Mary MacNeil
English Dept.
Pope John XXIII HS
When you announced your new book club I was delighted. It is a wonderful motivation for readers, and my sophmore English classes had just started reading ''A Tale of Two Cities'', a course requirement on the sophomore level. We immediately decided to make letters to The Globe our final project on the novel.

It took our full concentration to complete the novel by your deadline, but we did it! We had many great class discussions about the people and the setting, the history and the language. Teenagers have keen insights and are apt to bring a fresh approach to classics. I hope that our letters arrive on time (I figured Nov. 5 is the postmark deadline). It would be wonderful to see some of our letters in print! I put the ones I considered the best written or most interesting on top.

Liane A. Julianello
Pope John XXIII High School
When I first started reading ''A Tale of Two Cities,'' I wasn't very fond of it. However, as I got more into the story and began to better understand Dickens's poetic language, I became more interested. I found that Dickens uses a style of writing that weaves his chapters together in such a way that in each chapter one becomes more enlightened about the plot.

I also perceived many of Dickens's scenes to be very powerful and moving. One particular scene that stands out in my mind is the scene in which Miss Pross and Madame Defarge square off against each other. Although the two women are speaking to each other in their own language, they both understand each other through their facial actions and body language, making this scene so suspenseful, that one could almost feel the tension.

Another scene that I thought was very moving was the scene when Sydney Carton is about to go to the guillotine and is holding hands with the seamstress to help her be strong. Just before he is about to be beheaded he says ''I am the Resurrection and the Life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.'' This is one of the most beautifully poetic and moving lines that, I think, Dickens has ever written. This touching scene is just one of the many that Dickens uses in his novel, and I will never forget how powerful it was and how moved I felt when I read it.

I feel that this book is one of the best books I have ever read, even though I thought it would be boring because it was written by Charles Dickens. I have learned now to appreciate some of the finer pieces of literature, and never again will I judge a book by its cover, or in this case, author.

Jaqueline Cunio
Pope John XXIII High School:
It was a horrible time when the rich treated the peasants unjustly and simply threw them gold coins to shut their mouths. For example, when a rich man's carriage runs over Gaspard's child, and the rich man simply threw Gaspard a gold coin. Gaspard threw it back and later ended up killing the Marquis. As you can see from this one example alone, it was also a time of extreme violence

Another example of this violence is the death of Foulon. This is in Book Two, Chapter 22. The crowd kills him and stuffs grass in his mouth because when the crowd was hungry he had said, ''Let them eat grass.'' This was a horrible act by a crazed mob.

Yet another example is the scene at the Grindstone in Book Three, Chapter Two. The mob of people were sharpening their weapons on the Grindstone. This is a machine that sharpens the blades on things like knives and axes. The people were covered in blood they were drinking wine, going to battle, and returning to sharpen their bloody weapons. It was a horrible description by Dickens. This scene is much like a scene earlier in the book. The scene I am referring to is the spilling of the wine (Book One, Chapter Five). Wine filled the streets and covered the people. Peasants dove to the ground, cupping the wine in their palms and lifting it to their dry mouths. Everyone was crazy with excitement, and they were drenched in the wine. This scene foreshadowed later events in the book when the wine would be blood.

One horrible and scary figure throughout the book is Madame Defarge. She plots to kill Lucie, little Lucie, Darnay and Dr. Manette. She is a cruel and unmerciful woman. When Lucie asks for her help to get Darnay out of jail, Madame Defarge gives her a cold look and Lucie senses her hatred. Madame Defarge also tried to kill Miss Pross. Miss Pross is alone in her house and Madame Defarge shows up. She is armed and they struggle for a while until Miss Pross ends up killing her. Another example of her cruelness is how she tries to catch Lucie grieving for her husband Charles. It is illegal to grieve and the consequence is death. But Lucie has already left.

As you can see by the examples I have given, it was a horrible time for France and England.

Stephanie Baker
Pope John XXIII High School:
In Charles Dickens novel ''A Tale of Two Cities'' the character of Sydney Carton, who rises above his insecurities to make better the life of all mankind through his death, is one I both admire and respect. Even though Carton possessed no love for himself, his actions are performed purely for the good of the people he cared for, such as Lucie Manette, her father, and her husband Charles Darnay. Feeling frustrated and deprived of confidence all his life, Carton prepares all of the legal work for his fellow lawyer and partner, Stryver, who greedily accepts all of Carton's deserved credit. Sydney Carton's burning love for the beautiful Lucie Manette is frequently extinguished, not only by the belief he carries that he'll never be worthy of such a prize, but by the constant belittling put-downs freely flowing from the mouth of the big-headed Stryver. Because of all his hardships and low self-esteem, Carton resorts to drinking to ease the pain of the wounds he receives each and every day and even goes so far as to profess his poignant feelings towards Lucie, offering up his own life, if need be, to make her happy.

