Maggie Moore E/C III Honors Mrs.Velazquez February 16th, 2023 The Immense Impact of Personification The use of personification takes a story from black and white to full color, acting as both a decorative device while supplying deeper meaning. Personification engages the reader both emotionally and intellectually, contributing a layer of depth to a story. Allowing the reader to see past literal meanings invites them to draw abstract conclusions and fully comprehend the text. Dickens' use of personification in A Tale of Two Cities incorporates emotion and appeal to his writing while foreshadowing future events and establishing the setting. This literary device is utilized in order to properly portray different occurrences throughout Book the …show more content…
Monseigneur, a French lord, is holding a gathering at his grand hotel in Paris. He surrounds himself with the finest service and the poshest company, dressed in the most exquisite clothing "The leprosy of unreality disfigured every human creature in attendance upon Monseigneur '' (Dickens 112). Dickens personifies the concept of unreality by giving it a serious disease, representing his opinion on the French Nobles. Monseigneur leads a very sheltered life, only coming into contact with other spoiled and entitled individuals like himself. Monseigneur is only interested in the things that concern his pleasure and is oblivious to the struggles of others. Through the use of this literary device, Dickens is making a point that the ignorance of the privileged population can be harmful, and this idea is foreshadowing the French Aristocracy losing power because of the Revolution. The third estate is angry that their voices and problems are not being heard by the government, so they act out and revolt. The French government will experience weakness and disfigurement, just like the symptoms of leprosy. At the same time Dickens is criticizing Monseigneur for his lavish practices and unawareness, he is filing an attack on the French Aristocracy as a whole. He uses the life of Monseigneur to paint a picture of the selfishness and decadence of wealthy elites prior to the revolution. As Dickens goes into detail describing how Monseigneur has only the best servants and treatment, he is portraying the contrast between the extravagant lifestyles of French Aristocrats and the poverty being faced by the rest of the population. This comparison helps the reader understand the social and economic inequality in France and establishes a climate of hatred that will eventually lead to the French