Selflessness In A Tale Of Two Cities

It is not this Sydney Carton who gave himself up for the rival. That Sydney Carton died when he swapped place with Charles. Even though his plan hinged on his life being worth less than everyone else, in the end it causes him to become the most significant person in all of their lives. He shows that the truest love, love that even God himself would respect, is the willingness to lay down one’s own life for a friend. He turns what would have been a miserable tale into a bittersweet legend of redemption and selfless love. Perhaps Sydney was right in saying that there was no place on Earth for him; in the end he may have simply been too good for to stay

Pross gets into a struggle with Madame Defarge. They get into this struggle because Miss Pross wants to protect Lucie from Madame Defarge. Pross also does not want Defarge to enter the room, to hurt Lucie. “I know that the longer I keep you here, the greater hope there is for my Ladybird. I’ll not leave a handful of that dark hair upon your head if you lay a finger on me!’” (Dickens 322). What Miss Pross means by this is that she will do whatever she has to to keep Lucie safe. She says that she will fight Madame Defarge if she tried to pull anything on her and try to get past her. When Defarge tries to enter, Pross grabs her by the waist and does not let go. Defarge wiggles and tries to get loose, but Pross never lets go. No matter how hard Madame Defarge tries to wiggle out of her grip, Pross holds on. Then, Madame Defarge reached for the gun. All of the sudden Pross heard a loud bang, and a flash of smoke appeared. When the gunshot went off Pross found Madame Defarge to be dead. Pross then proceeded to lock the door and she threw away the key. She then went down to her car and acted like nothing happened. Her driver was talking to her, but she could not hear him. In fact, she could not hear anything that was happening. “‘If she does not hear the roll of those dreadful carts, now very nigh their journey’s end,’ said Mr. Cruncher, glancing over his shoulder, ‘it’s my opinion that indeed she

Lastly, good did triumph over evil in Sydney Carton. Sydney Carton is a drunk who hates Darnay because if Carton was not a drunk he would have everything Darnay has, like the love of Lucie Manette. Carton is seen as the darkness because of the disparity he has and how low he has fallen. Whereas Darnay is seen as light or the good guy due to how his life is going. In the end when Sydney gives up his life for Darnay it shows how Sydney is transferring from being sad and dark. His selfless act proved that the “bad” Sydney Carton has saved Darnay and kept Lucie, Cartons love, happy.

Throughout generations in literature, “to live deliberately” has been the goal and purpose of life. As Alexander Supertramp (aka Chris McCandless) said, “The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun” (57).

It's a fundamental belief of mine that each one of us is brought upon this world with a major definite purpose in life. Everyone has a unique destiny for contributing to this world using their unique blend of talents and passions. I have no doubt that most people today work hard and stay busy with daily activities. The problem I've noticed is that many people live their lives without any sense of meaningful purpose that gives their lives passion and significance. They get caught up in the daily mechanical routines of life and they become creatures of habit rather than purpose-driven beings. Finding and shaping your major definite purpose is perhaps the most important thing that you will ever do in your life because your purpose is the driving force that spawns all the achievements that you will ever accomplish and it provides that unlimited source of motivation that drives you to achieve all the goals that you set for yourself and enables you to live life to the fullest.

In The Meaning of Life, Richard Taylor argues that meaningless lives our lives that consist of a repetitive cycle of struggles that do not give us any purpose. Taylor describes a meaningful life as one that has a purpose, and is creative and unique to that specific person. Also, the meaningful life is lived in a good and just manner. In The Meanings of Lives, Susan Wolf argues lives that are not involved in an activity that brings positive value are meaningless lives. A person that has a meaningless life by the standards of Taylor can still have a life that is going well for them. Their well-being is not dependent on whether they have a meaningful life or not. Wolf believes that meaningfulness is an important factor in a person’s well-being. Well-being is present when a person’s is living a life that is going positive according to themselves. A person who lives a life that is meaningless as a result of being repetitive and pointless can still have a life that is going well for them.

