like Scrooge, it might sound funny but it's true. They get so wrapped up in thier wealth and living they forget about there love ones. In every situation these people are always extremely unhappy.208 Being greedy can kill a man. I feel Scrooge is lucky because Marley is letting him know whats up. Most people never come out of this personality. It's hard to belive that someone could fall under these ways, but I see how it can happen. I do believe however it can happen to the most good-hearted people. To touch on what I said earlier, yes I do belive everyone in the world should live by this rule. Do you know how at peace the world could actually be if everyone was truley following this motto? There would be no hunger cause the rich would give to the poor. No one would be out for that "extra buck", it would truley be a phenominal world. Just think in hard times money can't show you love. Work can give you materialbut will never give you affection. Friends and their love can though, always remember that.
ReplyDeleteDamian Blewitt
I believe that mankind is every ones business, no matter the age or how high of status you are. Being nice to other people and just being grateful to those around you is just the right thing to do. If you’re always being disrespectful and rude to others then what are you really living for? Having something to live for is what keeps a person going, it keeps them out of trouble and lets them be grateful to God that he died for them, to let them live their own life. When Marley tells Scrooge that his business was Mankind, he means that it was his duty to be humane to the people around him and to live a long happy life.
ReplyDeleteScrooge needs to realize that if he keeps living the way he is, then he’s just going to die a lonely old man, with no one to miss him or greave his death when he is gone. Marley tries to warn him when he comes to visit him. Telling him how his life will end up if he doesn’t start making a change and showing him all the things that he’ll miss out on. Marley comes to him as a friend and with chains draping all over his body with all the things that he thought were important him when he was alive. He tries to get it through Scrooge’s head but Scrooge doesn’t really pay heed to the warning.
Mankind is what keeps us going through the day and what gives us the opportunity to make new friends and have a loving and kind family. Just think of how the world would be if we didn’t have Mankind in it, and how every one would act around each other. There would be no friendly greeting in the hallways, no please or thank yous, no Christmas or holidays, and no one to help you out when you need a friend. That’s the type of world we would live in if there was no Mankind.
- Mary Wittenburg
When Marley said that he was telling Scrooge that everything they did in their past is going to catch up with them. He wishes he could go back and pay more attention to those who needed the attention. I do agree with what Marley said, because if it wasn’t for the people that supported him and gave their business he would have never made it as far as he did with his work in the counting house. You have to be nice to people in order to go places, and to succeed. If you spend all your time knocking people down and giving them the cold shoulder, you will set yourself up to be alone and have no one. On the other had you can’t be overly nice because you don’t want people to run over top of you and take your kindness for granted, because that is also a way to set you up for failure. Now being that Scrooge and Marley we business partners before he died, Scrooge is left following in the same footsteps. He should take what Marley is telling him into consideration so that he doesn’t die carrying the extra chains of weight that could have been prevented by mere kindness. In stave one Scrooge shut everyone down that wanted to show him kindness, like him nephew who just wanted to spend time with him. He was negative towards Bob when he wanted Christmas day off to spend time with his family, that’s negative energy that is going to convert to a burden he will carry later in life. Scrooge denied the men money to give to the charity for those who were in need of help. Lastly, Scrooge denied the young boy’s pride to sing Christmas carols. The little boy could be scared to ever approach someone else’s door in fear they would get yelled at like he did with Scrooge. So they way Scrooge is treating people now is going to catch up with him in the end, if he doesn’t follow the simple instructions his old friend is telling him.
ReplyDelete*Teidra White
Apparently what Marley meant by “Mankind was his business.” was that he should have paid more attention to the needs of others and how he could help them to benefit instead of always thinking of his own self first; that it was his duty to care for others. I agree and disagree with what he is saying. Yes, the world should be more compassionate of others. However, it is not our duty. Helping someone out is a choice and it could be that you are just doing it to make yourself feel better about yourself or you could be doing it because you really and truly care bout the well being of those your are helping. A big part of why people feel that they need to help others is the belief in Karma. I, myself, am a believer in Karma. If you do something nice for another than you will have more luck in your Karma bank, and you will probably end up having a better day and something good will happen to you in return. I also believe that the book A Christmas Carol is sending a strong message about Karma. Marley says that because he did not help others, was selfish, and only thought about himself that he now has to suffer in the afterlife. He is paying his due. He got what was coming; Karma. And he is now trying to warn Scrooge that if he does not start to change his ways and paying back to the ‘Karma bank’ then he will be doomed to suffer the same fate as he is. I agree with the idea of Karma but I do not believe it so much to the extent that you will have to suffer through your entire afterlife if you do not take advantage of it. So I suppose, in the end, I do not agree with Marley when he says that it is our duty to the people. That is too strong of a word for me. It is a choice and when it comes down to it, it all depends on what you believe in.
