A Student’s Companion toA Student’s Companion toA Student’s Companion to A Tale of A Tale of A Tale of
Two CitiesTwo CitiesTwo Cities by Abigail E. Schoolfield & by Abigail E. Schoolfield & by Abigail E. Schoolfield &
Robert W. WatsonRobert W. WatsonRobert W. Watson
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Introduction to A Tale of Two Cities
C HARLES DICKENS wrote A Tale of Two Cities as a warning to the British people that the events in France could very well happen in the British Isles. As an admirer
of Thomas Carlyle and being a disciple of Carlyle’s transcendentalism, Dickens concentrated his writings on the reformation of British society by attacking its shortcomings, particularly the inequalities of social classes and the use of prisons for debts and politics.
Since Dickens wrote this novel as a monthly serial, there is a definite quick pace to it. Every chapter seems to have a cliffhanger that compels the reader to continue reading in order to see what happens next. While the novel can be accused of being melodramatic at times, overall the work is realistic and has the rare quality of appealing to both the mind and the soul.
The two countries of France and England seemingly do not share anything in common. However, this perception is wrong, because both countries were on the verge of self-destruction. One of the many motifs in the novel centers on the need for redemption, whether on the personal or national level. For France, redemption would come by the shedding of blood. On the other hand, Dickens expresses well that a true redemption is accomplished through love, a love that is centered on friendship, family, and sacrifice. The mark of a nation is the unity of a people, who share a common memory and a desire to preserve those memories. But in order to preserve these memories, there must be a willingness on the part of the people to sacrifice in order that their nation may continue into the next generation. Without a willingness to transmit the past memories to the next generation, a people can no longer be called a nation.
The French Revolution destroyed the essence of nationhood when all commonality of purpose was eliminated. With the execution of their king and the eradication of their religion, the people of France broke from their past culture and history. While there existed a mock comradeship, everyone suspected his neighbor, and thousands of innocent people were sent to their deaths. England was no better, and Dickens tries to show this distrust early in the novel, where the English travelers were both physically and emotionally bundled up. Nations cannot exist when neighbors spy on neighbors, and when the people are controlled by terror rather than by mutual cooperation and respect. When neighbors have to be unified by force, they are no longer a nation, but have become a political State, where all relationships are determined by law, and not by family or culture.
The greatest value to be learned about the French Revolution is whenever a people rejects its religious and cultural traditions, there is nothing for anyone to fall back to. While no one can deny that the French policies were in need of reform, by their casting aside their past, the French lost their national soul.
A Synopsis of the French Revolution
T O understand some of the events in A Tale of Two Cities, a cursory look at the events during the French Revolution will be beneficial to the student. Ironically, it was the nobility that started the revolution in 1789 by forcing the king to reconvene the Estates-
General, a legislative body that had been idle since 1614. France had three “estates”: First
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Estate (clergy), Second Estate, (nobility), and Third Estate (middle class and peasants). The passage of laws required two of the three estates to vote for the new law. In other words, the Estates-General used the concept of concurrent majorities, rather than a simple majority. This represents an effective way to preserve the rights of the minority, but in this case, the clergy and nobility had shared interests and consistently blocked the reforms demanded by the Third Estate. Because the legislature was ineffectual, the Third Estate separated from the Estates-General and declared the “National Assembly” to be the legitimate representative of the people of France. King Louis XVI reluctantly agreed to recognize the National Assembly, because he was unwilling to use troops against the representatives of the Third Estate, which had been joined by many of the clergy and a few of the nobles.
When Louis XVI hired mercenaries to guard Paris and Versailles, he committed a tactical error, because this action gave credence to the rumor that the king was going to destroy the National Assembly. This led to the attack on the Bastille, a fortress prison that housed only seven prisoners. Mobs began to murder landowners, noblemen, and clergymen in surrounding provinces. Many chateaus as well as factories were looted and burned. This uprising has been called the “Great Fear.”
This mayhem eventually led to the formation of a constitution in 1791 that changed France from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional one. Again, Louis XVI blunders by not working with the National Assembly toward legitimate reform. But even the rural peasants were unhappy with the new government, which was created by middle-class merchants and lawyers, who did not represent the agrarian class. While many of the taxes were abolished, bringing some relief to the city dwellers, the remaining taxes did not help the farmers, who now had to pay the taxes in cash, and not with crops as before. Since money was difficult to obtain, the majority of the small farmers refused to submit to the taxes. But now the city folks were becoming dissatisfied with the new government as well. Unemployment was rising, and the urbanites were easily aroused to violence, as shown in the case of the storming of the Bastille.
However, what caused the downfall of the constitutional monarchy was the declaration of war by Austria and Prussia against France. Leopold II of Austria was the brother of France’s queen, Marie Antoinette, and he was naturally concerned for her safety. With the “Declaration of Pillnitz” (1791), Leopold stated that the restoration of absolutism in France was of “common interest to all sovereigns of Europe,” thus starting a war with France. All of the factions in France looked forward to the war. Of course the king hoped to seize power again, while the radicals were thinking that the king would be completely discredited as the result of the war. As it turned out, the latter result happened. The radical republicans of the Paris Commune drafted a new constitution that declared France to be a republic and established the “National Convention.” Georges Jacques Danton became the head of the new government. With the fall of Verdun, the French rushed troops to meet the invaders. Back in Paris however, anyone suspected of being a royalist was killed. Nearly 2,000 people lost their lives during the five-day slaughter.
The National Convention survived for about three years (1792–1795). During this period, Danton was able to better equip the army, and it began to have a measure of success in the war with Prussia and Austria. But in January, 1793, Louis XVI was executed. Shortly after the execution, England, Spain, Holland, and Sardinia joined Prussia and Austria, by forming the First Coalition against the French Republic. In addition to this outside pressure, an internal conflict began to grow within the National Convention. Even though they were both revolutionaries, the Girondists and the Jacobins had a falling out, and the radical Jacobins won the struggle for power in the end by getting rid of their rival moderates. Many of the Girondists fled to the countryside where they organized a farmers’ resistance. This resistance was
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supported by the Catholic royalists as well, whose churches were confiscated and desecrated.
To meet this threat, the National Convention established the Committee of Public Safety, consisting of twelve men. Anyone who was of noble birth, had contact with an émigré, or who could not produce a certificate of citizenship was to be arrested. Thus began the “Reign of Terror.” In a fifteen-month period, 5,000 victims were guillotined in Paris alone, while 20,000 persons were executed in the various rural villages. By early 1794, any justification for the Reign of Terror had ended. Most of the Girondists as well as Maria Antoinette were executed. However, Maximilien Robespierre gained control of the important Committee of Public Safety and had become the most powerful man in the government. The revolution transformed itself into a snake that began to eat its tail. The French people looked on helplessly as courageous leaders of the early days of the revolution were sent to the guillotine, because they disagreed with Robespierre. Included among the executed was Danton. At last, being sick of the bloodshed, the National Convention arrested Robespierre as a “terrorist” along with twenty-one of his closest associates, and sent them to the guillotine, ending the Reign of Terror. Thousands of prisoners were released, the Paris Commune was broken up, and the powers of the Committee of Public Safety were curtailed. There then arose a reaction against the radicals. In the rural provinces, a “White Terror” forced many radical republicans to flee for their lives, many coming to New England in the United States. The churches in France were reopened, and except for France’s war with the First Coalition, the lives of the people returned to a bit of normalcy.
Even though it began as a feud between the aristocracy and the monarchy, the French Revolution, in the end, pitted an industrialized, radical citizenry against its agrarian counterpart. What was overthrown was an agrarian tradition where economics and politics were decentralized, and this tradition was replaced by a centralized, all-powerful State that usurped all the functions in society, including politics and religion. Later, two countries would have their own revolutions which would have the same consequence of destroying their agrarian cultures and by replacing them with a centralized, industrialized State: the industrialized United States of America that invaded and conquered the agrarian Confederates States of America and industrialized Bolshevik Russia that invaded and conquered the agrarian provinces of White Russia. ROBERT W. WATSON
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A Tale of Two Cities Lesson One
1.1 Vocabulary
pincers n. capitulate v. evince v. cadaverous adj. 1.2 Vocabulary Exercise
1. What Tina remembered the most about the poor man, who was lost for two weeks in the forest, was his ______________ face; it was pale and gray, and he looked much like a skeleton.
2. When the opposing commander realized that his troops were surrounded and that further resistance would be futile, he decided to _______________ and accept the enemy’s terms of surrender.
3. In order to remove the hot metal from the flame, the blacksmith had to use ______________ in order not to get burned.
4. No matter how you justify your actions, you will never _________________ trust by not being completely honest with your friends.
1.3 Reading Assignment: A Tale of Two Cities, Book 1, Chapters 1–4 1.4 Recall Questions
1. What is the year when the narrator begins his tale?
2. To what does the narrator refer when he says, “there were growing trees, when that sufferer was put to death, already marked by the woodman…”?
3. What did the two kings carry with “a high hand”?
4. What were the feelings of the men in the mail coach toward each other?
5. What message does Jerry give to Mr. Lorry?
6. What answer does Mr. Lorry give to Jerry?
7. What does Mr. Lorry dream about in the coach?
8. How old is Lucie when Mr. Lorry first meets her?
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9. How old was Lucie when Mr. Lorry took her to England?
10. What news does Mr. Lorry give Lucie about her father?
1.5 Critical Thinking
Discuss Dickens’s showing how the authoritarianism in France is the same as the near anarchy in England.
