The storming of the Bastille, the trundling death carts with their doomed human cargo, the chillingly merciless guillotine--this is the frenzied Paris in revolt that Charles Dickens vividly captures in his famous work A Tale of Two Cities. With passionate eloquence, he brings to life a time of terror and treason, for when the starving French masses rise to overthrow a corrupt and decadent regime, both the guilty and the innocent fall victim to their rage. A masterful portrait of idealism, love and supreme sacrifice--in a Paris alive with revolutionary zeal and a London watching with nervous anticipation, Dickens humanizes the story of the French Revolution with four of his greatest characters: the sinister Madame Defarge, the lovely Lucie Manette and her honorable husband Charles Darnay, and the complex, ultimately heroic Sydney Carton.
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Anticipation Guide: Do you agree or disagree with the statements below:
- Appearances can be deceiving.
- Better to have loved and lost than never loved at all.
- The greatest act a man can perform is to sacrifice himself for his friends.
- Unrequited love is the greatest pain a man can experience.
- Two wrongs don’t make a right.
- An eye for an eye is an appropriate punishment.
- Love conquers all.
- He who loves truly, would give up what he desires most.
- If you love someone, let them go.
- The thirst for revenge is never quenched.
annotation focuses
Big Ideas: relationships, vengeance/justice, sacrifice
Literary Devices: doubles, symbolism, motifs, metaphors, tableaus
Literary Devices: doubles, symbolism, motifs, metaphors, tableaus
tale of two cities background group project
Click HERE to view the assignment
Use the lib guide for research assistance.
Use the lib guide for research assistance.
LIb guide info:
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Tale of Two Cities quotation skits
connections and information about revolutionary france:
Charles Dickens: Six things he gave the modern world
VOGUE ARTICLE ABOUT MARIE ANTOINETTE. READ HERE
The One Thing You Didn't Notice about Bane in The Dark Knight Rises
Fifteen Things You Didn't Know about the Bastille
VOGUE ARTICLE ABOUT MARIE ANTOINETTE. READ HERE
The One Thing You Didn't Notice about Bane in The Dark Knight Rises
Fifteen Things You Didn't Know about the Bastille
characters:
Charles Darnay - A French aristocrat by birth, Darnay chooses to live in England because he cannot bear to be associated with the cruel injustices of the French social system. Darnay displays great virtue in his rejection of the snobbish and cruel values of his uncle, the Marquis Evrémonde. He exhibits an admirable honesty in his decision to reveal to Doctor Manette his true identity as a member of the infamous Evrémonde family.
Sydney Carton - An insolent, indifferent, and alcoholic attorney who works with Stryver. Carton has no real prospects in life and doesn’t seem to be in pursuit of any. He does, however, love Lucie, and his feelings for her eventually transform him into a man of profound merit. At first the polar opposite of Darnay, in the end Carton morally surpasses the man to whom he bears a striking physical resemblance.
Doctor Manette - Lucie’s father and a brilliant physician, Doctor Manette spent eighteen years as a prisoner in the Bastille. At the start of the novel, Manette does nothing but make shoes, a hobby that he adopted to distract himself from the tortures of prison. As he overcomes his past as a prisoner, however, he proves to be a kind, loving father who prizes his daughter’s happiness above all things.
Lucie Manette - A young French woman who grew up in England, Lucie was raised as a ward of Tellson’s Bank because her parents were assumed dead. Dickens depicts Lucie as an archetype of compassion. Her love has the power to bind her family together—the text often refers to her as the “golden thread.” Furthermore, her love has the power to transform those around her.
Monsieur Defarge - A wine shop owner and revolutionary in the poor Saint Antoine section of Paris, Monsieur Defarge formerly worked as a servant for Doctor Manette. Defarge proves an intelligent and committed revolutionary, a natural leader. Although he remains dedicated to bringing about a better society at any cost, he does demonstrate a kindness toward Manette. His wife, Madame Defarge, views this consideration for Manette as a weakness.
