A Tale Of Two Cities Essay - 1471 Words

Charles Dickens wrote A Tale of Two Cities in order to enlighten the average Briton about the events of the French Revolution. The novel compares and contrasts cities of London and Paris, which represent French and British society, through the eyes of Dickens’ human characters. The two cities play such a large part in the novel that they become characters themselves, and the contrasting societies of the two cities become a conflict. In Charles Dickens’ classic, A Tale of Two Cities, the individualistic society of London champions the first feudalistic and later socialistic society of Paris. Dickens writes this novel without bias; he makes that clear in the first chapter, â€Å"In England, there was scarcely an amount of order and protection†¦show more content†¦The elites treat the people with less respect than their dogs. Doctor Manette’s prison account clearly demonstrates the class gap, â€Å"The speaker [the Marquis] seemed to acknowledge that it was inconvenient to have that different order of creature [the peasant] dying there, and that it would have been better if he died in the usual obscure routine of his vermin kind† (Dickens 329). Not only is there an extreme difference in lifestyle, but the upper class also treats the lower class with extreme disdain. The treatment of the people at the hands of their â€Å"betters† and the class gap catalyzes the French Revolution. The first conflict between the two cities occurs during Dr. Manette’s imprisonment. Lucie’s secret escape to London by Mr. Lorry and Charles Darnay’s parallel refusal to accept his inheritance in France represent the victory of London’s individualist society over the unjust, feudalistic society of Paris. Post-revolutionary Paris should be an entirely different society than pre-revolutionary Paris. In many ways it is, but the result remains the same: the innocent man is still â€Å"proven† guilty. The common people have the power now, but that power does not result in good reasoning. In the socialistic society of Paris, there are two ways to rule. In the first way, the people rule themselves with a mob-like mentality. In the second a ruling elite rises to the top by taking a populist approach and manipulating the people. AShow MoreRelated A Tale Of Two Cities Essay553 Words   |  3 Pages Capitol Punishment: Toy of Evil Men nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;One might believe that because capital punishment plays such a large role in Charles Dickens’ A Tale Of Two Cities, that Dickens himself is a supporter of it. This just simply is not true. Dickens uses capitol punishment as a tool to define the evil embodied in both the French ruling class, and the opposing lower class during the French Revolution; as well as comment on the sheep-like nature of humankind. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;InRead MoreA Tale of Two Cities Essay894 Words   |  4 PagesA Tale of Two Cities Jarvis Lorry, an employee of Tellsons Bank, was sent to find Dr. Manette, an unjustly imprisoned physician, in Paris and bring him back to England. Lucie, Manettes daughter who thought that he was dead, accompanied Mr. Lorry. Upon arriving at Defarges wine shop in Paris, they found Mr. Manette in a dreadful state and took him back to London with them. Mr. Manette could not rember why he had been imprisoned, or when he was imprisoned. 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Charles Dickens, author of A Tale of Two Cities, creatively foreshadows future events using suspenseful topics: A forbidden declaration of love, a tragically beautiful sunset streaked with crimson, echoing footsteps of a past that will not be forgotten, and wine stained streets soon toRead MoreA Tale Of Two Cities Allusions Essay1634 Words   |  7 PagesDickens’ also uses allusions to the Bible in the novel A Tale of Two Cities in order to emphasize events, his opinions, and themes. Dickens’ compares the Storming of the Bastille to the Last Day in order to emphasize that the peasants are unqualified to take justice into their own hands it is Jesus’/God’s position in order to determine who will be severely punished. Dickens’ allusion to the Last Day (Judgment Day) in A Tale of Two Cities is a biblical reference. In Anglicanism (the common formRead MoreA Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens Essay1393 Words   |  6 Pagescritical acclaim, A Tale of Two Cities occupies a central place in the cannon of Charles Dickens’ work. A Tale of Two Cities, published in serial form starting on April 30, 1859, is a historical fiction novel. A dominant theme in this historical novel is the duality found in many of Dickens’ characters. Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities is somewhat autobiographical; emphasizes the key elements of theme, plot, and character; and has received extensive criticism. A Tale of Two Cities is told in three partsRead MoreEssay about A Tale Of Two Cities2268 Words   |  10 Pages There are no characters that the reader see as good and turn out to be evil at the end or vica versa. Their goodness or evilness is clearly shown from the beginning. amp;#9; amp;nbsp; A Tale of Two Cities takes place in England and France, during the time of the French Revolution. A Tale of Two Cities is a classic novel, where Charles Dickens presents to the reader archetypal main characters. From the beginning of the novel, the reader can know whether the characters are evil or not. In the