A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Literature Analysis
By Hayden Robel
“It was the best of times; it was the
worst of times.” – Charles Dickens
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GENERAL______________________________________
1. Briefly summarize the plot
of the novel you read, and explain how the narrative fulfills the author's
purpose (based on your well-informed interpretation of same).
2. Succinctly describe the
theme of the novel. Avoid clichés.
3. Describe the author's
tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
4. Describe a minimum of ten
literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding
of the author's purpose, the text's theme and/or your sense of the tone. For
each, please include textual support to help illustrate the point for your
readers. (Please include edition and page numbers for easy reference.)
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1. Spanning the tumultuous
twilight years of eighteenth century France, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is a tale of redemption, of
loss, and, even more, sacrifice. Beginning at the onset of the French
Revolution in 1775, Charles Dickens’ legendary novel chronicles the exploits of
various citizens over the course of the turbulent revolution. From the French
Aristocrat/primary protagonist Charles Darnay to a vast menagerie of figures, A Tale of Two Cities is not merely a
work of fiction but so to is it a chronicle, retelling of sorts of the
turpitude and injustices that transpired during the French Revolution, wherein
the common people the populace starved, wallowed in the streets of every city
and the wealthy Aristocracy, apparent “nobleman” dined with fine wines and
imported breads. In the service of avoiding full frontal spoilers by summary,
Charles Darnay essentially epitomizes what would become the archetypical mold
of a rich, at onetime ignorantly blinded in bliss aristocrat who eventually
comes to realize and empathize with the suffering of those less fortunate,
ultimately (with the sacrifice of an apathetic, goalless, attorney by the name
of Sydney Carton) finding his own humanity while helping out hi fellow man.
Charles Dickens A Tale of Two Cities
is undoubtedly his magnum opus, a timeless tale conveying empathy, compassion
for fellow man, as well as (what I believe) the authors purpose of the need for
self-sacrifice for betterment of all. Indeed Charles Dickens tale is one of two
different worlds, two cities.
2. Of the litany of
thematical motifs flowing within the undercurrents of the novel, Charles
Dickens’ primary “theme” accomplished with A
Tale of Two Cities is, in my opinion, that of self-sacrifice, redemption.
Charles Darnay was initially one of the wealthy, ignorant nobleman blinded by his
fortunate, birth-right bliss but (thru his love for a “commoner” Lucie
Mannette) ultimately sacrificed this
social station to enjoy his life with the love of it. Even the invariably
inebriated attorney Sydney Carton is a connoted symbol of the concept of self-sacrifice,
he sacrificing himself so that Darnay could escape execution, thus as Sydney’s
life is given purpose thru self sacrifice, the man achieving redemption for his self-motioned “worthless existence”.
3.
·
“And now that the
cloud settled on Saint Antoine, which a momentary gleam had driven from his
sacred countenance, the darkness of it was heavy--cold, dirt, sickness,
ignorance, and want, were the lords in waiting on the saintly presence--nobles
of great power all of them; but, most especially the last.”
·
“The faintness of
the voice was pitiable and dreadful. Its deplorable peculiarity was, that it
was the faintness of solitude and disuse. It was like the last feeble echo of a
sound made long and long ago.”
·
“Every pulse and
heart in Saint Antoine was on high-fever strain and at high-fever heat. Every
living creature there held life as of no account, and was demented with a
passionate readiness to sacrifice it.”
A master of writing, the
English language ecumenical, Charles Dickens’s utilization of rhetorical
strategies is not limited to impeccable diction, unparalleled pacing, stylish
structure but so to is his expert craftsmanship lent to tone. Gruesome and cold
with dark diction and even darker descriptions, Charles Dickens’s tone within
his A Tale of Two Cities can only be
dubbed as grime. With grotesque, deprave actions being committed by man against
man, and even more abominable acts being committed in the name of revolution or
for the Old Guard Aristocracy, Charles Dickens paints a lonely and dark
renditions of the French Revolution and the city/populace of Saint Antoine,
depicting the disparity of two different peoples of the same city, yet two
different cities all the same.
4. Here we go.
·
Imagery: “And now
that the cloud settled on Saint Antoine, which a momentary gleam had driven
from his sacred countenance, the darkness of it was heavy--cold, dirt,
sickness, ignorance, and want, were the lords in waiting on the saintly
presence--nobles of great power all of them; but, most especially the last.”
(Book 1, Chapter 5, Paragraph 6) You can feel the filth, the grime and tense
darkness enveloping the city of Saint
Antoine here, on the eve of revolution.
