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Thursday, May 8, 2014
Blog 1 - A Tale of Two Turbans - Chapters 1-5, Book II
Imperial Illustrator, please make a new post with a scan of your illustration. Be sure to include your literature circle name.
I found there to be a few paragraphs that were important to the novel. The first occurred on pages 51-52 where Dickens was describing Tellson’s Bank. His use of words such as “weak,” “miserable,” and “dingiest” seems to illumine us to a place where people would not often go. It also alerts us to what a typical bank in London may have looked like at this time. Dickens could have added this because Tellson’s may be a major staging point throughout the rest of the novel.
Another considerable spot was on page 62. This is the first time we see Lucie and Dr. Manette after they leave Paris and get to London. It exposes that they both have successfully reconciled and are getting along well. The pure fact the Dr. Manette is out and defending someone in a court case shows the stark contrast between the imprisoned phase and this new, free phase. These paragraphs, as well as the actions Lucie does on page 77, shows that her father is becoming a rock for her to lean on, and the same can be said for him. When they are together, Doctor Manette looks to be in the better years of his life, not old.
Language Lover Chapters 1-5 Book II I noticed something very interesting (or at least I found it interesting, anyway) in the vocabulary that Dickens has chosen to use throughout the novel so far. For the sake of convenience, I will use two specific examples from Chapter 5. Both words I found and looked up the meaning of were located on the first page of the chapter; for me, this was page 82. The two words were “eke” and “pith.” As I looked in the dictionary, none of the meanings for the words seemed to make sense. That is, until I reached the final entry. The final entry for each word was listed under Archaic, referring to its definition at a much earlier time period, such as that of Charles Dickens. “Eke,” apparently, is an adverb simply meaning “also.” “Pith” refers to both strength/vigor and spinal cord or bone marrow; putting it in the context of the sentence, it seemed to be implying that the more business Mr. Stryver got, the stronger and closer to his core his skills became. The main thing I found interesting about this is that the definitions of these words have changed so much over time. If you really think about it, these words are acting almost like a time machine, bringing us back not only to Dickens’ time, but further back still into the time of the French revolution where these meanings were also used. That, ladies and gentleman, is what I found so interesting about Dickens’ word choice – he puts the reader in another time and another place with only a few words, immersing us in another world like we lived there our whole lives.
Critical Connector Book 2 Chapters 1-5 Jerry Cruncher’s mistreatment of his wife in chapter one of book two makes a considerable connection with the sexism and gender roles that are clearly evident in today’s male dominated society. Jerry insults his wife with phrases such as “you conceited female”, which not show how he feels that men are superior to women, but also shows that he generalizes women as being conceited individuals (54). In addition to this, Jerry Cruncher also accuses his wife of “praying agin [against]” him and causing his misfortune, even though there is no way to actually prove that she was wishing him ill or that it would’ve had an effect on his situation at all (54). This connects with our society, in that, husbands often feel that they are required to be the provider for their family, and when they have a bad day or are in a tough situation, they take their anger out on their wives, who cannot affect the situation at all. Cruncher went as far as “[throwing] a boot at the woman” (54). This connects with the frequent occurrence of domestic violence seen in families of modern society, as one spouse deliberately and purposefully attacks the other due to anger, frustration, or even no reason at all. The crimes that Charles Darnay was being tried for in chapter two of book two connected with a recent event in the news of modern day America. Darnay was tried for treason, accused of divulging secret information about England (that England was going to send armed forces to fight in the American colonies) to the King of France. Very recently, in fact, a man named Snowden was able to divulge secret information about the United States government spying on its citizens through phone calls, text messages, etc. These two events clearly connect to each other because they both involve a single person giving away secret information about his county to people that were not supposed to know, and the fact that they do know can help them protect themselves.
I have a really different book, so a lot of these quotes won’t be on the same page as yours. Does that make sense?
1. Is Monsieur Manette really dead to the world, or is he still alive on the inside? Is there something underneath him that we don’t see yet?
