Doubles and opposites:
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, (...)"
In the first chapter of A Tale of Two cities, Dickens emphasizes the fact of how bad the people lived. "It was the worst of times," due to mistreatment from the third estate. But it was also the "best of times," for the nobles, and higher class people who could actually afford things, and weren't mistreated and starved.
"(...) 'John Solomon, or Solomon John?' (...)"
When Lorry, Miss Pross, and Cruncher figure out John Barsad, the spy, is actually Miss Pross's brother Cruncher replies by saying "John Solomon, or Solomon John?" Trying to make it obvious they couldn't trust him, and didn't really know who he truly is! But soon enough they figure out his intentions aren't all bad, and they can actually use him with some blackmail!
Love/Hate and Light/Dark
"The village had its one poor street, with its poor brewery, poor tannery, poor tavern (...)"
In this sequence of descriptions of poor sights of the town, Dickens is trying to emphasizes the poor side of this beautiful town, and how miserable the people are. "The village had its one poor street, (...) he said. Dickens wants people to realize how poor and miserable these people are prior to the French Revolution, and he wants also to emphesize what lead up to it happening.
"(...) tears immediately rolled down several ferocious countenances which had been glaring at the prisoner a moment before, as if with impatience to pluck him out into the streets and kill him."
In this quotation, Dickens is trying to show the sympathy Charles Darnay got from the people, who moments ago where cheering to get him killed. "(...) tears immediately rolled down several ferocious countenances," Dickens wrote. He wanted the reader to know the nature of these people in the French Revolution. Dickens wanted us to see the cold hearted ways of these people, but he also wanted us to see why they did it,