Towards the end of the novel, the character of Sydney Carton puts his problems aside and shines through as a genuine hero. His cleverness at the time of Darnay's imprisonment during the savage French Revolution both frees Darnay and spares him the morbid and gruesome death by guillotine. Outwitting the spy and turnkey at Charles Darnay's prison, John Barsad, Carton makes arrangements for Barsad to assist him in the release of Darnay and even plans the escape for the whole Manette family back to safety in England. With the turnkey's help, Carton is snuck into Darnay's cell, where he successfully changes places with Darnay through a switch of their clothes and the fact that the two share a striking resemblance to one another. Fulfilling his promise made to Lucie, whose children lifted up their arms with reverence to him, Carton bravely travels the road to the death of his pitiful life, knowing how much peace and enjoyment would be brought to Lucie, who could now live happily with all of her family, including her husband, by her side. Carton ended his life feeling more content than he ever did before and took all the sins of the people of that time on his shoulders as he was beheaded by the guillotine. As you can see, Sydney Carton worked his way up through the novel from being an insignificant lawyer to a great hero, believing that through his actions, the generation to follow will profit and become what he was never recognized as being before - successful, admired, and respected.

Natalie A. Lynch
Pope John XXIII High School
In this novel ''A Tale of Two Cities'' Charles Dickens uses the phrase 'Recalled to Life' in repetition. This phrase can pertain to different characters in many different ways. Though this phrase was common in all characters, the characters that I thought it most pertained to were: Dr. Alexandre Manette, Roger Cly, Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton.

The phrase 'Recalled to Life' can have numerous meanings. Many people are led to believe that this phrase means to be dead and then to be called back to life by some strange and unusual force. But, this is not necessarily true for all cases.

In the case of Dr. Alexandre Manette, 'Recalled to Life' takes on an entirely different definition. Dr. Manette (One Hundred and five North Tower) was in prison at the Bastille and it is believed that he was 'recalled to life.' This belief was brought about because he was left in prison to die and due to Mr. Jarvis Lorry and Manette's daughter, Lucie Manette, he got out. Ironically, the password that Lorry and Lucie used was 'Recalled to Life.'

With the case of Roger Cly, a whole new meaning comes to the phrase 'Recalled to Life.' We believe that Roger Cly was 'Recalled to Life' because in Book the Second, Chapter 14 we are led to believe that Cly was dead because his funeral passed by Tellson's Bank. But in Book the Third, Chapter 8 we find out that Cly is alive and his funeral was a fake. So we can say that Roger Cly was 'Recalled to Life,' even though he was never dead.

If you have read this novel, then it is easy to see why I think Charles Darnay was definitely 'Recalled to Life.' He was thrown in the La Force prison and left there to die. Luckily, Dr. Manette was able to save him at his trial. Unfortunately, at his second trial, Darnay's luck ran out. He was sentenced to die at the Guillotine within twenty-four hours along with fifty one others. His wife Lucie Manette and their daughter Little Lucie were guilt stricken. In the meanwhile, Sydney Carton was depressed and hated his life. Also, he remembered a promise to Lucie about 'A life She loves.' In the end, Carton saved Darnay's life. They switched places in the prison cell and Carton died at the Guillotine for Darnay. While Carton was being killed, Darnay, Lucie, Little Lucie, Dr. Manette, Lorry and Miss Pross were all able to get away to England without trouble. So, thanks to Carton, Darnay truly was 'Recalled To Life.'

Finally, looking at it from another side, you could say that Sydney Carton was 'Recalled to Death,' I say this because he was called from some unknown force to save Darnay's life. True, he wasn't dead but he was dead inside and that counts. Even though he knew he was to die, he wasn't scared to die because not only was he in deep depression he also knew that from his actions, Lucie would lead a happier life. So, I believe that you can say that Carton was 'Recalled to Death.'

In conclusion, you can now see why 'Recalled to Life' was such a significant phrase in ''A Tale of Two Cities.'' Though when you first hear that phrase, you believe that it is insignificant and meaningless, by the time you finish the novel you realize that if 'Recalled to Life' was excluded or changed then the entire novel would have been different.

Loren Columbare
Pope John XXIII High School
In your choice novel, ''A Tale of Two Cities'', by Charles Dickens, there were many strong and admirable women characters. The most forward and concentrated on was, of course, Lucie Manette. She showed her strength and endurance throughout the entire book. It was apparent in the calm and patient way she handled her father and nursed him back to health. Also it showed through when she had to watch the only other important man in her life, her husband Charles, go to trial not once but a number of times. Then, there were the acts of her heroism when Charles was in prison and she showed up every day at the same time, in case by chance he looked out the window. It was a sign of her dedication and willingness to wait for him, which she did do.

She was an inspiration with her endurance of losing a child and strength to bear another and risk losing it too. Fortunately, little Lucie did live, and spent her days with both her mother and father, thanks to the sacrifices of Sydney Carton.

On the contrary, there were also a few weak women characters in this book also. I see the Vengeance as one of those weak women. I think she was entirely too dependent on Madame Defarge. She was overly ready to comply with and obey Madame's every whim, wish and order. She had absolutely no free will or mind of her own. The Vengeance could have been called The Slave, and there would have been no difference.