- Even in the first book, there were some times where it seems as if M. Manette still has something inside of him, still has some life in him. In chapter 2 can see this, “When this expression was upon him, he looked as if he were old; but when it was stirred and broken up--as it was now, in a moment, on his speaking to his daughter--he became a handsome man, not past the prime of his life” (66). He is usually seen as a old guy who's tired and looks scraggly, but here (with his daughter) he looks different, as if he's still alive on the inside. It's also interesting to note how we see this different side of Manette when he is with his daughter. Lastly, we saw the duality motif through Manette and Lucie and through the two sides of M. Manette.
2. What is the importance of the titles of the different chapters? Does Dickens give them these names on purpose?
- We noticed that a lot of the chapter titles foreshadowed the events of that chapter. Chapter 3 is titled “A Disappointment,” suggesting that it is a disappointment for the masses and that the prisoner is released. In that chapter the prisoner is released, and the crowd “were dispersing in search of other carrion” (81). Chapter 5 is titled “The Jackal,” suggesting the reference to a jackal. We read it and see the symbolic importance of a jackal, but also the symbolic importance of a lion. The title does not mention a lion, perhaps making us focus our attention on the jackal instead. We just found it pretty interesting how they worked like this. Will this trend continue throughout the book? We think so. We think he uses these titles to direct our attention and to give us an insight into what lies ahead.
3. Why is the crowd described so animal-like during the court scene?
- The crowd is labeled as flies during numerous points in chapter 3.They “swarmed” and “buzzed” as well. We found this interesting, but take a look at the time period and context. This is the FRENCH REVOLUTION BABY! Lord of the Flies showed us the evil that lies inside of everyone, and that is really seen here. The masses are disappointed when the prisoner is acquitted (as stated in my previous response) and go away, looking for another victim. We feel as if Dickens uses this to describe the hatred of the people during this time, and how they just turned on their fellow people. Just as the government has become thirsty for blood, so have the common people. They wish to see this poor, lowly citizen get hanged...and quartered...and...well you know the rest. Dickens wishes to show the true colours of the people. 4. What are some mysteries that are evident within these chapters?
- My group saw a few mysteries, most of them involving Mr. Cruncher. He really is an interesting character, for he isn’t very educated and provides a sort of comic relief to the story (reminding me of Joe from Great Expectations a bit). But in the first chapter of this book, we see a few mysteries surrounding him. First, why are his fingers always so rusty? His son even asks this question to himself at the end of the chapter. It seems as if he has a multitude of jobs, so it can’t be pinpointed on one of them. Ikjot did have an interesting theory for that mystery though. A second one: at night his boots are clean, but yet they are dirty in the morning. What does he do in the middle of the night? Does he sleep-walk? Lastly, why does he act so fiercely towards his wife? My group took notice of these little mysteries, and decided to see of they showed up later on. It’s interesting how we only get a little info about Mr. Cruncher in the first book, and now he is surrounded by these mysteries in this second book...five years later. I’m going to keep note to see if any of these get resolved.