While Mr. Lorry tries his best to convince himself that he is merely a man of business, explain how his actions reveal that he is a man of tact, understanding, and compassion.
1.6 Bonus Thoughts
Foreshadowing: When Jerry becomes anxious because of Mr. Lorry’s message, “Recalled to Life,” Dickens is offering an obscure glimpse about Jerry Cruncher and the motif of resurrection. Note carefully the character of Jerry, particularly his attitude towards prayer. Also, another example of foreshadowing is the reference to the “certain movable framework with a sack and a knife in it.”
The Monarchs of England and France: Dickens does not name the two monarchs in his tale. The two monarchs in 1775 were King George III of England and Louis XVI of France.
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A Tale of Two Cities Lesson Two
2.1 Vocabulary
billet n. besmirch v. implacable adj. lethargy n. 2.2 Vocabulary Exercise
1. The wood cutter seemed to make an art of stacking the ricks of ____________, each piece placed precisely with each other.
2. After arriving on the island, Ulysses’s men experienced a strange ________________, which caused them to become unconcerned about going back to their homes.
3. The king was ________________ to any mutual agreement as the nobles tried to offer a compromise that would be beneficial to both factions.
4. Mr. Thompson regretted having gotten into politics, because the opposition began to __________________ his otherwise impeccable personal life by publishing his one night in jail for disorderly conduct when he was in college.
2.3 Reading Assignment: A Tale of Two Cities, Book 1, Chapters 5–6 2.4 Recall Questions
1. What did the people in the street do when the wine spilled?
2. What word did one man write on the wall?
3. What was the condition of the poor people in Paris?
4. How did Madame Defarge let her husband know they had visitors?
5. By what name do all the men in the wine shop call each other?
6. What is Lucie’s father doing when Mr. Lorry and Lucie come to get him?
7. What is Dr. Manette’s mental and physical condition?
8. What does Dr. Manette say his name is?
9. What does Dr. Manette have tied around his neck?
10. What does Lucie request while Defarge and Mr. Lorry arrange for them to leave Paris?
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2.5 Critical Thinking
Explain the symbolism of the wine in today’s reading. What Biblical examples regarding wine are appropriate in this context?
Explain how the description of the room where Mr. Lorry and Lucie meet is like a funeral parlor.
Many critics have said that Lucie’s appeal to her father in chapter 6 as a bit too melodramatic. Do you agree? Why or why not?
2.6 Bonus Thoughts
Girondists and Jacobins: When the National Assembly under the Constitution of 1791 met on October 1, it was a group of men whose membership was seriously divided in matters of political ideals and theory. Many were fairly conservative, hoping for a real success of the limited monarchy. Another group was the Republicans who were called the “Gironde” with somewhat vague notions that the Revolution was still incomplete. They got their name from the department of Gironde, which is found in southwest France. The remaining delegates were moderates with varying loyalties toward right or left as the occasion demanded; or in other words, these were typical politicians with no convictions.
With this division, any active, determined, well-organized minority in French society could find a good opportunity to rise to the top. This minority turned out to be the Jacobin clubs, whose membership consisted almost entirely of merchants, artisans, and factory workers. The Jacobins arose from the Gironde, and the first Jacobin club took its name from the fact that its meeting place was in a room at the former Jacobin (Dominican) monastery in Paris. This club’s original name was the “Society of the Friends of the Constitution Meeting at the Jacobins in Paris.” Beginning shortly after the commencement of the Estates-General, the development of the clubs was rapid during 1789 and 1790. Soon a system of disciplined and highly centralized control was devised. By October, 1791, there were almost five hundred separate but affiliated units in the Jacobin organization. These Jacobin clubs have been compared to the membership of the Bolshevik party in Russia before 1917 and the modern American party machine.
Among the chief leaders of the Jacobins were the poor but talented lawyers Danton and Robespierre, and the brilliant doctor-journalist Marat. All three of these men would experience violent deaths. These men and their followers were soon to evolve into the radical republicans. Commanding as yet no majority in the national legislature, the Jacobins went to work by devices familiar to shrewd politicians everywhere to get their views before the public, to arouse public opinion, and to prepare the way for much more sweeping reorganization of the French state than had been planned by the National Assembly. Eventually, the Jacobins gained political control of Paris, and it was these radical republicans that directed the Reign of Terror.
After the execution of Robespierre, most of the Jacobins fled France and went to Great Britain or to the northern United States. In America, the Jacobins retained their radical republicanism while participating in Whig politics, which favored a loose interpretation of the Constitution, a centralized nationalist government, the protection of industry with high tariffs, and internal improvements at federal expense. All of these issues were opposed by the agrarian South. Eventually the Whigs and abolitionists formed the Republican Party, which nominated Abraham Lincoln for president in 1860. Radical republicanism in America took on its own terror with the invasion of the Confederate States of America and with the Southern nation’s subsequent “reconstruction.”
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A Tale of Two Cities Lesson Three
3.1 Vocabulary
incommodious adj. trepidation n. deprecate v. demur n. 3.2 Vocabulary Exercise
1. The attorney tried his best to ________________ the charges against his client as silly, ridiculous, and foolish.
2. The captain of the sailing ship hoped that the harbor would be suitable for waiting out the storm and not ____________________, because the sea and wind were too much for the small vessel.
3. During the council meeting, Mr. Sloan suggested that a _____________ was in order so that all interested parties could have more time to consider the controversial proposal.
4. The sound of the police sirens nearby caused enough fear that his ______________ caused the thief to abandon his hiding place and to seek for better cover.
3.3 Reading Assignment: A Tale of Two Cities, Book 2, Chapters 1–3 3.4 Recall Questions
1. How much time has passed between the last chapter of Book One and the first chapter of Book Two?
2. Briefly describe Tellson’s bank.
3. Who is the odd-job man at Tellson’s?
4. Why is Jerry angry with his wife?
5. What is the reason for the trial at the Old Bailey?
6. What is the name of the man being tried?
7. How did the prisoner meet Lucie and her father?
8. What comments had the prisoner made to Lucie regarding the war between England and her North American colonies?
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9. How did the defense prove that the man the witness saw may not have been the prisoner?
10. What was the outcome of the trial?
3.5 Critical Thinking
Explain how the description of Tellson’s Bank is like a prison.
Explain the significance of the reference to the “blue-flies” in chapter 3.
Compare and contrast Darnay and Dr. Manette as men who have been “recalled to life.” 3.6 Bonus Thoughts
Treason: The act of treason is the most serious crime which a citizen can commit against his country. However, actions against the government may not be the same as against one’s country. For an example, in Europe during the eighteenth century, treason was defined very loosely to include many political offenses against the State. In the U.S. Constitution, the offense of treason has been narrowed to include “levying war” against the United States, and “in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.” Thus the U.S. Constitution recognizes treason when it is committed against the citizens of the several states, not against the central government. Because of its narrow definition, citizens could not be arrested for merely opposing the central government. Therefore, in order to suppress criticism of the Federalist-controlled government, President John Adams signed the “Sedition Act” which made it a crime to write or speak anything to incite “the hatred of the good people of the United States” against the federal government, the president, or the members of Congress. The Federalists got ten convictions against their political opponents under this statute. Thus, early in the history of the new American federation, there was the working of the nationalists to set aside the liberties under the U.S. Constitution.
Quartering: The English law even in the early nineteenth century provided that a person, who was convicted of high treason affecting the king’s person or government, would be disemboweled while still alive, beheaded, and his body divided into four quarters. Such was the fate of Sir William Wallace who led the Scottish rebellion against Edward I of England. Wallace’s four limbs were sent to the four corners of the British Isles as a warning to others who would challenge the king’s authority.
Another ghastly fate however awaited the murderer, who was not only hanged by the neck until he was dead, but his body was publicly dissected. For an example, the following sentence was delivered in May, 1760, which decreed:
That the said Lawrence Earl Ferrers, Viscount Tamworth, shall be hanged by the neck until he is dead and that his body be dissected and anatomized.
The sentence was literally carried into effect by the executioners. After being hanged, the viscount’s body was conveyed to Surgeon’s Hall in the City of London. After being disemboweled and cut open from the throat downward, the body was exposed to public view in a room on the first floor. In 1832, Parliament outlawed the dissection of the bodies of criminals.
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A Tale of Two Cities Lesson Four
4.1 Vocabulary
eke v. florid adj. glib adj. apostrophize v. 4.2 Vocabulary Exercise
1. The mayor spoke well until he began to _______________ the old hardware store that his father used to own; the audience thought the address to the old building was comical.
2. Mrs. Wilson did not like the house very well, because the woodwork was a bit too ________________ for her taste, preferring a simpler style.
3. Even though Sam ___________ a bare existence from his farm due to the poor soil, he was a happy man, relying on God to provide for him and his family.
4. Almost everyone in the audience was surprised when the senator replied in a __________ manner that the troubles of Social Security would take care of themselves.
4.3 Reading Assignment: A Tale of Two Cities, Book 2, Chapters 4–6 4.4 Recall Questions
1. Whom does Dickens refer to as “the golden thread”?
2. What sort of man is Sidney Carton?
3. What is the name of Carton’s law partner?
4. Who is referred to as “the Jackal”?
5. Why is the law partnership between Stryver and Carton a lopsided one?
6. What does Mr. Lorry find in Dr. Manette’s bedroom?
7. Why is Miss Pross upset?
8. Who does Miss Pross say is the only man worthy of Lucie?
9. What does Mr. Lorry discuss with Miss Pross?
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10. What story does Darnay tell the group during his visit?
