Summary: Tale of Two Cities
Cameron Schneider
Ms. Stevenson
English 2 Honors
30 April 2013
Rough Draft
Blood and Water have become symbols for many things; their numerous connotations can allow the reader to imagine more than just the broader aspects of these two subjects. Blood imagery reveals the darker side of humanity where water can either mean pureness and tranquility or destruction and chaos. The novel A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, uses the imagery of blood and water to represent the ways of the revolution. The water in this novel foreshadows and represents the building anger and rage of the peasant revolutionaries. From the beginning of the book, Dickens’s uses the imagery of water to portray the actions of the people, “The Sea did what it liked, and what it liked was destruction. The characteristics of the weather and the storm coincide with the behavior of the avengeful citizens as they plan to retaliate unfair justice with violence. The volume of hatred and brutality that Dickens’s demonstrates in the sea partially unveils on how the upcoming events will unfold. After Gaspard murders the Marquis, “he is hanged there forty feet high – and is left there hanging, poisoning the water.” The blemish left intoxicating the water reflects the collective feeling of the impoverished civilians in France as they lose one of their own to execution. The water can be seen as the group of rebellions, as the bitter death of their friend only enhances the stakes at hand. The disease of this tragic event spreads throughout the clan as the rebels plan to cure by attacking with even more hostility. When the attack of the prison was performed, Dickens’s writes, “the living sea rose, wave on wave, depth on depth, and overflowed the city… the sea raging and thundering on its new beach, the attack began.” In this event, the sea “thundering on its new beach” represents how the revolutionaries are penetrating the Bastille at an unstoppable pace. If you look at the bigger picture, it
Ms. Stevenson
English 2 Honors
30 April 2013
Rough Draft
Blood and Water have become symbols for many things; their numerous connotations can allow the reader to imagine more than just the broader aspects of these two subjects. Blood imagery reveals the darker side of humanity where water can either mean pureness and tranquility or destruction and chaos. The novel A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, uses the imagery of blood and water to represent the ways of the revolution. The water in this novel foreshadows and represents the building anger and rage of the peasant revolutionaries. From the beginning of the book, Dickens’s uses the imagery of water to portray the actions of the people, “The Sea did what it liked, and what it liked was destruction. The characteristics of the weather and the storm coincide with the behavior of the avengeful citizens as they plan to retaliate unfair justice with violence. The volume of hatred and brutality that Dickens’s demonstrates in the sea partially unveils on how the upcoming events will unfold. After Gaspard murders the Marquis, “he is hanged there forty feet high – and is left there hanging, poisoning the water.” The blemish left intoxicating the water reflects the collective feeling of the impoverished civilians in France as they lose one of their own to execution. The water can be seen as the group of rebellions, as the bitter death of their friend only enhances the stakes at hand. The disease of this tragic event spreads throughout the clan as the rebels plan to cure by attacking with even more hostility. When the attack of the prison was performed, Dickens’s writes, “the living sea rose, wave on wave, depth on depth, and overflowed the city… the sea raging and thundering on its new beach, the attack began.” In this event, the sea “thundering on its new beach” represents how the revolutionaries are penetrating the Bastille at an unstoppable pace. If you look at the bigger picture, it