A Tale of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Books will be available for pickup at the start of February. 
This book will focus on three key topics including: 

  • Plot overview
  • Character Analysis
  • Important Quotation Analysis

Quote to be Analyzed: 

I see a beautiful city and a brilliant people rising from this abyss, and, in their struggles to be truly free, in their triumphs and defeats, through long years to come, I see the evil of this time and of the previous time of which this is the natural birth, gradually making expiation for itself and wearing out. . . .
I see that child who lay upon her bosom and who bore my name, a man winning his way up in that path of life which once was mine. I see him winning it so well, that my name is made illustrious there by the light of his. . . .
It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest I go to than I have ever known. 

Charles Dickens

Questions to answer as you read through:

  1. A Tale of Two Cities opens in 1775. Which of the following does not characterize this period?
  2. Why are the drivers of the Dover mail coach hesitant to stop for Jerry Cruncher’s message?
  3. What object does Doctor Manette keep during his imprisonment in order to escape “in spirit”?
  4. By what name do the men in Defarge’s wine shop call their fellow revolutionaries?
  5. What skill did Doctor Manette develop in order to pass the time during his incarceration?
  6. What symbol does Dickens use to portend the bloodshed of the French Revolution?
  7. During her testimony, to whom does Lucie claim that Charles Darnay alluded on the boat ride from Calais to Dover?
  8. After Darnay’s acquittal, why does Sydney Carton claim to dislike him?
  9. To which animal does Dickens compare Sydney Carton?
  10. A Tale of Two Cities was published in weekly installments from April to November of what year?
  11. What image does Dickens frequently use to describe Lucie Manette?
  12. What sound does Lucie often hear echoing off the street when she is in her home?
  13. Which of the following characters is related to the Marquis, whose carriage runs down a small child?
  14. Who does Miss Pross believe is the ideal suitor for Lucie Manette?
  15. What does Mr. Lorry try to persuade Mr. Stryver not to do?
  16. Who promises Lucie Manette that he would, if necessary, die for her?
  17. What does Jerry Cruncher frequently go out to do at night?
  18. Who informs the Defarges that Lucie Manette has married Charles Darnay?
  19. On the night after Lucie and Charles are married, what does Doctor Manette do?
  20. During the storming of the Bastille, who decapitates the fortress’s guard?
  21. Why does the Paris mob kill Foulon?
  22. What is the duration of Manette’s psychological relapse after Lucie leaves for her honeymoon?
  23. Who develops a habit of watching and speaking to Lucie as she waits on a Paris street corner each day, hoping that Darnay will be able to see her from his prison window?
  24. Who does the spy John Barsad turn out to be?
  25. Why was Doctor Manette imprisoned?