11. What does Lucie imagine the echoes to be?
4.5 Critical Thinking
When Mr. Carton states, “Come on, and have it out in plain words! You hate the fellow,” to whom does he refer? Why?
Compare and contrast the characters Mr. Lorry and Miss Pross. 4.6 Bonus Thoughts
The Jackal: The jackal belongs to the same genus as the dog, wolf, and coyote. Pairs often mate for life. Being a nocturnal animal, the jackal hunts by night and sleeps during the day in holes. Being about the same size as the coyote, the jackal also howls and yaps like the coyote before an evening hunt. Even though they hunt small animals such as rodents and fawns, jackals are primarily scavengers, eating carrion. In today’s reading, Dickens refers to Sydney Carton as a jackal while Mr. Stryver is a lion. Oddly, the jackal has an interesting relationship with the lion. As a pack, jackals can kill a larger animal. After killing its prey, the pack will often retreat to the brush while the lions come to eat their fill of the recent kill. After the lions leave, the jackals will return to the carcass to eat what is left. Thus, Carton does the hard work, while Stryver enjoys the fruits of another’s labor.
1. The several visitors were very much impressed with the _____________ manner of Mr. Godfrey, who seemed to enjoy making everyone comfortable and relaxed.
2. As our group walked through the old forest, I could not help thinking that the trees had taken on a ______________ appearance with their limbs contorted in such strange positions.
3. Uncle Walter enjoyed the harvest of his peaches, supervising the picking of the ________, ripe fruit from the trees of his orchard.
4. Sir William Wallace gave an ___________________ reply to his accusers, because he had nothing to be sorry about.
5.3 Reading Assignment: A Tale of Two Cities, Book 2, Chapters 7-9 5.4 Recall Questions
1. How many servants serve Monseigneur his morning chocolate?
2. What person at the hotel does Monseigneur ignore?
3. What happens as the Marquis hurried down the Paris street in his carriage?
4. What does the Marquis do in recompense for the incident?
5. What does the woman at the graveyard ask of the Marquis?
6. How does the Marquis react to this woman’s request?
7. Who visits the Marquis for dinner?
8. What is Charles Darnay’s real name?
9. How does Darnay feel about his family?
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10. What happens to the Marquis that night?
5.5 Critical Thinking
Discuss how Monseigneur is the incarnation of Satan.
Explain the significance of the references to the different animals in today’s reading. 5.4 Bonus Thoughts
Gorgons: The allusion to the Gorgon’s head is appropriate because of the references to stone in chapter 9. The Gorgons were three sisters who were so ugly that anyone who looked directly upon them was immediately turned into stone. Two of the sisters, Euryale and Stheno, were immortal, but the third, Medusa, was not, and therefore could be killed. The tale goes that Medusa at one time was a woman of great beauty, whose hair was her pride. The goddess Athena became angry with Medusa and caused the hapless girl to be changed into the form of the other Gorgons with Medusa's hair becoming a mass of wiggling snakes. The Greek hero, Perseus, became renown for his killing of Medusa. With a magic helmet, winged sandals, a sword made of diamond, and a highly polished bronze shield, Perseus set out to kill the Gorgon. In addition to the special equipment, Perseus received the valuable advice to look at the Gorgon only in the reflection from his shield. Perseus caught Medusa sleeping and cut off her head. As the blood of the Gorgon fell to the ground, there emerged the flying horse Pegasus. One of the interesting stories about the head of Medusa is when Perseus visited the kingdom of Atlas. King Atlas received Perseus with less than cordial hospitality. When Perseus showed the king the severed head of Medusa, Atlas was turned to stone, thus becoming the Atlas Mountains of North Africa.
1. The governor of the state was appalled by the citizens’ being __________________ and unconcerned about the approaching storm.
2. The ______________ discussion of the matter was presented logically and was well supported; however, the crowd was moved more by the emotional appeal, rather than the rhetoric.
3. After the War between the States, many applauded George Peabody for his _____________ spirit in providing funds to educate the youth of the South.
4. The thief was _________________, always returning to stealing shortly after being released from his many times in prison.
6.3 Reading Assignment: A Tale of Two Cities, Book 2, Chapters 10–13 6.4 Recall Questions
1. How much time has passed since the Marquis’ murder?
2. What is Charles Darnay’s occupation at this time?
3. What does Charles Darnay discuss with Dr. Manette?
4. When does Darnay promise to reveal to Dr. Manette the secret of his past?
5. What has happened to Dr. Manette when Lucie gets home?
6. Whom does Mr. Stryver announce to Carton that he intends to marry ?
7. What does Mr. Stryver advise Carton to do?
8. Why does Mr. Stryver stop at Tellson’s bank on his way to Soho?
9. What does Mr. Lorry do for Mr. Stryver?
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10. Why does Sydney Carton go to see Lucie?
11. What promises does Carton make to Lucie?
6.5 Critical Thinking
Contrast the two suitors, Darnay and Stryver, regarding their attitudes towards Lucie.
Explain how Carton’s love for Lucie resembles the worthier aspects of courtly love. 6.6 Bonus Thoughts
Bourgeois: Mr. C. J. Stryver becomes the standard to measure the bourgeois, or the urban middle class. Of course, Dickens portrays Stryver as a satirical character with an overblown case of self-importance. In addition to his feeling of “indispensability,” the lawyer has a preoccupation with his being respectable and has just enough wealth to make him arrogant and condescending. As is the case with urbanization, Stryver becomes alienated from others when he fails to understand the need for personal relationships, but thinks people are merely tools to be used for his own advantage and advancement.
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A Tale of Two Cities Lesson Seven
7.1 Vocabulary
ruminate v. vinous adj. parricide n. ubiquitous adj. 7.2 Vocabulary Exercise
1. The _______________ display of the revelers was to be expected during the “Feast of Bacchus,” the god of wine.
2. Murder is bad enough; but for the young man to commit ______________ was unthinkable, especially since his parents adored him.
3. There were many times when I would find my father sitting in a comfortable chair with a book in his hands, staring out the window, appearing to _________________ about the passages that he had just read.
4. It never failed. Whenever I did anything wrong as a boy, my ________________ mother was at that very place and moment to witness my transgression.
7.3 Reading Assignment: A Tale of Two Cities, Book 2, Chapters 14–15 7.4 Recall Questions
1. Whose funeral procession does Jerry see go by on Fleet Street?
2. Why does Jerry hit his son?
3. What happens to the only mourner at the funeral?
4. What does the mob do for amusement after the burial?
5. Where does Jerry tell his wife he is going that night?
6. Where is he really going?
7. What makes Little Jerry think his father’s mission was not successful?
8. Where does Defarge let his guest stay?
9. What happens to the assassin of the Marquis?
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10. What is Madame Dafarge’s register, and how does she keep the register?
11. Why is Defarge happy to see the mender of roads cheer for the aristocrats?
7.5 Critical Thinking
Compare and contrast Lucie Manette and Madame Defarge as the center of their societies. 7.6 Bonus Thoughts
Grave Robbing: The stealing of dead bodies for scientific experiments was quite common and well known. However, bodies have been occasionally dug up in order to ransom them. The most famous attempt in the United States was concerning the body of Abraham Lincoln. In 1876 a plot was made to steal Lincoln’s body in order get $200,000 in gold and the freedom of a counterfeiting engraver, Ben Boyd, who was in the Joliet (Illinois) Prison. The mastermind of the counterfeiting ring and the plot to steal Lincoln’s body was Jim Kinealy. However, one of Kinealy’s associates got drunk and told a woman about the plans. The would-be grave robbers left town rather quickly. But to Kinealy, this episode was just a minor setback. Kinealy added another associate to his staff. Unfortunately, the new man, Lewis G. Swegles, was in the employ of the Secret Service. On November 7, 1876 (Election Day), the gang succeeded in lifting Lincoln’s coffin out, and Swegles was sent to fetch the wagon. Instead of the wagon, the agent returned with eight detectives. Because it was dark, the grave robbers escaped back to Chicago, but were caught there ten days later. At the trial, the members of the gang were sentenced to one year in prison for stealing a coffin. Grave robbing was not a crime in Illinois in 1876, but this failed attempt prompted the Illinois legislature to make grave robbing an offense punishable up to ten years in prison.
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A Tale of Two Cities Lesson Eight
8.1 Vocabulary
offal n. assiduous adj. anatomize v. sagacity n. 8.2 Vocabulary Exercise
1. It was hard times indeed, when even the ______________ of animals was eaten; but hungry people will do anything to survive.
2. My uncle’s ______________ to keep credit tight instead of loose during the boom years helped prevent the collapse of the small town’s economy during the peach failure; the townspeople had to admit that he was very wise indeed.
3. The biology students seemed to be a bit squeamish as they began to ________________ the bull frog.
4. Debby has proven to be the most __________________ of our employees; she is constantly busy about her work and looking for better ways to improve production.
8.3 Reading Assignment: A Tale of Two Cities, Book 2, Chapters 16–18 8.4 Recall Questions
1. Who is the spy that the Defarges learn is in town?
2. What are Madame Defarge’s plans for Barsad?
3. Why did Madame Defarge pin a rose to her hat?
4. Who was the stranger that entered?
5. What information does Barsad reveal to the Defarges?
6. For what does Lucie set aside the night before her wedding?
7. What subject does Dr. Manette, to Lucie’s surprise, mention?
8. What is the condition of Dr. Manette when he and Darnay emerge from the doctor’s bedroom?
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9. What are the plans for the newly-weds’ honeymoon?