So in a sentence, I guess what I'm trying to get across is the great diversity of both admirable men and women to ones unworthy of our reading time.

Barbara Rizzuti
Pope John XXIII Central High School
I just recently finished reading the novel ''A Tale of Two Cities'' by Charles Dickens for school. For my essay I am going to write about the suspense of this novel and how I think the weekly installments in the newspaper for this novel also added suspense to it. ''A Tale of Two Cities'' ran in the newspaper from April 1859 until November 1859. Because the novel ran in the newspaper, readers had to wait until the next week to see the next chapter.

I felt the most suspense in this novel when the judge at the third trial of Charles Darnay was about to read the letter written by Doctor Manette and the chapter ended. I couldn't imagine the suspense of the readers who were really into this novel. I could just turn the page to read the next chapter but the people who were reading it when it first came out had to wait a whole week. I'm not saying that it wasn't full of suspense when I read this novel but I could easily end my suspense by reading on; they had no choice but to wait until next week.

Another suspenseful situation in the novel was when Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay switch places and we keep wondering until the end of the novel if Charles Darnay got caught. I think that this novel had more suspense in it than any novel or book I had ever read because all of the pieces of the puzzle don't fit until the last chapters of the novel.

Pui Chi Wong
Pope John XXIII High School
I see the novel as an extraordinary piece of well-written literature teeming with elaborate language and strategic literary techniques. Nevertheless, I find one often overlooked aspect quite interesting. This interest lies in the novel's title.

The two cities in ''A Tale of Two Cities'' are London, England and Paris, France. The connection between the two locales is that the majority of the main characters, at some point or other in the novel, needed to travel either once or multiple times between them.

The settings in London were significant. The Old Bailey was where Charles Darnay's trial for treason took place. Tellson's Bank was where Jarvis Lorry, 'the man of business,' worked and devoted most of his life. London was where Lucie Manette had been raised since the age of two. Roger Cly's 'funeral' procession paraded through the London streets. However, the settings in Paris made a stronger impression than the London settings with pertaining to the plot. The Bastille was a French fortress-like prison that Dr. Manette had been confined to for a multitude of years. The Defarge's wine-shop was where Dr. Manette first stayed after being freed from the Bastille. Throughout the novel, the wine-shop was where the Jacques often concocted their plans to overthrow the aristocracy. La Force was the prison that Darnay was sentenced to reside in until his execution. Many key events took place in Saint Antoine, a destitute suburb of Paris.

The novel begins in London. Then it shifts to Paris. The storyline goes back and forth between the two cities for awhile. It sustains its title, ''A Tale of Two Cities''. Awkwardly, toward the middle of the novel the setting tapers off to just Paris. Paris becomes the mainstream setting and London seems to become obsolete. I think toward the end the book should have been more appropriately titled ''A Tale of One City.''

Gurleen Singh
Pope John XXIII High School
''A Tale of Two Cities'' by Charles Dickens has a class all its own. Every word, character and detail has its own place in the book. Take for example someone who seems very irrelevant - Miss Pross. Who would have known she of all people would turn around and save the day for Charles and Lucie? Dickens throughout the book gives us little surprises like this.

Of course at some times the book gets a bit too gruesome, like when we are told of how the prisoners of La Guillotine are killed in very specific detail which, on the one hand is important to get a feeling of how vengeful the people were, but on the other hand is extremely disturbing.

After reading this book I feel now-a-days society to some extent has changed greatly in terms of torture and physical abuse to prisoners whether at fault or not. Society in general has in many ways become compassionate and gives every citizen a fair chance. This book has greatly changed my outlook on many things.

Tommy Catino
Pope John XXIII High School
I am writing in regards to the novel ''A Tale of Two Cities''. Overall, I thought the book was exciting. All of the characters had either a past or were hiding something, or in other words you really don't know anything about the characters until the end of the book except for Mr. Stryver. Well with Stryver you know everything about him two minutes after he was introduced and he never changed through time. I felt that he still had unfinished business in the book. He could have had a change of heart and come to France to defend Charles Darnay in court. Afterall, he is his lawyer and Sydney Carton would or might not have to die in this case. Another thing is Dickens says that everything mentioned in the book has something to do with later on. What about Stryver striving to be the best? If that was the case he should have been in Paris till the end.

Christopher Rocco
Pope John XXIII High School
''A Tale of Two Cities'' was an enjoyable book to read. It was full of suspense and action. My favorite part of the book is the storming of the Bastille and how Dickens described the mob as a sea rising to overtake the Bastille. It is great how Dickens makes you feel like you are part of the novel and not wanting to put the book down. I also like how Charles Dickens shows how the French Revolution was with its blood, gore, and raging mobs. Dickens is a master of writing and it clearly shows in this book. I hope the next book is great like this one.