While reading A Tale of Two Cities, one of the first mysteries we are introduced to is the message that says “recalled to life” and what it is supposed to mean. When we are first introduced to Dr. Manette, we notice that he seriously needs to be recalled to life. After being in a prison for 18 years, it seems that all he ever thinks about now is how terrible his life in prison was. We can see this by the first paragraph that first describes Dr. Manette’s character “The faintness of the voice was pitiable and dreadful. It was not the faintness of physical weakness, though confinement and hard fare no doubt had their part in it. Its deplorable peculiarity was, that it was the faintness of solitude and disuse. It was like the last feeble echo of a sound made long and long ago. So entirely had it lost the life and resonance of the human voice, that it affected the senses like a once beautiful colour faded away into a poor weak stain. So sunken and suppressed it was, that it was like a voice underground. So expressive it was, of a hopeless and lost creature, that a famished traveler, wearied out by lonely wandering in a wilderness, would have remembered home and friends in such a tone before lying down to die.” (38) When Dickens describes him, he says that Dr. Manette seemed like someone who was truly lost, and depressed. When we read this paragraph, we are able to envision a man who seems like he has been dead for 18 years of his life. However, we can see how Dr. Manette has been affected by the psychological trauma that comes with being imprisoned for so long. At the end of chapter 6 book one Lucie Manette meets her father, and from the way he reacts to finally meeting her, we can assume that the person that will recall him to life. The next time we really see how Dr. Manette is doing since the first book is in book two, chapter four. In the second paragraph of chapter four, we can see that Dr. Manette is doing a lot better; however, Dickens still says that Dr. Manette still has a negative aura around himself. He says that Dr. Manette seemed to “draw a gloom over him, as incomprehensible to those unacquainted with his story as if they had seen the shadow of the actual Bastille thrown upon him by a summer sun, when the substance was three hundred miles away”. The only thing that holds this darkness at bay is the charming Lucie Manette, a character that is the “golden thread” that keeps Dr. Manette away from his past. Comparing these first and second descriptions of Dr. Manette, we can see that he has been recalled to life these past five years because his daughter has been there for him. Dr. Manette relies on Lucie to be there for him, and he needs her to get rid of the 18 terrible years he has spent in jail. I think it would be interesting to see what would happen to Dr. Manette if something happenes to Lucie.
Another character that we meet in the earlier chapters is Jerry Cruncher. When we first meet Jerry Cruncher in book one, he is a messenger that delivers the message to Mr. Lorry. We don’t really get a lot of information from this first encounter, but we can assume that he takes his job seriously as he delivers this message despite the rain and muddy conditions. When we meet him again in the second book, he seems like an angry little man who hates his life. When he wakes up in the morning, he sees his wife praying, and without hesitation, he “threw a boot at the woman as a third”, (54) solely because he assumes that she was praying against her. This scene gives us insight on how women were treated during this time period. It shows that society during this time period was very patriarchal. We can also think of Mr. Cruncher doing something illegal, because we can see him as extremely suspecting of his wife. Why does he assume that his wife is praying against him? Was it just because of the society or did he actually do something bad the night before? Another weird thing about Mr. Cruncher is that the boot “was a very muddy boot, and may introduce the odd circumstance connected with Mr. Cruncher's domestic economy, that, whereas he often came home after banking hours with clean boots, he often got up next morning to find the same boots covered with clay.” This shows how Mr. Cruncher may not be who we see him to be. I found myself wondering why his boot was so muddy, despite him cleaning them every night.
I GOT IT THANX KAILA #SRYFORLATENESS #LITERALLYSODONE #THANXKAILA
Hahah no problem ikjot and now I'll comment: I agree with the idea that Dr. Manette is a character who is sadden and internally lost. Yet, along with the effects prison, I believe that the absence of love within his life has also impaired his social skills. His wife died when Lucie Manette was very young, so Dr Manette in prison never felt that he had anyone else to love in his life. He had no family ever visit him in prison and no affection. Without love and affection, a person could be psychological effected and not be able to fit into society like others. I feel that this personally has a huge effect on the type of person Dr Manette has become. (#Noproblemikjot)
In response to the Discussion Director's post, I absolutely love your first three questions! I found that they definitely leave a lot of room for wide variation in their analyses, while drawing anyone trying to answer the questions towards some of the best things Dickens has embedded within A Tale of Two Cities.
For the first question, I'd love to bring in a quote I used in my post as Literary Luminary. Dickens wrote in the beginning of Chapter 4,"While one external cause, and that a reference to [Doctor Manette's] long lingering agony, would always- as on the trial- evoke this condition from the depths of his soul, it was also in its nature to arise of itself, and to draw a gloom over him, as incomprehensible to those unacquainted with his story as if they had seen the shadow of the actual Bastille thrown upon him by a summer sun, when the substance was three hundred miles away." This quote shows that while he has undergone much healing in the time he's spent with his daughter, his dark past still has some strong hold over him.
