The French Government In Charles Dickens's A Tale Of Two Cities

Submitted By leandra1
Words: 547
Pages: 3
Open Document
In Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities, the feeling of oppression and building resentment of the French people is practically tangible. The very premise of the book speaks to this idea – that the French government was so horrible that they could lock an innocent man in a prison for eighteen years, not out of any malice, but out of a pure and blatant disregard for the humanity of the common people. Dickens advocates, perhaps not the French Revolution in particular, but at least some action to throw of this oppressive, heartless, government, through conveying the contrast between the lives of the common people and the nobles. The beginning of the book, which presents a series of paradoxes, introduces this contrast. Both England and France are described as giving horrible punishments to the most petty of criminals (and yet as ineffective in dissuading crime in general), yet Monsieur the Marquis’s carriage runs over a child and he makes next to no recompense. Surely this is a much greater crime than that of some pickpocket. He expresses no remorse, and even seems to feel that it is the father’s fault, for not keeping his child out of harm’s way. This lack of even a trace of respect for the father’s grief, and indeed the lives of the common people in general, makes the reader sympathetic to the revolutionaries, and helps make clear the motivation for such brutal punishments as the guillotine. Before this incident, Monsieur the Marquis has just come from an audience with Monseigneur. It is important to note the lack of specific names for these people. This aids in Dickens’s portrayal of the French nobility as cold and even inhuman. Monseigneur has just eaten some chocolate, and Dickens described how he required no less than four attendants to aid in this ceremony. Also, there was an audience of a great variety of frivolous people, who may well have been charlatans or spies. The important thing, at least in the minds of the French court, was that they were all dressed very well, in the height of fashion. From this painfully
Show More

Related Documents: The French Government In Charles Dickens's A Tale Of Two Cities

Biography Of Charles Dickens

Charles John Huffam Dickens was born in Landport, Portsmouth, United Kingdom, on February 7, 1812. He was the second of eight children born to John and Elizabeth Dickens. In 1814, Dickens’ family moved to London, and then to Chatham, Kent, which is where most of Charles’ early years were spent. Eight years later, in 1822, the family moved to Camden town, a poor neighborhood in London, because of financial issues. Unfortunately, as a result of his father being sent to debtors prison, Charles had to…

Words 346 - Pages 2

Charles Dickens Essay

Charles Dickens British American literature has developed many great writers like Rupert Brooke and George Bernard Shaw. But first lets go back in time, back to the 1800’s. Where children going to school was not the first priority to poor families. To where only the wealthy were taught to read and write. Back to where even at the young age of twelve you could be working in a factory or other job. This lifestyle was the life of Charles Dickens. Life in the 1800’s was not easy for some people especially…

Words 1272 - Pages 6

Charles Dickens Juxtaposition

Charles Dickens juxtaposition gives us an abstract insight of the French Revolution. As one may know, the French Revolution is a turning point for France when the people decided to bring down the clergy. Although French Revolution was revolutionary, it contains few disturbing features starting from the guillotine to mass murder. Charles Dickens fully utilized juxtaposition to clarify the age of French Revolution emphasizing the reality that struck the people.…

Words 70 - Pages 1

Charles Dickens Essay examples

Charles Dickens: Draft “Charles John Huffam Dickens was born on February 7, 1812 and died on June 9, 1870.” (Biography of Charles Dickens 8). He was one of the best authors and play writers. He was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens's works are characterized by attacks on social evils, injustice, and hypocrisy. He inspired many others to write and rewrite his plays and novels. “Dickens also inspired others with his characters that…

Words 420 - Pages 2

Charles Dickens and Scrooge Essay

Christmas Carol, written by Charles Dickens, took place in London, during Christmas time in the year of 1843. The main engagement in the story is the man against himself, as Ebenezer Scrooge, the protagonist, faced many difficulties (himself), the antagonist, with trying to become a better person. But the narrator, who is Dickens himself, is just as important in the book as the other characters. As the novel would not be interesting enough without his narration. Dickens was born in this era that didn’t…

Words 900 - Pages 4

Essay on Charles Dickens Biography

The Man Who Held Grudges: Charles Dickens A Biography He was born in Landport, Portsmouth, England and was a famous writer. His name? Charles John Huffham Dickens. Born on February 7th, 1812, Charles was the eldest son of John and Elizabeth Dickens. He had seven siblings, one of which was older than him. Charles had formal education up until the age of twelve, when his father was arrested due to his carelessness with money. John Dickens moved to the Marshalsea Debtors’ Prison, and later…

Words 1171 - Pages 5

Essay about Dickens: Hoerner Charles Dickens

Mr. Hoerner Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth, England on February 7, 1812. He was the second of eight children in the family. Dickens’ father, John Dickens, was a naval clerk. Throughout John Dickens’ life, he did everything in his power to become wealthy. His mother, Elizabeth Barrow, desired to become a school teacher. Despite his parent’s desire, Charles Dickens’ family was always poor. Shortly after Charles’ birth, the family moved to Kent. There, Charles Dickens spent a lot of his…

Words 957 - Pages 4

Charles Dickens Research Paper

Charles Dickens was born February 7, 1812 in Portsmouth, England, and that’s when he started his journey. Although he was born into a poor family, they were content with their living conditions (Biography.com). Dickens was low in social ranks, and it did not help when his father was imprisoned for debt, and Charles had to drop out of school to help his family and contribute in paying off the debts (Shmoop). After Charles dad, John, got an inheritance he reluctantly paid off the debt and Charles went…

Words 757 - Pages 4

Charles Dickens Research Paper

Famous author Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812. His birthplace was in Portsmouth, England, where he began his writing career. Dickens had seven brothers and sisters. Their parents, John Dickens and Elizabeth Barrow worked hard to support the family, despite being poor. John Dickens worked as a naval clerk, and Elizabeth Barrow had dreams of one day becoming a teacher. When Charles was four years old, he and his family moved to Chatham, Kent. The Dickens’ lived there for six years, before…

Words 504 - Pages 3

Charles Dickens Great Expectations

Evelyn Crisostomo 9/24/2012 Great Expectations Great Expectations Headstrong, persevering, constant, these three words describe Philip Pirrip or Pip, the star protagonist of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations. In the story, Pip, an orphan, is determined to become a gentleman and win the heart of childhood playmate Estella. As a character, Pip’s most significant characteristics are his juvenile romanticism and his surprisingly convicting conscience. In Great Expectations Pip not only plays the main…

Words 823 - Pages 4