A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens - Book Report/Review Example

 A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens A. "It is extraordinary to me," said he, "that you cannot take care of yourselves and your children. One or the other of you is forever in my way. How do I know what injury you have done my horses. See! Give him that.") 1.Who is speaking? What is the situation? ANSWER 1. The quoted sentence has been spoken by Monsieur the Marquis (Charles Darnay’s uncle). The situation is that the horse carriage of Monsieur the Marquis was running down a road when the horses ran over a small, poor and weak child eventually killing it. The carriage is stopped as its driver is humble and scared. A man lifts up the dead child and puts it down by a fountain. Few people get hold of the horses’ reins so that it doesn’t run away. When the man accompanying the child remarks that the child is dead the Monsieur look out of his carriage and says the sentences that have been quoted in the given question. 2.What does he do when he says "Give him that"? ANSWER 2. As the man said “Give him that” the man threw a gold coin out towards the carriage driver from inside the carriage. This coin was supposedly thrown out as a compensation for the death of the child. 3. What does this show us about the speaker? ANSWER 3. This shows about the speaker that he is a very stubborn and stern man. The pride that he has within him deprives him from assessing the worth of human life as he tries to sell it for only a single gold coin. 4.What happens as a result of this incident? ANSWER 4. As a result of this incident the poor child dies. The public gets to know clearly that the monsieur is a cold hearted man and cares about his horses more than he does about human life. Moreover, the wine seller gets to meet the monsieur for the very first time. 5. What is significant about this event in relation to the rest of the story? ANSWER 5. The significance of this event with the rest of the story is that the Monsieur who selflessly neglected the killing of a poor child by his horse carriage is eventually killed by the peasant who was the father of the killed child. The poor man had followed the carriage back to the Monsieur’s residence. B. "Eighteen years!" said the passenger, looking at the sun. "Gracious Creator of day! To be buried alive for eighteen years!" 6. Who is the passenger? ANSWER 6: The passenger is Mr. Lorry. 7.What is the dream he has just awakened from? ANSWER 7: The dream that he has just awakened from is one in which Dr.Manette as a ghostly man had been buried alive for eighteen years and Mr. Lorry had dug him out. Then he also dreams of having a conversation with the supposedly buried-alive Dr. Manette who remained buried for eighteen years. 8. Who has been "buried alive"? How so? ANSWER 8: Mr. Lorry’s dream proposed that a ghostly man who was sad and gloomy and was around 45 years of age had been buried alive. Once Mr. Lorry digs him out in his dream he talks to him about taking him to meet a lady. C. "Confide in Madame Defarge. It would be easier for the weakest poltroon that lives, to erase himself from existence, than to erase one letter of his name or crimes from the knitted register of Madame Defarge." 9. Who is speaking? ANSWER 9: Defarge is speaking. 10. What is the register? ANSWER 10: The register is the virtual list of names that is maintained in the mind of Madame Defarge. 11. How is the register kept secret? ANSWER 11: The register is kept secret because Madam Defarge remembers each and every syllable of it well and is not willing to let go of the information in it no matter whatever and whenever happens. The lady has memorized the parts of the list by coding the in her own manner. Moreover, once she decodes them the syllables are still bound into a coding the resolution of which is known only to Jacques and Defarge. D. "I am desperate. I don't care an English Two pence for myself. I know that the longer I keep you here, the greater hope there is for my Ladybird. I'll not leave a handful of that dark hair upon your head, if you lay a finger on me!" 12. Who is speaking to whom? ANSWER 12: Miss Pross is speaking to Madame Defarge. 13. What is the situation? ANSWER 13: The situation is that Madame Defrange is after Dr.Manette’s daughter Lucie. Miss Pross is very devoted to Dr. Manette’s family and loves them all a lot. When Madame Defrange tries to proceed to harm Lucie Miss Pross confronts her in the deserted house of the Manette family. It is during this confrontation that she makes the statement that has been quoted in the given question. 14. How does the speaker plan to keep the listener there? What is the result? ANSWER 14: The speaker plans to stop the listener from going for her mistress. More specifically , Miss Pros confronts Madame Defrange in order to refrain her from reaching Lucie. The result of the confrontation is that Miss Pros becomes deaf and Miss Defrange expires after a shot from her own gun accidentally hits herself. E. 'Fifty-two' 15. How is this number connected to Darnay's scheduled execution? ANSWER 15: Fifty two people are scheduled to be executed on the same day Darnay’s execution is planned. As Darnay is among the fifty two people designated to be executed on the day, thus the number is connected to Darnay’s scheduled execution. 16. How does this number affect the deal that Carton and Solomon Pross make? ANSWER 16: Carton makes a deal with Solomon press according to which Carton is able to get to Darnay who is in prison. F. "I don't care about fortune; she is a charming creature, and I have made up my mind to please myself; on the whole, I think I can afford to please myself. She will have in me a man already pretty well off, and a rapidly rising man, and a man of some distinction: it is a piece of good fortune for her, but she is worthy of good." 17. Who is speaking to whom? ANSWER 17: Mr. Stryver is taking to Sydney Carton. 18. What are they talking about? ANSWER 18: Mr. Stryver and Sydney Carton are talking about Mr. Stryver’s plan of getting married to Miss Manette. 