A Tale of Two Cities (1859) Charles Dickens (1812-1870) Dickens' purposes in using 'recalled to life.'
GENRE: VICTORIAN NOVEL SOCIAL AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT A Tale of Two Cities (1859) CHARLES DICKENS (1812-1870) Dickens' purposes in using 'recalled to life.' It has been described as boring, dull and a sleep-aid. Is this what you think of one of the most culturally sophisticated novels of modern coursework material, and which has entertained people for over one hundred and fifty years? There are those who think of all of these words when someone mentions Dickens' novels, and personally, I agree with them! But, I have actually read 'A Tale of Two Cities' (ATo2Cs), unlike other, less-educated individuals. Although I did not find the novel very entertaining or exciting, it did give me a deeper insight into the horrors Victorian people experienced due to the bloody French Revolution; the fear, the agony and the ever-lasting despair must have been disgusting, and Dickens portrays every detail! It has been described as a 'loose, baggy monster,' in the sense that it has a massive bulk to take in. It is not in one part, but rather lots of small parts (plots) sewn together. Dickens' purpose in writing the novel was due to the fact that, he knew a lot of what occurred in the French revolution, (having been impressed by Carlisle's "History of the French Revolution" including its causes (oppression of the poor by the rich). He saw the same sparks beginning to occur here in England,
Tale of Two Cities.
Tale of Two Cities essay Dickens´ work powerfully evokes a sense of place time and atmosphere. Study in detail the passage in A Tale of Two Cities which describes the storming of the Bastille. Write about the ways in which Dickens uses language to bring this event to life and consider the ways in which he has prepared the reader for this moment right from the beginning of the novel. How effective is the passage? What do you feel as you read it? In this passage, Charles Dickens does evoke a sense of place, time and great atmosphere when describing the events that happened in the French Revolution during the storming of the Bastille. He conveys this in the language used and in the way he prepared the reader for the event. Dickens repeats the word "footsteps" In the first paragraph of the passage to suggest the many people that will at sometime enter the life of Lucie and her family. "Headlong, mad, and dangerous footsteps to force their way into anybody´s life, footsteps not easily made clean again if once stained red, the footsteps raging in Saint Antoine afar off, as the little circle sat in the dark London window." The reparation could also signify the pacing of Dr. Manette when in his relapses or the shoes he makes, but more importantly, it gives the impression of marching that is an omen of what is happening in Paris. This is followed up when the colour red is
Compare and contrast the ways in which Shaw and Dickens present irony through their narrative voice in 'The Devil's Disciple' and 'A Tale of Two Cities'.
Compare and contrast the ways in which Shaw and Dickens present irony through their narrative voice in 'The Devil's Disciple' and 'A Tale of Two Cities'. The most obvious contrast between the two texts is the fact that 'A Tale of Two Cities' is a novel, while 'The Devil's Disciple' is a play. This difference of genre makes the use of the narrative voice vary greatly, despite the fact that both authors are trying to convey opinions and create images through the narrator. In its original form, 'A Tale of Two Cities' was meant to be read in instalments. The use of the narrative voice is crucial for reminding the reading audience of what happened previously in the tale. The voice also sets the scene quickly, taking the reader to the specific setting for that instalment. This is particularly crucial in 'A Tale of Two Cities' because of the switches across the channel and within a country the separate characters backgrounds. While none of this deals explicitly with the irony in the narrative voice, it is crucial to realise that Dickens voice is employed in many jobs, not only least acting as a signpost to the reader to explain where in history and geography Dickens is taking the reader in a specific instalment. Shaw's voice does not have such a multi faceted job, if the audience are watching the play rather than reading it. In the case of watching the play, the scene is set, the
The first story to be discussed is called "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" written by James Thurber in 1942.
