Charles Dickens - Pro or Anti French Revolution?
The tale of two cities written by Charles Dickens is at the time period of the French revolution. But it is not understood if Charles likes the French revolution or if he’s against it? Charles Dickens sees the poverty in all the peasants, he sees that peasants are becoming solemn and deadly the people are. Charles sees that the rich treat the poor like garbage. The French revolution made France more disorganized then before. Charles agrees that something must be done, but does not agree with the violence of the French revolution.
We see that Charles Dickens recognizes the poverty in the people. He describes the people as “… men with bare arms, matted locks, and cadaverous
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Rich ones acted like evil people, while the poor were not very much, like people at all; for the poor were depressed. Charles shows the bad stuff happening to peasants, to show how much of a necessity the French revolution was. Charles views the French revolution as too bloody. People are becoming like the rich, and not valuing people’s lives – exactly the opposite of what they were trying to get out of this revolution. They acted like crazy bloodthirsty animals, “the men were terrible, in the bloody-minded anger with which they looked from windows, caught up what arms they had, and came pouring down into the streets…” all the people thought about was killing all the rich ones, making them pay. Charles finds the violence, degrading the peasants to the sick level of the people.
Charles dickens does not agree with the results of what happened in the French revolution. They were allover the place with their laws and imprisoned people for no reason. “you are consigned, evre'monde, to the prison of La Force… under what law?... we have new laws and new offences…”[4] an innocent man is sent to prison, exactly how it has been before the French revolution.
The French revolution, for at least a few years after made the situation in France much worse. Freedom should not be gained through violence. Freedom should be achieved through unity of people and peace in the people’s hearts.
Charles
Between 1789 and 1814 the French Revolution astonished and impacted the world. The Revolution has been talked about for years because of its contributions and the way it affected the world. The significant figures from the Revolution also played important roles in history and in areas outside of France. King Louis’ absolutism and the unfair treatment between classes were political, social, and economical causes of the French Revolution. This Revolution impacted the people of France by terrorizing and affecting their rights, yet at the same time the French Revolution served as a template for other countries when it came to radical changes and Revolutions.
Dickens uses the needs and wants for people to get an image in their head about what life was really like before the French revolution. "Cold, dirt,
The literature that came out of the French Revolution often shares common themes of death, rebirth, and destruction. Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is much the same way. Throughout the novel, Dickens clearly supports the revolution but also depicts the brutality of the revolutionaries. Dickens uses powerful metaphors of a sea to symbolize the revolutionaries destroying old France and the belittling name of “Jacques” to depict the narcissistic views of the French aristocracy to show his support for the revolution.
The people in France were constantly in a state of fear, poverty was still rampant. The French Revolution gave a terrible image to the rest of the countries in Europe, and established a fear in the French people. The massacre that lasted 18 months, did not solve anything, it just made matters worse. Even though some of those who helped start the revolution were deemed “not radical enough” by Robespierre. (Prezzi After Math of RoT).
The French Revolution was cause by several factors, and political was one of them. The injustices social system and mistreatment of the 3rd estate took a huge role. To cite a few instances, the political cartoon illustrates that the 1st and 2nd estates are standing
The French Revolution is known as a model revolution for modern ideals and an example of the people’s power. The French Revolution had many stages that were influential in the outcome and lives of the Republic. The Reign of Terror was a year-long period that reflected the changing views of government and the means to do so. The Reign of Terror was unjustifiable as the wars in and out of France created more devastation, the rights established by the representative government were contradicted by the government itself, and fear was spread.
Support of The Aristocracy Charles Dickens timeless classic A Tale of Two Cities shows his sympathy towards the French aristocracy by showing his lack of support towards the actions of the revolution. Dickens writing shows the flaws in the peasants actions in their attempt to create a just and fair society. He also shows the bloodthirsty rage of the peasants is not justified by the heinous crimes of certain aristocrats. Dickens is a supporter of the struggles of the aristocracy by showing the cruel and unjust actions of the French peasants and their blind and unjust revolution towards those they envy. Charles Dickens displays the cruelness of the mob, through the treatment of the aristocrat Foulon who is killed and mutilated.