For the second question, one may also assess how Chapter 4's title, Congratulatory, relates not only to the group of characters congratulating Mr. Darnay for being acquitted, but also to Mr. Carton almost congratulating Mr. Darnay for having received Lucie's pity and sympathy. I think another great question would be assessing the significance of the titles of the different books.
For the third question, I'd just like to say that I had also taken notice of Dickens' comparison of the masses at the trial to a swarm of flies. There are definite connections that could be made here to Lord of the Flies in terms of what flies tend to symbolize and what draws them. In Lord of the Flies, the sow's head becomes covered with buzzing flies attracted to the death, rot, and evil. The crowds in A Tale of Two Cities are drawn by the same thing.
Ikjot and Vinny... I think both of your blogs bring up really interesting points! I want to share my opinion on a subject that you each discuss. The mystery of Mr. Cruncher cleaning his boots each night and waking up to them being muddy is something that I questioned myself. I have a theory though. We are introduced to Mr. Cruncher in Book 1 in the middle of a stormy night. He is delivering the message to the carriage. We also know that during the day he works at the bank, but also works a variety of other jobs. Maybe being a messenger is one of these jobs for him, and he is often summoned in the night to pass on a message, resulting in his muddied boots in the morning. I'm looking forward to seeing if this mystery is further developed, but for now that is one theory that I am tossing around!
Joe, I agree with your thoughts that Manette leans on Lucie and Lucie supports Manette, but I also think that their relationship is co-dependent. If Lucie were not there for Manette, she would be helpless because she is a “fragile woman,” while Manette would also be helpless because of his depression and instability.
I definitely agree with your connection to how Jerry treats his wife in comparison to sexism/gender roles in our society today. I find it interesting you described it as a husband coming home from a rough day and displacing his anger out on his wife because I think that happens with humans as a whole. We all tend to blame others for our misfortune or just get angry at them even if we don't meant to. This could call into question whether or not Jerry is actually sexist or if he is just guilty of human error and imperfection in how we treat the ones we love the most. In your reference to domestic abuse, I don't think it would be equivalent to the type of domestic violence we see today. We gotta keep in mind the time period. It's not only a time of distress for everyone but it also is a time where patriarchal attitudes were still very prominent and common. It wasn't rare to have a husband mistreating his wife, it was really just a product of society at the time. But nowadays, with feminist movements and many women gaining crucial roles in government, the economy, and education patriarchy is looked down upon by many, causing domestic abuse to be a very big issue, which it is, but during the 17th-18th centuries? Not so much. Women still didn't have the amount of rights as they do now, so therefore they sadly didn't care as much if a husband threw a boot at his wife.
I love your connection to the whole wiretapping incident that occurred recently. I personally think it's ridiculous Snowden is seen as a criminal because he was revealing corruption within the United States government and by you comparing him to Darnay, who was acquitted, this makes me happy because I believe Snowden is innocent. I think the situations between the two were different though. Both crimes were considered to be treason by their governments, however Snowden was revealing to the people of the US what their government was doing while Charles (if he was guilty or not) was said to be revealing government secrets to an opposing country, which technically is treason. I wouldn't consider revealing corruption as treason but that's just my personal opinion. I'm getting too political here. Point is, I think Dickens calls into question whether or not it is right for one to go against their government and also consider the role gov't has on its people in the judicial system. It's not always as fair as we may think it is.
Vinny, In regards to your answer to your first question I agree with you completely that a whole new side or Doctor Manette is brought foward when around Lucie. I think that this contrast we see between Lucie as a static character and Doctor Manette as an extremly dynamic character aids in describing their relationship and how it is backwards in a sense. I love the way Dickens chose to show their relationship as one with the child acting as the "rock" and the father slowly becoming more sturdy because of his childs presence. I think it is so beautiful how Lucie brings out the little bit of him that is still alive inside and magnifies it.