·
Tone: “Every
pulse and heart in Saint Antoine was on high-fever strain and at high-fever heat.
Every living creature there held life as of no account, and was demented with a
passionate readiness to sacrifice it.” (Book 2, Chapter 21, Paragraph 30) The
grim tone is evident (as it was above) here with Dickens’ expert manipulation
of diction such as the choice words of “demented” or likening of Saint Antoine
to a state of fever madness.
·
Imagery: “Far and
wide lay a ruined country, yielding nothing but desolation. Every green leaf,
every blade of grass and blade of grain, was as shriveled and poor as the
miserable people.” (Book 2, Chapter 23, Paragraph 2)
·
Paradox: “It was
the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was
the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of
incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was
the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us,
we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going
direct the other way. . . .” (Book 1, Chapter 1, Paragraph 1) Quite possibly
the single most memorable/legendary openings to any work of the English
language, Dicken’s entire novel is perfectly as well as concisely connoted in
this paradoxical piece as the excerpt hints to the ironic existence of both
extravagantly rich and an exasperated poor (amongst a hell lot of other things
that could inspire an entire essay but I’d rather not :).
·
Metaphor: “As an
emotion of the mind will express itself through any covering of the body, so
the paleness which his situation engendered came through the brown upon his
cheek, showing the soul to be stronger than the sun.” (Book 2, Chapter 2,
Paragraph 41) Testifying himself in front the French court, Darnay here thru
Dickens’s describes his innocence, his constitution “stronger than the sun”
metaphorically of course.
·
Symbolism: “The
time was to come, when that wine too would be spilled on the street-stones, and
when the stain of it would be red upon many there.” (Book 1, Chapter 5,
Paragraph 5) A classic likening of wine to the color of blood, blood itself is
symbolized here, if not foreshadowed to be spilled unto the streets
cobblestones as the Revolution revs in haste.
·
Simile: “With a
roar that sounded as if all the breath in France had been shaped into the detested
word, the living sea rose, wave on wave, depth on depth, and overflowed the
city to that point. Alarm-bells ringing, drums beating, the sea raging and
thundering on its new beach, the attack began.” (Book 2, Chapter 21, Paragraph
36) Creating the image of the commoners, revolutionary people as a raging,
rising sea, this simile is striking in its imagery.
·
Setting: “It was
the year of Our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy seven.” (Book 1,
Chapter 1, Paragraph 1) Time-stamping, the setting of the book is smack dab
right on the beginning/eve of the French Revolution and thus a grim and
gruesome time, place to be, place to read.
·
Allusion: “I am
the Resurrection and the Life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall
never die.” (Book 3, Chapter 2, Paragraph 1) this is a direct rip from the
Bible wherein Christ says the quote upon raising Lazarus from the dead.
·
Irony: “Jerry you
are an honest tradesman." (Book 1, Chapter 1, Paragraph 10) Its ironic
that Jerry Cruncher is called an “honest tradesman” in that the character
ultimately becomes/is later revealed to be one of the undercover
revolutionaries.
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CHARACTERIZATION__________________________
1. Describe two examples of
direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization.
Why does the author use both approaches, and to what end (i.e., what is your
lasting impression of the character as a result)?
2. Does the author's syntax
and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character? How?
Example(s)?
3. Is the protagonist static
or dynamic? Flat or round? Explain.
4. After reading the book did
you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character?
Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction.
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1.
Direct Characterization
·
EXAMPLE 1:
·
“I am a
disappointed drudge, sir. I care for no man on earth, and no man on earth cares
for me.” – Sydney Carton
·
EXAMPLE 2:
·
“Monseigneur had
one truly noble idea of general public business, which was, to let everything
go on in its own way; of particular public business, Monseigneur had the other
truly noble idea that it must all go his way--tend to his own power and pocket.
Of his pleasures, general and particular, Monseigneur had the other truly noble
idea, that the world was made for them.” – A description of Monseigneur
Indirect characterization
·
EXAMPLE 1:
·
“In any of the
burial-places of this city through which I pass, is there a sleeper more
inscrutable than its busy inhabitants are, in their innermost personality, to
me, or than I am to them?” – Charles Darnay
·
EXAMPLE 2:
·
“He knew very
well, that in his horror of the deed which had culminated the bad deeds and bad
reputation of the old family house, in his resentful suspicions of his uncle,
and in the aversion with which his conscience regarded the crumbling fabric
that he was supposed to uphold, he had acted imperfectly. He knew very well,
that in his love for Lucie, his renunciation of his social place, though by no
means new to his own mind, had been hurried and incomplete.” – Charles Darnay’s
internalized thoughts
As I’ve said in nearly all of
my literature analyses, any writer worth their royalties utilizes both direct
and indirect characterization. As a foremost figure of the written English
language, Charles Dickens’s masterfully utilizes both methods to characterize
his characters. With the direct characterization examples above we are learned
Sydney Carton’s seeming mantra of purposeless existence as well as the
capricious, disgustingly haughty character of the aristocrat Monseigneur. With
indirect characterization example one Charles Darnay contemplates on his social
station as a more fortunate aristocrat/begins to characterize himself as a
sympathetic character to the poor lower classes as example 2 further
solidifies. Indeed, Charles Dickens’ like any worthwhile writer, employed both
direct and in characterization to flesh out his characters.
