Comments on: Tale of Two Cities Illumintator

By: mr_shank

mr_shank — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 19:04:28 +0000

Megan: You need to ask a question. Also, the opening to this novel is one of the most famous of all time. Spending some time really looking at it might have been a good idea.

Erin and Lauren: You are doing precisely what I hoped you would do-having a conversation about the book. Well done. And way to bring in history and movies and other connections to broaden your own as well as the groups understanding of the novel! YES!!!

By: tale_of_2_cities

tale_of_2_cities — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 02:03:50 +0000

I agree with you guys. The upper class at that time (and maybe now) was very concerned with their well-being and acted almost as though the lower class ceased to exist. The only time it was worth it to them to get involved in the lower class’ problems was when the upper class was faced with danger. Then if the lower class happened to be protected while the upper class was, the lower class got lucky. Besides upper class being able to take more initiative than the poor due to their ranks, they were also able to have more control in the government because of their money, and the power it gave them. If the upper class was being affected they had an advantage in the government through their money; which the poor, lower class did not have.

-Maddie Zinn

By: tale_of_2_cities

tale_of_2_cities — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 00:08:03 +0000

Yes, I totally agree! I think that generally, high ranking officers were considered to be upper class during that time period. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the movie Patriot before, but if you have then you know where I’m coming from. The movie is based during the American Revolution, and it is about how a farmer’s life is destroyed and so he joins the army to get revenge. Several of the characters in the movie are highly ranked British officers, such as Lieutenant-General Cornwallis. His living quarters are lavish and extremely expensive, which proves the point about the officers being upper class. I think that if the crimes did begin to turn to the upper class during the war the rich would force the government to send soldiers back home to protect themselves. Not to protect the lower class that are being hurt, but to protect themselves.

Erin B.

By: Lauren Gress

Lauren Gress — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 21:19:39 +0000

Good point Erin! As I was reading your post it got me thinking. It is 1775, at this time most law enforcement people were fighting in the war, therefore, all the acts of crime are not being put to an end because there is really nobody to stop them! This then will result in more criminal acts because peolple are seeing that others are getting away with being criminals. In the end I think this will cause a lot of problems, even for the upper class. I think that once one of these crimes are committed against them they might open their eyes and see what is really going on!
Do you think that maybe if all of the crimes would begin to be against the upper class that maybe a law enforcement would step in? If you think about it many of the law enforcement officers are upper class and will want to help their own people. Where as the officers will probably not care as much if the crimes are against lower class. They don’t care as much because it is not effecting their own social class.
~Lauren Gress~

By: tale_of_2_cities

tale_of_2_cities — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 03:17:17 +0000

Great interpretation, Megan! I completely agree with everything you posted. Lauren, your example was a good way to support Megan’s “illumination”. To answer Lauren’s question, I think that the rich would become worried if they saw what was right outside their window… In other words, if they started being affected. I feel that the only reason that most people turn to violence is because they have no other alternative. Things are getting so bad that the common people have to steal and murder in order to stay alive. However, the rich are living a luxurious life and they don’t have to struggle to survive. Therefore, the upper class has no problems with their life and so they don’t have a need to help the others. As I said before, if they were being robbed or stolen from they would probably intervene, but only because it was hurting their carefree style of living.

We also have to consider what was going on outside of the nation’s boundaries. Think about it – many of the worst times for a country come during war or conflict outside of the border. Consider the time period. Dickens writes “It was the year of Our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five.” This date translates to 1775. This is a significant time period in American history… the start of American resistance against Britain. Officially, the war began on March 5th, 1770, the day of the Boston Massacre. However, the war only really started to pick up pace during 1775. And so, at this time, many British officers and soldiers were shipped out of England and into the colonies. Isn’t it possible that the lack of military officers in Britain contributed to the violence? Without common level law enforcers, doesn’t it seem likely that more people would began to commit crimes? Think of the logic behind it. Since the upper class could really care less about the commoners, they aren’t going to punish someone for stealing another middle classer’s possessions. And since there are no officers are around to enforce the rules, there is really no one to stop the people from robbing, killing, and vandalizing.

Erin B.

By: tale_of_2_cities

tale_of_2_cities — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 16:21:25 +0000

I agree! The upper class people are not worried, but some of the lower class are very worried about the theft and things that are going on in the country. We can see that the lower class is worried because in Chapter 2 when Lorry is talking to the messenger, all of the other passengers in the cart hide there bags and watches because they were worried that he was a dangerous man.
Do you think that the upper class people will become worried and scared if any of the thefts and acts of violence are turned towards them?
~Lauren Gress~