Mr_Shank

Well, after I finished summarizing eight chapters, I realized that that was what we read last week. So now I have to do it all over and I’m just going to summarize Book the Third.  Be patient, its going to be a very long post.

Book the Third

Chapter 1: Darnay is travelling through France, trying to get into Paris.  Because he is so well dressed and obviously aristocratic, mobs of the revolutionaries try to stop him.  The only reason he is allowed through is because of his letter to Gabelle.  He learns about a degree that forces any emigrants to death.  He eventually decides to take two men as escorts on his journey.  Upon his arrival in Paris, a court rules that he  is a prisoner “in secret” of the La Force Prison.  Darnay is taken to the prison and requests Defarge (who takes him to the prison) to notify Mr. Lorry of his imprisonment.  

Chapter 2: Mr. Lorry is in Paris, at the Parisian branch of Tellson’s bank.  He is very worried by the violence that is running amok in the city.  Lucie and Dr. Manette enter his room and Lucie hysterically tells him that the revolutionaries have taken Darnay prisoner.  Outside, a mob places a grindstone in the courtyard and begin sharpening weapons.  Mr. Lorry tells Dr. Manette that they are going to kill the prisoners of La Force and Dr. Manette leaves to try and stop the mob.

Chapter 3: Mr. Lorry finds an apartment for the the Doctor and Lucie.  He leaves Jerry Cruncher with Lucie to protect her while her father is away.  A few days later, Defarge delivers a message to Mr. Lorry from Dr. Manette.  It says that Darnay is safe for now.  Madame Defarge tells Lucie that she and the Vengeance need to see Lucie and her daughter so that they can protect her if they have to.  Lucie complies.

Chapter 4: Dr. Manette returns.  He tells Mr. Lorry that as a former prisoner, he could only guarantee Darnay’s saftey, not his release.  Darnay also recounts his thoughts about the violent mobs sweeping through the streets of Paris and their mood swings.  He is confident that he will be able to free Darnay.  However, Darnay remains in prison for more than a year.  

Chapter 5: Lucie goes to the prison every day that Darnay is there for two hours.  She hopes that he will be able to see him.  But the only place where he could see her is right next to a woodcutter’s house.  The woodcutter pretends to chop off the two Lucies’ heads.  Lucie pays money to the cutter to leave them alone.  One day, a mob comes and surrounds Lucie.  Once they leave, Defarge informs Dr. Manette that Darnay’s trial is scheduled for the next day.

Chapter 6: It is the day of Darnay’s trial.  Darnay has a well-prepared, cleanly spoken defense.  The jury remains unconvinced of his innocence, however.  Dr. Manette and Mr. Lorry testify in Darnay’s defense.  The jury rules Darnay innocent.  The crowd that once wished for Darnay’s head carries him home in  a wild burst of happiness.  Darnay is bewildered by their sudden change of heart.

Chapter 7: Lucie is still afraid for Darnay’s safety.  Miss Pross and Jerry Cruncher go on a shopping expedition while the family enjoys an evening together.  Soon after Pross and Cruncher leave, four men pound on the door of the apartment and tell Darnay that he is a prisoner again based on three new accusations: the Defarges and an unnamed person.  They inform Darnay that his trial will take place the next day. 

Chapter 8: Miss Pross and Cruncher enter a wine shop.  Pross screams and points at a man who she claims is her brother, Solomon Pross.  Solomon leaves the shop and Cruncher follows.  Cruncher tries to place the man who he knows he has seen before.  Soon Cruncher meets up with Carton, who reveals that the man is actually John Barsard, the spy from Darnay’s first trial.  Barsard is a prisoner now and is going to Tellson’s with Carton.  At Tellson’s, Carton tells Mr. Lorry that Darnay has been captured again.  Carton proceeds to interrogate Barsard and blackmails him with the knowledge that he is a spy.  Carton tells Barsard that he has a friend named Roger Cly who will give Carton’s case against Barsard even more justification.  Barsard breaks down and asks Carton what he wants.  Carton asks if Barsard has access to the prison.  Barsard says yes and Carton takes him into another room to have a private conversation.

Chapter 9: Mr. Lorry begins to yell at Cruncher because of his grave robbing activities.  He fires Cruncher and tells him that now he will become a regular grave digger to make up for all the bodies he uprooted.  Carton and Barsard emerge from the room and Carton tells Lorry that he is doing all he can to gain access to Darnay’s cell.  Mr. Lorry begins to cry for Darnay and Carton comforts him.  Carton comes to Darnay’s trial the next day.  The new jury includes the Jacques Three, a hostile group of jurors. The prosecutor begins with stating that the accusations come from the Defarges and Dr. Manette.  Manette protests, but is silenced.  Defarge tells of an old paper found in Manette’s old cell in Bastille that contained Manette’s accusation of Darnay.