Natasha Mezhebovsky
Pope John XXIII High School
I recently finished reading one of the best books I have ever read, ''A Tale of Two Cities'' by Charles Dickens. One of the most interesting parts of the story to me was the many great characters developed throughout the story. Charles Dickens truly made every reader sympathize and understand these characters, and put ourselves in their shoes. He reveals these characters to us through their actions toward each other, which is really the best way to get to know a person, both in books and in real life.

Several characters in this story were quite fascinating to me; one of those characters was Madame Defarge. To me she seemed like a good woman who at one time was hurt so badly that all she wanted was revenge, no matter what it took. All she wanted was to cause pain to the ones that hurt her and those close to them. She was hurt to the point that she shut out all feelings in order to prevent being hurt again. I can completely relate to how she feels because all of us at one time were hurt by something or someone, but she just dealt with it the wrong way.

Another interesting character to me was Mr. Lorry who was a person always there and willing to help, who is a great friend no matter how much he tried to insist that he was all business. He is the type of person everybody tries to meet in their lives and have as a friend. He did everything for others while putting himself and his life on the line.

Another extremely interesing character was Sydney Carton, a very brilliant man, who did not achieve much in his life for himself, and even said things such as 'my whole life could have been.' He loved Lucie very much to the point of giving up his life for the happiness of her and her family. He made an ultimate sacrifice for her, his life. He called this sacrifice being recalled to life, which in a way seems very ironic because he was getting killed. He referred to this a being recalled to life because it was his chance to make his life finally mean something, and he was referring to it as being recalled to the life ahead of him.

To me another thing that made this book a very enjoyable piece of literature was the literary elements like metaphors and similes that compared many things. Some of my favorites included the metaphor of the blue flies being people, the personification of St. Antoinette, and the metaphor comparing spilling of the wine to the blood. These comparisons made the reading very creative and painted very good pictures in my mind.

This book for me was a rather difficult book to read, but as soon as I got into the plot it was very exciting but at times rather hard to follow. This was a book that challenged my mind and kept me wondering about the events ahead. In my mind this book should be read and enjoyed by high schools students everywhere.

Shannon Larkin
Pope John XXIII High School
I have just concluded reading the novel ''A Tale of Two Cities'' by the infamous author Charles Dickens. This novel was set in the two cities of Paris and England. Although this book is not my 'Cup of Tea,' I really enjoyed reading it. Despite the very mature vocabulary and expressions, I still managed to stick with reading the book and eventually even understanding it. Well I should probably mention the fact that I had a slight bit of help from my English teacher, and fellow classmates.

The book begins with the very often used, yet very contrasting statement 'it was the best of times, it was the worst of times...' and so on. As you can obviously see is a contrast in itself. Mr. Dickens is trying to show how even though there was a war going on, the characters in the story still managed to make the worst of times the best.

To me this book is a contrast. I think the main contrast in the novel is probably between Madame Defarge and Lucie Manette. They are very similar, yet complete opposites. Lucie Manette is the long lost daughter of Dr. Manette, the Shoemaker, 'Recalled to Life.' She is described as a very pretty, sweet young lady with a quantity of beautiful blond hair. She is loved by very many people. She is one of those people who seems like they would never hurt a fly. I think she is a strong independent person who shows her love and compassion for all. Her most loving moments in the book has to be when she stands fearlessly outside her husband's, Charles Darnay, prison cell for hours on end just to catch a glimpse of him once a day. This shows her unending love and devotion to her imprisoned mate. On the other hand there is the cruel and wicked Madame Defarge. She is described as an older, stout, woman, whose only enjoyment seems to be her knitting. We later discover that she does this to remind her of the past. She is a very serious woman; when you read about her it sends a chill up your spine. Throughout the whole novel you have this funny feeling about her that you just can't kick. You know she is hiding something, some emotion behind that sinister look. Near the end of the book you realize that she is out for revenge against Charles Darnay because his family is responsible for the death of her family members. At the end she turns out to be this completely wicked and evil person and she begins to direct her revenge towards others. Yet these two characters are somewhat similar because they are take charge kind of women. They are the head of the household and they don't let any obstacles stand in the way of their goals.

Charles Dickens has wonderfully portrayed these two women in the novel. I think he is a brilliant writer. Like I stated before this book is not really my style, but for a person who is looking for a highly acclaimed and well written book by one of the best writers of all time then I suggest you read ''A Tale of Two Cities''.

Amanda McGriff
Pope John XXIII High School
In ''A Tale of Two Cities'' by Charles Dickens the facts that most appeal to me are the events surrounding the French Revolution. This interests me because the peasants and the poor got so mad. They were set off when Gaspard's son was run over by the Marquis. The peasants or the Revolutionists were killing the members of the government. They also killed the people who wouldn't obey the rules of the Revolution. I think the Revolutionists are killing people for the same reason the members of the government were doing the same thing. Everyone was killing people for being themselves.

Some may think the Revolutionists have the right to kill the members of the government. I think the peasants were on the right track taking over and trying to get into power but when they took over things got out of hand. They slaughtered everyone even if you were related to any government official. They treated everyone the same as if their lives were worthless.

