A Tale of Two Cities

Reading Notes: pages 208 - 227

Ch. 4: Calm in Storm

· First 4 days there, 1100 prisoners killed, but not Darnay

· 210: “For the first time the Doctor felt, now, that his suffering was strength and power.” Paradox (back to the opening passage)

· king and queen beheaded

· the guillotine becomes the national symbol “It superseded the cross. Models of it were worn on breasts from which the Cross was discarded and it was bowed down to and believed in where the Cross was denied.” reflect

Ch. 5: The Wood-sawyer

Waits two hours each day in front of the wood-sawyers house on the chance that Darnay can look out the window and see her.

Ch. 6: Triumph

· final Darnay goes in front of the tribunal

· Accused of being an emigrant who has returned to France even though the law had not been made up when he returned. Says he is not really an emigrant because he renounced his French title and lived by his own industry rather than off the labors of French peasants. Good results when he states who he has married

· Gabelle testifies as to why Darnay returned to France when he did. Dr. Manette testifies to his imprisonment and to the fact that Darnay was tried for treason in England as a friend to the U. S.—opposite of an aristocrat

· 221- He is aquitted and the tribunal members cry with joy and embrace him (tears of joy flow rather than blood). Carried on a chair to his home as a hero

· “don’t tremble so. I have saved him.” 223

Ch. 7: A knock at the Door

· Miss Pross is indelibly English and therefore anti-French, she never learns any of that “nonsense,” the French language.

· 225: “For gracious sake, don’t talk about Liberty; we have quite enough of that,” said Miss Pross. Ironic, but true.

· Darnay is taken into custody again, from a charge from St. Antoine, by the Defarges. Why is he re-arrested?