Comparing France and England at the time of the Revolution.

Infamous among the respected nations of Europe, there exist two neighboring countries, having nothing in common except the hardships that their people suffered on the course of history. This, known to the general public on the basis of each country ruler’s strong belief that they should wash their hands off any other country’s affairs; and thus declaring blatantly: “We are independent and free!” This, in interpretation, signifying freedom from all the bonds that tie us to our human kin and release from all responsibilities concerning what happens to these ‘strangers’; and on no account must it be mistaken for any kind of physical or spiritual alleviation. Nevertheless, though the bonds that connect these two countries were deliberately erased from the pages of history, the chronicles of many smaller men are passed down from one generation to the next to these very times, where they act as fuel that keeps these words flowing.... Many centuries ago, in the year seventeen seventy five, though Paris had still been the capital of France; and though London had, even then, been the capital of England, the two countries and their prime cities could not have undergone a more shocking change when compared to our modern times. At the setting of the eighteenth century, Paris had been engulfed in the bloody conflicts that ensued between its citizens. Muddles of poverty were

  • Word count: 529
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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What similarities exist between "The Poor Relation's Story" by Charles Dickens and "The Life of Ma Parker" by Katherine Mansfield? What conclusions can be drawn from these similarities about the literature of social reform?

J.Hart What similarities exist between "The Poor Relation's Story" by Charles Dickens and "The Life of Ma Parker" by Katherine Mansfield? What conclusions can be drawn from these similarities about the literature of social reform? The literature of social reform is a very different to other areas of literature in that it concentrates on one particular message ignoring all others, whilst other literature is generally aimed at providing a topic which can be interpreted in many ways. The message dispensed by the literature of social reform is one of social improvement. Its aim is to make people stop and think about the bigger picture for a change instead of their own personal affairs. Once that has been achieved, perhaps they will be motivated enough to take action and so raise society's moral level. This idea of public motivation is achieved by a number of methods. Both of the stories are told using a narrative platform of just a few hours. It is no coincidence that the same technique has been deployed in both stories. Both Katherine Mansfield and Charles Dickens are trying to make a point. If someone can tell you of their routine day in, day out, and so describe their whole lives in just a few hours, then their lives are seriously lacking in variety. A person needs to go on holiday, have a night out etc. If these variations are missing from a person's life, then it is a

  • Word count: 1789
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Resurrection in A Tale of Two Cities

Tale of Two Cities Resurrection in A Tale of Two Cities Resurrection is a powerful theme found throughout the plot of A Tale of Two Cities. Many of the characters in the novel are involved with the intertwining themes of love, redemption, and good versus evil. The theme of resurrection involves certain aspects of all of these themes and brings the story together. Dr. Manette is the first person to experience resurrection in A Tale of Two Cities. He is taken away from his pregnant wife and then imprisoned for eighteen very long years. Over the years, his condition deteriorates until he forgets his real name and mindlessly cobbles shoes to pass the time. In Book the First, he is released by the French government and then put in the care of Monsieur Defarge. He is suddenly recalled to life(19, 35). However, his rebirth has just begun and does not become complete until he is reunited with his daughter; Lucy Manette. In Book the Second; The Golden Thread, the resurrection theme appears several times. At the start of this book, Charles Darnay is on trial for treason in England. He has been traveling back and forth between France and England and is thought to be a spy. The people in the crowd are sure that he will be found guilty, the punishment for this crime being death. Darnay is saved by the ingeniousness of Sydney Carton, and he too is suddenly resurrected or recalled to life.

  • Word count: 1176
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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A tale of two cities

'A TALE OF TWO CITIES' - CHARLES DICKENS Throughout 'A tale of two cities', Dickens mirrors 17th century France with 19th century Britain. He uses his novel to portray his political views, which have been affected by his own suffering due to poverty in his childhood, with the stirring hate in pre-revolutionary France to warn Britain that there could be another revolution if the plague of poverty in Victorian times was not cured. This essay will explore how chapter 21 of the novel, a pivotal, crucial moment in the narrative where the Bastille is stormed, portrays Dickens' deeply felt convictions on the dangers of widespread social strife. Dickens exploits powerful metaphors to create an impacting atmosphere around the reader. This is evident when he describes the Saint-Antoine crowd as 'the living sea'. This really expresses the crowd as a large, powerful unstoppable force. This style is coupled when he adds, 'rose wave on wave'. The word 'rose' emphasizes the sheer might and sudden increase of the mob and scares readers with how he links it with his political views. This prevailing uprising he talks about is designed to warn the people in Britain how quickly a revolution can start and heighten rapidly. To vary the use of metaphors used Dickens changes to alliteration to stress the power of his sentences. He proves this when reinforcing the imposing strength of

  • Word count: 677
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.

A Tale of Two Cities A Tale of Two Cities (1859) is one of the magnificent historical novels written by Charles Dickens. The two cities mentioned are London and Paris. It is based in the time of the French revolution. The story begins with the journey of Lucie Manette, Miss Pross, who took care of Lucie and Mr. Lorry to Paris. They went to meet Dr. Manette, Lucie's father, who had been held prisoner in the Bastille without a trial, for eighteen years and was now been taken care by his old servant Monsieur Defarge. They went to the wine shop in St. Antoine which was owned by Monsieur Defarge. They met Dr. Manette and took him back to England where his health improved in the love and care of his daughter. At the same time in Paris, a nobleman, the Marquis St. Evremonde was riding back to his palace in his carriage when he ran over a peasant boy. Gaspard, the father of the boy stepped forward and the Marquis threw out a gold coin at him. This was the value of a peasant's life for the noblemen of France. Defarge threw the coin back at the Marquis. Gaspard in his grief decided to take revenge. He quietly held on the chain at the bottom of the carriage and got off at the palace gates. Marquis St. Evremonde had dinner with his nephew who had come to meet him from England, where he lived under the name of Charles Darney. That night Gaspard climbed into the room of the Marquis and

  • Word count: 1110
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"It is possible to admire Sydney Carton but never to like him" - How far do you agree with this statement?

