What issues seemed most compelling to you? What do you hope we address in class? What questions do you still have?
Please be honest!
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
A Tale of Two Cities Reaction
What issues seemed most compelling to you? What do you hope we address in class? What questions do you still have?
Please be honest!
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While the daunting task of actually beginning A Tale of Two Cites haunted me for most of my summer, I am glad I eventually picked the book up. Although it was a difficult read at first, once I understood all of the characters and their roles in the novel, comprehension came quite easily. I noticed as I was reading that Dickens is a big fan of motifs and symbols; from the blood and darkness, to the sea and footsteps, it seems as if Dickens incorporated almost every symbol or motif around him at the time into this one novel. Additionally, I feel that through reading this novel that we truly get to see a perspective that we have never before seen in classic literature before. Dickens uses comedy to cover up his extremely otherwise cynical view of the world at this point in time.
ReplyDeleteOne of my personal favorite motifs that Dickens incorporated throughout A Tale of Two Cities was how the past affects ones present or future. I feel that he himself had mixed feelings about this because in one character he depicts a drunk man with no friends and apparently no heart who ends up saving the lives of many (Sydney Carton), and in another he depicts a man that despite his upper class upbringing does not have a mean or cruel bone in his body and has renounced his titles because of the negative connotations that they possess (Charles Darnay). While I have my own opinions on this topic, I do not believe Dickens had a clear belief on this subject based on the fact that he created so many characters that are contradictory to each other.
I am not yet a contributor, as I just sent my information to Ms. Coffey, so I'll post here.
ReplyDeleteTo read Tale of Two Cities, I sat down with a pen and a boat-load of post-its and the audiobook on my Ipod. Reading the first couple of pages took so much effort, as there was such a massive amount of underlying meaning and foreshadowing, that I read it and could not pick up the book for another week. When I finally did, I really got into the the book. I actually loved the first chapters, most likely because I really appreciated Dicken's description of being recalled to life. I especially loved how the Doctor was recalled to life into England, his grave was France (Paris) and his recalling to life was going to England with his daughter. As much as liked the first book, the Second book required a lot more effort to read than the first book. There was just a lot of description and the plot did not seem to be moving as quickly as it was previously. My attention was recaptured at the end of the second book into the third, all the minor plot moves all came to a crash, meeting in the center in the third book. I think the most interesting thing to me was the divisions made by Dickens: England vs. France, death vs. life, hunger vs. having plenty or distraction, Darnay vs. Carton, storms vs. calm, Lucie vs. Madame Defarge, Lorry vs. Defarge. I also love the mixture of "The Golden Thread" specifically in the Doctor's life and the Knitting in Madame Defarge's life and the other French Women. The issues that Dicken's tackled that I found the most interesting included: The unfulfilling idea that multiple deaths will fix the problems, Over-abundance vs. Poverty.
ML Sparrow
I had a extreme difficulty relating to A Tale of Two Cities. After completing the book and looking back to why I may have detested a novel that is cherished in the hearts of so many, was because I could not relate to any of the characters. I feel that the characters in the book were metaphors for human archetypes during Dickens' time, rather than realistic dynamic personalities. For example, Lucie did not act like a real woman, she was only compassionate, representing no other traits. On the other hand, a more dynamic character, like Sydney Carton, was not present long enough for me to develop a substantial connection with his character.
ReplyDeleteHowever, even though this by far is not my favorite book, I did appreciate how Dickens' intertwined his own opinions and social commentaries into the text. He contrasted rich vs. poor which made the reader realize how there was no balance (middle class) and as a result French Revolution erupted. This is just one example of numerous antonyms Dickens' relates. I understand that the way Dickens' makes you stop and think to peel back the layers of a discriptive paragraph, in order to understand the context below the surface is what has made this novel a timeless classic.
I thought the reading in A Tale of Two Cities was difficult in the beginning because of the long descriptions and lack of dialogue between characters. Also in the beginning I became confused about the mail delivery and how it was related to the characters that were involved. The first book for me was the most frustrating because it made me think that it would be a terrible read and that I would not understand the plot. Fortunately, I kept reading and started to get more out of the book and I could understand what was happening and what had happened in the first few chapters. I loved the automatic bond that formed between Lucie and Dr. Manette because it was interesting to see how it changed and grew throughout the story. In the first book, I was unable to find as many motifs or significant themes that continued to show up but as I went through each book I found an increase in motifs such as the jackal and lion discussion with Sydney Carton on page 87 and all of the knitting that occurred in the last few chapters. I had trouble understanding the full meaning of all the knitting but I hope we talk about it in class so I can understand it better. The last book was my favorite out of the three because of all the action that took place. The way that the book was separated made it an easier reading experience to have three different books with time jump in between the first and second.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading the book in general because of the commentary Dickens had on the reality during that time period. He showed how rough it was for the poverty stricken families in France and how they compared and dealt with the wealthy people and the aristocracy and all of the violence that took place between the classes. While portraying this he also created a love story and love triangle between Charles Darnay, Lucie Manette and Sydney Carton that helped me to become more interested in the book. I still have a few questions about some characters including Ms. Pross’s brother, Solomon/Barsad.
