A Tale of Two Opinions

     As I sat down to start my summer reading, A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens, I felt like I would never finish. The first book was difficult to follow, boring plot, and themes that I could barely relate to. However, once I got through the first book of the three, I could not put it down. I began to note motifs and symbols that I had not noticed before. I began to re-trace my steps and marked down everything I could get my brain wrapped around. Mythology, foreshadowing, and symbols galore flooded the margins of my book. I was finally contented.  

     The most compelling component to this piece of literature was the contrast between the extreme extravagance to the devastating poverty. Dickens does not drawn a thin line between these two social classes. There is far from anything in common. However, Dickens is able to capture the difficulty of the times of the French Revolution. In class I hope we address the mythological and biblical aspects that Dickens incorporates carefully into his work. I would like to deepen my knowledge on where he drew other inspiration from. I hope to further understand the message of "the lion and the jackel". I do not believe I fully understood that piece. In addition to that, I hope to understand Madame Defarge's commentary on the dolls and the birds.