Charles Dickens focuses on the revenge that put the bloody French Revolution in motion in his suspenseful story A Tale of Two Cities. The French Revolution was a revolt instigated by the peasants, who attacked the nobles with vengeful hearts starting in the year 1789, and going on until the year 1799. The settings of the book took place in both London and England, two parallels in novel, two cities where the plotting of the Revolution went into affect. Although the reasons behind the different examples of revenge are exposed, the actions taken with revenge in mind are inexcusable and not justifiable. Dickens portrays the theme of revenge successfully through the joker Gaspard, the brave younger brother who sacrificed himself to protect his
In the book, Dickens portrays the people as having the hatred necessary for mob violence. Immediately, the book shows us an example how such hatred was created. When a youth’s hands were chopped off, “tongue torn out with pincers” and “his body burned alive” it shows the violence and torture that led to the French revolution. The youth represents the weak in French society
The French Revolution was a period of time from 1789 to 1799 in France where there was political instability. It officially began on the 14th of July, 1789, when the Bastille, which was a symbol of the King’s harsh policies, was stormed. The King, Louis XVI, the Queen, Marie-Antoinette and about 40,000 people were all brutally murdered. But there was also a positive side, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was formally adopted on August 1789 and feudalism was abolished. This essay will address the issues of the three estates system, food shortages and the fiscal crisis. It will also be argued that the most significant cause of the French Revolution was the social inequality that stemmed from the three estates system.
Through history taught in classrooms as well as what is known to the general public of the French revolution, France was on the way to becoming a state constituting ‘Liberty, Fraternity and Equality’ and only by getting rid of the ‘filthy rich’ French aristocracy could this independence be achieved. Herein is where the author, Baroness Emma Orczy paints a completely different picture of the French revolution. The aristocracy are pitied and a handful of people who were completely innocent of any crime towards the poor of France were whisked away by a vanguard of brave men travelling to and fro all the way from England in order to save their heads from the guillotine.
In the sociopolitical novel, A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens analyzes the events of one of the bloodiest revolutions in history, the French Revolution, characterized by its violence after no less than 40,000 people were sentenced to death. The violence of the revolution put irreversible change into motion, helping to bring greater equality between French citizens as a result of the upheaval, and causing political changes that affected millions. Through his changing tone, Dickens conveys that rebellion is necessary to amend the ever-growing divide between the social classes, but the mindless nature of the violence, as a result of mob mentality, is excessive, and blood is unnecessarily spilled.
There is no doubt that the French Revolution has had a profound effect on the world. The cause or causes of it have been greatly disputed. Clearly the Revolution's primary cause was the presence of a weak monarchy and a lack of a stable system of government.
The French Revolution mainly took place in the city of Paris during the late 1700’s. The Revolution did not only affect the people of France, but also the citizens of England as well. The French Revolution is known as one of the most brutal and inhumane periods of history. If one studied the beliefs and views of the people involved at the time, one would see a reoccurring theme of “ being recalled to life”. Born from the world of literature, Charles Dickens’ novel, A Tale of Two Cities takes a deeper look at the culture of the late 1700’s, in both England and France. Dickens uses the character of Lucie Manette to further examine one of the major themes presented in the novel, consisting of the belief of one being
Doctor Manette’s prison account clearly demonstrates the class gap, “The speaker [the Marquis] seemed to acknowledge that it was inconvenient to have that different order of creature [the peasant] dying there, and that it would have been better if he died in the usual obscure routine of his vermin kind” (Dickens 329). Not only is there an extreme difference in lifestyle, but the upper class also treats the lower class with extreme disdain. The treatment of the people at the hands of their “betters” and the class gap catalyzes the French Revolution.