Tale of Two Cities
TALE OF TWO CITIES by Charles Dickens
Book One
Recalled to life
Summary
Chapter 1
1. On the cold, damp and foggy night, why did the men look
at each other suspiciously?
In 1775, it was
an age when even in cities people could easily be robbed by night.
2. What was the strange answer that Mr. Jarvis Lorry gave
Jerry?
“Recalled to
life”
3. Mr. Lorry was a resurrect man. Explain?
Mr. Lorry dreamed
that he was on the way to dig someone out of a grave.
Chapter 2
1. What did Mr. Lorry look like once he removed the many
layers of warm clothes?
Gentleman of sixty dressed in
dark clothes, His face, calm and reserved as fitted a bachelor. Confidential clerk
of Tellson’s Bank.
3. What ‘story’ was Lorry trying to convey to Lucie Manette?
He wants to say
that Lucie’s father is alive.
Chapter 3
1. What is the depiction of the horrors of the industrial
revolution?
Poverty is
showed in every thin, ill-clothes figure, in the empty shelves of every shop.
2. Describe the Defarge couple who owned the wine shops?
He was a thick man of
thirty. Although it was a bitter day, he
carried his coat and his arms were bare to the elbows. He had
curling dark hair, good eyes. And looked good humored. He was a plainly a man of strong resolution and
set purpose. Madame Defarge is a stout
woman, with a watchful eyes, steady strong features.
Poverty, depression and oppressed by Aristocracy
Part – Two
The golden Thread
Chapter 1
1. Who was the prisoner at the Treason Trial?
Charles Darnay
2. What had he been accused of? Who were the two witnesses against him?
Charles Darnay is prosecuted for treason for passing English secrets to the French government. Dr.Manette and Lucie were the two witness against him.
3. How did the prisoner’s counsel try to discredit the
witness?
Sydney Carton looks like Charles Darnay. Barsad testifies against Sidney, Darnay’s look alike. So His testimony is thus discredited.
4. Why did Lucie seem so sad about speaking against Darnay?
Lucie admits meeting
the accused on the ship back to England. She is one of the witness against
Darnay.
Why old Bailey was called a dangerous place?
The old Bailey in the year 1780 was a gloomy, unhappy, cruel
place, a court of law where harsh laws condemned even minor offenders to
terrible punishments. Even judges could catch a fever from prisoner brought
from an unhealthy prison, and die within a few days.
Chapter 2
1. What was Carton’s role in saving Darnay? Did the latter
express any gratitude?
Carton saved Darney’s
life with his similar looks. No the latter didn’t express any gratitude.
2. Why did Sydney feel that he and Darnay, though look likes
were actually not much alike?
Darnay is everything Sydney hoped of being rich, dignified and respectable with the attention of an admirable woman, Lucie.
3.”I care for no man on earth and no man cares for me. ”what
is the tragedy of carton’s life?
He is alone and he
is a disappointed slave.
4. Explain the character of Sydney?
Old Carton was happy one minute, miserable the next, he always did exercise for other boys and seldom did his own. A brilliant person killed his life with his own attitude.
Chapter – 3
1. Why did Miss.Pross seem upset?
She does not want Hundreds of people who are not worthy of
Lucie to come and looking for Lucie.
2. Who were the three visitors to the Manette house that
day?
Sydney Carton,
Charles Darnay and Mr. Lorry.
3. What starting fact did Darnay reveal in the company of Lucie and Dr.Manette?
Darnay says about a prisoner who had cut as his last work, three letters ‘DIG’ under the stone they found ashes of paper and a small leather bag.
4. How did the doctor react on hearing of the Tower?
He had started up
with his hand to his head in a way that terrified them all.
1. What does the initial introduction tells us about
Marquis?
He was a proud, handsomely dressed man of about sixty, but
his welcome of court had been a shade too cool. So he was coldly angry and
encouraged his coachman to drive out of Paris in full speed.
2. The reckless………………………. What does it tell about the culture of relationship between the aristocracy and the peasants?
Huge difference between the rich and the poor. No value for human life. The Aristocrats give no mercy, kindness and value for the peasants.
3. How did Defarge console Gaspard at the tragic end of his
child?
Defarge said” be Brave Gaspard, the child has died in a
moment could it have lived an hour as happily?”
4. What did the road
mender tell the Marquis?
He said about a man
who was hanging under the coach.
5. What or who were Jacques?
The nickname by the French revolutionaries.
1. What request did Darnay have to ask of Dr.Manette?
He asks
Dr.Manettee’s permission to wed Lucie.
2. Darnay withholds a secret he was honestly about to reveal
why?
Dr.Manette stops
Darnay as he is not ready to hear any secrets from Darnay.
3. What did ‘Low hammering signify?
Low Hammering
comes from Dr.Manettee. He is upset and goes back to his painful memory.
1…..The cloud of earing for nothing…………”what characteristic
are portrayed by Sydney Carton the man who had at one time saved Darnay?
Always moody, though when he talked well. But the cloud of
caring for nothing was rarely pierced by the light within him. He is caring,
but lonely wandered there unhappily, even wine brought no brief gladness.
2. What was Sydney’s dream that nearly came true?
Lucie and her
father together have stirred old voices urging Sydney upwards.
Chapter 7
1. What had happened to the murderer of the Marquis?
After a year he is caught
and hanged for committing murder.
2. The wine shop owned by Defarge seemed to serve more than the purpose of giving shelter and wine. Explain?
Defarge is the owner of the wine shop. But behind the wine
shop he works as a great force and leads the peasants in an uprising in Paris
to storm the Bastille. The French revolution. The war between the Aristocrats
and the poor peasants.
