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A tale of two cities book critical appreciation ,plot and characterisation
Tale of 2 cities critical analysis
Tale of 2 cities critical analysis
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Imagine going on social media and seeing two pictures, one of Hitler and one of Donald Trump. The viewer would then have to compare the images. Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is a novel that focuses on the events in France and England, more the French Revolution. In the book, it focuses at one point on two specific characters, Carton and Stryver. Charles Dickens uses imagery to describe them and imply things about the two men.
Dickens expresses an attitude of pity towards the peasantry of France, and is derisive towards the aristocracy. He conveys his feelings through repetition, tone, and syntax in the passage. These devices are used to foreshadow the animosity and anger of the oncoming revolution. Firstly, Dickens uses repetition to emphasize the living state of the common people in France.
In stave 4, Dickens opens stave 4 with “he recoiled in terror,”which demonstrates that Scrooge is now absolutely terrified of death rather than just a little bit scared. He steps back after noticing the shroud, demonstrating his inability to understand what he is seeing. The word "terror" connotes utter fear, anguish, and horror, and this is the first time we have witnessed Scrooge displaying such intense feelings. Dickens emphasises Scrooge's fear of death in the gothic depiction of the animals trying to enter the room of death, which is creepy and terrifying. " A cat was tearing" and "gnawing rats" are used as verbs to describe how the animals strive to enter.
In A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, Gaspard, a representative of the peasant class, signifies the mistreatment by the wealthy and is used as one of the reasons for the burning of the Monseigneur’s château, as his hanging is alluded to by Dickens during the burning. Monseigneur runs over Gaspard’s son and kills him. In addition, Monseigneur “threw out a gold coin for the valet to pick up” in a show of disrespect (Dickens 135), which shows how little the rich care about those who are below them. As a result, Gaspard kills Monseigneur and is “hanged there forty feet high--and is left hanging poisoning the water” (Dickens 210).
A Tale of Two Cities, written by Charles Dickens, surrounds the cities of Paris and London during the late 1700’s. The novel takes place during the French Revolution, a period of social and political upheaval in France and England. While peasants died in the streets from hunger, aristocrats had more money and power than they knew what to do with. A Tale of Two Cities describes, in detail, the poverty of the time period, as well as the struggle of a people able to overcome oppression. The novel is largely based off of occurrences Dickens experienced during his childhood.
Dickens goes on to describe Ignorance and Want in a pitiful manner
“A Tale of Two Cities” prove this point. We must forgive our enemies and right our past wrongdoings just like Dr. Manette and Charles Darnay did. “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens tells a tale about the French Revolution through the lives of everyday citizens. The narrative takes place in London and Paris, as characters journey to fulfill their callings. Charles Darnay, a French nobleman, was arrested due to his aristocratic family’s crimes.
Dickens’ novel develops the idea that sacrifices are made for the people or things that are important to you. The Revolutionaries sacrifice everyone, even their own people, to the Guillotine because they put the Guillotine before anything else. This kind of sacrifice is negative, because instead of human beings, the victims are seen as wine for the Guillotine. This theme of sacrifice is also seen in Carton. Carton sacrifices himself for Lucie, because Lucie is the only person he cares about.
Recently, in Dr. Buttino’s Moviemakers and Scholars Series class we had the privilege of watching a documentary film called, Fighting the Mob: The Story of Carmen Basilio. In perspective, this was very special because the story is held dearest by our own, Dr. Buttino, as he was directly involved in the story and in the making of the film. The ESPN documentary, Fighting the Mob: The Story of Carmen Basilio, was created to inform the American people about the corruption involved in the sport of boxing during the nineteen-fifties. However, I believe it is also meant to inspire the American people, especially Italian-Americans.
Throughout A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens utilized his expressive descriptions of the mobs of Britain and France to create distinct similarities and differences between the two countries. One major similarity of the two mobs is their desire for revenge. In England, the mob is driven to revenge after they find out that in the hearse was a spy against the crown. Instead of mourning the death, they instead use it to act against traitors of the country: “The crowd approached; they were bawling and hissing round a dingy hearse and dingy mourning coach, in which mourning coach there was only one mourner, dressed in the dingy trappings that were considered essential to the dignity of the position” (Dickens 14). This quote shows that the crowd was not there to grieve for the lost, but instead to take action for what the deceased had done before.
In The Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, the French Revolution is painted in contrasting shades of light and dark. Light represents the good in characters and the overall setting, while darkness is used to convey the increasing malice in France during the French revolution. As the novel continues, the darker elements of the book begin to show themselves in the main protagonists. The French revolution brings about “circumstantial darkness”, affecting the mentalities and behaviors of the participating characters to take drastic measures to protect themselves and the ones they love. The revolution affects Dr. Manette, Madame Defarge and Carton’s psyche, highlighting their inner “darkness”.
Oppression has always been prevalent throughout history, and as a response to this, the exploited often revolt, in turn, causing inciteful change. However, when the revolution only seeks revenge, it fosters more violence and creates a more oppressed society. The French Revolution while successful in the sense that it overthrew the government, has one dangerous aspect in common with oppression: violence. This revolution is depicted in A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens, where the persecuted peasants of France start a rebellion to try and achieve revenge government. However, by using violence as the primary method to abolish the government and boasting about the dominance of the revolution through the Carmagnole, the revolutionaries discredit themselves.
As humans people naturally become more independent with their lives. Growing up, people move away from their parents, and any bonds that once sustained from the past slowly diminishes. However, the past does affect ones future, and some attachments are so deeply woven inside the fibers of beings that moving on seems nearly impossible. In the novel A Tale of Two Cities written by Charles Dickens, Dicken uses Doctor Alexandre Manette inconsistent character development to suggest that self realization is the only way to overcome a crisis, which express that all people should rely on themselves rather than search for others in order to achieve recovery.
In Charles Dickens’ novel A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens does an excellent job in representing justice throughout the novel. Doctor Manette does not want to get revenge for his imprisonment of eighteen years even though this part of Doctor Manette 's life was wasted. Charles d’Evremonde knows what his family is up to but does not want to be involved in it or have anything to do with this situation. Charles is sent to La Force for being an emigrant coming into France and is going to be executed for it until Sydney Carton comes into play and prevents Charles’ life from ending by risking his own life. In A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens uses the motif of justice to show that one does not have to like another person in order to risk their own life for that other person.
Dickens first introduces the character Madame Defarge by giving a description of her features with the motif of dark, “ This, in combination with the lifting of her darkly defined eyebrows…” (31). In the quote, Dickens is using darkness to describe how Madame Defarge looks, which one can lead to describe Madame Defarge as an antagonist. Dickens again ties Madame Defarge and the motif of darkness by describing the rat holes that she creates in France when planning the revolution. The narrator describes, “... the rats were sleeping close together in their dark holes again…” (108). Dickens describes the poor people in France as rats, the reason being that the poor were looked upon as dirty.