"It is possible to admire Sydney Carton but never to like him". How far do you agree with this statement? In the end of "A Tale of Two Cities", when Charles Darnay is to be executed on the guillotine Sydney Carton takes his place and sacrifices his own life for Darnay. He took his place due to their strong similarity in appearance and died for a man he could even be considered to be jealous of. And for this, surely he would be admired. In order to fairly agree or disagree with this statement one should evaluate why someone would come to that opinion. Some may take a positive view that Carton's act is a triumph of his own love over the hatred of the people of the Revolution (even though it wasn't actually Carton they hated). Carton meets his death with great dignity. In fulfilling his old promise to Lucie Manette Carton could be said to be at peace as the spectators see "the peacefullest man's face ever beheld" at the guillotine die. The former "jackal" dies seeing a better world come out of the trouble times of the Revolution, a long life for Lucie Manette and her family - made possible by his sacrifice. In the fifth chapter of the second book, "The Jackal", Carton is described as a lazy alcoholic attorney who cannot manage to take even the smallest amount of interest in his own life, he'd rather drink it away. "Sydney Carton, idlest and most unpromising of men," Although

  • Word count: 979
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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From the stories in the section -

THE OUTSIDERS From the stories in the section - "The Outsiders": * Which outsiders do you sympathise with the MOST? * Which outsiders do you sympathise with the LEAST? Remember to consider the reasons why their respective societies see them as outsiders. There are four stories in "The Outsiders" section; 'The Poor Relation's Story', 'Lou, the Prophet', 'The Stolen Bacillus' and 'Hop frog'. In all these stories we feel sympathy for someone, because they are seen as an outsider of their own society. However we feel a greater degree of sympathy for some of these characters that we do for others, whether this is because of their situation, beliefs, or actions varies in each story. The outsider we are made to feel the most sympathy with is Lou in 'Lou, the Prophet'. Many factors contribute to the amount of sympathy we feel for him. Firstly we feel sympathy because of his nature. He is described as "a rather simple fellow" and "always considered less promising than his brothers". Willa Cather states how even his mother "felt sorry for him". Also there is his way of living, the story tells of how he "hauled his water from a neighbor's well every Sunday, and it got warm in the barrels those hot summer days." Here we feel sympathy because he does not even have the basic need in life of cold water. Later on in the story when Lou is praying for rain Cather emphasises how simple Lou

  • Word count: 1442
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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“A Tale of Two Cities”: Essay

"A Tale of Two Cities": Essay Throughout history, authors have used duality to illustrate different kinds of human nature and make characters more interesting. This tool was used in "A Tale of Two Cities", by Charles Dickens as a way to make the novel more melodramatic. It was apparent that he felt that it was important because it was clearly one of the main themes of the novel. Dickens used the device to show how good and evil affected the characters and to create situations throughout the novel. Two characters who were greatly shaped by this device were Dr. Alexandre Manette and attorney Sydney Carton. When the reader is first introduced to Dr. Manette they are led to believe that he is insane. When his daughter Lucy first meets him, he looks gaunt, has aged prematurely, and has taken up cobbling for no apparent reason. It is later explained to the reader that after 18 years in the Bastille (a French prison), he has become insane. He learns cobbling in an attempt to create a retreat from the harsh treatment in prison. Whenever Dr. Manette recalls his days in the Bastille, he breaks down again. When he is released, Ernest Defarge (a former servant) keeps him in a room so revolutionaries can view him. After he returns to London with Lucy, Jarvis Lorry (a representative of Tellson's Bank) attempts to put an end to Dr. Manette's insanity by destroying the cobbling

  • Word count: 1085
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Tale of Two Cities: Book 2 Chapter 16: Summary and Analysis

Book of Second: The Golden Thread Chapter 16: Still Knitting Summary On their return to Saint Antoine, a policeman tells the Defarges that there is a spy in their neighborhood. He gives them a description of his appearance, as well as his name- John Barsad. Madame Defarge decides to knit his name into the register. When they finally arrive at their home, Madame Defarge counts the money that was made while they were away and Defarge concedes to his fears and doubts about the revolution. Madame Defarge encourages him in her comparison of the revolution to lightning and earthquakes. Lightning storms and earthquakes both take some time to form, but when they are ready, they can destroy anything in their paths. The revolution may take a very long time to begin, but when it does, it would be unstoppable. The next day, Barsad, the spy, comes into the wine-shop looking to glean a little information from the Defarges. As he walks in, however, Madame Defarge recognizes him from the description previously given to her. She picks a up a rose from beside her and casually puts it in her hair. As they notice, customers start to trickle out of the store. Barsad carries the pretense of a friend and advocate to the revolution, comments on the cruelty shown to the peasants, and addresses the “apparent” unrest the area was under following Gaspard’s execution. The Defarges admit to

  • Word count: 536
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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