18 comments:
Literary Luminary ch 1-5 book 2-
I found there to be a few paragraphs that were important to the novel. The first occurred on pages 51-52 where Dickens was describing Tellson’s Bank. His use of words such as “weak,” “miserable,” and “dingiest” seems to illumine us to a place where people would not often go. It also alerts us to what a typical bank in London may have looked like at this time. Dickens could have added this because Tellson’s may be a major staging point throughout the rest of the novel.
Another considerable spot was on page 62. This is the first time we see Lucie and Dr. Manette after they leave Paris and get to London. It exposes that they both have successfully reconciled and are getting along well. The pure fact the Dr. Manette is out and defending someone in a court case shows the stark contrast between the imprisoned phase and this new, free phase. These paragraphs, as well as the actions Lucie does on page 77, shows that her father is becoming a rock for her to lean on, and the same can be said for him. When they are together, Doctor Manette looks to be in the better years of his life, not old.
Language Lover Chapters 1-5 Book II
I noticed something very interesting (or at least I found it interesting, anyway) in the vocabulary that Dickens has chosen to use throughout the novel so far. For the sake of convenience, I will use two specific examples from Chapter 5.
Both words I found and looked up the meaning of were located on the first page of the chapter; for me, this was page 82. The two words were “eke” and “pith.”
As I looked in the dictionary, none of the meanings for the words seemed to make sense. That is, until I reached the final entry. The final entry for each word was listed under Archaic, referring to its definition at a much earlier time period, such as that of Charles Dickens. “Eke,” apparently, is an adverb simply meaning “also.” “Pith” refers to both strength/vigor and spinal cord or bone marrow; putting it in the context of the sentence, it seemed to be implying that the more business Mr. Stryver got, the stronger and closer to his core his skills became.
The main thing I found interesting about this is that the definitions of these words have changed so much over time. If you really think about it, these words are acting almost like a time machine, bringing us back not only to Dickens’ time, but further back still into the time of the French revolution where these meanings were also used. That, ladies and gentleman, is what I found so interesting about Dickens’ word choice – he puts the reader in another time and another place with only a few words, immersing us in another world like we lived there our whole lives.
Critical Connector Book 2 Chapters 1-5
Jerry Cruncher’s mistreatment of his wife in chapter one of book two makes a considerable connection with the sexism and gender roles that are clearly evident in today’s male dominated society. Jerry insults his wife with phrases such as “you conceited female”, which not show how he feels that men are superior to women, but also shows that he generalizes women as being conceited individuals (54). In addition to this, Jerry Cruncher also accuses his wife of “praying agin [against]” him and causing his misfortune, even though there is no way to actually prove that she was wishing him ill or that it would’ve had an effect on his situation at all (54). This connects with our society, in that, husbands often feel that they are required to be the provider for their family, and when they have a bad day or are in a tough situation, they take their anger out on their wives, who cannot affect the situation at all. Cruncher went as far as “[throwing] a boot at the woman” (54). This connects with the frequent occurrence of domestic violence seen in families of modern society, as one spouse deliberately and purposefully attacks the other due to anger, frustration, or even no reason at all.
The crimes that Charles Darnay was being tried for in chapter two of book two connected with a recent event in the news of modern day America. Darnay was tried for treason, accused of divulging secret information about England (that England was going to send armed forces to fight in the American colonies) to the King of France. Very recently, in fact, a man named Snowden was able to divulge secret information about the United States government spying on its citizens through phone calls, text messages, etc. These two events clearly connect to each other because they both involve a single person giving away secret information about his county to people that were not supposed to know, and the fact that they do know can help them protect themselves.
DISCUSSION DIRECTOR
I have a really different book, so a lot of these quotes won’t be on the same page as yours.
Does that make sense?
1. Is Monsieur Manette really dead to the world, or is he still alive on the inside? Is there something underneath him that we don’t see yet?