2. Yes. Dickens’s grim/dark
tone shifts to a lesser gruesome, but sometime even moreso, tone when
characterizing characters. As a relevant example, look at indirect
characterization example 2, as Darnay contemplates his relationship to his
fellow Saint Antoinians, Dickens’s tone, while remaining drenched with dark
diction, to a simpler more expedient style in order to lend unmistakable
gravitas to the internal monologue.
3. Charles Darnay is dynamic
for a character of this literary period. Charles Dickens conveyed the character
as one initially blinded by birth-right blessings to the unfortunate
circumstance of the lesser fortunate lower class Frenchmen. Darnay ultimately
sheds his aristocratic tidings, sacrificing them, for love, happiness with his
to be wife Lucie and thus not only fulfills the most prevalent thematical motif
of A Tale of Two Cities but also
depicts dynamic change unlike many other protagonists of the early nineteenth
century forward.
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Literary Analysis #4 Great Expectations
1. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens starts of with the introduction of a young man, Phillip who prefers to be addressed as Pip. Pip comes from a non-traditional background, he was an orphaned child who was being raised by his sister and her husband in London during the mid-nineteenth century. As he was in a graveyard gazing upon the tombstones of his family, a man attacked him from behind and threatened to kill him had he not answered a series of questions. This man, Magwitch, turned out to be a criminal who had escaped from jail. Just as Pip was doing everything this man said in order to live another day, Magwitch was recaptured.Recovering form this near-death experience, Pip's uncle, Pumlechook took him to the Statis House to play. This house is the home of Miss Havisham, a women who is extravagant and does everything, "over the top." While in her home, Pip meets and falls to his knees for Estella. Estella is a young lady raised to break men's hearts at Miss Havisham's request. While Pip fell in love immediately, Estella was rude and cold-hearted. She eventually married an abusive man with an incredible social status. However, this never stopped Pip from chasing the love of his life till the end of the novel.
Along Pip's journey, he was given a generous fortune from an unknown source. To claim his fortune, Pip had to travel to London where he could inherit this fortune at the age of twenty-one. Wile in London, Pip met Herbert Pockett, whom he aided with his fortune in order to help Herbert pursue his dreams. While enjoying London, Pip was met with yet another curve-ball. He is reunited with Magwitch, who claims to be the source of Pip's fortune, and not Miss Havisham as Pip was led to believe. Although Pip was indecisive as how to react to this news, Pip became close with this convict and eventually helped him in escaping London. Unfortunately, their attempt was unsuccessful and Magwitch was sentenced to death.
To conclude the novel, Pip discovered the love of his life, Estella, is Magwitch's daughter, but doesn't allow this crucial detail determine his love and affection towards her. They chose to continue their life happily and confident that they will remain an item.
2. A potential theme for this novel could be that when love is genuine and pure, it can surpass the worst of circumstances. Pip's introduction to Estella wasn't ideal for any fairytale. She was rude and cold-hearted to him and even men in general. To add on to these unattractive qualities, Estella proved that she was easily influenced . Miss Havisham adopted Estella into the upper class where she was manipulated time and time again. Miss Havisham raised her to act in this way towards men in order to gain revenge on the man that broke her heart years ago. Even with this knowledge, Pip was still very much in love with this young lady.
To add on to the baggage this lady had, she turned out to be the biological daughter of Magwitch, the convict whom attacked Pip at the beginning of the novel. She wasn't raised around Magwitch, and had denied membership of the lowest of all the classes that her biological father came from.
Instead of marrying Pip, a commoner in a "lower" societal class, Estella married a nobleman by the name of Drummle. Drummle had social status, but treated his wife cruelly and proved to be unfit for her. He eventually passed on, leaving a perfect opportunity for her and Pip to reunite.
