The Two Towers

In Breton’s the Court and Country, we are witness to a passionate debate between two men from different walks of life. Both the Courtier and the Countryman list the fantastic qualities of their home, while rebuking that of the other’s. The crux of Courtier’s argument is that the city brings joy and a higher quality of life: “[. . .] for knowledge, we have . . . the deciphering of characters [. . .] which are such delights of the spirit [. . .]” (Breton 374-375). While the Countryman argues that…

Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities remains the most popular cautionary tale of the Realistic time period. Written to warn against the dangers of the Industrial Revolution, Dickens’ novel uses strong characterization and historical context to demonstrate the cycle of oppression that occurs throughout any social reformation. Sydney Carton, one of his most complex characters, represents Dickens’s desire to break this cycle; a desire explicitly expressed in Sydney’s final speech. Sydney Carton…

Alexis Byrd English II- 6th A Tale of Two Cities 1- 11 February 2015 Plot 1 Pages 1-5: The story opens in 1775. It is harsh for the poor people, but for the rich it's great. Things were very unfair. If you did not obey the French government, they would punish you. They would cut off hands and pull out tongues. Crime was horrible during this time from hunger and poorness. The plot starts late one night in a stage-coach. They are nervous and scared of robbers. Plot 2 Pages 6-9: All…

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…” (Dickens 1). Charles Dickens describes the time period of the novel A Tale of Two Cities using only superlatives, as people lived in extreme wealth or extreme poverty, with nothing inbetween. In England, unfair law and order wrought mass crime upon the people. Depending on the jury’s mood on a given day, they could sentenced the accused to minor punishment, such as branding, or drawing…

In the novel Old Goriot by Honoré de Balzac discusses societal interactions in France in the early 1800s. Balzac investigates the jostling for power in different social classes. This novel is set after the French Revolution, where there was an increase in the fluidity between classes. This fluidity was caused by the restoration of the aristocracy, after it was mostly destroyed in the revolution. Rastignac is a young student, who is just becoming an adult in the real world. He wants to become a…

Metaphors can be used to enhance one’s perception about an unknown topic. Metaphor contributes to the theme of revolution in A Tale of Two Cities by giving the reader a better understanding of the reality and violence of the revolution. The broken wine cask in book one chapter five is the first major extended metaphor describing the desperation for a revolution. In this chapter, a cask of wine is dropped and when it reached the ground “the hoops had burst and it [...] shattered like a…

despair.” (Dickens 2). This notable quote started off the novel, with lots of meaning behind it. It compares the two major cities in the novel, London, and Paris. One of the major themes throughout the book was the rise of the revolution. Charles Dickens was a unique writer in the sense that he would use lots of foreshadowing to create the major plot in the novel. In The Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens uses dynamic and thought provoking events of foreshadowing to portray the events of the…

People are often times judged too quickly. Most times they are perceived as someone they are not. One needs to look beyond what is said or seen and take the time to get to know others for who they really are. In the novel, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, a character named Sydney Carton is judged too quickly and suffers because other characters do not take the time to get to know him for who he really is. Sydney Carton is a misunderstood man who everyone, including himself, proclaims as…

really wants to show his disapproval of mobs because of the way that they went from being so angry and then changed so quickly. He is pointing to the dangerous changeability of the mobs. Dickens is very clear on his opinion of mobs in A Tale of Two Cities because of his portrayal of them throughout the book. He points out their bloodthirsty behavior when the wine casket breaks. He notes their true danger during the funeral procession for Cly, and he shows the reader how changeable a mob is…

Napoleon Bonaparte, “there is no such thing as accident; it is fate misnamed”. Since the 16th century, it was believed among historical figures that each individual controls their own destiny through their actions. The novel of Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, written in 1859, famously depicts the story of loss and love during the French Revolution in 1789. Throughout the novel, Dickens uses many characters and symbols to develop of theme of fate and destiny. Symbols such as the broken…