Tale of 2 Cities Summarizer-Alyssa Tice Period 1
Book the first- Chapter 1:
This chapter talks about the two countries france and england. It compares the two in terms of their hardships and worries among other things. In england people are worried about prophecies and ghosts, while france has excessive violence. A number of other similarities and differences between the two are also described.
Chapter 2:
In this chapter a mail coach and its group of passengers are on a dangerous journey to Dover. Along the way they are stopped by a messenger, who asks to talk to Lorry (one of the travelers.) The passengers are skeptical at first because they think it might be a robber but then they accept the message. It says ‘Wait at Dover for Mam’selle” to which Lorry mysteriously replies ‘recalled to life.’
Chapter 3:
Lorry and the other two passengers continue their journey to Dover. This gives Lorry a lot of time to think, and he imagines conversations with a ghost. He seems to think that he is on his way to dig up its body, and tells it it has been ‘recalled to life’.
Chapter 4:
In this chapter Lorry arrives at his destination, Dover. Tellson’s bank asked a woman named Lucie Manette to travel there from London because a discovery was made on her dead father’s land. Lorry tells her the real reason she was called there, that her father is alive.
Chapter 5:
Lorry and Lucie go to a wine shop that’s owned by Monsieur Defarge. Him and his wife watch them wearily, like they’re suspicious. Then Lorry talks to the Defarge, and the owner ends up taking Lucie and Lorry upstairs to show them a shoemaker.
Chapter 6:
In this chapter Lorry, Defarge and Lucie talk to the shoemaker (Doctor Manette). He thinks that Lucie is his wife.
Book the Second- Chapter 1:
In this chapter we are introduced to Jerry Cruncher, another one of Tellson’s messengers. Him and his son camp outside of the bank and soon a messenger is needed so Jerry takes care of the job, leaving his son alone.
Chapter 2:
Cruncher is told by a bank teller to go to the old Bailey Courthouse to wait for Lorry to give him orders. Charles Darnay is being tried there for treason, because he acted as a spy for France and told them what England was planning to do with armed forces.
Chapter 3:
The trial goes on and people are questioned. Lorry is one of them, and it turns out that Darnay may have been one of the other two travelers with him in the Dover mail coach. Lorry says it was hard to see who his companions were so he doesn’t know for sure. Eventually, the jury releases Darnay because they have found him not guilty.
Chapter 4:
Darnay is grateful to the people that helped him clear his name, including Lorry, Lucie and Doctor Manette. But things get tense when the group is joined by Sydney Carton, Mr. Stryver’s colleague. Carton is rude to Darnay and Darnay accuses him of being drunk.
——–
1. The first word I chose was ‘epoch’. It can mean either an important date in time or certain point in time. I chose this word because it was new to me and I wanted to know what it meant.
2. The next word is ‘blunderbuss’ which is both a clumsy person and a type of gun. The reason i picked this word is because it is used many times in the first chapter and it caught my eye because it’s unique.
3. ‘Cadaverous’ which means ghostly or pale, basically just sickly. I picked this word because it looked interesting to me.
4. ‘Piscatory’ meaning anything that has something to do with fishing. I chose it because it is used repeatedly and is different.
5. ‘Betwixt’ meaning between. This word caught my eye because it has a very unique spelling and sound so it caught my eye.
Question:
1. Do you believe that Darney should have been found not guiltyy? Why or why not?
Alyssa!=)
Category: Per 1 ToTC Sum/WW 6 comments »
February 14th, 2009 at 11:12 am
At this time, I am thinking that Darnay should be found guilty, because all that we know is that he was charged with treason, for telling France about England’s plans. I don’t think it is right to act as a spy and be disloyal to your country. So with the information that we have, yes, he should be found guilty. Maybe, as the story continues, we will find out more information about why he was acting as a spy, but with what little insight that we have, he is gulity!
~Lauren Gress~
February 14th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
I disagree with Lauren. Darnay should not be found guilty, because there is no solid proof that he was cohorting with the French. True, he was with two French men and he did give them papers, but that does not necessarily mean that he was selling them secrets. Lucie says that Darnay was “traveling on business of a delicate and difficult nature…and that he was therefore traveling under an assumed name.” This could be interpreted in a number of ways, and they don’t all lead to Darnay being guilty. Darnay’s business could have very well been something in his family. Perhaps a sick relative or a will that needed to be worked on. People never like to give out personal or “delicate” information to strangers. As for the pseudonym, Darnay probably knew what people would jump to if he was detected. Traveling during war to an enemy country is always suspicious, so Darnay could have just been taken safety precautions. Perhaps if we had more information, we could make a definite decision. But for the meantime, the “proof” of Darnay’s treason is inconclusive and therefore he should not be found guilty. One of the things that could have given more solid evidence is Dr. Manette’s memory. If he had remembered more about his encounter with Darnay, or anything at all about his encounter, it could have either proved Darnay’s innocence or condemned him to be drawn and quartered. But we don’t have those memories, so I have to stick with my gut feeling and say that Darnay is innocent.
Erin B.
February 15th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
Good point Erin. They really is no soild evidence that he is guilty. I am not sure why, but Darnay gives me a feeling of weirdness. I am not sure how to explain it, but I am not sure if he is trustworthy! Does anybody else get this feeling. They say he is on business but why would a person want to travel into a country that you are fighting a war against. I think that we will be able to form a full conclusion once we have more information, and if Dr. Manette will remember their meeting.
~Lauren Gress~
February 15th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
It is true that traveling to an enemy country is suspicious, but (again) there is no solid evidence to make a case against Darnay. I agree that we will have a final answer when (and if) Dr. Manette recovers his memory. As to what you said about him not being trustworthy, I can’t really make a decision on that yet. We don’t know very much about Darnay so I can’t commit to calling him untrustworthy just yet.
Erin B.
February 15th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
I think that Darnay should be innocent until proven guilty. At this point no one has come forward with any information/evidence that would prove him guilty or not guilty.
-Maddie Zinn
February 22nd, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Tice: Beware of spelling and other grammar and mechanical errors (capitalization is one I noticed).