During the first two books I had to force myself to continue reading, but during the last book I no longer had to do that. I was very interested in what was going to happen next. Looking back I would say that I liked the book, but if someone was to ask me during the book what I felt about it I would have most likely said that I did not like it. In the first book I would read a chapter and try and figure out what it was trying to say; if I had no luck in deciphering the chapter I would go first to an online source, and if that did not help I went to Ms. Green. The hardest things for me were the language, the long descriptions, and so many characters. The formal language was a big set back in me understanding the book; the long descriptions would make it hard for me to keep my attention on the book. I would get the characters confused with each other; which made it confusing because I thought that one character did something that they really did not.
ReplyDeleteOne of the issues that seemed most important to me was the relationship between the rich and the poor. The rich lived their life in compete luxury, while the poor citizens could barely keep food on the table. The rich people would look down any person with less money than them. The poor people would despise the rich for not helping any of them, and for being looked down upon. I hope that we address what could have been done to prevent such violence during the revolution. Some questions that I still have about A Tale of Two Cities are: Why did Sydney Carton give himself up in exchange for Darnay? How did society react to this book? What happened that made Charles Darnay dislike his uncle so much?
When I first saw A Tale of Two Cities, I already felt defeated by the size of the novel. I initially started reading the novel the last week in June and after about a week I was only on page thirty. I did not reopen the book until the first week in August because I was frustrated by not understanding it fully and the plot which I felt was going no where. However, I finally forced myself to pick up the book again and re-read the first thirty pages. After doing so I had a less critical outlook on the novel and continued reading at a faster pace. I surprisingly found myself enjoying the novel after the first book because of the new characters that were introduced, the humor which Dickens added to lighten the mood and comment on the people of that time period, and the multiple instances of foreshadowing.
ReplyDeleteOne of the first things that I picked up on and that I thought was one of the most clearly stated in the novel was the red wine as a symbol for blood. Even within the first book Dickens explains how the wine has been staining the grounds of Paris which later connects to the many who were guillotined on the same streets. Another thing that I found very interesting and something we touched on briefly in some of the books we read last year was the many occurrences of a mob mentality. Whether people were chanting to kill an accused spy or cheering and crying after Darnay was chosen not to be guillotined, everyone in the mob had the same ideas. In class I hope to review some of the other motifs, such as the knitting. Also I hope to get a better understanding of the Lion and Jackal conversation.
When first picking up A Tale of Two Cities I was excited. This is only because I have already read the book in the eighth grade. I vaguely remembered the specific plot but could recall some details of the book and remember most of the literary devices in the book. I did finish the book and read the whole thing which was a very different experience after reading Leslie Silko's Ceremony. I was able to analyze the book titles which I had not picked up on before, and I was able to more closely look at some symbolism that I had talked about before, in class.
ReplyDeleteThe book was a little frustrating at times but I was able to get through it. The beginning and the middle chapters in the second book were the most tedious parts of the book. My favorite chapters include The Wine Shop, Darkness, and The Footsteps Die Out Forever. I enjoyed reading the Wine Shop because the pure symbol between the wine and the blood was very blunt. The description of the peasants and their mouths covered in wine is also very vivid and reminded me of the time period, the French Revolution. I also liked the other chapters because I liked seeing the book out of a different perspective. The Darkness was still written in third person but the transformation between third person Dickens and third person Carton's mind was coming. I loved following the footsteps of Carton right before he went to the prison to go die. This made the character of Carton more relatable to the reader. Which would be needed for the purpose that Dickens was writing this for, which was the a magazine periodical.
The issue of the different drastic dynamic between the aristocracy and the peasants was most compelling to me because some of the events that occurred in the book that portrayed the pure disregard of the aristocracy toward the peasants was so utterly ridiculous that it would be highly condemned in our current time period. I hope we address this social class issue in class. I also hope we discuss the different literary devices because there are so many in this book and they are so blatantly obvious.
