A Tale of Two Cities

What is it that made Charles Dickens write the novel you're reading? What in your analysis of literary techniques led you to this conclusion? (Make sure to include textual support illustrating Dickens' use of at least three techniques.)


I'm sure Dickens had many reasons for wanting to write this book. The main one I could think of was that he wanted to show conflict in an extreme scale. Durring the time period he wrote it in, a lot of conflict was going on in history. I think authors often put a lot of themselves into books they write and the characters in them. There were a lot of symbols in A Tale of Two Cities that relate to the fighting and death Dickens had probably lived through. Such as Mr. Lorry's dream and the person writing blood with wine. It's all foreshadowing to the blood bath we suspect is coming up. On the very first page of the book Dickens used anaphora to compare and contrast basically the extremes of light and darkness. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." The story as a whole is about politics, war, and human nature. I hear all the time how politics can bring out the worst in someone..(mudslinging). I think this is what Dickens is also trying to show through all these textual clues. What things are like when they are at its best.. and what its like at the worst.