How Does Dickens Use Satire In A Tale Of Two Cities

The novel, A Tale of Two Cities, was written by Charles Dickens and was published in 1859. A Tale of Two Cities is a historical fiction based during the French Revolution. As two groups of people who both live in London and Paris find themselves in a situation that affects all of them, which ends with some deaths and suffering. Charles Dickens purpose for writing A Tale of Two Cities was to inform and amplify the readers mind on human nature. Throughout the book Charles Dickens uses many themes and characteristics, that bring out human nature in all his characters, to broaden the view of the readers.

While the Victorian people called for romantic intrigue and petty drama in the literature of their time, Dickens’ added complexity to his novels not to satisfy the frivolous needs of Victorians but to further the theme of irony in his novel. In A Tale of Two Cities, irony is an ever-present theme and is woven into the plot seamlessly by author Charles Dickens. Coincidence is a complementary theme to irony in this novel. Dickens’ constant implementation of situations of coincidence and chance leads to a greater sense of irony throughout this book. Dickens adds complexity to the plot and further enforces the theme of irony in the novel through circumstances of coincidence, including the indictments of Charles Darnay, the life and associates of Dr. Manette, and Madame Defarge’s need for and path to revenge.

During the 17th and early 18th centuries there was a roar of wittiness and logic that came to the forefront of literature in the form of multiple well known Horatian, Juvenalian and Menippean satires (wiseGEEK). The essayist often brought a profound examination and keen persuasive rhetoric that exposed insincere idiocies and outlined the moral and economic decay (wiseGEEK). Satirical works often highlight ideals of reason, order, and social awareness, and thus these works contain a persistent undertone of civility (Holmes). The author superficially uses a façade of conventional traditions, edicts, egotism, and moral codes to incite a new sense of moral and political superiority (Holmes). The satirical literary device was at its peak during the Neoclassical Period in which the enlightenment writer, Jonathan Swift, was exceptional at this writing style (Jokinen). He excelled at rebuking Britain’s flaws and pointed out the hypocrisy at the time by extensive ridicule of the conventual school of thought. Jonathan Swift’s, A Modest Proposal is an inspiration to many aspiring satirical authors, as he is admired as a rhetorical virtuoso that shed light on the profuse moral and political decay. He also exposed the corruption in society by using a sly, yet polished voice. An example of a modern work inspired by A Modest Proposal, is Dan Geddes, A Modest Proposal to Convert Shopping Malls into Prisons. Though this is seen obviously in the Dan Geddes’s title of his essay, he also uses

Charles Dickens had a way of writing amazing characters. He was known for his passion in writing and his way of words. A man once said that Charles was the greatest story writer of all time. He was able to craft fully make a character that was both memorable and taught you a valuable lesson on how to be a better you. In this book I spotted a few characters that stood out to me. It was either their courage or loyalty that stuck out the most. The biggest lesson I wish to share from these characters that I learned in this novel is that it is important to study a person and get to know them before you make assumptions on their life based on their outward appearance.

Love has the power to change the world. It can do far more than any speech, treaty, or war. Love, on a smaller scale, can especially impact the lives of those who communicate and receive it. This passion has the ability to assuage, provide comfort, and provide life. In particular, one girl dedicates her life to spreading love, even when she must sacrifice a large amount of her time. This woman is Lucie Manette. In the novel A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens uses the character of Lucie Manette to prove that love and sacrifice can impact one’s life.

A satire is a piece of work that is designed to ridicule or tease a group or organization, generally for the purpose of being humorous. “The Importance of Being Earnest,” a play by Oscar Wilde, is a satire, ridiculing class, gender, and marriage. This essay will describe some points from each of these sections, as well as give a brief synopsis of the play these examples come from.

In A Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens uses foreshadowing to keep the reader hooked on the story. Dickens uses foreshadowing multiple times throughout the book and if the reader pays close attention they may be able to predict main plot points in the book. Dickens uses foreshadowing to give hints about important plot points that are to come in the novel and keep the reader in suspense.

Satire is defined as the use of a variety of elements such as sarcasm, irony, ridicule and humour to mock and criticise a subject by bringing its flaws to light as means to encourage change. In Gulliver’s travels human vice and folly are held up to ridicule, scorn and deride in an attempt to "shame men out of their vices" (Bullitt., 14).

In A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, it uses duality throughout the story. Duality often refers to having two parts and is usually used with opposite meanings. Charles Dickens wanted us to know about duality by the very first paragraph of his novel. One of the dualities has to deal with the two cities of the title, London, England and Paris, France. Also, some of the dualities show us opposite parallels dealing with two or more people. The two emotions love and hate also have something to do with the theme. I think the use of the doubles is significant

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.

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

Authors have often uses natural phenomena to comment on what is happening among the characters. Dickens wrote a book called, “A Tale of Two Cities” which was about the French Revolution and how life was like in the 1800’s. Natural phenomena are things from nature that Dickens uses for the characters in the book, for example, animals, the weather, flowers, and anything that occurs in nature that will fit what is happening among the characters, and the book. He also uses symbols, themes, he creates the atmosphere in the beginning of the book, and an outlook of what is about to happen in the book. We’re about to look at the different types of natural phenomena that Dickens uses in his book. On Chapter 5, Dickens uses an example of natural phenomena, which was when during the summer thunderstorm at the Manettes’ house in Soho. Dickens’s use of nature to mirror human emotions is effective.

Charles Dickens uses satire to point out the faults in the Victorian London courts, such as the way anyone would be proven guilty and then executed for the smallest of crimes.This is seen when Dickens states: "That, for these reasons, the jury, being a loyal jury (as he knew they were), and being a responsible jury (as they knew they were), must positively find the prisoner Guilty, and make an end of him, whether they liked it or not...in short, that there never more could be, for them or theirs, any laying of heads upon pillows at all, unless the prisoner's head was taken off," (Dickens, Page 69). Dickens is satirizing this system because it is extremely harsh and unfair, with execution becoming the sentence for everything. He is bringing the problem to light so that it may be resolved before it contributes to civil unrest.

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

Monseigneur may have been the most wealthy nobleman in all of France, but he didn’t end up being quite so noble. His use of his money was never for good and only resulted in him helping himself. Charles Dickens perfectly showed Monseigneur’s character through his uses of allusion, diction and an ironic tone in this passage. By likening him to a power greater than god through allusion and an ironic