A book report of a Tale of two Cities1《双城记》英文读书笔记

A book report of a Tale of two Cities

By charles Dickens

A Tale of two Cities is written by the English writer Charles Dickens who was born in 1812 and died in 1870. Best known for his classic serialized novels, such as Oliver Twist, a Tale of two Cities, and Great Expectations, he wrote about the London he lived in, the conditions of the poor, and the growing tensions between the classes. He achieved international popular and critical success in his lifetime.

Based on his own personal experiences of working in a factory, a Tale of two Cities is one of his later works. The story was set in London and Paris at the time of the great French Revolution. It exposed the causes of revolution and its effects on people’s day-to-day lives. Moreover it mingled two different clues, love and cruelty.

Before the revolution, the King and the aristocracy treated their people cruelly. Extremely poor and miserable, the common people were lived under sanguinary policy and great pressure. The crops in the fields were poor as if even the land shared the misery of the people. And there were so heavy taxes that all the villagers had nothing to hand over at last. On the other hand, the aristocracy made their will as the law by using money and gold. There was no justice, no equality and no fairness. Just as what happened to Dr. Manette, he had witnessed the crimes committed by

the Marquis Evremonde brothers. He wrote to the Minister to disclose the crime what Marquis Evremonde had done. But as a result, he had been arrested and sent to the prison Bastille without any reason.

The potential of people was tremendous. People who lived on the bottom of class such as the Defarges had prepared for a revolution. The Revolution came to break out, when the Bastille was captured and the King was caught and put to death as well as many other aristocrats. However, things didn’t go on as what they had ever expected. As a consequence, the situation was not changed at all or even worse, as the fundamental tissue had not been resolved. There was still no justice or fairness. As it was quote, in everything they did was merciless, for they had been hardened in the fires of suffering and the touch of pity could make no mark on them. Those people took the charge but their heart had been full of evilness. The only thing they wanted to do was to revenge. These former peasants murdered anyone who they felt represented the old guard. One of the characters Darnay was immediately taken into custody, though he tried desperately to explain that unlike his uncle and father-the Evremonde brothers. Actually he was not a cruel man and knew nothing about his family. He was on the peasants’ side and want ed to help them. But without reason they disregarded his testimony.

Love was as pure as water, Carton had a deeply love towards Lucie, wife of Darnay that he devoted his life for her happiness. When Darnay