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The Footsteps Die Out Forever In A Tale Of Two Cities By Charles Dickens

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The Footsteps Die out Forever

The name, “The Footsteps Die out Forever” refers to the last chapter in the novel A Tale of Two Cities by 19th century Charles Dickens. This passage takes place at the very end of the book, and details the consequences of Carton’s actions. Before this passage we observe Carton’s swap with Darnay, the escape of the Manette family, and the death of Madame Defarge.
This passage occurs at the very end of the book, and serves as a conclusion to the story of the whole. At this point in the book, many of the “loose ends” in the plot are tied up, as our protagonists have narrowly escaped the wrath of the revolution. In this chapter the story literally ends for both us, and Sydney Carton. The end of the book serves as …show more content…

At the beginning of each paragraph of Carton’s thoughts, the phrase “I see” is repeated in regards to Carton’s vision of the future. This repetition illustrates his insight, in seeing beyond his death, beyond his life, and towards a point where the horrors of this day will be forgotten. He looks beyond the present, and describes that this city of destruction will be repaired by the “brilliant people” of this “beautiful city” who are “rising from the abyss”. Dickens uses such diction as “brilliant”, and “beautiful”, words which only have positive connotations, to describe the people who had just wrongly sentenced Darnay and are about to execute Carton. This usage serves to describe Carton’s willingness to see beyond the atrocities of the day. This idea is also demonstrated in Dicken’s metaphor “rising from the abyss”, to describe Carton’s belief that the people will return from this madness. This strand of thought is concluded in Carton’s described vision of the end of the current evil, “I see the evil of this time and of the previous time of which this is the natural birth, gradually making expiation for itself and wearing out”. Here Dickens personifies the evil, which in this case refers to the murderous violence of the revolutionaries. And much like the cycle of human life from birth to death, evil follows the cycle from “natural birth” to “wearing out”. Carton’s belief in this …show more content…

How that might translate into restoring Paris from its current state of violence is left unspecified, yet Carton is sure this will

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A Tale of Two Cities The novel “A Tale of Two Cities” presented the rising conflict between the classes in France. Charles Dickens was able to incorporate many motifs during the story, one of the main ones being doubles. The motif allowed Dickens to tell the story from the aristocracy perspective and the people’s perspective by constantly going back in forth between England and France. Throughout the novel, Dickens described both the obscene excesses of the aristocracy and the people during the revolution.

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Dickens uses juxtaposition to compare Stryver and Carton. Dickens gives clues in the story to let the reader know specific information that he wants the audience to realize for upcoming events. In the book Chapter 5 book 2 Dickens open the scene with Mr. Stryver and Carton talking about the earlier court case.

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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.

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In the nineteenth century, Dickens was writing a forgettable epic works. "Dickens beliefs and attitudes were typical of the age in which he lived” (Slater 301). The circumstances and financial difficulties caused Dickens’s father to be imprisoned briefly for debt. Dickens himself was put to work for a few months at a shoe-blacking warehouse. Memories of this painful period in his life were to influence much of his later writing, which is characterized by empathy, oppressed, and a keen examination of class distinctions.

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Throughout the passage, Dickens uses sorrowful syntax to indicate Sydney Carton’s acceptance of his wasteful life, and his subsequent sacrifice to fill it with meaning by recounting the legacy that he forged. Once described as a man who was going nowhere in his life (84), Carton is now portrayed as wanting to forfeit his life to make others happy. In the chapter, Dickens describes how Carton thinks that “...It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done…” (347). Within the quote, Dickens uses rather emotional syntax to acknowledge how Carton feels about his past, wasted life. Furthermore, Dickens also uses praises like “It is a far, far better rest that I go to” (347), signifying that Carton acknowledges that the sacrifice

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Throughout the novel, the audience is able to infer what the author’s personal feeling towards the revolution is. This is shown through the personification of the guillotine, a tone of uncertainty, and use of violence through oppression. Therefore, the speaker is expressing his view on the revolution, while also predicting the resurrection of France. The passage introduces the final chapter of the novel, “The Footsteps Die Out for Ever.”

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Throughout Chapter 21, in A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens utilizes literary techniques in order to efficiently portray the characters emotions in response to the current happenings in London and France. During this time, Lucie Manette gives birth to a baby girl named Lucie and a son who died at only a few years old. Outside of Lucie’s life, France is on the edge of a major Revolution and has a vast effect on the daily lives of the individuals living there. Dickens conveys people’s emotions and daily occurrences through, motifs, metaphors and juxtaposition, to allow the reader to fully comprehend the lasting impact that these current events had on several characters, specifically, Lucie. At the very beginning of this chapter, Dickens opens with the sentence, “A wonderful corner for echoes.”

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He is a drunk and a lawyer who doesn’t take credit for his work. Carton views himself as worthless, but by dying for Charles at the end of the book he redeems himself in his own eyes. The theme of resurrection is shown by Carton’s death. Charles’ family lives because Sydney Carton dies. The last few pages of A Tale of Two Cities hints at a joyful, peaceful life for Lucie, Charles, Doctor Manette, and the children that wouldn't be possible without Sydney’s sacrifice.

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In A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, there are clear allusions to the upcoming French Revolution in the presence of the Woodsman and the Farmer. The Woodsman’s presence in the book represented the growing dissent of the common people that ultimately led to the French Revolution. The Woodsman is introduced as Fate, who cuts down the marked trees. These trees are people who were put to death by the state for very minor crimes.

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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”.

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Within A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens, many characters are introduced as relevant to the story’s plot and progression. One, however, stands out above all others for his contributions to the story not only as a pivotal part of moving it towards its conclusion, but also for his complex personality and endearing actions throughout the novel: Sydney Carton. The beginning of the tale introduces Carton as a drunk lawyer, and one who is no good for anything but doing the work behind the scenes and taking midnight strolls in a drunken stupor. More than any other character, Carton is able to transform himself into someone of great importance, who bestowed upon himself the duty of not only getting his love and her family out of a dangerous Paris, but saving the life of the man, so much like him, who had all he could ever dream of. Sydney Carton is a tragically lonely man, and while forced to wallow in his woe through his own actions and failings, he is shown as an incredibly pitiful being.

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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.

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Carton knows he has wasted his potential and his life. On page 153, he tells Lucie he is a “self-flung away, wasted, drunken, poor creature of misuse…” All of this has taken place within Book 2 and he has not become somebody that resembles Christ yet. This change happens later on,

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Industrialization was a period of economic and social change that began in Britain in the 18th century and eventually spread throughout the world. Industrialization changed the way individuals loved and worked. Families moved to mechanical urban areas by the millions to work in the new factories. The first years of acclimation to the new modern culture was a time of extreme trouble for people. Entire families worked extended periods in wretched conditions in the factories and their homes weren’t much different.

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Dickens again is describing darkness, indirectly describing Madame Defarge for the second time, that is encompassing people in France. All in all, Dickens uses the motif of darkness with the character Madame Defarge to show that she is the antagonist in the

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