3. What judgement did the three Jacques take?
Registered as
doomed to death, the castle and the family, to be killed.
4. What was Madame Defarge’s role in the revolution?
She is a great force
for her husband to lead the peasants against the cruelty of the Aristocrats.
She is calm and merciless to butcher the Aristocrats without any proper
investigation. She is focused wrongly on the aristocrats due to her bitter
experiences.
5. What is
the tongue is, the man is Explain?
The spy gives information
about Lucie’s marriage to Madame Defarge. She comments about the spy’s country England as she understands
the native place of the spy by his English. The spy says a person is known
literally by the way he expresses himself.
6. The spy carried disturbing news. What was it?
The spy informs about the marriage
of Lucie to Darnay who belong to Aristocrats family.
How did the revolutionaries record and
register those whom they plotted against?
1. Why did the doctor’s
future promise to be brighter because of Lucie’s marriage?
He is happy for his only loving daughter as
she has given up all thoughts of marriage and a family.
2. What secret has Darnay
revealed that had left Dr.Mamette deathly pale just before the wedding?
Darnay reveals has real family name to
Dr.Manette on the day of the marriage.
3. What distressed Mr. Lorry
and Miss.Pross?
Dr.Manette is upset and started making shoes. His face was faded, he worked very hard as if he felt, he had been interrupted.
Why did Dr.Manette decide to
confess after so many years?
He loves his daughter and
wants to confess his affection to her for the Doctor spent Major part of his
life in prison and suffered a terrible life which changed him totally.
1. How did Dr.Manette explain
his period of selective amnesia to Lorry?
He lose himself due to his fearful imprisonment
but he comes back to his normal self and there again one can see the old
intelligent Doctor. The shoe making was once a good relief and he feared that
he may need it again.
2. What were they both
thankful for?
The Doctor said with hope
that he had recovered so quickly and hoped that the worst was over. So both
Lorry and Dr.Manette were thankful.
3. What was the symbolism of the shoe making bench was it also a good friend to Dr.Manette?
Shoe making was once such a relief. It is such
an old friend to Dr.Manette
4. …….so wicked does…..………….Explain with
reference to the illustration of loyal characters. Miss.Pross and Lorry?
Miss.Pross a faithful and sincere care taker of Lucie. She treats her as her own daughter. Mr. Lorry is a sincere and honest friend to Dr.Manette and looks for a way to cure him and wants to see him as old friend.
1. Was Sydney justified in
saying that he had never done any good and never will?
Yes, he is justified for
Sydney is living a lonely life. He cares no one, and no one cares him. He
didn’t get any situation to express himself.
2. What strange request did Darrnay
makes from Darnay?
He asked Darnay whether he could visit them
four or five times a year
3. How did Lucie defend
Carton?
One evening Darnay spoke of Sydney Carton as a problem of carelessness. But Lucie asked him to believe that Carton had a gentler and finer nature which people rarely saw.
4. What was the secret to the
marital bliss that the couple shared?
Their love and affection make them strong.
Writing
1. Remember how
strong…………..in his misery!’ what important lesson does Charles Dickens seek to
convey to his readers through the golden thread?
The marriage life between
Lucie and Darnay made them strong in their happiness. She made strong her
affection to her father. Dr.Manette too recovers slowly due to her care. As a
golden thread Lucie connect all in one family with her love and affection.
1. What role did Ernest and
Therese Defarge play in the uprising?
They lead the peasants in an
uprising in Paris to storm the Bastille. The French revolution has begun. They
are the powerful force in the revolution.
2. The woman were armed too
and as equipped to kill. What were their weapons?
Axe, pistol and knife.
3. Which Tower and cell was
Defarge curious about?
Bastille prison, cell 105
North Tower. They search the mark DIG which is an instruction to dig. They find
a scrap of paper with a message written by Dr.Manette
4. The woman who did knitting most of the time now suddenly became a cruel executioner? What was Dickens opinion about the changes of roles?
Dickens presents the French
revolution with these few characters. During the revolution everyone know the
horrors of revolution. They are thirst for liberty, equality, Fraternity or
death. Everyone has to take different role to fight for it.
5. What was the taste of
power?
The fire of power spread and
members of the aristocracy are tortured and killed. St.Everrmonde Château is
burnt to the ground.
Chapter 12
1. The tale of the two cities
seemed destined to be the same. How did it happen?
The revolution spread so
fastly all over, the same change that was seem so clearly in Paris was taking
place in the counting too. Because fierce wild men brought news of the Paris
secretly to each village.
2. What was the unusual about
the villager’s routine night?
The villagers burnt the castle St.Evermonde
château.
3. Gabelle too watches the burning castle with great unease what died he fear?
Gabelle was a tax collector, he feared that he might get killed by the peasant who were thirst for revenge.
1. What ‘terrible magic’
spread across France whose echoes could be now heard in London?
Three more years of uprising
and fires went by, and the echoes were heard with growing alarm in the doctor’s
quite house in London.
2. Darnay found Lorry’s
spirit most admirable why?
Mr. Lorry did not allow
Darnay to go to Paris as it will be dangerous to a French born. Also Mr. Lorry
is confident that he could sort out the problems and get out of the trouble.
This made Darnay to admire his sprit.
3. What was Darnay’s reaction
to the letter marked Marquis St.Evermonde?
The uneasiness in Darnay’s
mind was made stronger by this letter and his departure from France had been
hurried with much left undone.
4. Why did the trusted
Gabelle write the letter?
Gabelle
had written orders to spare the people, and give them what little there was the
debts of the
former Marquis has been paid.
5. What did Darnay hope to do
in answering to the appeal of his faithful servant?
He made up his mind to go to Paris. He had a glorious vision of doing some good to the raging revolutionist.
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