INTRODUCTORY NOTEGUIDE 1
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verisimilitude: lifelikeness 7
symbolism: representation of one thing by another thing 8
diction: author s word choice syntax: author s sentence structure 9
serialization: publishing a larger work in smaller segments over a period of time 10
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Watch ONLINE at http://www.biography.com/video.do? name=fullbioepisodes&bcpid=1896837674&bclid=404580 90001&bctid=40043568001 12
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republic vs. monarchy 14
Now remember this conflict because it will be the same type of conflict that we see in A Tale of Two Cities. 15
4B. Charles Dickens lived during the Victorian era in England (country). This era occurred during the nineteenth century (which is the eighteen hundreds). Queen Victoria s Reign: 20 June 1837 22 January 1901 16
Now look at the inside page of the front cover of your novel. Note Dickens' birth date: 17
Now look at the inside page of the front cover of your novel. Note Dickens' birth date: February 7, 1812. 18
4C. Look at your "On Location" map. What do you notice geographically about the countries of England and France? 19
4C. Look at your "On Location" map. What do you notice geographically about the countries of England and France? ANALOGY: England is as close to France as Cumberland is to Harlan 20
Based on the map, to what two cities do you think Dickens alludes in the title of his book? 21
Based on the map, to what two cities do you think Dickens alludes in the title of his book? 22
21 miles at narrowest point 23
For years, a ferry was the most common way to cross the Channel. The White Cliffs of Dover 24
Now, Eurostar speeds you through the Channel Tunnel. The $15 billion Channel Tunnel makes the old dream of a ground link between Great Britain and continental Europe a reality for the first time since the Ice Ages. 25
The tunnel consists of 3 interconnected tubes: 1 rail track each way plus 1 service tunnel. Its length is 31 miles, of which 23 miles are underwater. Its average depth is 150 feet under the seabed. The channel crossing time for Eurostar is only 20 minutes. 26
95 miles of tunnels were dug by nearly 13,000 engineers, technicians and workers. The volume of rubble removed from the tunnel is three times greater than that of Cheops Great Pyramid in Egypt. And it has increased the size of Britain by 90 acres. Equivalent to 68 football fields, this area has been made into a park. 27
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4D. Now look again at the inside page of the front cover of your novel. Scan down to the bottom of the second paragraph and identify the year in which A Tale of Two Cities was published: 29
4D. Now look again at the inside page of the front cover of your novel. Scan down to the bottom of the second paragraph and identify the year in which A Tale of Two Cities was published:1859. 30
4E. However, if you look at p. 3 of the novel in the third paragraph, you'll see that the novel is not set in this year. It is set in the year. 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. There were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a plain face, on the throne of England; there were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a fair face, on the throne of France. In both countries it was clearer than crystal to the lords of the State preserves of loaves and fishes, that things in general were settled for ever. It was the year of Our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five. Spiritual revelations were conceded to England at that favoured period, as at this. Mrs. Southcott had recently attained her five-and-twentieth blessed birthday, of whom a prophetic private in the Life Guards had heralded the sublime appearance by announcing that arrangements were made for the swallowing up of London and Westminster. Even the Cock-lane ghost had been laid only a round dozen of years, after rapping out its messages, as the spirits of this very year last past (supernaturally deficient in originality) rapped out theirs. Mere messages in the earthly order of events had lately come to the English Crown and People, from a congress of 31
4E. However, if you look at p. 3 of the novel in the third paragraph, you'll see that the novel is not set in this year. It is set in the year 1775 AD. 4F. What do you know happens in our country the very next year? 32
4E. However, if you look at p. 3 of the novel in the third paragraph, you'll see that the novel is not set in this year. It is set in the year 1775 AD. 4F. What do you know happens in our country the very next year? The American Revolution begins with the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. 33
4G. As a result of what began in 1776, George Washington took the oath of office as the first president of the United States on April 30, 1789. Less than a week later, the longawaited French Estates-General held its opening session in Paris on May 5, 1789. So, in one of history's neatest segues, the American Revolution officially closed just as the announced its arrival on the world stage. 34
4G. As a result of what began in 1776, George Washington took the oath of office as the first president of the United States on April 30, 1789. Less than a week later, the longawaited French Estates-General held its opening session in Paris on May 5, 1789. So, in one of history's neatest segues, the American Revolution officially closed just as the French Revolution announced its arrival on the world stage. 35
4H. To understand why the French revolted, we must understand the social structure of France during the 1800s. France was divided into three 'layers' of society, much like a feudal pyramid: 1 st Estate: The Church 2 nd Estate: The Monarchy 3 rd Estate: Working Class 36
1 st Estate: The Church 2 nd Estate: The Monarchy 3 rd Estate: Working Class 37
4i. Now, place each of these events on the timeline located in your noteguide. 2 nd Estate: The Monarchy 3 rd Estate: Working Class 38
4j. Having noted the sequence of events and the geographical proximity of England and France, why might Dickens, an English author living in England and writing primarily for an English audience, have written a book that is focused on the French Revolution that happened more than two decades before his birth? 3 rd Estate: Working Class 39
4j. Dickens book is a warning to his fellow countrymen that the horrible revolution that happened in France could happen again. 40
Last Statement: His book is a warning of what happens when the absolutely powerless take absolute power. 41
1789 to 1989:! A Tale of Two Revolutions 42
Strategy for Reading Nonfiction:! Read the passage, highlighting in pink each important detail.! As you read each paragraph and highlight the details, summarize each paragraph with a CONCISE paragraph summary statement (in the margin) that identifies the topic and what the author is saying about the topic. 43