SHORT ANSWERS - A TALE OF TWO CITIES BY CHARLES DICKENS

SHORT ANSWERS

 A TALE OF TWO CITIES BY CHARLES DICKENS

QUESTION NO. 17

Answer the following questions. 

(i) What were the conditions in France that led to the revolution?

Ans. Struggle for hegemony, social antagonism between aristocracy and the bourgeoisie, debt, ineffective ruler Louis XVI, economic hardships, the rise of enlightenment ideals, resentment of royal absolutism, food scarcity, and American influence were the major conditions in France that led to revolution.

(ii) What is Dickens' attitude towards the French Revolution?

Ans. Dickens regards the French Revolution with some ambivalence. He seems to support the revolutionary cause but also condemns the way the Revolution is conducted, often criticizing the evil of the revolutionaries themselves. The message seems to be that in fighting oppression with oppression, and acts of barbarism with acts of barbarism, there is no true revolution.

(iii) Interpret 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...'.

Ans. This is the opening line of the novel "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens. It describes the time of French Revolution. It means, in simple terms, that the time period was filled with great contradictions and extremes, from good to bad.

(iv) What is Bastille? What is its significance?

Ans. The Bastille was a fortress in Paris, known formally as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was uses as a state prison by the kings of France. It was stormed by a crowd on July 14, 1789 in the French Revolution.

(v) Why the Bastille was attacked by the mob?

Ans. The Bastille was a prison where the French government kept its political prisoners. On July 14, 1789, a mob of revolutionaries attacked the fortress. It was a blood-thirsty, unruly mob that Dickens metaphorically describes as "a raging sea" and "a whirlpool of boiling water". The attack was a flash-point of the French Revolution.

(vi) What is the significance of Hotel De Ville?

Ans. The Hotel De Ville is a building in Paris, France, housing the city's local administration. The Hotel De Ville is a nice sounding name for a not-so-nice place. It was where the government took prisoners to be tortured.

(vii) Write a short note on Tellson's Bank.

Ans. Tellson's Bank near Temple Bar was an old-fashioned place, even back in 1780. It was a very small, very dark, very ugly, and very uncomfortable. The partners who ran the bank were old-fashioned too. They were proud of its smallness, darkness, ugliness, and discomfort.

(viii) What does the red wine symbolize in 'A Tale of Two Cities'?

Ans. Throughout the novel win symbolizes the French Revolution's intoxicating power. Drunk on power, the revolutionaries change from freedom fighters into wild savages dancing in the streets and murdering at will. The red wine spilled in the street in Paris symbolizes the blood that will be spilled in the Revolution.

(ix) What is the people's reaction to the broken wine cask?

Ans. People's reaction to the broken wine cask is to get on the ground and lick the wine as it flows on the ground. They are excited that the rich lost something, and that they get to have it. So hungry, and poor, are the people that they don't mind drinking off the street. Obviously, this shows how bad the conditions in France are.

(x) How is 'honour' defined in 'A Tale of Two Cities'?

Ans.There are multiple versions of honour in the novel. However, the most effective is that a person has honour who stands up for what is right and is willing to sacrifice all he or she has for the betterment of others. Monsiur Defarge is honourable because she stands up for what she believes, and Carton is honourable because he gives his life for a friend.

(xi) Who is Madam Defarge?

Ans. Madam Defarge is a fictional character in the novel "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens. She is a tricoteuse, a tireless worker for the French Revolution, and the wife of Ernest Defarge. She is one of the main villains of the novel, obsessed with revenge against the Evremondes.

(xii) What is the significance of Madame Defarge pinning a rose in her hair?

Ans. Madame Defarge pinning a rose in her hair indicates to the revolutionaries to stop talking about their revolutionary things. It is a signal that a spy is nearby and the revolutionaries must watch what they say.

(xiii) Why is Madame Defarge so merciless towards Charles and his family?

Ans. Madame Defarge is merciless towards Charles and his family because Charles' family has killed her family and she thinks they should be avenged.

(xiv) How and by whom Madame Defarge was killed?

Ans. In a scuffle with Miss Pross, Madame Defarge was killed by a bullet from her own gun. It symbolizes Dicken's belief that the sort of vengeful attitude ultimately proves a self-damning one.

(xv) What is the slogan of the revolutionaries in "A Tale of Two Cities? 

Ans. The slogan of the revolutionaries is "Liberty, equality, fraternity, or death". The revolutionaries were the people engaged in changing the government of France. They wanted the many freedoms that people deserve: liberty, equality, and fraternity. They also wanted everyone on their side and were willing to "take out" those who did not agree.

Notes Prepared By: Prof. Shahbaz Asghar