10. What happened to Dr. Manette after the wedding?
8.5 Critical Thinking
Compare the activities of knitting and cobbling in the novel, and how they take on a sinister meaning.
8.6 Bonus Thoughts
Fate and Inevitability of Revolution: Dickens seems to suggest that the events that led to the French Revolution would have happen regardless of any circumstances. Indeed, even without a Madame Defarge, there is the sense that the destruction of the prevailing social order was obliged to occur. Revolutions are often justified due to this inevitable fate, or impersonal determinism. However, all events have human causes. Today’s circumstances are the result of policies and events that were put into motion by past generations. Herein lies the chief benefit of studying history. If we are wise enough to learn from the past, human destiny can be altered. When a people divorce themselves from the Bible, events in the past and the present do seem like a hodge-podge of unrelated episodes that are independent. But God is a God of order, and this is especially true with the human experience. The Bible teaches that the sons are not to be accountable for the sins of their fathers, thus making history not inevitable. It is the revenge of a human being, Madame Defarge, who seeks the life of the son of her enemy. Yet, Darnay’s going to France was not inevitable, but the result of the gentleman’s free will.
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A Tale of Two Cities Lesson Nine
9.1 Vocabulary
diffidence n. dissolute adj. pensive adj. execration n. 9.2 Vocabulary Exercise
1. The lower part in the middle of the field became a(n) ________________ for the farmer, because over the years he saw the area become a large pond that was of no use to him.
2. The _______________ troops began to burn homes and to kill the livestock belonging to the defenseless civilians; such is the brutality of total war, a cowardice when the strong oppresses the weak.
3. After meditating in his den that always allowed for _______________ reflection, Mr. Adams came to a resolute decision.
4. Jerry often blames his natural ____________________ to his inability to speak publicly; however, if he wants to, he can overcome his shyness.
9.3 Reading Assignment: A Tale of Two Cities, Book 2, Chapters 19-21 9.4 Recall Questions
1. What does Dr. Manette say was the cause of the relapse?
2. What does Mr. Lorry advise Dr. Manette to do?
3. Who is among the newly-weds’ first visitors?
4. What does Carton ask of Darnay?
5. What does Lucie ask of Darnay that night?
6. What happens to Lucie’s little boy?
7. Concerning his domestic life, what becomes of Mr. Stryver?
8. Why does Mr. Lorry arrive in a bad mood?
9. What are the Defarges doing while the Soho group talks in their house?
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10. What does Defarge find in Dr. Manette’s old cell?
11. What does the mob do to the guards?
9.5 Critical Thinking
Explain how Dickens creates an impersonality with the mob; in other words, how does the collective cease to be human?
9.6 Bonus Thoughts
The Storming of the Bastille: Shortly after Louis XVI’s unenthusiastic recognition of the National Assembly as the legitimate legislature for France, a mob captured the Bastille, an old royal prison in the heart of Paris. This prison was hated as a symbol of political oppression, and this fortress on July 14, 1789, was attacked, being partially destroyed by the mob of crazed Parisians. Much historical research has been recorded about the fall of the Bastille, but like most events in history, there is not a completely satisfactory single cause. On the other hand, the effects are clear.
1. This event marked the first bloodshed of the Revolution.
2. It led to the formation of a rival military power to the royal army, the National Guard under General Lafayette, the famous hero of the War for American Independence.
3. It witnessed the first use of the red, white, and blue tri-color flag, a banner that speedily supplanted the old royal emblem of golden lilies on a field of white.
4. It gave an impetus to violence which spread rapidly over France, mingling with and accelerating similar local atrocities known collectively as the “Great Fear.”
5. It prompted many leading noblemen and clergymen to emigrate abroad, since the people of France were becoming more violent.
Thus, the fall of the Bastille opened further the rift between the several groups composing the French people. Bastille day is still the great national holiday of modern France. One has to wonder why, since the day marked not one of honor, but one of brutality and cruelty.
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A Tale of Two Cities Lesson Ten
10.1 Vocabulary
modicum n. chary adj. awry adj. viand n. 10.2 Vocabulary Exercise
1. When Mr. Douglas said that my presentation was outstanding, I considered the remark to be a great honor, coming from a man who was ____________ with his compliments.
2. One would think that teachers would still expect a _______________ of respect from their students.
3. The trapper came into the camp and asked if he could have a _______________ and a warm place to sleep.
4. Many in the community wondered how parenting could have gone so ___________, for both a mother and a father to abandon their five children.
10.3 Reading Assignment: A Tale of Two Cities, Book 2, Chapters 22-24 10.4 Recall Questions
1. What is the name of Madame Defarge’s knitting companion?
2. What news does Defarge bring?
3. What is stuffed in the mouth of Foulon as he was hung?
4. Who else is killed by the mob on the same day?
5. What is the name of the tax collector who works for the Evremondes?
6. What is Mr. Lorry planning to do?
7. Who is the only person to know Darnay’s real name?
8. What news came that made Darnay eager to go to France?
9. Why does Darnay think going to France will not be that dangerous for him?
10. How does Darnay notify Lucie and Dr. Manette about what he is going to do?
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10.5 Critical Thinking
Is Madame Defarge better than the aristocrats whom she hates? Explain how revolution does not cure any shortcomings of a society, but actually increases the injustice.
10.6 Bonus Thoughts
Loadstone Rock: Having magnetic properties, sailors used to believe that the Loadstone Rock was located at the North pole. Figuratively, France becomes a loadstone that draws Charles Darnay to it.
The American War for Independence, the French Revolution, and the War between the States: Many scholars have attempted to equate the American War for Independence with the French Revolution. However, the two conflicts are completely different. First of all, there must be a clear understanding as to what is a “revolution.” When used in the context of politics, a revolution is the overthrow of one form of government with the replacement of a different form. A revolution is clearly a rebellion against the established order, but it can be without bloodshed. When there is bloodshed, then the revolution is a civil war, when two or more factions are trying to gain control of the government. What took place in France was indeed a rapid succession of several revolutions, changing the government from absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy, to republic, to directorate, and finally to empire. On the other hand, what took place in America was not a revolution or a civil war at all. Therefore, any use of the term “American Revolution” is incorrect. The colonists did not change their governments. In fact, they declared their independence in order to preserve their accepted traditions and institutions and had no interest to change the government in London. The founding fathers did not fight a revolution, but were fighting an alien aggressor that invaded their land after the sovereign states formally withdrew from the feudal arrangement under King George III, which under law they were permitted to do. This withdrawing from one country in order to form another is the political doctrine of secession and is an act of peace, not of war. The Declaration of Independence merely gave the reasons why the bonds of union were no longer a mutual benefit to England and the thirteen colonies. During and after the War for Independence, the social, religious, and political institutions stayed intact and were not changed on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
Likewise, the so-called “American Civil War” is a misnomer. The separation of the Southern states from the Union was an act of peace, and the Southern nation did not want to change the government in Washington, D.C. The citizens of the South merely wanted to leave one country and form another, which is called self-determination. The Southern and Northern interests were so antagonistic that a harmonious relationship or any commonality of purpose was no longer possible between the two regions. However, had the Southerners known that they would have to fight a war with their Northern neighbors, they would not have seceded. The Southerners were not foolish. They knew they could not win a military victory over the North, but from every indication in the press and from governmental officials, the citizens of the Confederacy believed they could leave the Union peacefully. Nevertheless, after being betrayed and lied to by the Lincoln administration, the South had no choice but to fight as a matter of honor. After the North declared war against the Confederate States of America, seven more states, the New Mexico territory, and the Five Indian Nations (Oklahoma) joined the Confederacy due to President Lincoln’s blatant disregard of the U.S. Constitution. However, of these latest states that seceded, Missouri, Kentucky, and Maryland were quickly occupied by Union forces. Delaware was the only slave state that voted to remain in the Union, and it maintained slavery throughout the conflict until the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, which ended slavery. Arguably, the
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War for Southern Independence was the actual American Revolution that changed a limited federal government of sovereign states into an imperial State, which compels distinct regions to coexist together, not by nationalistic feeling or common vision, but by force of military might.
A Tale of Two Cities Lesson Eleven
11.1 Vocabulary
farrier n. squalor n. ingress n. egress n. 11.2 Vocabulary Exercise
1. The skiers survived the avalanche, but also discovered that their ______________ out of the valley was blocked by tons of fallen snow.
2. The knight waited outside the castle for the lowering of the bridge over the moat in order that he could have ________________ through the massive structure’s walls.
3. We are fortunate that the neighboring ranch has a ________________, who replace a shoe on my sister’s horse, Gunpowder.
4. When John visited the large city, he was not impressed with the tall buildings at all; he was more disgusted with the _____________ and disorderliness that exist when so many people live in such a limited space.
11.3 Reading Assignment: A Tale of Two Cities, Book 3, Chapters 1-3 11.4 Recall Questions
1. Why do the revolutionaries insist on Darnay’s having an escort?
2. Who lets Darnay into Paris and takes him to the prison?
3. What is the name of the prison in which Darnay is confined?
4. What do the other prisoners look like to Darnay?
5. What does the phrase “in secret” mean?
6. What has been placed just outside Tellson’s bank in Paris, and what is its purpose?
7. Who arrives at Tellson’s to see Mr. Lorry?
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8. Why does Mr. Lorry believe Lucie should not stay at Tellson’s?