- Even in the first book, there were some times where it seems as if M. Manette still has something inside of him, still has some life in him. In chapter 2 can see this, “When this expression was upon him, he looked as if he were old; but when it was stirred and broken up--as it was now, in a moment, on his speaking to his daughter--he became a handsome man, not past the prime of his life” (66). He is usually seen as a old guy who's tired and looks scraggly, but here (with his daughter) he looks different, as if he's still alive on the inside. It's also interesting to note how we see this different side of Manette when he is with his daughter. Lastly, we saw the duality motif through Manette and Lucie and through the two sides of M. Manette.
2. What is the importance of the titles of the different chapters? Does Dickens give them these names on purpose?
- We noticed that a lot of the chapter titles foreshadowed the events of that chapter. Chapter 3 is titled “A Disappointment,” suggesting that it is a disappointment for the masses and that the prisoner is released. In that chapter the prisoner is released, and the crowd “were dispersing in search of other carrion” (81). Chapter 5 is titled “The Jackal,” suggesting the reference to a jackal. We read it and see the symbolic importance of a jackal, but also the symbolic importance of a lion. The title does not mention a lion, perhaps making us focus our attention on the jackal instead. We just found it pretty interesting how they worked like this. Will this trend continue throughout the book? We think so. We think he uses these titles to direct our attention and to give us an insight into what lies ahead.
3. Why is the crowd described so animal-like during the court scene?
- The crowd is labeled as flies during numerous points in chapter 3.They “swarmed” and “buzzed” as well. We found this interesting, but take a look at the time period and context. This is the FRENCH REVOLUTION BABY! Lord of the Flies showed us the evil that lies inside of everyone, and that is really seen here. The masses are disappointed when the prisoner is acquitted (as stated in my previous response) and go away, looking for another victim. We feel as if Dickens uses this to describe the hatred of the people during this time, and how they just turned on their fellow people. Just as the government has become thirsty for blood, so have the common people. They wish to see this poor, lowly citizen get hanged...and quartered...and...well you know the rest. Dickens wishes to show the true colours of the people.
4. What are some mysteries that are evident within these chapters?
- My group saw a few mysteries, most of them involving Mr. Cruncher. He really is an interesting character, for he isn’t very educated and provides a sort of comic relief to the story (reminding me of Joe from Great Expectations a bit). But in the first chapter of this book, we see a few mysteries surrounding him. First, why are his fingers always so rusty? His son even asks this question to himself at the end of the chapter. It seems as if he has a multitude of jobs, so it can’t be pinpointed on one of them. Ikjot did have an interesting theory for that mystery though. A second one: at night his boots are clean, but yet they are dirty in the morning. What does he do in the middle of the night? Does he sleep-walk? Lastly, why does he act so fiercely towards his wife? My group took notice of these little mysteries, and decided to see of they showed up later on. It’s interesting how we only get a little info about Mr. Cruncher in the first book, and now he is surrounded by these mysteries in this second book...five years later. I’m going to keep note to see if any of these get resolved.
Yay...that's it
GO ENGLISH
VERY REVOLUTION
SUCH MYSTERY
MUCH CONFUSE
(INSERT DOGE HERE, BUT I CAN'T, SO YEAH)
Ikjot chawla
character captain
While reading A Tale of Two Cities, one of the first mysteries we are introduced to is the message that says “recalled to life” and what it is supposed to mean. When we are first introduced to Dr. Manette, we notice that he seriously needs to be recalled to life. After being in a prison for 18 years, it seems that all he ever thinks about now is how terrible his life in prison was. We can see this by the first paragraph that first describes Dr. Manette’s character
“The faintness of the voice was pitiable and dreadful. It was not the faintness of physical weakness, though confinement and hard fare no doubt had their part in it. Its deplorable peculiarity was, that it was the faintness of solitude and disuse. It was like the last feeble echo of a sound made long and long ago. So entirely had it lost the life and resonance of the human voice, that it affected the senses like a once beautiful colour faded away into a poor weak stain. So sunken and suppressed it was, that it was like a voice underground. So expressive it was, of a hopeless and lost creature, that a famished traveler, wearied out by lonely wandering in a wilderness, would have remembered home and friends in such a tone before lying down to die.” (38)
When Dickens describes him, he says that Dr. Manette seemed like someone who was truly lost, and depressed. When we read this paragraph, we are able to envision a man who seems like he has been dead for 18 years of his life. However, we can see how Dr. Manette has been affected by the psychological trauma that comes with being imprisoned for so long. At the end of chapter 6 book one Lucie Manette meets her father, and from the way he reacts to finally meeting her, we can assume that the person that will recall him to life.