19. How does this conversation affect the listener? ANSWER 19: The listener, Mr. Sydney listens to the statement of Mr. Stryler and continues to drink his punch. He exclaims that he is neither astonished at, nor objective of Mr. Stryler’s plan to marry the Madam though in reality he secretly loved the young lady. 20. What does this show us about the character of the speaker? ANSWER 20: This shows us about the character of the speaker that he is a strong willed man who has realized that he finally cannot continue on with his life like a bachelor and should get married. It also tells that he is confident enough of his financial status and is proud that he is wealthy enough to marry a woman who deserves to live with a wealthy man like himself, a man who is continuing to excel in life. Part II- Answer each of the following questions in paragraph form in a MINIMUM of 150 words. 1. List at least THREE reasons why the arrest and condemnation of Darnay at the last trial was unjust? ANSWER 1: The arrest and condemnation of Darmay at the last trial was unjust because he was illegitimately being held. Two men namely John Barsad and Roger Cly were two British spies. They were trying to accuse Darnay of treason. They wanted to do this out of their own concern. The accusation that they had made against him was that Darnay had given information about British troops that were stationed in North America to the French. It was also a fact that the French aristocracy was not considered as the very safe of its kind. He was accused of being an aristocrat and was tried in the French republic Madam Defarge had sought to take personal revenge from the Evremonde family. Mr. Darnay was a blood reative of the Evremonde family and was also related to them in the manner that he was married to Madam Lucie. Thus, it was because of Madam Defarge that Darnay was re-arrested, taken for trial and eventually sentenced to death. 2.Explain how each of the following characters was "recalled to life." Write one paragraph of 150 words about each character below: a. Dr. Manette b. Darnay c. Sidney Carton(at the end of the book) ANSWER 2 a. Dr. Manette was imprisoned for eighteen ears in LaBastille Paris without any just reason. The jail where he was imprisoned was in Paris. Having been released once, his Daughter had bought him back to England. Dr. Manette was a renowned Dcotor before being imprisoned. He had a thriving practice and a loving golden haired wife and daughter. The world knew him as a fine and bright man who was famous for excellence in his profession. He was falsely accused and sent to prison for eighteen years. His daughter was given the idea that her father was no longer alive. Having lived in solitude for such a long time Mr. Manette had undergone severe transformations. He did not remember his own self or those around him. Upon getting out of prison he did not recognize his own daughter Madam Lucie and thought of her as being familiar only after he related Lucie’s golden hair to the golden hair strands that he had found on his clothes when he was in prison. It was indeed a coming back to life for Mr. Manette when he started reviving himself after coming back to Britain. ANSWER 2 b. Mr. Darnay’s coming back to life was pretty dramatic. Having being tried for treason, being chased by Madame Defarge in pursuit of her revenge and anger against the Evremonde family, it was highly unlikely that Mr. Darnay’s life would be spared. Even his wife, Miss Lucie had started mourning the death sentence that he had been given because of being falsely accused as an aristocrat by the French Court. In all this Mayhem Mr. Sydney appeared as an angel from heaven. Mister Sydney Carton resembled Darnay. He entered into an accord with Solomon Press. In accordance with that accord Mister Sydney Carter had gone to meet Mr. Darnay in his cell. There, he had drugged Mr. Darnay in order to make him unconscious. Once he was no longer conscious Mr. Darnay swapped his own clothes with those of Mr. Darnay’s prison clothes. Then Solomon Press assisted in getting Mr. Darnay out of the cell. This way, he was recalled of life and did not have to face the sentence that he was originally given. ANSWER 2 c. Sydney Carton is satisfied with the way he is being able to assist Mr. Darnay and is able to make him escape from the prison. Sydney was an ardent lover of Madam Lucie who had married Mr Darnay and was very happily living with him. He silently loved her and was ready to do anything in order to make her happy. Miss Lucie was very sad at the death sentences’ announcement for her husband Mr. Darnay. By substituting himself in Mr. Darnay’s place Lucie’s husband was set free and there could not have been anything more valuable to make Miss Lucie happy. He considers himself as being ‘recalled to life’ after having died for Miss Lucie’s husband Darnay and proudly exclaims that it would be the best thing that he could ever do since he was usually drinking and doing nothing else otherwise. He also exclaimed that the eternal rest that he was going for was the best rest that he had ever taken before. 3. State the theme of the book and give THREE examples of the theme from the book. Remember that a theme is a general statement about life. The book emphasizes about the eventual win of truth by showing how people may be deceived and imprisoned for false claims but the eventual victory is of the truthful and rightful only. The example of this theme comes from both Darnay and Mr. Manette’s stories. Both of them were illegitimately arrested for things they had not done but were eventually among those who survived only to live happily. The book also narrates the theme of life that eternal happiness in the core essence of sacrificing oneself for the betterment and prosperity of those whom one loves. The example of this theme is in the form of Mr. Sydney who replaces himself from Mr. Darnay and gets his death sentence only to please Mr. Darnay’s wife Miss Lucie whom Mr. Sydney was secretly in love with. The third and the most prevalent theme in the book is that of resurrection both physically and virtually. The example of physical resurrection within the book is that of Dr. Manette who had lost his memory having been looked up in prison for eighteen continuous years. His recalling of memory and coming back to life after being released from jail and being cared for by his daughter is termed as his resurrection to life. The example of virtual resurrection within the book was that of Mr. Sydney when he decided to end his life that had been full of mischief with a sacrifice that he wanted to make so that an innocent person would be freed from being sentenced falsely. His attempt of performing this virtuous deed was termed as his resurrection to a life that he had earlier wasted. Works cited: Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. New York, NY: New American Library, Print. Read More