ReplyDelete-Lyndsey Epling
In the book, Scrooge told Marley that he was always a man of good business. Marley replied by saying, “Mankind was my business.” What Marley meant by this statement was that all through his life, he never paid attention to other peoples needs. He felt that he should have helped others, instead of only caring for himself. Marley is here to show Scrooge that life isn’t all about helping yourself. He is here to show him that by helping others, he will have a more rewarding life. If Scrooge doesn’t change, he will pay for it later on just as Marley is doing now. Bob, Scrooge’s employee, has children, and comes into work everyday. Scrooge makes him sit in a freezing cold office, only allowed to use one piece of coal to try to warm him. On top of that, Scrooge pays him horribly. I feel that Bob can be Scrooge’s chance to actually help someone in need, and do something nice for someone. I think that some time in their lives everyone should do something to help another person. And if they do something, it should be out of the goodness of their hearts. Helping someone else can make you feel good about yourself. If you have the ability to help someone, why not do it? It can be something like giving money to the Santa Clause standing on the sidewalk, or helping a friend in need. It doesn’t have to be something huge in order to help someone.
ReplyDeleteRaven Robinson
When Marley said “Mankind was my business”, I both agree and disagree. I would agree if he was trying to get involved in his town meetings or if he was trying to help people. If he was doing charity work or was a police officer, than I would agree with him when he said mankind was his business. On the other hand, if he was just snoozing around trying to be nosey and eavesdrop than I disagree. It’s very disrespectful to meddle in someone’s affairs. If you hear someone talking about something that doesn’t concern you than you should continue minding your business. Too much drama gets started that way especially if you gossip about it. It would go on an on, and never end.
ReplyDeleteTierra Tyler
I think that when Marley says mankind is my business he means that to give back to the community is his business, which he didn’t do while he was alive and had the chance. Marley was to caught up in his wealth, that he didn’t take the time to help or care about anyone else, and that is the same path that Scrooge is falling into. It is too late for Marley to help himself now he is trying to help Scrooge not make the same mistake during life. I disagree with Marley. I don’t believe mankind should be everybody's business, but I think people should make mankind there business. You should only give back to mankind if it is in your heart to give back to mankind, and if you are doing it out of goodwill, not by force. If you are only contributing to mankind because you have to, or feel like you have to then your good deed is in vein and you have really done nothing. What good does it serve to help others in need out if u really don’t want to? You don’t get anything out of doing things out of spite so why waste your time or the person you are trying to help. When you don’t really want to help a person they can since that, so you’re really not doing anything but bringing someone else down while you’re wasting your time. Marley regrets not having mankind as his business and now Marley is trying to save scrooge from falling deeper in to his footsteps of life. Even though Scrooge didn’t attend Marley’s funeral, Marley cares enough about Scrooge to try to save him from having to travel around the earth as a ghost, in shackles and chains and without peace, for eternity.
ReplyDelete-Torey Cosby
When Marley said “Mankind was my business”, I both agree and disagree. I would agree if he was trying to get involved in his town meetings or if he was trying to help people. I can understand that because that’s where he lives and he should be able to feel safe. If he was doing charity work or was a police officer, than I would agree with him when he said mankind was his business. If there were poor people he knew that needed food or clothing, and he wanted to give unto those people, that’s also understandable. On the other hand, if he was just snoozing around trying to be nosey and eavesdrop than I disagree. It’s very disrespectful to meddle in someone’s affairs. If you hear someone talking about something that doesn’t concern you than you should continue minding your business. Too much drama gets started that way especially if you gossip about it. It would go on an on, and never end. I know many incidents that happened on the cause of that. Life is to short for that. I think that is what Marley is trying to help Scrooge understand.
ReplyDeleteTierra Tyler
Marley's comment is the result of the life he has been forced to live and his reflection upon the life he had. He now lives to try to serve man kind by showing people, like scrooge, of their shortcomings. As he used to be similar to Scrooge in his stinginess, he now realizes that she should be a servant of mankind and should have shown compassion and generosity.
ReplyDeleteI agree in making "mankind your business." As a man of faith, it is my passion to serve others more-so than myself. To the extremes of money, helpful advice, or kind words, I believe it is the duty of everyone to share their gifts of love with one another to make the world a better place.
Wesley Chiles