English Essay Compare these stories, examining how the writers convey the theme of escapism. Consider why this them might appeal to readers at the time of the writing. The first story to be discussed is called "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" written by James Thurber in 1942. This story is set in America in the 1940's around the time of the Second World War. The story follows the life of an American couple, Walter Mitty, who frequently slips in and out of a fantasy world, and his wife. Walter's pastimes and interests consist of his fantasies. He is interested in the excitement that is usually found in movies. The second story "The Poor Relation's Story" was written by Charles Dickens in 1852. The story was set at Christmas time with a family having gathered for Christmas dinner. Stories were told around the fire. The first story was told by Michael, the 'poor relation'. He slips into a fantasy world a few times in the process of telling his story, Michael's pastimes include walks in the parks and admiring monuments, this was often in the company of 'Little Frank'. It would seem to me that Walter Mitty is of similar age to Michael, who we are told is 59. "That I am at present a bachelor of between fifty-nine and sixty years of age. Of Walter Mitty: 'You're not a young man any longer'. Walter Mitty is a middle class citizen of North America in the 1940's whereas
Compare ‘The Black veil’ by Charles Dickens with the first chapter of ‘Talking in whispers’ by James Watson
Compare 'The Black veil' by Charles Dickens with the first chapter of 'Talking in whispers' by James Watson Important ideas and feelings don't die easily and even survive the transition from one generation to another. Two authors from two different centuries try to communicate the same ideas through their books; they are Charles Dickens, from the 19th century, and James Watson from the 20th century. Both of these authors wrote a book that contains similar characters and ideas, the 'Black veil' by Charles Dickens and 'Talking in whispers' by James Watson. How people cope when presented with adversity are the main ideas included in the novels. 'The Black veil' is about a surgeon in 1860, after recently establishing a medical business is approached by a woman in a Black veil that asks him to save a doomed man's life. The surgeon still not fully understanding the situation agrees to help but is in for and unpleasant surprise. Different in storyline but similar in themes and ideas 'Talking in whispers' is about a man of 16 years old, Andres, up recently losing his father to the secret police, struggles to deliver evidence of the Juntas brutality, with the help of twins Isa and Berto, and is tortured in the process. Dickens's London is an unpleasant and filthy place in writing this story Dickens hopes to shows this suffering to people and motivate them to take action against
Referring closely to the use of language, show how Charles Dickens examines the tragic consequences of unruly behaviour in Chapter Twenty One of 'A Tale of Two Cities'. How does he bring out the dramatic tension?
Referring closely to the use of language, show how Charles Dickens examines the tragic consequences of unruly behaviour in Chapter Twenty One of 'A Tale of Two Cities'. How does he bring out the dramatic tension? 'A Tale of Two Cities' set partly in the Saint Antoine region in the midst of the deadly and brutal French Revolution and partly in the dull and monotonous Restoration Period in England seems to be tale of warning and of social justice. Dickens, born in 1812, held the equality of all social classes close to his heart: lack of funds drove Dickens to work in a blacking factory at the tender age of twelve as well as seeing his father to prison. His intentions of writing 'A Tale of Two Cities' were to make everyone aware of the damage and bloodshed that ignorance can cause: if the rich continued to persecute the poor and continued with their luxurious lifestyles, then a social catastrophe would occur. However, if the poor revolted against the upper classes, they needed to be aware of the dangers and problems caused by such hasty actions. Chapter Twenty One seems to be the pivotal point of the novel; it sees the revolt and it's most dramatic event, the storming of the Bastille, vividly depicting this event in a nightmarish yet moving way. It carries the moral throughout the chapter of the consequences of unruly behaviour. 'A Tale of Two Cities' deals with such themes as
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
Wine Flowing in the Streets ... Twice
7 November 2002 Wine Flowing in the Streets ... Twice Rife with vivid imagery, clear and subtle symbols, obvious foreshadowing, effective uses of significant motifs, and complex and descriptive phrases, Chapter 5, The Wine-Shop opens with one of most memorable scenes in the story - the wild frenzy of excitement over a broken cask of red wine exhibited by the impoverished and hungry people in the streets of the Saint Antoine district of Paris. It is in this scene that Dickens first introduces the major motif of wine symbolizing blood. The effectiveness of this scene lies in the incredibly descriptive style and care that Dickens gives to it as he leads the reader to visually perceive the events. He uses numerous devices including stark contrast, vivid depiction, and an artful use of language to convey the degree of despair of the French commoners, but alludes to a hidden and excited tension just under their seemingly hopeless surface. Dickens also describes these events with fabulous attention to detail for another purpose - to show just how quick desperate individuals are in joining, and acting like a mob. Lastly, this scene in the story thrusts the reader into the desolate realm of oppression and maltreatment among the common people in the Saint Antoine district of Paris, introducing the second major setting (the second of the "two cities"). The opening scene of The
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
In the stories that we have read, the writers present, main characters whom either conform to or rebel against their society. Compare and contrast the presentation of these characters. To what extent do the characters successfully manage their situations?
In the stories that we have read, the writers present, main characters whom either conform to or rebel against their society. Compare and contrast the presentation of these characters. To what extent do the characters successfully manage their situations? The three stories that I will study are; The poor relations story by Charles Dickens, Twenty six men and a girl by Maxim Gorky and The unexpected by Kate Chopin. The three things do seem to have a thing in present. All the main characters seem to be pressured or are being victimised by their traditional values, and struggle to break free. In the poor relations story, the main character (Michael) is being pressured to live up to his uncle, and families' ideas. In twenty six men and a girl the twenty six men are being kept, almost hostage is their pretzel factory. In the unexpected, it appears that Dorothea is being kept hostage by that times given 'role' of women. In all the stories it appears the characters try and 'escape' from their situations. This depression would not make a good short story, nor a good life for the main characters, so they try to break free. In The poor relations story the main character Michael cannot take all the persecution he is taking, so he escapes into a world where he has the best life possible. In twenty six and a girl, the men stash all their hope and love in the girl, imagining she