9. Whom does Mr. Lorry leave to watch over Lucie?
10. What message does Defarge bring Mr. Lorry?
11. How do the Defarges behave toward Lucie?
11.5 Critical Thinking
How is the grindstone symbolic of all technology? Discuss how technology is neither good nor evil, but depending on the morality of the users, it can be used either for good or for evil.
11.6 Bonus Thoughts
Prison La Force: The slaughter of the prisoners at the Prison La Force is known as the “September Massacres.” On September 2, 1792, news reached Paris that the fortress at Verdun had fallen to the Prussians, and the Prussian army was daily drawing closer to Paris. At this time, the commander of the French National Guard, Lafayette, had second thoughts about the goals of the radical republicans and departed France. As every available man departed to the front to meet the Prussians, the Paris Commune took care that no traitors were left behind in the city. All suspected of sympathy for the monarchy were butchered. The prisons were emptied of priests and nobles, who refused to take an oath of allegiance to the new order. Whether Danton ordered or merely allowed the killings to take place is still questioned. Nevertheless, in five days, nearly 2,000 “counter-revolutionaries” were executed without a trial.
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A Tale of Two Cities Lesson Twelve
12.1 Vocabulary
carnage n. alluvial adj. capricious adj. purveyor n. 12.2 Vocabulary Exercise
1. The young soldier quickly learned that war was not about dress parades, but about killing and ________________.
2. Mr. Brown inherited his rich ________________ land on the delta from his father, who purchased it when land was very cheap.
3. I have noticed that there are some organizations that wish to be the ________________ of discontent; however, my philosophy of life is “if you leave me alone, I’ll leave you alone.”
4. As government becomes dominated by men of few scruples, the laws will be _________________, seemingly without any particular purpose or for any legitimate social policy.
12.3 Reading Assignment: A Tale of Two Cities, Book 3, Chapters 4-7 12.4 Recall Questions
1. How many prisoners does the mob murder?
2. What promise does the tribunal make concerning Darnay?
3. Where does Lucie go every day?
4. Who is the wood-sawyer?
5. What is the name of the dance the revolutionaries did?
6. Who passes by as Lucie signals to Darnay?
7. Who is Darnay’s first witness?
8. What is the result of the trial?
9. How many people are condemned to death after his acquittal?
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10. What is the purpose of the four men who come to the door after Miss Pross and Jerry leave?
11. With the new situation with Darnay, who are the accusers?
12.5 Critical Thinking
Compare and contrast the guillotine and the Christian cross. 12.6 Bonus Thoughts
The Carmagnole: Originally, a carmagnole referred to the short coat worn by the revolutionaries. The song and street dance referred to in the reading were both popular in France during the Reign of Terror. The song consisted of thirteen two-line stanzas. Each stanza ended with a two-line refrain which praised the revolution. As for the street dance, it was improvised according to each individual as the moment directed.
The Execution of Louis XVI: Believing that a people cannot find liberty when “it respects the memory of its chains,” the radical republicans sentenced King Louis XVI to death. The execution of the hapless monarch was on January 21, 1793. According to eyewitnesses, Louis XVI showed a quiet dignity and a splendid fortitude. It appears that the king was at his greatest when facing death, more so than he ever had while sitting on his throne.
The Black Flag: As a symbol, the black flag has represented anarchy. Later in the nineteenth century, Louise Michel, who became famous during her participation with the resurrected Paris Commune, flew a black flag. Michel flew the flag on March 9, 1883, during a demonstration by those who were unemployed. With 500 strong, Michel, at the lead, shouted “Bread, work, or lead!” The mob then ransacked three bakeries before several looters were arrested by the police. Not long after, the black symbol made its way to America. On November 27, 1884, the black flag was displayed in Chicago at an Anarchist demonstration for the first time. Today, it is more common to see a black and red flag representing anarchy.
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A Tale of Two Cities Lesson Thirteen
13.1 Vocabulary
gregarious adj. reticule n. ostentatious adj. prevaricate v. 13.2 Vocabulary Exercise
1. Whenever writing for clarity, the writer should always use clear Anglo-Saxon words like “to lie,” rather than Latin words like “to ____________.”
2. Steve arrived at the informal dinner wearing a tuxedo and top hat; his attire was a bit _________________ for the occasion.
3. My wife only takes her ________________ to special occasions, which is more formal than her other purses.
4. Since humans are ______________ by nature, we desire to associate with others who have similar ideas and common purposes.
13.3 Reading Assignment: A Tale of Two Cities, Book 3, Chapters 8-9 13.4 Recall Questions
1. Whom do Miss Pross and Jerry meet at the wine shop?
2. What is Solomon’s other name?
3. Who joins Miss Pross, her brother, and Jerry?
4. What does Carton discover about Roger Cly?
5. How does Carton get Barsad to give him what he wants?
6. What warning does Mr. Lorry give Jerry?
7. What “favor” does Carton get from Barsad?
8. Where does Carton go after leaving the prison?
9. Who is named in court to be Darnay’s third accuser?
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10. What does Defarge produce as evidence against Darnay to the tribunal?
13.5 Critical Thinking
Explain how Dickens suggests arguments against the advancement of science through Cruncher’s grave-robbing.
Mr. Carton raises some interesting questions about the purpose of life. Discuss which is more important in one’s daily life: acquiring things, or developing personal relationships. Why is there the tendency to ignore the latter in favor of the former?
In today’s reading we find both Mr. Carton and Mr. Lorry “blackmailing” someone. Is the use of blackmail a good thing if good is the result of it? Why or why not?
13.6 Bonus Thoughts
Motif and Theme: A motif is an incident or a device that recurs frequently in literature. Every major motif is found in the Bible. Some common motifs include a lamenting for the past, a live-and-let-live abandonment (carpe diem), and Good verses Evil. The word theme is often used interchangeably with motif. However, to be more technical, a theme applies to a thesis or doctrine which is incorporated into a work. A theme therefore has a teaching, or didactic, purpose. Some critics argue that all works, including poetry, have an implicit theme, if not an explicit one. A Tale of Two Cities has several motifs like Good verses Evil, a sacrificial love, a longing for the good, old days, and most important, a need for resurrection. The theme of the novel is implied: revenge and hatred accomplish nothing worthwhile, but love conquers all.
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A Tale of Two Cities Lesson Fourteen
14.1 Vocabulary
doleful adj. quay n. augment v. inveteracy n. 14.2 Vocabulary Exercise
1. The death of the beloved teacher created a ________________ atmosphere in the school for several weeks, a genuine expression of grief that was present with both faculty and students.
2. The _________________ of his tradition as an agrarian and as a Christian directed Charles to support limited government and isolationism, thus rejecting the socialist, central government and military intervention in foreign affairs.
3. The ships no longer had to offload the cargo on lighters since the seaport built a _________ and deepened the harbor.
4. Fortunately, the troops from the other divisions were able to __________ the beleaguered regiments in time to push the enemy back across the river.
14.3 Reading Assignment: A Tale of Two Cities, Book 3, Chapters 10-12 14.4 Recall Questions
1. Why do the twins want Dr. Manette’s help?
2. What does Dr. Manette decide to do after the woman dies?
3. What does Evremonde’s wife ask of the Doctor?
4. Why did the Evremondes have Dr. Manette arrested?
5. What is the first thing the Defarges notice about Sidney Carton?
6. What does Carton happen to hear the Defarges discussing?
7. Who is the surviving sister of the family about whom Dr. Manette wrote?
8. What is Dr. Manette’s condition when Carton returns to the apartment?
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9. What time does Carton tell Mr. Lorry to be ready to leave the next day?
10. What is the only thing Mr. Lorry is to wait for before leaving?
14.5 Critical Thinking
Discuss the different kinds of power that are possessed by Dr. Manette, Madame Defarge, and Sydney Carton.
14.6 Bonus Thoughts:
Evrémonde: The name Evrémonde is a pun, or a play on words. The name sounds like “Every man,” which suggests that Darnay is a representative of the human race. Darnay’s experiences in his lifetime are not unlike all men, who enjoy love at times, but more often than not must endure hardships, misunderstanding, and cruelty.
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A Tale of Two Cities Lesson Fifteen
15.1 Vocabulary
obtrude v. gesticulation n. ogre n. epicure n. 15.2 Vocabulary Exercise
1. Known as the “___________ of Central College,” Professor Haddock has the reputation of failing more students than any other member of the faculty; he figuratively eats students for breakfast.
2. The candidate had a good message that was worthy of his audience, but his many wild _______________ became comical and distracting.
3. The young man had the tendency to _____________ into other people’s business when his interference was neither requested nor appreciated.
4. Lance had been surrounded by opulence for so long that when he became disinherited, he did not know what to do after enjoying the life of an ______________ since he was born.
15.3 Reading Assignment: A Tale of Two Cities, Book 3, Chapters 13-15 15.4 Recall Questions
1. What does Darnay begin wondering about on the morning of his execution?
2. Who does Carton say sent him to see Darnay?
3. To whom is the letter addressed that Carton dictates to Darnay?
4. What does Carton do while Darnay writes the letter?
5. What is the occupation of the young woman who talks to Carton?
6. What does Madame Defarge discuss with her friends?
7. Why does Madame Defarge go to Lucie’s?
8. What does Jerry promise to do if the group makes it safely back to England?
9. Who is at the apartment when Madame Defarge arrives?
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10. How does Miss Pross finally defeat Madame Defarge?
11. What physical impairment does Miss Pross receive as a result of her fight with Madame Defarge?
12. What does Carton foresee before he dies?
15.5 Critical Thinking
Compare and contrast the two violent deaths of Madame Defarge and Sydney Carton.