Chapter 10: The chapter begins with a flashback via the letter that Manette wrote.  The year is 1757 and Dr. Manette has been contacted by two twin brothers to take care of a peasant woman and her brother.  Manette is informed that a nobleman raped the young woman and brought around the deaths of the woman’s husband and father. The woman’s brother tells Manette how he took his other sister to safety then confronted the nobleman who had his sister captive.  One of the twin brothers stabbed the peasant who proceed to curse their family.  The sister died soon after.  Manette was told to hold his tongue about the event.  Manette decided to write a letter to the court describing the episode.  Soon he was visited by a young woman that was the wife of one of the twins.  She wanted Manette to help her find the sister that was taken to safety.  Manette could not help so the woman ordered her son Charles to help right the atrocity that his father and uncle had committed.  Manette then delivered the letter but was kidnapped by one of the twins.  He was secretly imprisoned by them.  Towards the end of the narrative, Manette accused the Evrémonde family (this is Darnay’s family name).  As soon as the letter was finished being read, the court ruled Darnay was guilty and ordered him to death the next day.

Chapter 11: Lucie and Darnay say their goodbyes after the court case.  Darnay tries to comfort Dr. Manette, but Manette can only shake his hand and cry.  The guards take away Darnay and Lucie faints.  Carton carries her to a waiting carriage.  Once they reach the apartment, little Lucie begs Carton to help her parents.  Carton encourages Manette to try and convince the court one more time then arranges to meet Lorry and Manette in the morning.

Chapter 12: Carton goes to the Defarge wine shop and Madame Defarge notices the resemblance between Carton and Darnay.  The Defarges, Vengeances, and Jacques Three discuss whether or not Lucie, the Doctor, and little Lucie should be put on trial as well.  Madame Defarge reveals that she is the younger sister of the peasant family.  She wants revenge on the Evrémonde family and wants them all killed.  The rest of the group decides to keep the killing to a minimum.  Carton hears the conversation and goes to warn Mr. Lorry of the danger.  Dr. Manette has fallen into one of his relapses.  Carton calms him down and then instructs Lorry to have the passports and carriages ready by 2:00 P.M. tomorrow.

Chapter 13: It is the night before Darnay’s death.  He writes letters to Lucie, Dr. Manette, and Lucie.  The next day, Carton enters the cell and commands Darnay to switch clothes with him.  Carton then drugs Darnay while dictating a letter to him.  The guards come in and believe that Darnay is Carton and Carton is Darnay.  They drag the unconscious Darnay (who they think is Carton) out of the cell.  Carton (who everyone thinks is Darnay) is taken to the room where the execution is to take place.  No one notices the switch.  Meanwhile, the Manettes and Lorry are escaping the country with the unconscious Darnay.

Chapter 14: Madame Defarge is planning to accuse the Lucies and Dr. Manette.  She heads out for their home, not knowing that they have escaped.  At the same time, Cruncher and Pross are making plans to meet up with the escapees.  They decide that two vehicles leaving at the same time is too suspicious so Cruncher is to wait with her carriage at Notre Dame at 3:00.  Defarge enters the apartment.  Pross pretends to be guarding Lucie and her family.  Defarge suspects that the family has run away and tries to force herself into the room Pross is guarding.  The two fight and Defarge pulls out a gun.  Pross hits it away and kills Defarge.  Pross meets Cruncher and the two begin their flight from Paris.

Chapter 15: Carton, who is still disguised as Darnay, is in a cart with the rest of the prisoners.  They are all being taken to the execution site.  While Carton walks up to the guillotine he has a vision of the future.  He sees all the revolutionaries being executed at the guillotine and order being restored to the nation.  He also sees long, happy lives for the people he helped to escape.  Lucie and Darnay have a son whom they name after Carton.  Carton sees the boy growing up and turning into the person that he always wanted to be, but never really could.  Carton walks calmly to his death with peace in his mind.

Words to Know: 

1. Bastille - a fortress in Paris, used as a prison, built in the 14th century and destroyed July 14, 1789.  

This was the prison Dr. Manette was held in.  I chose to define it because I really had no idea what it was except a prison.  I also wanted to find out about because of I have heard of the French holiday Bastille Day.

2. Blasphemous – irreverent behavior toward anything held sacred, priceless, etc.

This was something I had heard before, but never really knew what it meant.  To understand the context it was used in, I had to know the word so therefore I looked it up.

