A Tale of Two Cities Essay Assignment

As we have discussed in class, Dickens uses doubles, or mirror images, throughout the novel to reflect extremes and paradoxes to further his thesis about the similarities between the revolutionary period and that of his own. In an MLA formatted essay explore two pairs of doubles and how Dickens utilizes these mirror images to reveal his theme. Use at least three direct quotations per body paragraph. (Remember to differentiate between narration and dialogue with quotation marks).Use clear topic sentences that refer to the thesis, active voice, interesting verbs, and appropriate transitions throughout.

  1. Introduction
  2. Attention getter
  3. Background and transition- Title, author, and synopsis
  4. Controlling idea- Dickens use of doubles to depict theme
  5. Thesis- specific theme and characters
  6. First Body Paragraph
  7. Topic sentence
  8. Introduce first pair- explain how they are alike
  9. Concrete detail/quote
  10. Explain how the characters are different
  11. Concrete detail/quote
  12. Another difference
  13. Concrete detail/quote
  14. Conclusion- How do the similarities and differences portray the theme?
  15. Second body paragraph
  16. Repeat structure of first body paragraph for 2nd pair
  17. Conclusion
  18. Refer to controlling idea
  19. Restate thesis
  20. Explain the purpose of Dickens’s use of doubles (see assignment paragraph)
  21. Closing statement

Sample paragraph

Charles Darnay and Sidney Carton, although identical in physical appearance, promote Dickens’s theme of opposition because of their contrasting characters. Charles differs from Sydney in that Charles lives his life by the code of gentility and nobility. Never does the tension of danger of the moment shake the composure of the genteel Charles. Even as he stands in the British courtroom charged with treason, “being mentally hanged, beheaded and quartered by everybody there,” Charles remains calm (56). Charles’ nobility and gentility, allow him to “quiet[ly] and attentive[ly]” watch the “proceeding with grave interest so composedly” (56). Sydney Carton, on the other hand, does not have the quiet dignity of Charles. On the contrary, Sydney is coarse and morose, debauching himself continuously with the excess of liquor and sulking afterwards about the life he has wasted. When he looks at Charles and comes face to face with the unpleasant realization that he too could have achieved what Charles has, Sydney “resort[s] to his pint of wine for consolation, [drinks] it all in a few minutes and [falls] asleep on his arms” in a tavern (77). Sydney’s excesses give him manners “of that silent and sullen and hang-dog kind” (127). The interaction of two such men so early on in the novel quickly establishes the paradox upon which Dickens’s theme focuses. They comprise the best and worst of man and are identical and yet vastly different.