In the news today there are many events related to this kind of disruption. We've heard about small groups such as the militia that are trying to take over the government. Also there are many times when people try to and even succeed in bombing federal buildings threatening many lives. Over the years we've learned that there are many kinds of destruction in the world. Whether it's about killing or sending innocent people to jail, we must agree the mob can't rule.

Stephen Brash
Pope John XXIII High School
I have just completed reading ''A Tale of Two Cities'' by Charles Dickens. I found it to be a great read and enjoyed how Dickens chronologued the lives of a group of characters while giving a basic history on the Age of Revolution. I could tell as I read that Dickens really knew his history and many events in the books show it. One example would be that he made one of the book's pinnacles the storming of the Bastille and the outbreak of the French Revolution. This shows that though it is a fiction book, many events in the book are historical events. He also did a good job being historically accurate in describing the extremely graphic violence found in France after the Revolution broke out. He really showed the graphic violence when he described the violent and ironic death of Foulon which mimicked the death of Marie Antoinette. I found this amazing because he described it so vividly and he wrote it long after the Age of Revolution happened! Dickens was also extremely accurate when he was describing the pre-Revolution times that caused the whole thing to happen. As a history buff it added a real level to the book as I read it. A final example would be how the characters really fit the times they were set in. The French peasants like the Mender of Roads and Gaspard really acted as if they were born in the era. Sometimes people write stories and make 19th century characters sound like 20th century characters. He was accurate to the times. I found that made the book even more enjoyable. Once again I enjoyed the book and love how Dickens proved he knew his history.

Fred Balordi
Pope John XXIII HS
''A Tale of Two Cities'' by Charles Dickens was a good book once I understood some of the events. The book wasn't great in my opinion, but is worth reading if you like books with that type of mystery and suspense. The first few lines of the book, in my opinion was the deepest sentence in the book. That one sentence can really come back to you as you read. It definitely came back to me during some of the major events in the story.

For some of the book I really had to get help from my teacher because the language was so deep and hard to understand. Dickens probably used his own lingo when writing, and not being very familiar with his style, I needed some help determining what he meant. This lingo really showed in the characters speech, but not much elsewhere.

The plot was very deep and confusing to me until the end. At the end it finally all came together for me. I really like all the characters. My personal favorite was Mr. Lorry. His character was simple and easier for me to follow than most of the others. I also liked the aggressive style with Carton and Basard toward the end. The end was also extremely emotional. Some of these events can actually be compared to today, especially since the trials and Revolutionaries share a resemblance to some of today's events (like the LA riots or big TV trials).

Overall, ''A Tale Of Two Cities'' wasn't bad, but there are some books I prefer over it. If anyone is looking for a challenging mystery with many twists and turns, then this book would be a good book. Also people who are into trials and revolutions, this book would be a best bet. People like myself, who prefer a book more up to date with today, may want to look elsewhere, but I must admit I am glad that I was able to read this book.

Rosanna D'Addieco
Pope John XXIII HS
I am writing about the book ''A Tale of Two Cities'' by Charles Dickens. I'm going to compare the violence today to the violence in the 1700's. When I was reading this book I couldn't believe half of what I read. To have to die in front of a whole town and have the people cheering and dancing is incredible. It's hard to believe that people would be proud to see someone's head come off. The man who told the poor to eat grass, Foulon, was supposed to be dead, but when the people of St. Antoine found out he wasn't really dead, they all screamed ''Give us his head! Give us the heart of Foulon! Give us the body and soul of Foulon!'' I actually felt bad for Foulon. He might as well have been dead. Madame Defarge dragged him along the streets while people struck at him. When his head was on a pike with grass coming out of his mouth is when all of the townspeople were happy. Men and women would be carrying guns and knives ready to attack anyone at anytime.

Nowadays it might be bad with all the gang fights, the shootings and robberies, but people don't get a kick at watching people die. We definitely don't cut off people's heads. There is the electric chair, but my opinion is I would rather die in the electric chair than in front of hundreds of people singing and laughing. We just don't kill someone for saying ''eat grass''. The crime would have to be more serious than that. We receive comments everyday, but just because we don't like it doesn't mean we're going to go kill that person. There might be a lot more violence going on now, but people in the cities try helping each other out when someone gets killed or murdered - unlike back then when people got together to plan and kill someone. No one cheers and dances when someone is sentenced to death. I just don't understand how people can be happy at someone else's pain.

George Charles
Pope John XXIII HS
In the book ''A Tale of Two Cities'' by Charles Dickens, Sydney Carton is quite a noble soul. His sacrifice reveals Dickens' ideals about love. Sydney Carton's noble sacrifice of his own life for this wonderful family he loves so dearly should be an example for us all, as we ask ourselves: Would I do that for the ones I love?

Colleen Kelley
Pope John XXIII HS
I've just finished reading a wonderful story, ''A Tale of Two Cities'', by Charles Dickens. While the book in general was enjoyable, one of my favorite aspects of the book was Dickens skillful development of his characters. In particular, I liked the character of Sydney Carton.