The next time we really see how Dr. Manette is doing since the first book is in book two, chapter four. In the second paragraph of chapter four, we can see that Dr. Manette is doing a lot better; however, Dickens still says that Dr. Manette still has a negative aura around himself. He says that Dr. Manette seemed to “draw a gloom over him, as incomprehensible to those unacquainted with his story as if they had seen the shadow of the actual Bastille thrown upon him by a summer sun, when the substance was three hundred miles away”. The only thing that holds this darkness at bay is the charming Lucie Manette, a character that is the “golden thread” that keeps Dr. Manette away from his past. Comparing these first and second descriptions of Dr. Manette, we can see that he has been recalled to life these past five years because his daughter has been there for him. Dr. Manette relies on Lucie to be there for him, and he needs her to get rid of the 18 terrible years he has spent in jail. I think it would be interesting to see what would happen to Dr. Manette if something happenes to Lucie.
Another character that we meet in the earlier chapters is Jerry Cruncher. When we first meet Jerry Cruncher in book one, he is a messenger that delivers the message to Mr. Lorry. We don’t really get a lot of information from this first encounter, but we can assume that he takes his job seriously as he delivers this message despite the rain and muddy conditions. When we meet him again in the second book, he seems like an angry little man who hates his life. When he wakes up in the morning, he sees his wife praying, and without hesitation, he “threw a boot at the woman as a third”, (54) solely because he assumes that she was praying against her. This scene gives us insight on how women were treated during this time period. It shows that society during this time period was very patriarchal. We can also think of Mr. Cruncher doing something illegal, because we can see him as extremely suspecting of his wife. Why does he assume that his wife is praying against him? Was it just because of the society or did he actually do something bad the night before? Another weird thing about Mr. Cruncher is that the boot “was a very muddy boot, and may introduce the odd circumstance connected with Mr. Cruncher's domestic economy, that, whereas he often came home after banking hours with clean boots, he often got up next morning to find the same boots covered with clay.” This shows how Mr. Cruncher may not be who we see him to be. I found myself wondering why his boot was so muddy, despite him cleaning them every night.
I GOT IT THANX KAILA #SRYFORLATENESS
#LITERALLYSODONE #THANXKAILA
Hahah no problem ikjot and now I'll comment:
I agree with the idea that Dr. Manette is a character who is sadden and internally lost. Yet, along with the effects prison, I believe that the absence of love within his life has also impaired his social skills. His wife died when Lucie Manette was very young, so Dr Manette in prison never felt that he had anyone else to love in his life. He had no family ever visit him in prison and no affection. Without love and affection, a person could be psychological effected and not be able to fit into society like others. I feel that this personally has a huge effect on the type of person Dr Manette has become.
(#Noproblemikjot)
In response to the Discussion Director's post, I absolutely love your first three questions! I found that they definitely leave a lot of room for wide variation in their analyses, while drawing anyone trying to answer the questions towards some of the best things Dickens has embedded within A Tale of Two Cities.
For the first question, I'd love to bring in a quote I used in my post as Literary Luminary. Dickens wrote in the beginning of Chapter 4,"While one external cause, and that a reference to [Doctor Manette's] long lingering agony, would always- as on the trial- evoke this condition from the depths of his soul, it was also in its nature to arise of itself, and to draw a gloom over him, as incomprehensible to those unacquainted with his story as if they had seen the shadow of the actual Bastille thrown upon him by a summer sun, when the substance was three hundred miles away." This quote shows that while he has undergone much healing in the time he's spent with his daughter, his dark past still has some strong hold over him.