In conclusion, it takes real love to survive the events that met both Pip and Estella throughout the course of this novel. When Estella was rude, and even married to someone else, Pip never gave up hope that he and the love of his life would end up together.
3. The tone of this novel is one that I have never come across before. The tone can be described as one that is oppressing yet hopeful at the same time. Quotes that can further illustrate my point are:
- "I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be." Its saddening that discouragement occupied a relationship in the novel, but reassuring that even when faced with discouragement, it's possible to still love one another.
- "Ask no questions, and you'll be told no lies." Being lied to has the potential to make one feel unworthy and depressed, but knowing a way of how to avoid lies is comforting.
- "We need never be ashamed of our tears. For they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts." Seeing or reading of a person who is brought to tears makes for an upsetting tone. Not to mention, being the one crying is much more heartbreaking. However, knowing that crying isn't wrong and serves a purpose is comforting in the midst of one's unhappiness.
4.
- Metaphor-"... think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on one memorable day." (page 82) In this quote, the chains and flowers were metaphors for what could potentially hold the characters back from doing what they really wanted.
- Anaphora-"... one [man's] a blacksmith, and one's a whitesmith, and one's a goldsmith, and one's a coppersmith. Divisions among such must come, and must be met as they come." (page 260) This quote made a point that each man must be separated due to their profession.
- Narration-"...I called myself Pip, and came to be called Pip." (page 1) Right from the beginning of the novel, Dickens identified Pip as the main character as well as the narrator.
- Foil- "Keep still, you little devil, or I'll cut your throat!" (page 1) This quote was made by Magwitch, the convict that attacked Pip at the beginning of the novel. This quote only made Pip look more innocent and defenseless and made Magwitch look more evil and crooked. Pip was identified as a young orphan who was visiting his parents tombstones as he got attacked by a criminal who escaped incarceration. These two descriptions made each character look opposite of another at this point in time.
- Setting- "As I was looking out at the iron gate of Bartholomew Close into Little Britain, I saw Miss Jaggers coming across the road towards me." (page 142) During this time in the novel setting was crucial since Pip had to travel to London to collect his fortune.
- Innuendo-"I give Pirrip as my father's family name, on the authority of his tombstone and my sister..." (page 1) Immediately we discover that Pip is an orphan without him directly saying so.
- Local Color- "I am going to London, Miss Pockett.." (page 136) London exists in this novel just as it does in reality. In fact, this is where Dickens grew up.
- Frame of reference-"Nevertheless, a hackney-coachmen, who seemed to have as many capes to his greasy great-coat as he was years old.." (page 139) During this era, coachmen were extremely common as well as popular.
- Point of view-"I looked all around for the horrible young man, and could see no signs of him." (page 5) This quotes proves that the point of view is in first person in this novel.
- Symbol- "I am greatly changed. I wonder you know me." (page 415). This quote by Estella represents change in this novel. All in all, I feel that Estella represents change and recovery throughout the whole novel.
Characterization
1. Two examples of direct characterization are:
"A man with no hat, and with broken shoes, and with an old rag tied round his head."
Two examples of indirect characterization are:
"Miss Havisham gives you to him, as the greatest slight and injury that could be done to the many far better men who admire you, and to the few who truly love you." Indirectly, Pip is stating that being with anyone else but him is a mistake. That it would hurt him and "injur" him since he admires her and truly loves her.
2. The author's syntax does change when he focuses on character. When not focusing on character, Dickens writes in what I would consider a normal style. He writes in twenty-first century English. When he focuses on characters, however, he develops a different syntax as well as diction. An example is, "At Epsom races, a matter of over twenty years ago, I got acquainted wi' a man whose name was Compeyson; and that's the man, dear boy, what you see apounding in the ditch, according to what you truly told your comradearter I was gone last night." The words "wi" and "comaradearter" demonstrate my point.
3. Pip is dynamic and round character. In Pip's life, his chance of becoming a respectable "gentleman" with his large fortune is the event that changed his life. He went from being a young, and defenseless little boy in chapter one to "an old bachelor" in chapter fifty-nine. Not only that, Pip went from fearing the man who attacked him at the cemetery to helping the same man attempt to escape from imprisonment.
4. After reading this novel I felt as if I had met person. Pip's character was so honest and genuine that it was hard to not love him as a character and potentially a live figure. The quotes, "I know, I have no hope that I shall ever call you mine, Estella. I am ignorant what may become of me very soon, how poor I may be, or where I may go. Still, I love you. I have loved you ever since I first saw you in this house.", show his true colors. This alone illustrates that Pip has feelings and a heart that feels for another person. This made me feel as if I met a person and not read a character.
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