Story-truth, these are the truths that cannot be seen but are known to exist. These connect with a person on an empathetic level. Tim uses his storytelling ability to highlight that even when a story is not true that it can be truer than a story that is founded in happening-truth. In a Tale of Two Cities a story truth can be seen in Chapter XV “Knitting”. The man who killed the Marquis is placed in a series of horrible tortures to atone for his crime. The ultimate result is an expounding of fact within the town nearby. The revolutionists of France use this story to portray the absolute horridness of the aristocracy. The “mender of roads”, who claims to have witnessed the whole event, states:

Developing a meaningful purpose in life, is a very strong driving force that can often be underestimated. Without a purpose, living can easily become mere existence.

Professional football player Tim Cahill once stated, “A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles.” This statement can be applied to a person’s journey to find their meaning in life. An individual’s purpose in life differs from person to person, however, each person’s journey that leads to their purpose in life is relatable. Cahill’s statement expresses that a journey’s length is insignificant, while the lesson’s learned are crucial. Lessons are best learned from relationships with others, such as family, or friends as Cahill mentioned. Therefore, relationships are essential for a person searching for meaning in their life. Many fictional works of art, as well as non-fiction sources articulate this idea well. Firstly, the novel’s Fifth Business by Robertson Davies, and The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Existentialism offers a solution, stating there is no external values, instead people define their own meaning; therefore they are radically free. However, this freedom does not always seem conducive to meaning. Jake makes decisions with abandon, not stopping to think of the ways his actions might affect himself or others. He lives by hopping from house to house, surviving by the skin of his teeth, knowing he is “therefore a parasite” (Murdoch 21). Even though he acts freely, his life lacks a clear sense of purpose. When Jake reflects on what he values, “despair overwhelms [him]”, and he comes to the realization that “everything [he] had been doing lately was pointless” (Murdoch 144). It is only when Jake becomes an orderly does he seem to find a purpose. Not only does the job break him from his depressive state in David’s home, but it also makes Jake “think of other people” (Murdoch 27). Part of personal identity is having relationships with others outside of the self. Jake’s lifestyle neglects those connections, ultimately causing him to lead a self-centered and unfulfilling life. Jake’s prolonged sadness functionally adds side constraints on the existentialist understanding of personhood. While people are radically free to define their purpose, Murdoch proposes in order to make that purpose meaningful it needs to be defined in relation to others.

As humans, it’s in our nature to look for the meaning in our lives. Our minds are very complex and allow us the gift but also the despair of contemplating our existence and purpose in this world. Nowadays, it’s common for us to go on journeys to find the purpose of one’s life and to discover themselves and find direction for their future. In the article “Authentic purpose: the spiritual infrastructure of life” by Corey L.M. Keyes, Keyes explores the reason on why finding a purpose has become so key to one’s health and the different ways that we find purpose in our lives.

Imagine not having any purpose, or at least so far as you can see. This would be quite depressing, since everyone wants a purpose and a reason to go through trials. This theory is illustrated in the book, “The Alloy of Law”, by Brandon Sanderson. Sanderson uses third person point of view and diction to reveal how self-discovery brings happiness.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is a story of great sacrifices being made for the sake of principle. There are many examples of this throughout the book made by many of the characters but some or more evident than others. In Book The First, entitled “Recalled to Life,” the most obvious sacrifice for the sake of principle was made by Dr. Manette. He is imprisoned for eighteen years in the Bastille, for no apparent reason. Another noticeable sacrifice made for the sake of principle was made in Book The Second, entitled “The Golden Thread,” also by Dr. Manette. Charles Darnay reveals the truth about himself and about his family history. He tells Dr. Manette his real identity and that he is heir to the Marquis

Carton further helps Darnay and implies more of his heroism when he dies for him. Carton’s great love and respect for Lucie holds him to the promise he made to her when he said that he would die for anyone she loved. The sheer act of heroism possessed him to buy the elixir that would cause Darnay to pass out, to switch clothing, and take Darnay’s place in prison. Carton knew that if his plan was discovered, he would be just as dead as Darnay. However, Carton kept in mind his promise and carried it through. At this point in time, Darnay expressed a sense of heroism as well because he was prepared to face his death without fear. Darnay would have

Furthermore, everything that occurs in life is a random process and it is not permanent. Hence, it rejects the idea of finding that one purpose that someone is meant to do. Life will throw many events and circumstances that may be beneficial and some that will make a person learn or grow from. Every human being has their own task to do on this planet. Therefore, individuals cannot have one common purpose in life. The most significant thought is to seek for it in oneself, rather than merely agreeing with someone else’s notion of it.