Discuss the resurrection of Sydney Carton. Is this resurrection in the Biblical sense, or is it a secularized version that has no religious significance?
15.6 Bonus Thoughts
Who were the victims killed during the Reign of Terror? According to Donald Greer in his “Incidence of the Terror During the French Revolution” (1935), the following statistics are offered:
The Public Spectacle of Death: As Dickens expresses in A Tale of Two Cities, a mob tends to find enjoyment in the public sufferings of fellow human beings. It is one thing to watch a public execution in order to consider one’s own shortcomings; but it is quite a different thing to make a sport of the condemned. The great Roman orator, Seneca, recorded the following exchange with a fellow spectator of a public execution of a criminal. After Seneca expressed his sorrow that the man was being sadly abused, the other man remarked, “That criminal you’re feeling sorry for is a bandit.”
“Then hang him; but why nail him to a cross and have wild animals tear him to pieces?”
“You don’t understand; he killed a man.”
“Then let him be killed; he deserves it. But what crime have you and I committed that we have to watch a disgusting sight like this?”
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Glossary for A Tale of Two Cities affable (²f“…-b…l) adj. Easy and pleasant to speak to; approachable; amiable; gentle and gracious alluvial (…-l›“v¶-…l) adj. Relating to the sediment (alluvium) deposited by flowing water, as in
a riverbed, flood plain, or delta anatomize (…-n²t“…-mºz”) v. To dissect an animal or other organism to study the structure and
relation of the parts; to analyze in minute detail apostrophize (…-p¼s“tr…-fºz”) v. To address by or speak or write in apostrophe, which is the
direct address of an absent or imaginary person or thing assiduous (…-s¹j“›-…s) adj. Constant in application or attention; diligent; unceasing; persistent augment (ôg-mμnt“) v. To make something already developed greater, as in size, extent, or
quantity awry (…-rº“) adj. Characterized by being away from the correct course; amiss besmirch (b¹-smûrch“) v. To stain; sully; to make dirty billet (b¹l“¹t) n. A short, thick piece of wood, especially one used as firewood cadaverous (k…-d²v“…r-…s) adj. Suggestive of death; corpselike; pallid capitulate (k…-p¹ch“…-l³t”) v. To surrender under specified conditions; come to terms; to give up
all resistance; acquiesce capricious (k…-pr¹sh“…s) adj. Characterized by whim; impulsive and unpredictable carnage (kär“n¹j) n. Massive slaughter, as in war; a massacre; corpses, especially of those killed
in battle cataleptic (k²t“l-μp”t¹k) adj. Characterized by a lack of response to external stimuli and by
muscular rigidity, so that the limbs remain in whatever position they are placed chary (châr“¶) adj. Very cautious; wary; not giving or expending freely; sparing complacent (k…m-pl³“s…nt) adj. Contented to a fault; self-satisfied and unconcerned demur (d¹-mûr“) n. An objection; a delay deprecate (dμp“r¹-k³t”) v. To express disapproval of; deplore; to belittle diffidence (d¹f“¹-d…ns) n. The quality or state of being diffident; timidity or shyness dissolute (d¹s“…-l›t”) adj. Lacking moral restraint; indulging in sensual pleasures or vices doleful (d½l“f…l) adj. Filled with or expressing grief; mournful egress (¶“grμs”) n. The act of coming or going out; emergence; a path or opening for going out;
an exit eke (¶k) v. To supplement with great effort; to get with great effort or strain epicure (μp“¹-ky‹r”) n. A person devoted to sensuous pleasure and luxurious living; hedonist; a
person with refined taste especially in food and wine evince (¹-v¹ns“) v. To show or demonstrate clearly; manifest execration (μk”s¹-kr³“sh…n) n. The act of cursing; a curse; something that is cursed or loathed farrier (f²r“¶-…r) n. One that shoes horses florid (flôr“¹d) adj. Flushed with rosy color; ruddy; very ornate; flowery forensic (f…-rμn“s¹k) adj. Relating to courts of law or for public discussion or argumentation;
relating to debate or argument; rhetorical gesticulation (jμ-st¹k”y…-l³“sh…n) n. A deliberate, vigorous motion or gesture glib (gl¹b) adj. Performed with a natural, offhand ease; showing little thought, preparation, or
concern gregarious (gr¹-gâr“¶-…s) adj. Seeking and enjoying the company of others; sociable impenitent (¹m-pμn“¹-t…nt) adj. Not penitent; unrepentant
A Tale of Two Cities / 35
implacable (¹m-pl²k“…-b…l) adj. Impossible to placate or appease incommodious (¹n”k…-m½“d¶-…s) adj. Inconvenient or uncomfortable, as by not affording
sufficient space incorrigible (¹n-kôr“¹-j…-b…l) adj. Incapable of being corrected or reformed; firmly rooted;
ineradicable ingress (¹n“grμs”) n. A going in or entering; the right or permission to enter; a means or place of
entering inveteracy (¹n-vμt“…r-…-s¶) n. A firm and long established habit lethargy (lμth“…r-j¶) n. Sluggishness, inactivity, and apathy; an unconsciousness resembling
deep sleep magnanimous (m²g-n²n“…-m…s) adj. Courageously noble in mind and heart; generous in
forgiving; avoiding resentment or revenge; unselfish modicum (m¼d“¹-k…m) n. A small, moderate, or token amount obtrude (¼b-tr›d“) v. To impose oneself or one's ideas on others with undue insistence or
without invitation; to intrude offal (ô“f…l, ¼f“…l) n. Waste parts, especially of a butchered animal; refuse; rubbish ogre (½“g…r) n. A giant or monster in legends and fairy tales that eats human beings;
figuratively, a person who is felt to be particularly cruel, brutish, or hideous ostentatious (¼s”tμn-t³“sh…s) adj. Characterized by or given to showiness; pretentious parricide (p²r“¹-sºd”) n. The murdering of one's father, mother, or other near relative pensive (pμn“s¹v) adj. Deeply or dreamily thoughtful; suggestive or expressive of melancholy
thoughtfulness pincers (p¹n“s…rz) A grasping tool having a pair of jaws and handles pivoted together to work in
opposition prevaricate (pr¹-v²r“¹-k³t”) v. To stray from or evade the truth; to lie purveyor (p…r-v³“…r) n. One who furnishes provisions, especially food; one who promulgates
something quay (k¶) n. A wharf or reinforced bank where ships are loaded and unloaded reticule (rμt“¹-ky›l”) n. A woman's drawstring handbag or purse ruminate (r›“m…-n³t”) v. To turn a matter over and over in the mind; to ponder sagacity (s…-g²s“¹-t¶) n. The quality of being discerning, sound in judgment, and farsighted;
wisdom squalor (skw¼l“…r) n. A filthy and wretched condition trepidation (trμp”¹-d³“sh…n) n. A state of alarm or dread; apprehension; fear ubiquitous (y›-b¹k“w¹-t…s) adj. Being or seeming to be everywhere at the same time;
omnipresent viand (vº“…nd) n. An item of food; a very choice or delicious dish vinous (vº“n…s) adj. Relating to or made with wine; affected or caused by the consumption of
wine; having the color of wine voluptuous (v…-l¾p“ch›-…s) adj. Characterized by or suggesting ample unrestrained pleasure to
the senses
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1
A Tale of Two Cities (Lessons 1–5) Vocabulary Quiz #1
1. Mr. Jarvis Lorry went to Dover to meet with Lucie Manette, a very pretty and __________ young lady who easily befriended all whom she met.
Rising from her prayers for her husband, Jerry A Cruncher throws a boot, covered with mud, at B C his wife. No error. D E
7. _____
At the Old Bailey, the crowd of onlookers see A the accused, Charles Darnay, looking at B Dr. Manette and Lucie, who are clearly C concered about the prisoner’s well-being. D No error. E
8. _____
Fearful that her testimony would harm Charles A Darnay and thus convict him, she appeared in A B court as a reluctant witness against him. C D No error. E
9. _____
Even though both men were wrongly A B imprisoned and close to death, Dr. Manette and Charles Darnay experience the joy of being C “recalled to life.” No error. D E 10. _____
Sydney Carton stands silently to watch the A B group as they congratulate Charles Darnay C upon his acquittal. No error. D E
11. Even though seeing with regret the kind of man he might have been in Charles Darnay, Carton remains impenitent in his dissipated lifestyle.
Gaspard’s child, the Marquis evinces a coldness and a self-centeredness so characteristic of many of the French aristocracy.
The infinitive “to evince” means
(A) to exert. (B) to belittle. (C) to make dirty. (D) to surrender. (E) to make manifest.
