To be fair, the process of reading through and understanding Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities is not an easy task for a reader who is unfamiliar with the language and culture of the era the novel was written in, 1859 was when it was first published, to be exact. Although, the story itself takes place even earlier, between the times frames of before and during the French Revolution, the text still manages to be confusing to a modern reader. This issue can of course be simply pinned to the fact that it is incredibly difficult to understand societies and people of the past even if a specific culture is only dated back by a few hundred years.
It is important to note though, that in Dickens’s time it was common to have works such as A Tale …show more content…
By connecting the representation of various major subjects in Dickens’s work to the representations presented in Harper’s, as someone confused by the text beforehand, I was able to draw my own conclusion and make my own analysis on the meaning behind Dickens’s words in the historical backdrop that I once had very little knowledge on. One of the first main points of representation that is comparable between A Tale of Two Cities and Harper’s Weekly is the two sources views on women of the time. In both cases, it is no surprise that women are not considered equal to men but are seen as inferior in most walks of life. However, both source materials seem to take note of that and add their own spin on the patriarchal undermining of women. In the issue of Harper’s I read for June 11th, 1859 a short single image political cartoon was printed depicting a woman giving a speech in a large convention of sorts declaring the antiqued lines of “Ye may session of Ye woman’s rights convention Ye orator of Ye day denouncing Ye lords of creation” (Harper’s Weekly 372). The meaning of this cartoon does not necessarily come from what the woman …show more content…
The article titled “Homicide of a Deaf and Dumb Boy” in brief details a letter of correspondence regarding the content that was printed about the case in a past issue of the paper. The correspondent had known this boy in person and claimed the newspaper’s portrayal of him being an innocent character who deserves a sob story over his death is far from what he was like in reality and that his death should evoke no sympathy. This theme of differing perceptions of a person based on their reputation or making judgements on someone 's character with little context about them also appears in A Tale of Two Cities. Specifically with how Charles Darnay was presented during his trial, as one side of the court expressed that he was a gentleman and the other argued that he was a criminal and traitor. This weavering perception on Darnay’s character is exemplified by Miss Manette’s exchange with the court’s judge as she refers to him as a gentleman, while the judge scolds her and tells her to refer to Darnay as a prisoner (Dickens 93). While this theme of differing perceptions on one person’s true character is presented in Dickens work of literary fiction with the consideration of the article printed in Harper’s the theme also occurs in the real world. By having this reference provided by reading Harper’s it is easier to understand Dickens 's point he is making
It is important to note though, that in Dickens’s time it was common to have works such as A Tale …show more content…
By connecting the representation of various major subjects in Dickens’s work to the representations presented in Harper’s, as someone confused by the text beforehand, I was able to draw my own conclusion and make my own analysis on the meaning behind Dickens’s words in the historical backdrop that I once had very little knowledge on. One of the first main points of representation that is comparable between A Tale of Two Cities and Harper’s Weekly is the two sources views on women of the time. In both cases, it is no surprise that women are not considered equal to men but are seen as inferior in most walks of life. However, both source materials seem to take note of that and add their own spin on the patriarchal undermining of women. In the issue of Harper’s I read for June 11th, 1859 a short single image political cartoon was printed depicting a woman giving a speech in a large convention of sorts declaring the antiqued lines of “Ye may session of Ye woman’s rights convention Ye orator of Ye day denouncing Ye lords of creation” (Harper’s Weekly 372). The meaning of this cartoon does not necessarily come from what the woman …show more content…
The article titled “Homicide of a Deaf and Dumb Boy” in brief details a letter of correspondence regarding the content that was printed about the case in a past issue of the paper. The correspondent had known this boy in person and claimed the newspaper’s portrayal of him being an innocent character who deserves a sob story over his death is far from what he was like in reality and that his death should evoke no sympathy. This theme of differing perceptions of a person based on their reputation or making judgements on someone 's character with little context about them also appears in A Tale of Two Cities. Specifically with how Charles Darnay was presented during his trial, as one side of the court expressed that he was a gentleman and the other argued that he was a criminal and traitor. This weavering perception on Darnay’s character is exemplified by Miss Manette’s exchange with the court’s judge as she refers to him as a gentleman, while the judge scolds her and tells her to refer to Darnay as a prisoner (Dickens 93). While this theme of differing perceptions on one person’s true character is presented in Dickens work of literary fiction with the consideration of the article printed in Harper’s the theme also occurs in the real world. By having this reference provided by reading Harper’s it is easier to understand Dickens 's point he is making