Madame Defarge - A cruel revolutionary whose hatred of the aristocracy fuels her tireless crusade, Madame Defarge spends a good deal of the novel knitting. Unlike her husband, she proves unrelentingly blood-thirsty, and her lust for vengeance knows no bounds.
Jarvis Lorry - An elderly businessman who works for Tellson’s Bank, Mr. Lorry is a very business-oriented bachelor with a strong moral sense and a good, honest heart. He proves trustworthy and loyal, and Doctor Manette and Lucie come to value him as a personal friend.
Jerry Cruncher - An odd-job man for Tellson’s Bank, Cruncher is gruff, short-tempered, superstitious, and uneducated. He supplements his income by working as a “Resurrection-Man,” one who digs up dead bodies and sells them to scientists.
Miss Pross - The servant who raised Lucie, Miss Pross is brusque, tough, and fiercely loyal to her mistress. Because she personifies order and loyalty, she provides the perfect foil to Madame Defarge, who epitomizes the violent chaos of the revolution.
"A Tale of Two Cities." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, 2015. Web. 12 Feb. 2015
Sydney Carton - An insolent, indifferent, and alcoholic attorney who works with Stryver. Carton has no real prospects in life and doesn’t seem to be in pursuit of any. He does, however, love Lucie, and his feelings for her eventually transform him into a man of profound merit. At first the polar opposite of Darnay, in the end Carton morally surpasses the man to whom he bears a striking physical resemblance.
Doctor Manette - Lucie’s father and a brilliant physician, Doctor Manette spent eighteen years as a prisoner in the Bastille. At the start of the novel, Manette does nothing but make shoes, a hobby that he adopted to distract himself from the tortures of prison. As he overcomes his past as a prisoner, however, he proves to be a kind, loving father who prizes his daughter’s happiness above all things.
Lucie Manette - A young French woman who grew up in England, Lucie was raised as a ward of Tellson’s Bank because her parents were assumed dead. Dickens depicts Lucie as an archetype of compassion. Her love has the power to bind her family together—the text often refers to her as the “golden thread.” Furthermore, her love has the power to transform those around her.
Monsieur Defarge - A wine shop owner and revolutionary in the poor Saint Antoine section of Paris, Monsieur Defarge formerly worked as a servant for Doctor Manette. Defarge proves an intelligent and committed revolutionary, a natural leader. Although he remains dedicated to bringing about a better society at any cost, he does demonstrate a kindness toward Manette. His wife, Madame Defarge, views this consideration for Manette as a weakness.
Madame Defarge - A cruel revolutionary whose hatred of the aristocracy fuels her tireless crusade, Madame Defarge spends a good deal of the novel knitting. Unlike her husband, she proves unrelentingly blood-thirsty, and her lust for vengeance knows no bounds.
Jarvis Lorry - An elderly businessman who works for Tellson’s Bank, Mr. Lorry is a very business-oriented bachelor with a strong moral sense and a good, honest heart. He proves trustworthy and loyal, and Doctor Manette and Lucie come to value him as a personal friend.
Jerry Cruncher - An odd-job man for Tellson’s Bank, Cruncher is gruff, short-tempered, superstitious, and uneducated. He supplements his income by working as a “Resurrection-Man,” one who digs up dead bodies and sells them to scientists.
Miss Pross - The servant who raised Lucie, Miss Pross is brusque, tough, and fiercely loyal to her mistress. Because she personifies order and loyalty, she provides the perfect foil to Madame Defarge, who epitomizes the violent chaos of the revolution.
"A Tale of Two Cities." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, 2015. Web. 12 Feb. 2015
Digital essay citations for mla works cited
Full MLA Citations for Works Cited page:
Les Miserables. Dir. Tom Hooper. Perfs Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Ann Hathaway. Universal. 2012. DVD.
Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. New York: Bantam, 2003. Print.
In Text:
(Hooper. Les Miserables).
(Dickens page number). ie: (Dickens 30).
Les Miserables. Dir. Tom Hooper. Perfs Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Ann Hathaway. Universal. 2012. DVD.
Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. New York: Bantam, 2003. Print.
In Text:
(Hooper. Les Miserables).
(Dickens page number). ie: (Dickens 30).