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Although Charles Darnay joins his uncle, who is the notorious Marquis, for supper, the reunion fails to be a pleasant affair because of them disagreeing about the family’s decadent lifestyle. 14 When Darnay accuses him and the entire Evremonde family of earning the contempt of France, he says that the dislike of the 15 peasants is actually a compliment to the Evremondes’ high position and status in life. Disagreeing completely, Darnay shows no fondness for this French nobleman to who he is related. 16 On the other hand, the Marquis has no affection for his nephew, only a cold-hearted kind of a contempt. Finally, Darnay explains 17 to the Marquis that he has prospered and found refuge in England and that he would be leaving France forever, taking passage on a ship soon. Later, on the ship to England, Lucie Manette along with her father meet Darnay, who learns that the Manettes are also 18 leaving France to live in England. While Darnay and the Manettes are safe in England, a revolution begins in France as the lower classes go mad with hatred and revenge. One of the first victims to the bloodbath is the Marquis, whose cold, stony face is compared by the stony faces of the lions adorning the chateau. 19 Running back to the fountain “as if for his life.” The next 20 morning a servant finds the Marquis murdered in his own bed. END
A. NO CHANGE B. of they disagreeing C. of their disagreeing D. though disagreeing A. NO CHANGE B. the family C. the nobility D. the Marquis A. NO CHANGE B. to whom C. whose D. for who A. NO CHANGE B. type of a contempt C. sort of a contempt D. kind of contempt A. NO CHANGE B. meets C. do meet D. are meeting A. NO CHANGE B. is compared among C. is compared along D. is compared with A. NO CHANGE B. misplaced modifier C. fragment D. fused sentence
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A Tale of Two Cities (Lessons 6–10) Vocabulary Quiz #2
1. Charles Darnay decides to ask Dr. Manette for his permission to court Lucie, thus showing his respect for both the consideration and the _________ of the doctor, who has much wisdom.
The five men who call each other Jacque meets A B in the garret, which Dr. Manette once occupied, C to discuss the arrest and execution of Gaspard. D No error. E
7. _____
Captured and hanged for the murder of the A Marquis, the mender of roads tells the Jacquerie A B about Gaspard’s body left dangling by the C D village fountain. No error. E 8. _____
While chatting with Barsad, she casually knits A B C his name into her register of death. No error. D E
9. _____
Lucie sets aside the evening before her wedding A B so that her and her father, Dr. Manette, can be C D alone. No error E 10. _____
After his nine-day relapse immediately following A Lucie and Charles’s wedding, Dr. Manette B allows Mr. Lorry to remove his cobbling C materials for Lucie’s sake. No error. D E
11. Lucie explains to Charles Darnay that even though the lawyer is careless and reckless, Carton is capable of good and magnanimous things.
Since the revolution forced many of the nobility to leave France, the London office of Tellson’s Bank became the gathering place of the French aristocrats, whom had escaped Paris. As conditions 14 in France worsen, Mr. Lorry plans to go to France in order to manage Tellson’s office in Paris and protecting the bank’s books 15 and papers from confiscation. But Mr. Lorry is not the only one having to go to France. Indeed, being greatly disturbed by the revolution, Charles Darnay reveals to Mr. Lorry of his restless sort of a longing to return to France. Later, comments from Mr. 16 Stryver and the receipt of the letter from Gabelle confirms 17 Darnay’s resolve to go back to Paris, particularly to save his past servant. The hapless servant is imprisoned by the Revolution because of him being a long-time servant of the St. Evremonds. 18 Under the current situation in Paris, no French aristocrat would dare return under such perilous conditions. However, Darnay is not afraid of the danger, because he has renounced his family and relinquishes his inheritance and title. In fact, Darnay is now not 19 an aristocrat. Of course, Darnay’s leaving would be difficult for Lucie. Thinking his leaving quietly would be best, Darnay does not tell his wife about his decision in person however he writes her a letter explaining his reasons for leaving. 20 END
A. NO CHANGE B. from whom C. who D. from who A. NO CHANGE B. to protect C. will protect D. is protecting A. NO CHANGE B. kind of a longing C. type of a longing D. sort of longing A. NO CHANGE B. confirm C. confirming D. does confirm A. NO CHANGE B. their C. his D. he A. NO CHANGE B. relinquish C. will relinquish D. has relinquished A. NO CHANGE B. fused sentence C. fragment D. comma splice
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A Tale of Two Cities (Lessons 11–15) Vocabulary Quiz #3
1. Upon entering Paris, Charles Darnay learns that _______ from the city was very difficult, since every gate was heavily guarded and those wishing to leave were thoroughly questioned.
Because of his long imprisonment in the Bastille, A Mr. Manette expects to gain the sympathy of the B Parisian mob and to convince them to be C D merciful to Charles Darnay. No error. E 7. _____
Standing outside the prison for two hours A everyday in the hope of seeing her husband, the A malicious and sinister wood-sawyer frightens B C Lucie into giving him money. No error. D E 8. _____
Madame Defarge, the woman whom has such a A B grudge against Darnay and his family, walks by C just as Lucie is making a signal to her husband. D No error. E
9. _____
Two facts about Charles Darnay, his A renunciation of his French inheritance and his B relationship with Dr. Manette, serves to acquit C him of the charges during the first trial. No error. D E
10. _____
Now having Dr. Manette’s document, they A B returned to the Darnays’ quarters to arrest C D Charles once again. No error. E
11. Although Dr. Manette certainly had reason to gain the sympathy of the Republican revolutionaries, his influence over the capricious mob could not be guaranteed.
tries to misled Carton by prevaricating in order to convince the lawyer that Cly was dead.
The infinitive “to prevaricate” means
(A) to enlarge. (B) to intrude. (C) to acquiesce. (D) to belittle. (E) to lie.
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Charles Darnay found comfort by pacing in his cell. At least the pacing kept the condemned man active. However, the opening of the cell door interrupts his pacing, and as he turns, Darnay is stunned to 14 see Sydney Carton coming into his cell. Carton has devised a plan to exchanged place with Darnay. Indeed, because of them strongly 15 resembling each other, Carton knows he will be able to exchange places with Darnay. However, thinking that Carton is attempting to have him escape from the prison, Darnay tells his visitor that escapes from the prison has been attempted before, but without success. 16 Nevertheless, Carton has Darnay to write a letter to Lucie. During this time, Carton is able to put Darnay to sleep and to exchange their garments. Later, with Darnay and the family safely away, Miss Pross has her own war with the formidable Madame Defarge. However, Miss Pross is able to kill Madame Defarge and leaving the quarters. 17 Meanwhile, Carton enters a large room where each of the condemned prisoners is brought to await their fate, and befriends an 18 innocent, young seamstress, a victim of the excesses of a revolution gone mad. Yet, Dickens is able to create a sublime notion of self-sacrifice. The sacrifice of Sydney Carton for Charles Darnay is very unique, because Carton gives his life so that Darnay can live 19 happily with the woman whom Carton himself loves. 20
A. NO CHANGE B. he is C. he’s D. he was A. NO CHANGE B. they C. their D. they’re A. NO CHANGE B. have been attempted C. are being attempted D. couldn’t be attempted A. NO CHANGE B. was leaving C. to leave D. will leave A. NO CHANGE B. his C. they’re D. there A. NO CHANGE B. very uniquely C. most unique D. unique A. NO CHANGE B. whose C. who D. what
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Answer Keys to A Tale of Two Cities Vocabulary Exercise, Lesson 1 1. cadaverous 2. capitulate 3. pincers 4. evince Lesson 1 1. The year was 1775. 2. The narrator is referring to trees that would eventually make the guillotine. 3. The kings flaunted their “divine rights.” 4. The feeling was one of suspicion. 5. The note said, “Wait at Dover for Mam’selle.” 6. The answer is “Recalled to life.” 7. Mr. Lorry dreams that he removes a living man from a grave. 8. Lucie is not older than seventeen. 9. Lucie was two years old when Mr. Lorry brought her to England. 10. Mr. Lorry tells Lucie that her father is not dead, but is alive. Vocabulary Exercise, Lesson 2 1. billet 2. lethargy 3. implacable 4. besmirch Lesson 2 1. The people all tried to drink some of spilt wine. 2. The man spelled BLOOD on the wall. 3. The poor in Paris were over-worked and starved. 4. Madame Defarge coughed, which alerted her husband about the visitors. 5. All of the men called each other “Jacques.” 6. Dr. Manette is making shoes. 7. Dr. Manette is not in good health and is disoriented mentally. 8. Dr. Manette says his name is “One hundred and five North Tower.” 9. Dr. Manette has tied around his neck a string with a lock of hair attached to it. 10. Lucie requests to be left alone with her father for a moment. Vocabulary Exercise, Lesson 3 1. deprecate 2. incommodious 3. demur 4. trepidation
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Lesson 3 1. Five years has elapsed. 2. The bank is dark, ugly, and uncomfortable. 3. Jerry Cruncher does the odd jobs at Tellson’s bank. 4. Mrs. Cruncher was praying for him. 5. The trial is one about treason. 6. The accused is Charles Darnay 7. Mr. Darnay had boarded the same boat Dr. Manette and Lucie had when they travelled back
to England from France 8. Mr. Darnay said he thought England was in the wrong by fighting the colonists. 9. The defense attorney confused the witness by pointing out his associate in the courtroom
who resembled the prisoner. 10. The prisoner was acquitted of the charges. Vocabulary Exercise, Lesson 4 1. apostrophize 2. florid 3. eked 4. glib Lesson 4 1. Lucie is the golden thread 2. Carton is bitter, wasted, and an alcoholic. 3. Carton’s law partner is Mr. Stryver. 4. Carton is the Jackal. 5. Carton is actually the brains of the partnership, yet he does not get the credit. 6. Mr. Lorry finds Dr. Manette’s shoe-making tools. 7. Miss Pross is jealous of all the new people who have come into Lucie’s life. 8. Miss Pross believes that her brother Solomon is the only man worthy of Lucie. 9. Mr. Lorry discusses whether Dr. Manette ever refers to his past imprisonment. 10. Darnay a story of a prisoner in the tower of London who left a mysterious written document
behind before his execution. 11. Lucie imagines the echoes footsteps of the people who are coming into her life Vocabulary Exercise, Lesson 5 1. affable 2. cataleptic 3. voluptuous 4. impenitent Lesson 5 1. The Monseigneur had four servants to serve him. 2. The Monseigneur ignored the Marquis. 3. The Marquis’s coach ran over and killed a child. 4. The Marquis threw a couple of coins to Defarge. 5. The woman asks for a stone for her husband’s grave.
