The Use of Language in A Tale of Two Cities

Referring closely to the

Referring closely to the use of language, show how Charles Dickens

examines the tragic consequences of unruly behaviour in Chapter Twenty

One of ‘A Tale of Two Cities’. How does he bring out the dramatic

tension?

‘A Tale of Two Cities’ set partly in the Saint Antoine region in the

midst of the deadly and brutal French Revolution and partly in the

dull and monotonous Restoration Period in England seems to be tale of

warning and of social justice. Dickens, born in 1812, held the

equality of all social classes close to his heart: lack of funds drove

Dickens to work in a blacking factory at the tender age of twelve as

well as seeing his father to prison. His intentions of writing ‘A Tale

of Two Cities’ were to make everyone aware of the damage and bloodshed

that ignorance can cause: if the rich continued to persecute the poor

and continued with their luxurious lifestyles, then a social

catastrophe would occur. However, if the poor revolted against the

upper classes, they needed to be aware of the dangers and problems

caused by such hasty actions. Chapter Twenty One seems to be the

pivotal point of the novel; it sees the revolt and it’s most dramatic

event, the storming of the Bastille, vividly depicting this event in a

nightmarish yet moving way. It carries the moral throughout the

chapter of the consequences of unruly behaviour. ‘A Tale of Two

Cities’ deals with such themes as overthrowing the aristocracy and the

influence that rich have over poor. These themes, although placed in

the context of France in the Nineteenth Century, were still relevant

in England over one hundred years later, and, in fact, today. Even in

our present day, we can relate to these atrocities as there are...

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...ur country, comparing it to such a time of terror and unrest

in France would hit home, forcing political leaders to take note and

act upon Dickens’ caution. By raising the profile of such an atrocity

that he believes could occur in Britain, he inspired citizens to do

anything within their power to prevent it. Even in the Twenty-First

century, we can still learn from Dickens’ novel and also do what is in

our power to end poverty, wars and racism. Evidence of the world’s

desire to end these horrors can be found in such things as the ‘Stop

Poverty Now’ campaigns, in which celebrities click their fingers every

three seconds to represent how often a child dies from poverty. Having

celebrities to promote the cause, who have such an influence over so

many people is likely to help encourage many more people to do what is

in their power to end such horrific things.