I still don't understand which quotations are important and not important to the the plot and character development of the book. I also do not understand all of the symbolism and the medieval and christian references.
Opening the novel, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, and having no prior knowledge other than the famous first line was certainly a challenge filled with anxiety for me. The first paragraph, made up of only one sentence, is what really allowed me to plunge into this work and spurred an extensive process of analytical interpretation. This first line beginning, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," introduced me to Dickens beautifully detailed and incomparable writing style in which he contradicts common characteristics of the time period in order for the reader to fully understand and vividly imagine the cultural, physical, and socioeconomic clashing of that time in history. The honest presentation of a situations' extremes is an effect that I believe Dickens uses most powerfully throughout his novel in reference to the time period, environment, characters, and social events. This literary skill creates a realistic and diverse representation that is truly unique to his writing style and in my opinion contributes to his eternal place in classic literature.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first sat down to read A Tale of Two Cities, I have to admit I was a little apprehensive. I had never read a Dickens novel before, and after reading the first sentence I was sure that I would not enjoy this book. However, after completing the novel, I can now say that Dickens is one of my favorite authors. The way he created several different plots and weaved them together in the end actually made this the first summer reading book I have ever enjoyed to sit down with instead of the normal feeling of dread. I felt compelled to read, searching for the point where the plots would clash together. My favorite aspect of the novel incorporated the mirror and opposite images of the characters. Besides the classic comparison of Carton and Darnay, I liked the contrast between women , specifically Lucie and Madame Defarge. Lucie is represented as the "golden thread" character, touching the lives of those around her in a positive way. She is used as the moral center and the image of the ideal compassionate and loving woman in the novel. On the other hand, Dickens incorporates Madame Defarge who uses vengeance as her motive for her actions instead of love. The way Dickens subsumes opposites of every aspect in his novel, such as the characters, the cities, the general populous shows his views on humanity and the time period( in which he stated in his very first sentence). Dickens' cynical view is balanced with glimpse of humor in his writing, which I have to admit were hard for me to actually find. I had to re-read in certain passages in order to verify if he was in fact using humor or not. In class I would like to talk about the motif of the echoing footsteps, because I am confused on what Dickens was trying to convey. I am also looking forward to the discussion of the relationship between Lucie and her father.
ReplyDeleteFrom Kate B:
ReplyDeleteReading A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens, proved to be a challenge for me this summer. While I enjoyed the book all in all, there were several instances where Dickens’s writing style was quite perplexing. Foremost, the number of characters included throughout the story caused much confusion and the similarity of various names exaggerated it even more so. Also, Dickens attempts to convey humor throughout his work was not always clear. For example, “such humane achievements as sentencing a youth to have his hands cut off, his tongue torn out with pincers, and his body burned alive because he had not kneeled down…to do honor to a…procession of monks…” (8). I had trouble detecting Dickens’s sarcasm at first in this quotation, and after reading over the passage a few times I began to question what exactly he meant here.
Also, Dickens included a wide array of motifs, some easy to identify while others had debatable significance. Some motifs were placed in more isolated or specific section. These include the Lion and Jackal that reoccurred various times throughout the second book, knitting in the third, and in the first mist seemed to be a common element. The Lion and Jackals’ importance was stated very frankly, a reflection of Carton and Stryvers’ personas, as was the mist which was described as “an evil spirit, seeking rest and finding none” (11). The importance of knitting, however, I have not discovered. Other motifs, such as darkness, echoes, and shadows were incorporated throughout the entire novel. Darkness seemed to foreshadow grief or a struggle, and shadows symbolized a sort of looming guilt or fear, the two often going hand in hand. The significance of echoes was not clarified for me until the third book when Lucie shared that she believed them to be the footsteps of the people who would soon come into her life. Picking up on the symbolism Dickens conveyed in his work was interesting as well. An example of this symbolism that I really enjoyed finding was France’s “sister of the shield and trident” (7), meaning England.
My last two points in response to A Tale of Two Cities include a negative and a positive one. First, the negative; I had believed that the very first and so renowned quotation in the novel “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” (7) referred to France prospering in the best of times and England enduring the worst, however I found that that conclusion was being contradicted by the mass amount of bloodshed occurring in France due to the revolutionary uprisings. Ending on a positive note however, I appreciated that this novel came full-circle with the sacrifice and execution of Carton, especially because I had sought an explanation for Dickens’s desire to make Carton and Darnay look similar. Ultimately, I did enjoy this reading and I feel that the struggle to follow along at times was worth it once the storylines had been tied together.