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6. The Marquis ignores her and drives off. 7. The Marquis is visited by his nephew, Charles Darnay. 8. Darnay’s real name is St. Evremonde. 9. Darnay is disgusted and ashamed of his family. 10. The Marquis is murdered. Vocabulary Exercise, Lesson 6 1. complacent 2. forensic 3. magnanimous 4. incorrigible Lesson 6 1. One year has passed since the Marquis’ murder. 2. Darnay’s occupation has been one of a tutor. 3. Darnay discusses his love for Lucie with Dr. Manette. 4. Darnay promises to tell Dr. Manette about his past on the morning of his wedding to Lucie. 5. Dr. Manette has fallen back to a disoriented state of mind. 6. Mr. Stryver announces that he intends to marry Lucie. 7. Stryver advises Carton to get married. 8. Mr. Styver tells Mr. Lorry of his plans to marry Lucie. 9. Mr. Lorry goes to talk to Lucie to see if he is right in thinking she would not marry Mr.
Stryver. 10. Carton goes to reveal his love for Lucie. 11. Carton says that will never bring up this subject again and that he will sacrifice anything for
her and anyone she loves. Vocabulary Exercise, Lesson 7 1. vinous 2. parricide 3. ruminate 4. ubiquitous Lesson 7 1. Jerry sees a funeral procession for Roger Cly. 2. Jerry hits his son because the boy cheers when he see the funeral procession. 3. The mob threatens the only mourner and frightens him away. 4. The mob assaults passersbys and break windows of shops. 5. Jerry tells his wife that he is going fishing. 6. Jerry is actually going to rob a grave. 7. The next morning the boy sees his father beating his mother. 8. Defarge allows his guest to stay in the same garret where Dr. Manette stayed. 9. The assassin is caught, tried, and hanged. 10. The register is a list of all the people she wants killed; she keeps the register by knitting
their names. 11. Defarge thinks it will make them more proud and hasten their destruction.
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Vocabulary Exercise, Lesson 8 1. offal 2. sagacity 3. anatomize 4. assiduous Lesson 8 1. The spy is John Barsad. 2. Madame Defarge plans to register him. 3. The rose was to warn the men in the shop that a stranger was coming in. 4. The stranger is Barsad. 5. Barsad reveals that Lucie is going to marry the Marquis’ nephew. 6. Lucie set aside the night to be alone with her father. 7. Dr. Manette talks about his years in prison and all his daydreams and fancies while there. 8. Dr. Manette is pale and shaken. 9. The couple will take a two-week trip alone, and then Dr. Manette will join them for another
two weeks. 10. Dr. Manette had a mental relapse and began his cobbling again. Vocabulary Exercise, Lesson 9 1. execration 2. dissolute 3. pensive 4. diffidence Lesson 9 1. Dr. Manette states that the relapse was caused by a remembrance of his past sufferings. 2. Dr. Manette should get rid of his cobbling equipment. 3. Sydney Carton was one of the first of the visitors. 4. Carton asks if he and Darnay may be friends and if he may be allowed to visit his house
whenever he wants. 5. Lucie wants Darnay to be kind to Carton and to be considerate of his weak points. 6. The son dies 7. Mr. Stryver married a widow with three children. 8. Mr. Lorry is in a bad mood, because the bank is very busy with unexpected customers from
France. 9. The Defarges are storming the Bastille. 10. Defarge finds Dr. Manette’s writings that were hidden. 11. The mob kills the guards and puts their heads on pikes. Vocabulary Exercise, Lesson 10 1. chary 2. modicum 3. viand 4. awry
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Lesson 10 1. The companion’s name is The Vengeance. 2. Defarge reveals that one of their enemies, Foulon, is there and that he faked his funeral in
order to try to hide. 3. The mob hanged Foulon with grass in his mouth 4. The mob also kills Foulon’s son-in-law. 5. The name of the tax collector is Gabelle. 6. Mr. Lorry is being sent to France to manage the Paris branch of Tellson’s Bank. 7. Dr. Manette is the only person who knows the true identity of Darnay. 8. Darnay receives a letter from Gabelle saying he was in prison. 9. Darnay has renounced his estate and family and was openly against the aristocracy. 10. Darnay leaves letters for Lucie and Dr. Manette to read after he is gone. Vocabulary Exercise, Lesson 11 1. egress 2. ingress 3. farrier 4. squalor Lesson 11 1. Darnay was still considered an aristocrat. 2. Defarge takes Darnay to prison. 3. The name of the prison is La Force. 4. The other prisoners looked like ghosts. 5. Darnay is to be imprisoned alone. 6. A grindstone is set up to sharpen knives in order to kill the La Force prisoners. 7. Dr. Manette and Lucie arrive to see Mr. Lorry. 8. Mr. Lorry worried that harboring Darnay’s family might endanger Tellson’s Bank. 9. Jerry Cruncher becomes Lucie’s bodyguard. 10. Defarge announces that Darnay is safe and that Dr. Manette cannot leave yet. 11. The Defarges behave very coldly toward Lucie. Vocabulary Exercise, Lesson 12 1. carnage 2. alluvial 3. purveyor 4. capricious Lesson 12 1. The mob murdered eleven hundred prisoners. 2. Darnay would be safe from murder, but the tribunal cannot release him. 3. Lucie goes to stand outside a prison window hoping that Darnay will see her. 4. The wood-sawyer is the mender of roads. 5. The name of the dance is the Carmagnole.
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6. Madame Defarge passes by as Lucie signals to Darnay. 7. Gabelle was Darnay’s first witness. 8. Darnay is acquitted. 9. Five people were condemned to death after Darnay’s acquittal. 10. Four men come to arrest Darnay. 11. The Defarges and one unknown person are the accusers of Darnay. Vocabulary Exercise, Lesson 13 1. prevaricate 2. ostentatious 3. reticule 4. gregarious Lesson 13 1. Miss Pross meets her brother, Solomon. 2. Solomon’s alias is John Barsad. 3. Sydney Carton joins the others. 4. Roger Cly is alive and faked his own funeral. 5. Carton threatens to tell the tribunal that he is a former English spy. 6. Mr. Lorry warns Jerry to stop robbing graves or be fired from Tellson’s. 7. Carton is able to get access to Darnay’s cell. 8. Carton goes to a chemist shop. 9. Dr. Manette was named as the third accuser. 10. Defarge produces Dr. Manette’s papers that were found in the Bastille. Vocabulary Exercise, Lesson 14 1. doleful 2. inveteracy 3. quay 4. augment Lesson 14 1. There was a sick woman and her injured brother were at the house. 2. Dr. Manette was going to write the Court about what he had seen. 3. Evremonde’s wife asked for the address of the only surviving sister of the wronged family. 4. The Evremondes found out about the letter to the court. 5. The Defarges notice that Carton had a remarkably resemblance to Darnay. 6. The Defarges discussed whether or not to kill Lucie, her child, and Dr. Manette. 7. Madame Defarge is the surviving sister. 8. Dr. Manette has relapsed into his disoriented state and wants his cobbling equipment. 9. Mr. Lorry is to be ready to leave at two o’clock in the afternoon 10. Mr. Lorry is to wait until Carton’s place in the carriage is filled. Vocabulary Exercise, Lesson 15 1. Ogre 2. gesticulation
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3. obtrude 4. epicure Lesson 15 1. Darnay began to wonder about the details of his execution. 2. Carton said that Lucie sent him. 3. The letter is addressed to Lucie. 4. Carton drugs Darnay. 5. The young woman is a seamstress. 6. Madame Defarge discusses how to denounce Lucie and her daughter. 7. Madame Defarge hopes to hear Lucie make a treasonable remark. 8. Jerry promises to stop robbing graves and beating his wife. 9. Miss Pross is at the apartment. 10. Miss Pross shoots Madame Defarge. 11. Miss Pross becomes deaf for the rest of her life. 12. Carton foresees the future lives of his friends in England as well as the successes of the boys
named after him.
Tale of Two Cities Quiz #1
1. B 2. C 3. A 4. C 5. E 6. A (misplaced mod.) 7. A (S-V agreement) 8. B (indefinite subj.) 9. E 10. C (S-V agreement) 11. C 12. A 13. E 14. C (pron. case) 15. D (indefinite subj.) 16. B (pron. case) 17. D (incorrect idiom) 18. B (S-V agreement) 19. D (incorrect idiom) 20. C
Tale of Two Cities Quiz #2
1. B 2. C 3. C 4. E 5. B 6. B (S-V agreement) 7. A (misplaced mod.) 8. B (indefinite subj) 9. C (pron. case) 10. E 11. E 12. C 13. B 14. C (pron. case) 15. B (parallelism) 16. D (incorrect idiom) 17. B (S-V agreement) 18. C (pron. case) 19. D (parallelism) 20. B
Tale of Two Cities Quiz #3
1. C 2. B 3. A 4. D 5. E 6. D (pron. agreement) 7. A (misplaced mod.) 8. A (pron. case) 9. C (S-V agreement) 10. B (indefinite subj.) 11. A 12. C 13. E 14. A 15. C (pron. case) 16. B (S-V agreement) 17. C (parallelism) 18. B (pron. agreement) 19. D (incorrect idiom) 20. A