Carton could be considered a failure, a brilliant person who could have shone in his own accomplishments. Instead, he chose to live in shadow - the shadow of drink, the shadow of Mr. Stryver, and later the shadows of Paris and ultimately the guillotine and her shadow of death.

It is also interesting to note that it is in the last shadow that Carton shows himself to be a Christ figure of sorts. In his great love for Lucie he became for Darnay, ''the Resurrection and the Life.'' In those last few hours before his death, Carton was once again radiant and peaceful, even remarking at the very end, ''It is a far, far better thing that I do, that I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go than I have ever known.''

Stephanie DeCandia
Pope John XXIII HS
Recently, my 10th grade class read the book ''A Tale of Two Cities'' by Charles Dickens.

We held many different discussions on various topics of the book, but only a few on the subjects that interest me.

One of these subjects is the way that Dickens kept mentioning the phrase ''recalled to life.'' This phrase was mentioned in reference to many different people. Charles Darnay was recalled to life many different times. He was acquitted in two different trials and saved from certain death. Another time he was ''recalled to life'' was at the end of the book when he was saved from the guillotine by Sydney Carton.

Another person who was mentioned with the phrase ''recalled to life'' was Dr. Alexander Manette. Dr. Manette was ''recalled to life'' because he was saved from spending the rest of his life in prison by Jarvis Lorry.

Another thing that interested me about this book were the metaphors that Dickens used. He compared the people of France to a sea. He said that the people rose and fell like the waves of a sea when they were walking in the streets of France.

Another figure of speech in this book is the image of footsteps and echoes. He compares footsteps and echoes to years passed by all the people in the story. He says that Lucie hears footsteps of many different things. She hears footsteps of her son that died years before and she hears footsteps of the fighting in France. Some of the footsteps foreshadow the fates of some of the characters in this book.

I think this book gave me an idea of what it was like to live during the French Revolution. It showed how people acted during this time and how people pretty much ruled the country at this time in history.

I think this book contained both good and bad points, but overall it was a book that I enjoyed once I understood it.

Tara Bongiorno
Pope John XXIII
In the novel, ''A Tale of Two Cities'', by Charles Dickens, I was very moved by the character of Sydney Carton. I was intrigued and inspired that a man of such intelligence could have such low self esteem, but still be so concerned for the welfare of others. I never realized that a person could ever love as this man loved. He never let down his guard and would never give up on the one thing he truly held close to his heart, his ever-living love for Lucille Manette and the people whom she loved.

If I would pick one character from this novel to admire it would certainly be Sydney Carton. Even though he wasn't a man of great stature, I could never say he wouldn't take the importance of his life before the importance of others. In a way I would call Sydney a ''Christ figure'' in that he could be compared to Jesus opening up the gates of Heaven to everyone that believed in his father, to him taking his own life so the ones he loved could be with ones she was closest to, forever.

Candi Haskel
Pope John XXIII HS
In my Sophomore English class we recently read ''A Tale of Two Cities'' by Charles Dickens. Although it was a very good book, it was also very confusing. It was like a puzzle and if you didn't have all the right pieces you couldn't put it together.

One aspect of the book that I did like was the strong role of the women. For example, Madame Defarge played a key role in the organization of the revolt against the French government. The women knitted the names of the people they wished to be rid of on a blanket. They also fought along side the men, which showed the equality between the men and women.

Another thing that I enjoyed about the book was the thorough character descriptions. Dickens told not only the characters' physical descriptions but also the characters' way of thinking and mentality. This helps you to further understand why characters do the things they do. For example, if it had not told how close Dr. Manette was to his daughter Lucie, then you would not have been able to understand why he had that lapse back to shoemaking when Lucie was married to Charles Darnay.

Meg Ryan
Pope John XXIII HS
In school we have just finished reading the book ''A Tale of Two Cities'' by Charles Dickens. I thought the display of the different characters was well written. The plot of the story was an interesting one, turning out different from what was expected.

My favorite part of the book was in the scenes where they describe the war. They seem so real and you get a clear picture in your head. ''Headlong, mad and dangerous footsteps to force their way into anybody's life'' is just one example. Some others, ''Saint Antoine was to execute his horrible idea of hoisting men for lamps to show what he could be and do'' and ''seven prisoners released, seven glory heads on pikes.'' They compare the war to the sea a few times, ''in the ocean of faces where every fierce and furious expression was in vivid life,'' and ''sea of black and threatening waters and of destruction up heaving of wave against wave.'' are only a couple. I believe these were the best described scenes in the book.

Theresa Fitzpatrick
Pope John XXIII HS
The novel ''A Tale of Two Cities'' by Charles Dickens is a wonderfully written book which I enjoyed reading. I especially like the character Sydney Carton. He was depressed and gloomy throughout most of the novel. He was very smart but lacked ambition. He had wasted most of his life drinking since his father died. He had a great love for Lucie Manette, daughter of Dr. Manette. He never pursued this love because he didn't think he was good enough for her and he knew she was in love with Charles Darnay who he had gotten acquitted at a trial of treason with the sentence of death. Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay had a strong resemblance to each other.

