A TALE OF TWO CITIES

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

THE AUTHOR TELLS US ABOUT A TIME, WHEN ENGLAND AND FRANCE WERE RULED BY KINGS. THE REASON FOR THE REVOLUTOIN IN FRANCE WAS, THAT THE ARISTOCRATS LIVED ON THE BACK OF THE POOR PEOPLE. THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH FOOD AND THE QUEEN, MARIE-ANTONETTE SAID,"IF THEY HAVEN'T GOT ANY BREAD, THEY CAN EAT CAKE!" NEVERTHELESS THE PEASENTS HAD TO PAY THEIR TAXES, ALLTOUGH THEY DIDN'T OWN THE LAND. THE ARISTOCRATS ON THE OTHER HAND WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO PAY TAXES DISPITE THE FACT THAT THEY OWNED THE LAND. THE SLOGAN OF THE REVOLUTION WAS : FREEDOM, UNIFORMITY, BROTHERLYNESS. THE KING LUDWIG XVI AND HIS QUEEN MARIE-ANTONETTE TRIED TO ESCAPE BUT THEY WERE CAUGHT AND EXCUTED.

THE BOOK IS ABOUT THE REVOLUTION IN FRANCE. FIRST THE RICH MEN LED FRANCE. ONE OF THEM WAS THE MARQUIS OF  ST. EVRÉMONDE. HE DROVE TOO FAST WITH HIS CARRIAGE AND KILLED A CHILD FROM A POOR CITY. THE FATHER OF THIS CHILD HELD ON, RID UNDER THE CARRIAGE AND KILLED THE MARQUIS WHEN HE SLEPT. THIS MAN WAS CAUGHT, HANGED ON A 14 METRE HIGH GALLOWS AND LEFT HANGING THERE. THE PEOPLE BECOME VERY ANGRY, STORMED THE BASTILLE ON JULY 14^TH , 1789 AND FREED ALL PRISONERS. THEY MADE NEW LAWS, FOR EXAMPLE THAT ALL RELATIVES OF A MARQUIS HAVE TO BE KILLED. AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF THIS SYMBOL OF SUPPRESSION, THE REVOLUTION IN WHOLE FRANCE BEGAN. CHARLES DARNEY WHO WAS THE NEPHEW OF THE MARQUIS HAS GONE TO ENGLAND AFTER THE MURDER OF HIS UNCLE. THERE HE MARRIED LUCIE MANETTE WHO WAS THE DAUGHTER OF THE FORMER PRISONER OF THE BASTILLE, DOCTOR MANETTE. WHEN CHARLES CAME TO FRANCE HE DIDN'T KNOW THE NEW LAWS AND WAS TAKEN TO PRISON. AFTER A JUDICIAL HEARING THEY LET HIM FREE. THREE YEARS LATER THEY FOUND OLD PAPERS IN THE FORMER CELL OF DOCTOR MANETTE AND KILLED DOCTOR MANETTE, HIS DAUGHTER AND HER HUSBAND CHARLES DARNEY.

I THINK THE BOOK WAS GOOD BUT THERE WERE MANY JUMPES OF PERSONS AND PLACES. IT DESCRIBES THE SITUATION OF THE PEOPLE IN FRANCE IN THE TIME OF THE REVOLUTION VERY GOOD. THE STORY WAS VERY SHORT BUT THERE WHERE MANY LONG DIALOGES. THE LAST THING IS THAT YOU NEVER FOUND OUT WHAT IN THE PAPERS WAS WRITTEN.