Mr_Shank

My connection is between Book the Third Chapter 6: Triumph and To Kill a Mockingbird. 

In Chapter 6:  There is a large gathering at Darnay’s trial.  They are all waiting and wondering what will happen and what new information will be revealed.  Also in this chapter Dr. Manette tells everybody at the trial that Darnay is his son-in-law.  The jury acquits Darnay and drops all charges.  The people are then very happy.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, there is also a trial going on about Tom Robinson raping Mayella Ewell.  One connection between the two, is that many people also gathered at Tom’s trial.  This shows that many people are nosy and butt into other peoples business.  It also shows how some times people have nothing better to do.  Another connection between the two is that even though both stories have different verdicts against the criminals, in the end the people who gathered are happy.  In A Tale of Two Cities, the people are happy that the jury acquit Darnay and carry him out on a chair.  Where as in To Kill a Mockingbird, all of the white people are happy that Tom was found guilty. 

Another connection between the two books is that in both stories we see the difference between the haves and the have nots.  In a Tale of Two Cities we see the upper class who has many things and are not affected by any of the occurring problems.  Then there is the middle and lower class who is looked down upon by the Upper class and are facing poverty.  It is like this in To Kill a Mockingbird.  You have the whites how have many things and look down upon the blacks, and the blacks are facing many problems caused by the whites and are also living in poverty.

Time for questions! Are there any other connections between To Kill a Mockingbird and A Tale of Two Cities?

What does this connection show us about how people of different social classes treat each other?

Have Fun! =]

~Lauren Gress~

For my connection, I decided to use Chapters 21 and 22.  I feel they relate strongly to the song Viva la Vida by Coldplay.  Here are the lyrics:

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own

I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy’s eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing
“Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!”

One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand

I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can’t explain
Once you go there was never
Never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world

It was the wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn’t believe what I’d become

Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh who would ever want to be king?

I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can’t explain
I know Saint Peter won’t call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can’t explain
I know Saint Peter won’t call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

In Chapters 21 and 22, a revolution is happening in France.  A mob is running throughout the city, hunting down the nobles/officials and killing and/or beheading them.  In the song, the first verse has a line that reads: I used to roll the dice/Feel the fear in my enemy’s eyes/Listen as the crowd would sing/”Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!” This, in my opinion, is sort of like France once being a great power, both in the military and in the government.  The king was once loved by all of his people.  The next two lines read: One minute I held the key/Next the walls were closed on me  This is equivalent to the people of France turning on their king when he did nothing for him.  They hated him because in the time of trouble he did not come through for him.  The next spot I would like to point out is in the chorus.  The lines read: Never an honest word/And that was when I ruled the world  This relates to the government telling all the people lies.  Although this wasn’t mentioned in the book, I inferred that the king told his people that everything was going to be okay, but no one really believed him.  The next spot I chose was in the second verse: Revolutionaries wait/For my head on a silver plate/Just a puppet on a lonely string/Oh who would ever want to be king?  The revolutionaries obviously correspond to the revolutionaries in the book.  They are beheading and killing all the government members and putting them on pikes.  This is analogous to the “head on a silver plate”.  Finally, the last two lines are referring to the king.  I don’t know much about French government, but if it is like the English government, then the king and queen don’t have much power.  In English society, the two Houses had all the power and the king and queen were just faces to the people.  If this is also true in France, then the king would be “just a puppet” of the people working quietly behind the throne.  Finally, with all these bad things happening in the country, who would want to be king?

Alright, question time!  Which one of these “connections” do you feel relates the most to the text?  Do you see any other connections that I missed?  Feel free to add anything in the comment section!  Also, are there any other songs that relate to this section at all?  The last one has nothing to do with the reading, but I see a ton of allusions in the song to Christianity/the Bible.  To name just a few: pillars of salt and sand, Jerusalem bells, Roman Cavalry choirs, missionaries, head on a silver plate, etc.  When you respond, give me a few of your ideas on the allusions.  The last question is optional, by the way.  

Erin B.

1. I think that Dr. Manette’s situation is like the main character, Augie, in the book “Scavenger Reef.”  In this book a man goes off to sea on a small boat, which later capsizes.  Augie is on the voyage alone and is left stranded in the middle of the sea floating on a small part of the boat.  He is eventually rescued by natives who take care of him, but he suffers from amnesia.  Slowly, overtime he begins to recall his old life and memories.  He then goes home to his wife and all’s well.  This story is similar to Dr. Manette’s situation because he was a prisoner of war and lost all memory of his previous life (his wife and daughter).  When Dr. Manette and Lucie Manette meet again, Dr. Manette thinks that Lucie is his wife, but overtime, he realizes that Lucie is his daughter.  I think that overtime and with help from Lucie and Mr. Lorry, Dr. Manette may remember some things about his past that may prove very useful in Darnay’s case.

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2. I also think that Dr. Manette’s situation is like a treasure hunt (ex. National Treasure).  Lucie Manette and Mr. Lorry are asking Dr. Manette if he remembers his encounters with Darnay, but he can’t remember much.  This reminds me of a treasure hunt or of the movie National Treasure because you can’t move ahead to the next place and clue in a treasure hunt until you can decode or figure out the current clue.  In Dr. Manette’s situation Lucie Manette and Dr. Lorry can’t get enough information from Dr. Manette to put together his life’s story.  This makes it difficult to determine whether they have anything happened between Dr. Manette and Darnay to prove Darnay innocent or guilty.  Because of this, they can’t tell whether or not Dr. Manette being imprisoned had anything to do with Darnay.  The situation is like a big puzzle.

Do you think that Lucie Manette and Dr. Lorry will be able to bring back any memories Dr. Manette may have of his interactions with Darnay?  If you answered “yes” what would they say to bring these memories back to Dr. Manette?  If you answered “no” give examples as to why you think memories of this couldn’t be brought back to Dr. Manette ? 

-Maddie Zinn