In the novel he is always there in the shadows. No one would have expected him to do what he did; he honored a promise he made to Lucie. He promised he would give his life for her or someone she love.

When Charles Darnay, now Lucie's husband, is sentenced to death, Sydney Carton trades places with him. His plan was unknown to anyone. He drugged Charles to remove him from the prison.

Sydney Carton made the ultimate sacrifice for the ones he loved, he did the most courageous thing a friend could do for another friend; he gave his life.

Up until the last minutes of his death, Sydney Carton comforted a young seamstress who was also being executed, showing how much compassion he had. His last words were, ''I am the Resurrection and the Life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.'' It's a quote his father said before he died.

After his death, people stated that it was the peacefullest man's face ever beheld there and that he looked sublime and prophetic. He was recalled to life - His eternal life in Heaven.

Sydney would forever be remembered by Lucie and her children and her children's children. Lucie and Darnay's son is named after Sydney. He is remembered as a hero.

Leanne DeVincenzi
Pope John XXIII High School
In my Sophomore English class this year we had the difficult job of fitting together the intricate pieces of the puzzle that is the novel by Charles Dickens ''A Tale of Two Cities.''

The novel contained many complex characters that started out anonymously or not specifically talked about when they were first introduced to us. Eventually we saw how every character was deeply involved with a numerous number of other characters when they were reintroduced to us on a more intimate level. When a character was mentioned but was not a main character we paid little or no attention to them until they were reintroduced into this interlocking plot. We discover why these characters acted the way they did when they were previously mentioned. We came to a deeper understanding of why and how these people knew the other characters and responded to them in such a manner. When we realized this suddenly the pieces slowly but surely start to come together in this puzzle and we began to see the whole picture. Mostly all the characters had this happen to them but one that I thought was particularly portrayed in this fashion was Charles Darnay.

Charles Darnay was introduced in Book II as an individual on trial for treason in England. He traveled back and forth from England to France on business and was thought to be trading official papers. Lucie Manette was a witness against him because she was on the same boat as him on the way back from France. She hoped that her testimony would not be detrimental to him because he was so nice to her father Dr. Manette. He was acquitted and began to become friendly with the Manette family and their family friend Mr. Lorry.

He eventually fell in love with Lucie and married her. They had a daughter named Lucie, and a son who died that was unnamed. He was living in England he had to go back to France on 'business.' He showed up at the Monseigneur Marquis St. Evremonde's chateau. The Monseigneur was an aristocrat, he was hated by the peasants for the taxes and the cruel treatment he gave them. We found out that Charles Darnay was the nephew of the living Monseigneur Marquis St. Evremonde and the son of his late twin. The Monseigneur informed Charles of how he was to inherit the family estate when Monseigneur died. Charles informed him how he thought the whole aristocracy was corrupted and that he would relinquish the estate. The next day the Monseigneur was murdered and Charles was named as the heir.

He put a servant by the name Gabelle in charge of the chateau and went back to England to his family who did not know of his secret identity. We found out that the name he was living under Darnay was the maiden name of his mother.

A few years later he received a letter from Gabelle who had been imprisoned because the people had rebelled and taken all the aristocrats that were left in France prisoners and if they had fled they took whoever was the minor person in charge prisoner. He had to go to France to save Gabelle. While he was there he was taken prisoner in La Force by the unrelentless Madame Defarge and her husband Mr. DeFarge 'in secret.' We found out that Madame Defarge was so unrelentless because Charles Darnay's uncle and father had killed her family when she was a girl.

Darnay was put on trial and acquitted because of Dr. Manette's leverage. He was released from prison but had to stay in France. Later he was put on trial again and was to be killed but was saved because Sydney Carton who looked just like him switched places with him and was murdered instead.

This was just one example of many that showed how a character evolved from an unimportant minor character to a character that because a major character we cared deeply for and understood to a great extent. Charles Dickens did a great job at combining all the unconnected characters that we think would never have met or knew each other. They all were elaborated upon and understood not at first introduction but when they came back into this difficult plot.

Ngoc Nguyen
Pope John XXIII High School
My sophomore class at Pope John XXIII High School had just finished reading the novel ''A Tale of Two Cities'' by Charles Dickens. I think the novel is very detailed and complicated. Throughout the book, there is one character that I find very outstanding. This character is Sydney Carton.

Sydney Carton was an interesting character to me because of the role he played in the novel. He was the person who was willing to die for another man to fulfill a promise he had made years ago.

When Sydney Carton was first introduced into the novel, he was described as a 'wigged gentleman with his hands in his pockets, whose whole attention seemed to be concentrated on the ceiling of the court.' As the story unfolded, Sydney Carton was described as a 'jackal.' Carton was the one who did all the Mr. Stryver's lawyer work. Nevertheless, Stryver was the one that presented the case to the jury and took all the credit. Carton did not care that Stryver was taking the credit. He said that his life after college was getting worse and he had died young, meaning that he had no life of his own. But a promise changed all this.

