BOOK ONE : RECALLED TO LIFE Chapter 1-3 LIST OF VOCABULARY CHAPTER 1 Epoch Incredulity Sublime Pincers Potentate COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS- CHAPTER 1:THE PERIOD 1. What is the chief characteristic of the period when this tale begins? To what other period does the narrator compare it? 2. What did the leaders of France and England believe about the stability of their countries? 3. What crime did the youth commit? What punishment does the youth suffer? Why does the narrator call the punishment human? COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS- CHAPTER 1:THE PERIOD 4. What has fate marked? What has death set apart? 5.What kinds of criminals does the hangman punish? What does his schedule suggest about social conditions in England? BOOK 1- CHAPTER 1- THE PERIOD It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only. CHAPTER 1 ANALYSIS This first chapter presents the sweeping backdrop of forces and events that will shape the lives of the novel's characters. From the first paragraph, Dickens begins developing the central theme of duality. His pairings of contrasting concepts such as the "best“ and "worst“ of times, "Light“ and "Darkness,“ and "hope“ and "despair“ reflect the mirror images of good and evil that will recur in characters and situations throughout the novel. This litany of contrasts is one of the most famous first sentences in literature. It is made memorable by the extensive use of anaphora—repetition of the first part of the sentence—and antithesis— placing opposite ideas in the same sentence to contrast them. England and France in 1775 embody the concept of duality that Dickens outlines in the first paragraph. Both countries are simultaneously experiencing very similar and very different situations. For example, both the English and French monarchs — George III and Louis XVI, respectively — seem indifferent to the plight of their people and cannot comprehend any power being great enough to eclipse their divine right to rule. However, while their attitudes will result in revolutions for both countries, the American revolution occurs an ocean away, leaving the British infrastructure unscathed and saving the British population from the massive loss of life and the horrors that will take place during the French revolution. CHAPTER 1 ANALYSIS The differences between the two countries become more pronounced when Dickens compares the concepts of spirituality and justice in each country. In England, people are enthralled with the supernatural, especially with visionaries and ghosts that communicate mystical messages. In France, though, people pay attention to religious leaders out of fear rather than fascination. A man neglecting to kneel to a distant procession of monks may be condemned to a torturous death for his transgression. Dickens contrasts France's harsh justice system to England's lax one. Criminals overrun England: Highwaymen rob seemingly at will, prisoners revolt against their jailers, and violence is answered with more violence. When the courts serve justice in England, they serve it equally, with murderers and petty thieves alike receiving the death penalty. LIST OF VOCABULARY CHAPTER 2 Mutinous Endue Capitulate Emphatic Forlorn Canter Adjuration Flounder Soliloquy Bridle BOOK 1-CHAPTER 2- THE MAIL COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS- CHAPTER 2:THE MAIL 1. Why are the passengers of the mail coach walking? 2. Why are the passengers and the guards suspicious of one another? 3. What do the guard and the coachman hear? How did they react? 4. What sounds can be heard in the stillness of the night? To what mood do these sounds contribute? 5. Whom does the rider seek? What do the guards, coachman, and other passengers think about this quest? COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS- CHAPTER 2:THE MAIL 6. What ‘mistake’ might the guard make? 7.What details tell you that the rider’s message is important? What does Mr. Lorry say to the guard? What do his words and actions tell you about Mr. Lorry? 8. What does Jerry’s message tell Mr. Lorry to do? What response does Mr. Lorry send? 9. What do Tom and Joe make of Mr. Lorry’s reply? 10.What does Jerry make of Mr. Lorry’s reply? CHAPTER 2 ANALYSIS In this chapter, the reader is introduced to Jarvis Lorry, a banker, and Jerry Cruncher, his messenger. Lorry's demeanor, as the coach is stopped for Jerry, is calm, though everyone else in the carriage is terrified that they're going to be robbed. Jerry's demeanor is blustery and befuddled by the message he has to carry back to the bank, but he does it anyway, showing that he's a loyal employee. Usually, if there is a message passed to a character in a novel and the message doesn't make a lot of sense, readers can safely assume that this message is going to resurface later. It may even become a very important part of the novel. Through the message that Jerry takes back to the bank, the narrator alludes to a major event that begins the novel's plot: A client of Lorry's has been released from prison after a very long time. The note also introduces the theme of resurrection—coming back to life, in the metaphorical sense. This theme will later resurface in related subplots. In this chapter, it is Lorry's client who is being recalled to life after having been gone from it for so long. CHAPTER 2 ANALYSIS The wording of the note is mysterious, rousing curiosity in the reader. Referred to as a cliffhanger because it leaves out important details to heighten suspense, this well-known technique was used by Dickens and other writers of his time to get people to purchase the next installment of their novels. Most novels in Dickens's era were serialized chapter by chapter in magazines or pamphlets, so writers had to keep their readers coming back for more. Because each chapter ended with a little mystery, the reader bought the next chapter to find out what happened. LIST OF VOCABULARY CHAPTER 3 Unfathomable Inexorable Inscrutable Lamentation Cadaverous Emaciated Admonish Placid COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS- CHAPTER 3:THE NIGHT SHADOWS 1. How are the city’s living inhabitants like the dead? 2. What expression do Jerry’s eyes reveal? 3. Describe Jerry’s physical appearance. 4. How is the horse like her rider? 5. What dos Mr. Lorry imagine he has become during his ride in the mail coach? In his mind what do the bumps and rattles of the mail turn into? COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS- CHAPTER 3:THE NIGHT SHADOWS 6. What other impression does Mr. Lorry have? 7. Describe the face Mr. Lorry sees. What emotions does he see in the face? 8. How long has the person in Mr. Lorry’s dream buried? How does he feel about life? 9. Why does Mr. Lorry open the window? Does it help? 10. What does Mr. Lorry see when he wakes up? What’s his reaction to it? CHAPTER 3 ANALYSIS In the first paragraph, Dickens breaks through to address readers directly with a reflection on the separateness of individuals and how each is a mystery to the others. He uses the first person: A solemn consideration, when I enter a great city by night, that every one of those darkly clustered houses encloses its own secret; that every room in every one of them encloses its own secret; that every beating heart in the hundreds of thousands of breasts there, is, in some of its imaginings, a secret to the heart nearest it! Such an interruption in the narration is known as authorial intrusion and was typical of Dickens's style. CHAPTER 3 ANALYSIS This chapter gives the reader insight into what it must be like to be held prisoner in the late 18th century, not only separated from one's family, but locked up so securely that it's like stepping into a grave. The emotional wear and tear that such a long prison term inflicts on the prisoner makes him question whether he even wants to live. But this particular prisoner is about to be freed from the "grave" of his prison cell, bringing back the theme of resurrection from the dead. Because he has been gone for 18 years, it is possible that people in his life will have assumed he's dead. After all, prisons in France at the time were not places where people were well taken care of, and it was not unusual for prisoners to die in their cells. CHAPTER 3 ANALYSIS Jarvis Lorry's dreams about this prisoner reveal a little more about his character. Supposedly all business, he still can't stop thinking about what it will be like to go rescue a man who has been "buried alive for 18 years." By describing his fitful dreams, the narrator shows the reader that Lorry has a caring heart underneath his stuffy banker exterior.
