A Tale of Two Cities

I read A Tale of Two Cities during the summer vacation and had a deeper understanding of it. As we all know, A Tale of Two Cities is one of Dickens' most representative works. Turning the page on this novel, I was attracted by the beautiful language. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so. Far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only. " A few simple sentences reveal the social background at that time and the emotions that the author wanted to express. The novel profoundly exposed the society contradiction before the french revolution, intensely attacks the aristocratic social class is dissolute and cruel,and sincerely sympathizes with the depressed classes. The novel also described many magnificent scenes like the revolt people attacked bastille and so on,which displayed peoples great strength. The novel is based on the revolution of France. At that times, people lived a miserable life. Dickens told us the situation by writing the novel. It was 1775, both England and France were on the verge of Revolution. Neither king noticed the changes taking place in his country .They didn't realize ,or care the living condition of peasants. They never thought that anything was wrong with the way things were. They thought only of themselves. But the peasants were tired of being treated unfairly. So, in both London and Paris, the lower classes prepared to revolt. They were ready to force the kings to make a change. Then one day in July of 1789, the Revolution began in France. Armed peasants ran through the streets of Saint Antoine. At last, they marched toward the Bastille. The novel has portrayed many different people. Doctor Manette is honest and kind, Lucie is beautiful and also kind and gentle, Lorry is honest, Sydney is semblance of indifferent but also selfless and lofty，Miss Pross is straightforward and loyal, she loves Lucie and cares about her carefully. In my opinion, Sydney Carton impressed me most. He once said, “I am not worthy of your love, but I want you to know that I wish for your happiness. I hope that we will able to remain close friends. Miss Manette, I would give my life for you. Never forget that, Lucie.” Eventually, he was to die in Charles Darnay’s place. Because Charles Darnay is Lucie’s husband, and they led a happy life. In order to help Lucie live a enjoyable life, he choosed to die even though he is safe. From Sydney, I know what is true love and friendship. This emotion is similar to our emotion now. We should value the friendship and people who loves us. I'm also impressed by Mr. Manette's tough spirit. She never give in to difficulties. Even though he had been imprisoned a long time, he struggled to live. When his son-in-law was arrested by the Revolutionists, Dr. Manette strongly defended Charles Darnay, hoped that the Revolutionists could release Charles Darnay. What’s more, he loves his family forever. Mr. Lorry is also very kind. When he met Miss Lucie, he told her that her father was still alive. Besides, he helped her to find her father in Paris continually. Although they experienced many difficulties on the way to Paris, Mr. Lorry didn't give up helping Miss Lucie and Lucie 's father .As far as I concerned, it not only show his hospitality but also show his hatred to the European royal. If I live in that period, I would join in the revolution immediately. Also, this novel inspires the current leaders to concern his people whether they are starving or homeless.Only when the leader of the country cares much about his people's life can the country be stronger. People are the base of the country, without people, country can not be stronger and can not develop. Of course, the language skill is attractive. The author uses many kinds of rhetoric technique, such as analogy, exaggeration, contrast, humorous and so on, and the taunt are handled skillfully. A tale of two cities is different from the general historical novel. Its character and the main plot are all fictionalizes. The theme of the novel is not only cruelty and blood, but also love and friendship. The link between people are affecting. When I read the novel, I seem to come back to that period. The Marquis’ death was just the beginning of people’s resistance to the nobleman. While Darney was a kind and independent young man. He concerns about people and love Lucie deeply. Dickens spoke highly of kindness mercy and love in the novel too. Thus, Dr Manette accepted Darney as his son-in-law although he knew that Darney was the nephew of the man who threw him into prison for18 years. This is the love between father and daughter. At the end, Lucie, Dr Manette and Darney arrived in England safely. Some people say that "A Tale of Two Cities" is a story about two men and a woman, but in fact, the theme is to dissect the relationship between this revolution and the people, to see what exactly triggered this revolution, and what this bloody storm brought to people. We must not forget the lessons that "A Tale of Two Cities" has brought to us because of the years, we must learn something from it, hope that two hundred years later we can create a new century of true equality, freedom, and fraternity, and hope that the world that Calden saw before his death will be the world of our future!