Historical+References

__**American Revolution - 1-1, Pg 5**__ "Mere messages in the earthly order of events had lately come to the English Crown and People, from a congress of British subjects in America: which, strange to relate, have proved more important to the human race than any communication yet received through any of the chickens of the Cock-lane brood.
 * BOOK 1**
 * The American Revolution inspired the French citizens to have a revolution of their own. The French saw how the Americans freed themselves from the British monarchy, and that gave them a bit of a shove in the direction of revolution.
 * Not only did the American Revolution inspire the French Revolution, but the ideas of liberalism that the American Revolution was based on due to the Enlightenment were also what drove the French Revolution. The American Revolution completely got rid of the monarchy, salutory neglect, and parliamentary governing, which inspired the French people to declare war on their monarchy and any other monarchies in existence. This was "important to the human race" because the people got what they were fighting for and were able to rid of the corrupt governments they had previously been forced to put up with.

__**Jacques - 1-5-p.37**__ "How goes it, Jacques?"
 * Jacques is a common French name, and it also represents French peasant class. Also, the term "Jacquerie" means a revolt in medieval France in 14th century. Thus, "jacques" shows the position of Defarge's wineshop in the society in //Tale of Two Cities// and foreshadows the French Revolution.

__**Making Shoes - 1-5/6, Pg 41**__ "Yet, work of that kind was being done in the garret; for, with his back towards the door, and his face towards the window where the keeper of the wine-shop stood looking at him, a white-haired man sat on a low bench, stooping forward and very busy, making shoes."
 * This is the first scene in which Dr. Manette is introduced into the book. Bringing him into the story using this scene where he is hunched over and looks worn and tired, creates an initial and automatic opinion of Dr. Manette. He is resembled as to have gone through so many tough times during his life, that he is doing the only thing left that makes him feel secure. He occupies his mind and focuses on only one thing; making shoes.
 * Prison was a dark place for Dr. Manette that allowed him to greatly change as a man. With his mind unoccupied and free to wonder, he compensated by making shoes to occupy his hands. Now, even though he is free, he can’t escape the prison of his own mind, so he continues to make shoes. Due to the fact that this skill learned while imprisoned, it further emphasizes the fact that this is indeed a comfort mechanism. Manette illustrates Dicken's motif of the mystery that surrounds each individual. Both reader and the characters never learn how he ended up incarcerated but the multiple relapses of shoe making signify his pain.
 * This allusion is extremely important in order to display the state in which Dr. Manette is in. He is tied to his shoe-making obsession while he is imprisoned. At this point in the story, he is absolutely unable to focus his attention on anything else. Curing his obsession was an extreme struggle, but he achieves it in the end. The shoes may represent his journey to a healthy state of mind. His obsession with making shoes may be linked to Lucie. For example, a shoe maker would usually create multiple styles of shoes. Dr. Manette only makes women's shoes. Whether he is aware of this or not, this may be because of his lost relationship with his daughter. As we read on, their relationship strengthens and Lucie becomes a key factor in why Dr. Manette is able to leave his shoe making behind. Dickens's choice to depict Manette as an obsessive shoe maker strategically gave his readers a lot more insight into the depth of this situation.

Tellson's Bank

Old Bailey





"From these decayed sons and daughters of Gaul, she had acquired such wonderful arts, that the woman and girl who formed the staff of domestics regarded her as quite a Sorceress, or Cinderella's Godmother: who would send out for a fowl, a rabbit, a vegetable or two from the garden, and change them into anything she pleased."
 * __Gaul - 2-6, Pg 103__**
 * Definition/Explanation?
 * This entry is referring the historical allusion to Gaul, not to the literary allusion to Cinderella. Miss. Pross is being compared to "Sorceress" or "Cinderella's Godmother" because Dickens is alluding to the story of //Cinderella//. In //Cinderella// the grandmother is able to change many things in Cinderella's life such as the pumpkin, the rat and the mice to be changed into things such as a coach, horses, and servants. All these things changed to take Cinderella to the Ball. Relating back to Miss. Pross, she has similar abilities to transform things into something more wanted.


 * Monseigneur** is an [|honorific] in the [|French language]. It has occasional English use as well, as it may be a [|title] before the name of a French [|prelate], a member of a [|royal family] or other dignitary. Also it is sometimes used as a name for a Frenchman who has a position on the court.

farmed out, under the former French monarchy, for a given sum paid down.
 * Farmer-general [F. fermier-general],** one to whom the right of levying certain taxes, in a particular district, was

**Gabelle** a very unpopular [|tax] on [|salt] in [|France] before 1790.



Chateau is a [|manor house] or residence of the [|lord of the manor] or a country house of [|nobility] or [|gentry], with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in [|French]-speaking regions.

"The father had long ago taken up his bundle and hidden himself away from it, when the woman who had tended the bundle while it lay on the base of the fountain, sat there watching the running of the water and the rolling of the Fancy Ball -- when the one woman who had stood conspicuous, knitting, still knitted on with the steadfastness of Fate."
 * __Fate (the Fates) - 2-7, Pg 117__**


 * The reference to Fate relates back to Green mythology. The Fates were three old beings who came before the Gods. They controlled everyone’s destiny through the thread of life. One would spin the thread to begin a life, one would make decisions on when to end it, and the final Fate would cut the thread when it was that person’s time.
 * Steadfast is defined as firmly established or consistent.


 * 1) This allusion to the Greek mythological characters demonstrates that the deceased child in this passage along with every other individual has their destiny predetermined; in comparison to the conspicuous woman, the allusion creates an idea in readers’ minds that this character represents the trio who decides when exactly each person is born and dies; his unfortunate child fell victim to a harsh but not uncommon decision on the Fates part for a tragic and early death.
 * 2) The suspicious woman is knitting with the “steadfastness of Fate,” and the woman is “still” knitting because she is busy; fate doesn’t rest; it constantly needs to begin and end lives, as depressing as that may be.

"Heralded by a courier in advance, and by the cracking of his postilions' whips, which twined snake-like about their heads in the evening air, as if he came attended by the Furies, Monsieur the Marquis drew up in his traveling carriage at the posting-house gate."
 * __The Furies - 2-8, Pg 119__**
 * The Furies or Erinyes of Greek mythology were goddesses of punishment. They punished anyone guilty of a crime especially murder, theft, and the greatest crime of all to them, one within the family. This comes from how their own grandfather had castrated their father during their birth. As a result they are most vindictive of things within the family. Their punishments include tormenting their subjects with madness and diseases or even plagues. The Furies were also servants to the underworld where they oversaw the torturing of criminals.

__**Gorgon - Book 2 - Chapter 9, Pg 123 (this is the chapter title, so consider the chapter as a whole in your explanation)**__ A greek historic reference is being made by using Gorgon in this chapter. Gorgon is a group of mythical greek sisters whose hair was venomous snakes but more importantly to the illusion had the ability to turn people into stone. Coming from the greek word "gorgós" meaning dreadful, these three sisters always have a hateful and dark sense of being when referenced to.

__**"Letter from a Gentleman in Paris to His Friend in London" (1757)**__
The Bastille, a true account

Liberty, Equality, Fraternity