3. Immolation (used in the word self-immolation) – a sacrifice

I had honestly never heard of this word before reading the book.  Even from the context I could not figure out what self-immolation meant, so I figured no one else would know it either.

4. Denounce - to condemn or censure openly or publicly

This was a word that was used a lot in the last part of the book.  Since much of the action in Book the Third revolved around court cases and trials, I decided it would be a good idea to know this term.

5. Gaoler – jailer, prison guard, etc.

This word caught my attention because of the unique spelling.  Also, the fact that there are three different vowels in a six-letter word was interesting.  Plus, I didn’t know what it meant.

So here is my question: Which character has changed the most throughout the course of the novel?  Also, how does the title, A Tale of Two Cities, connect to the overall plot of the book?  Give me some thoughts.

Erin B

Book the Second:

Chapter 4: Congratulatory

In this chapter, Dr. Manette, Lucie, Mr. Lorry, Mr. Stryver and Darnay leave the courtroom.  Darnay thanks Stryver for his work and they all leave.  Darnay meets Carton in the street and they go to the tavern.  Carton says to Darnay that it is not worth having your life tried.  Darnay is angry with what Carton has said and tells him that he is drunk.  Darnay leaves and Carton is mad at himself.

Chapter 5: The Jackal

Carton leaves the tavern and heads to Stryver’s apartment.  The two men have a few drinks and talk about the trial that went on today. Stryver points out that Carton made a good point about not being able to fully idenntiy that the spy was Darnay.  Stryver tries to tell Carton that his life is up and down and that he should find a way to balance it out.  Carton becomes angry so Stryver changes the subject to Lucie and he wonders how Carton really feels about her.

Chapter 6: Hundreds of People

This chapter is set four months later and Mr. Lorry is a family friend.  In this chapter, Lorry talks with Miss Pross about all of the men that have tried to be with Lucie.  She says that her brother is the only one that is worthy of Lucie.  But Lorry knows that her brother is a thief and would never be right for Lucie.  Lucie and Manette return and they are told a story.  The story upsets Manette but he quickly returns to his old self.

Chapter 7: Monseigneur in Town

A rich Monseigneur arrives in town and parades around with all of his servants and flaunts his money and all of his things.

Chapter 8: Monseigneur in Country

In the country the man is called on to help a lord, he does so without really wanting to.  Once he is on his way again a peasant calls on his help but he continues on his way without blinking an eye.

Chapter 9: The Gorgon’s Head

Darnay turns out to be the man’s nephew and tells him that he doesn’t want to inherited the man’s things once he dies.  Darnay says the family name is labeled with slavery and fear and he doesn’t want to be labeled with that.

Chapter 10: Two Promises

A year later Darnay is know a teacher in London. Darnay returns to Dr. Manette and admits his love for Lucie and asks Manette if he could marry her.  He also tries to tell Manette his real name but Manette will not let him.  He tells Darnay on the wedding day. 

Chapter 11: A Companion Picture

Carton and Stryver are working in Stryver’s chambers and tells Carton that he plans to marry Lucie, but little does he know that Darnay is also planning to marry Lucie.

Chapter 12: The Fellow of Delicacy

The next day Stryver plans to visit Lucie and asks for her hand.  He stops in to see Lorry and he tells him to not ask until he is certain that Lucie will accept. Lorry then talks to the family and Lorry tells Stryver that Lucie and her father will reject Stryver offer.

Chapter 13:  The Fellow of No Delicacy

Carton arrives at Lucie’s house and they talk.  He tells her that he would do anything for Lucie including giving his life for her.

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Words to Know

Defiance (page 63) – Noun- a daring or bold resistance to authority or to any opposing force.

Detriment (page 64) – Noun- loss, damage, disadvantage, or injury

Innately (page 70) – Adjective- existing in one from birth; inborn; native

Attainments (page 99) – Noun- something, such as an accomplishment or achievement, that is attained

Inaugurated (page 109) – Verb- to make a formal beginning of; initiate; commence

Who do you think Lucie will choose, Stryver, Carton or Danary 

~Lauren Gress~

Megan Campbell Blog #2

I am going to  focus on chapter 15, Knitting, to summerize.

In this chapter a man named Jacques goes into the wine shop with Defarge and they go to the spot where Dr. Manette was hidden. Jacques then tells Defarge how he saw a man that was in chains under Marquis’s carriage. Then, a few months later he says that he has seen the man being marched alongside the road by soldiars. This man was being marched to jail where he stayed until he was hung. This chapter is called knitting because  Madame Defarge’s knitting work shows in its stiching the names of the people the revolutionaries wanted to kill.

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.

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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!=)