For the second question, one may also assess how Chapter 4's title, Congratulatory, relates not only to the group of characters congratulating Mr. Darnay for being acquitted, but also to Mr. Carton almost congratulating Mr. Darnay for having received Lucie's pity and sympathy. I think another great question would be assessing the significance of the titles of the different books.
For the third question, I'd just like to say that I had also taken notice of Dickens' comparison of the masses at the trial to a swarm of flies. There are definite connections that could be made here to Lord of the Flies in terms of what flies tend to symbolize and what draws them. In Lord of the Flies, the sow's head becomes covered with buzzing flies attracted to the death, rot, and evil. The crowds in A Tale of Two Cities are drawn by the same thing.
Ikjot and Vinny... I think both of your blogs bring up really interesting points! I want to share my opinion on a subject that you each discuss. The mystery of Mr. Cruncher cleaning his boots each night and waking up to them being muddy is something that I questioned myself. I have a theory though. We are introduced to Mr. Cruncher in Book 1 in the middle of a stormy night. He is delivering the message to the carriage. We also know that during the day he works at the bank, but also works a variety of other jobs. Maybe being a messenger is one of these jobs for him, and he is often summoned in the night to pass on a message, resulting in his muddied boots in the morning. I'm looking forward to seeing if this mystery is further developed, but for now that is one theory that I am tossing around!
Joe, I agree with your thoughts that Manette leans on Lucie and Lucie supports Manette, but I also think that their relationship is co-dependent. If Lucie were not there for Manette, she would be helpless because she is a “fragile woman,” while Manette would also be helpless because of his depression and instability.
@Evan
I definitely agree with your connection to how Jerry treats his wife in comparison to sexism/gender roles in our society today. I find it interesting you described it as a husband coming home from a rough day and displacing his anger out on his wife because I think that happens with humans as a whole. We all tend to blame others for our misfortune or just get angry at them even if we don't meant to. This could call into question whether or not Jerry is actually sexist or if he is just guilty of human error and imperfection in how we treat the ones we love the most. In your reference to domestic abuse, I don't think it would be equivalent to the type of domestic violence we see today. We gotta keep in mind the time period. It's not only a time of distress for everyone but it also is a time where patriarchal attitudes were still very prominent and common. It wasn't rare to have a husband mistreating his wife, it was really just a product of society at the time. But nowadays, with feminist movements and many women gaining crucial roles in government, the economy, and education patriarchy is looked down upon by many, causing domestic abuse to be a very big issue, which it is, but during the 17th-18th centuries? Not so much. Women still didn't have the amount of rights as they do now, so therefore they sadly didn't care as much if a husband threw a boot at his wife.
I love your connection to the whole wiretapping incident that occurred recently. I personally think it's ridiculous Snowden is seen as a criminal because he was revealing corruption within the United States government and by you comparing him to Darnay, who was acquitted, this makes me happy because I believe Snowden is innocent. I think the situations between the two were different though. Both crimes were considered to be treason by their governments, however Snowden was revealing to the people of the US what their government was doing while Charles (if he was guilty or not) was said to be revealing government secrets to an opposing country, which technically is treason. I wouldn't consider revealing corruption as treason but that's just my personal opinion. I'm getting too political here. Point is, I think Dickens calls into question whether or not it is right for one to go against their government and also consider the role gov't has on its people in the judicial system. It's not always as fair as we may think it is.
Vinny, In regards to your answer to your first question I agree with you completely that a whole new side or Doctor Manette is brought foward when around Lucie. I think that this contrast we see between Lucie as a static character and Doctor Manette as an extremly dynamic character aids in describing their relationship and how it is backwards in a sense. I love the way Dickens chose to show their relationship as one with the child acting as the "rock" and the father slowly becoming more sturdy because of his childs presence. I think it is so beautiful how Lucie brings out the little bit of him that is still alive inside and magnifies it.
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