Sydney Carton: Jackal or Lion?

What I evaluated from installment two, was the ironic position of Sydney Carton as a Jackal. Sydney Carton supplies all of the work for his partner, who then takes his brilliant ideas, and wins cases. One would think that in the process of this, "Jackal versus Lion" situation, Mr. Carton would be angry at his partner for taking his credit. Mr. Carton describes himself as, "as a disappointed drudge" (Dickens 89). Mr. Carton wins the Charles Darnay trial by looking at Mr. Darnay, and admiring over his successful life. He passes a note to his partner, and the case begins to lose its identification, and Carton and his partner win.

There are multiple different ironic parts of this character, as well as the way people perceive him is ironic. Even Charles Darnay says that he, "might have used his talents better". This is ironic because Mr. Carton was one who saved his life.

The title of chapter five is called, The Jackal. Dickens signifies the irony within the title. Mr. Stryver, talks to Mr. Carton about how he carrying him within the cases. "... that although Sydney Carton would never be a lion, he was an amazingly good jackal, and that he rendered suit and service to Stryver in that humble capacity" (Dickens, 90). The analogy that Dickens made was that Lions eat catch the prey and Jackals pick up the scraps. I believe the irony made here is something that most readers likely had trouble picking up on, but this only helps us learn more about Mr. Sydney Carton.

Weep for it!

I admired Charles Dickens' use of language to escalate emotions on page 48 in chapter six of A Tale of Two Cities. Mr. Lorry, Lucie and Mr. Defarge are in Dr. Manette's room, which is the attic of a wine shop. Lucie reaches out to him and says, "If you touch, in touching my hair, anything that recals (sic) a beloved head that lay in your breast when you were young and free, weep for it, weep for it!" Lucie continues in this way, with each sentence growing on the one before it. The rest of page 48 makes an emotional bond between Lucie and her father. By using this type of sentence construction, Dickens is able to make an emotional impact on the reader. The emotion escalates which results in Lucie connecting with her long-lost father, and Dickens able to connect strongly with the reader.

The reason I chose to write about this in my blog was because I felt that the emotion that Dickens created was an interesting writing technique.. The passage is important because it not only develops the story line, but also connects strongly with the reader.