Textual analysis - Writings from the French Revolution - Essay Example

Textual analysis The interestingly and comprehensively covers the French revolution using words that amicably captures the reader’s attention while informing them of the underlying facts of the revolution. The author considers that the distinction between the gentleman/noble is the cardinal fact of life. The author auspiciously believes that the immediate cause of the French revolution was the insolvency of the monarchy. The king’s loyalty to the revolution is smartly criticized. Through this, he implies that the monarchy was unable to cater for the elementary needs of the people and the old regime was slowly dying out.

The tax burden placed on poor civilians was not enough to alleviate the crisis faced by the administration. However, he presents a group of people who were longing for their rights and privileges.He uses an unpredicted, composed tone and manages to maintain a calm logic as he presents quite provocative facts about the revolution. He makes wrong, unjust, illogical situations to appear as though they were quite normal and the people could stomach any evil. He presents how the National assembly ironically apprehended power in the name the French nation.

The 14th July 1789 Fall of the Bastille did not surprise him. He uses soft words to describe the distressed self-righteousness and radical jubilation that followed and/or provoked the revolution. The riots in Paris and other places are covered extensively to illustrate the devastating effects of the revolution; properties, innocent lives, and immaterial things were lost. The author manages to present the facts while maintaining a relatively neutral position that leaves readers wondering whether he supported the unwarranted revolution.

Issues of great concern are presented in a down-to-earth and compassionate manner that easily sways the readers to pity with the innocent people unjustifiably affected by the revolution. The assertion of the rights of man passed in 1789 was aimed at supporting a later constitutional change. The contents of the Act are not presented. It could as well imply that the Act further devastated people’s efforts to salvage themselves from the undue sufferings and/or acts of the administrators. While the author seems to perceive the rights as inalienable, many such rights were violated on several occasions.

Religious divisions are also considered to be a significant factor in understanding the revolution. According to the author, “The programme of the church reform was also ideological, inspired by the rationalism and humanitarianism of enlightenment” (264). However, it is not clear whether the revolution spurred the religious divisions or whether the religious divisions spurred the French revolution. One is left astonished why the author did not make a clear-cut and solid conclusion on the difficulty.

Europe appeared to sympathize with the French and denied undertaking any conquest activity that will increase the French’s suffering. However, upon critical evaluation, it appears that Europe engaged in the revolution hoping to reap heavily from it. The author does not elucidate Europe’s intension but leaves upon the reader to infer. External forces wanted to unduly benefit from the French civil wars and devastate the economic, social, and economic conditions. The various constitutional amendments undertaken, the Marseillaise, fraternity, liberty, and equality are desperately accentuated.

The revolution is presented in a magnificently, suggestive way hiding the ambush and discomforts of the French. The 1794 coup that marked the end of the revolution marked a new beginning. The author calmly and joyously elucidates the new era carrying along readers and expressing the feeling of skepticism that the people that was engrained in the people’s mind despite the betterment of the situation.BibliographySchama, S. (1989). Citizens: A chronicle of the French Revolution. New York: Knopf.