A Tale of Two Cities Take-home Exam
Due Tuesday, December 3
Section I: Quotation Identification & Reflection
Please identify: a )the speaker or the person being described, b)describe the situation (who was listening and where it took place), c)and interpret the meaning and the importance of the quotation. Reflect in detail. Identify any literary devices. Write about a half page on each.
1. “I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me, shall never die.”
2. “A good reason for taking to a man, that he shows what you have fallen away from, and what you might have been! Change places with him, and would you have been looked at by those blue eyes as he was, and commiserated by that agitated face as he was? Come on, have it out in plain words! You hate the fellow.”
3. “Only one soul was to be seen, and that was Madame Defarge--who leaned against the door post, knitting, and saw nothing.”
4. “Repression is the only lasting philosophy. The dark deference of fear and slavery, my friend, will keep the dogs obedient to the whip, as long as this roof shuts out the sky.”
5. “Tell wind and fire where to stop, but don’t tell me.”
6. “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, or Death!”
7. “I don’t care an English Twopence for myself. 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.”
8. “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.”
Section II: Paragraph+ Answer
Please give specific, detailed answers to each question. Use specific examples and quotations from the book. General answers will not receive full credit. Write between a half page and a whole page on these. This exam should take two to three hours to complete.
1. Analyze the symbolism behind Carton’s death.
2. List and explain several of the main themes in the novel.
3. Define foil. Write down and explain a few of the foils in the novel.
4. Define the term foreshadowing. Write down three examples and reflect on the effect of Dickens frequent use of foreshadowing.
5. Why does Dr. Manette write: “But, now I believe that the mark of the red cross is fatal to them, and that they have no part in His mercies. And them and their descendants, to the last of their race, I, Alexandre Manette, . . . denounce to the times when all these things shall be answered for”?
6. Describe the scene where the wine cask breaks in front of Defarge’s wine shop in Chapter 5 of Book the First. What literary devices appear in this description? What is the symbolism behind this scene? What is Dickens’ purpose in focusing on the breaking of a simple wine cask dropped in the street?
7. Analyze the symbolism of the guillotine.
8. Who do you admire more, Darnay or Carton? Explain why. Did Carton make the right choice in dying for Darnay? Could you admire Carton if he had not sacrificed his life?