Sydney Carton loved Lucie Manette, but knew that he had no chance with her. When Carton declared his love for her, he made a promise to Lucie that he would accomplish. He promised that he would do anything for Lucie and anyone dear to her.

Carton fulfilled his promise to Lucie during her most dreadful time. Her husband, Charles Darnay, was to be beheaded. Since there was resemblance between Carton and Darnay, Carton was able to help Darnay escape from the country. He drugged Darnay so that he would leave so Carton himself would take Darnay's place at the guillotine. It was in the jail cell that Carton was recalled to life. He took control of his own life. He was determined to carry out his plan to save Darnay. He took charge and told Darnay what to do.

Sydney Carton died with dignity. He was willing to give up his life for the happiness of a family. He fulfilled his promise to Lucie and died as a person who had made a difference in someone's life, not as a person who had given up on life.

Sydney Carton is a significant character in the novel. He plays a key role in the ending of the story, causing the ending to be different from what I had expected it to be. Sydney Carton is the character that causes me to become interested in the novel.

Kristin Mugford
Pope John XXIII High School
I have recently finished reading ''A Tale of Two Cities'' by Charles Dickens. I found that many of his characters were extremely intriguing, but none of them quite as much as Sydney Carton. Although he was not well known during much of the book he seemed much more complex than the author let on at first.

Sydney Carton first caught my attention when he was said to be lounging in a moody way in the Manettes' parlor. Although he was mentioned long before chapter 6 his small yet disturbing speech about footsteps really reached out and touched me.

As the story progresses we seem more and more of Carton's past and witness Carton's declaration of love to Lucie. At one point he says ''I am like one who died young. All my life might have been.'' This one line alone gives us a world of insight into Carton's emotions and personal regrets.

Carton then disappears from our view for an amount of time before we see him in France. It is in the final chapters of the book in which Sydney Carton's character shines. When Darnay is convicted and sentenced to be beheaded by the guillotine, it is he who makes the decision to change places with Darnay. Carton sacrifices himself for the one he loved and the ones Lucie loved.

This action shows great courage, love and selflessness on Carton's part. He knows he has done nothing great in the past. and he finds a way to make his life worth something to people and to himself. He loves Lucie and for her and all the people around her he gives his life in exchange for all of theirs.

I suggest to all those who read this book, that they take the time to look back on the life of Sydney Carton. Although he was only a character in a book he reflects upon much of human nature and the need for people to be important. And so I conclude that in ''A Tale of Two Cities'' there were some very interesting characters but none of them were as uniquely complex as the character of Sydney Carton.

Liz Bartley
Waltham High School
There are lessons in it that apply today about relationships and what you see as being right versus what is right. In the book, people saw what they wanted to and as we read it, we saw some of these views as being ridiculous. We should be able to see that in prejudices today.

I think everyone should be exposed to it. It shows 'here's what's out there.' It should be introduced to the English classes as a classic. 'Read it and don't read it too hastily.'

People don't change much. People can read a classic and see themselves in it.

There should be classics of the different fields, like psychology, science fiction. ''A Tale of Two Cities'' accomplishes points of all of those fields.

If you don't like a book but it's revered by others, you should at least be exposed to it.

Andre Quina
Waltham High School
It was also important because it was an historical account. It talked about the French Revolution and what happened. It gave us an idea about how the revolution affected people.

I asked my grandmother and it seems the older generation has been taught to love the book.

You have to be educated to read it. You have to have a certain level of understanding because some things are subtle.

It's more analyzing than reading. You read a book for the story, not to break down the sentences like we had to do.

I think the thing that detracts from a book is having to read it. You might read a few pages between doing math and chemistry homework but it's not like you're sitting in your favorite chair sipping a cup of hot chocolate.

These books (classics) we're supposed to get stuff out of them, not necessarily enjoy reading them.

Jeff Sullivan
Waltham High School
There's a lot of hype about the book. My teacher kept saying, 'It's a classic,' and everyone says it's a great book. Everyone still puts it on the list is because it's built up as such a great book.

You can't just read the book, you have to study the book.

The point of a reading list is about exposure and finding out what you like. You don't know if you're going to like it until you read the last page.

Christina Lehman
Waltham High School
Most people really didn't like it. They didn't undertand it all and really didn't see the relevance to today. People resented it because they had to read it. That ruins so many books.

It should be required reading. If it wasn't I probably wouldn't have read it. We should be exposed to different types of literature.

A classic is a book that's been read and appreciated by generations. It tells about people's nature and how we relate to each other.

Gordon Gaul IV
Boston Latin Academy
The book explains the culture and money gap between the commoners and aristocracy, the struggle with being part of the aristocracy. It resembles life today; classism is still there but there's less of a money gap and it's no longer as extreme.

The era of the setting in the book makes it a classic because it creates a picture. Dickens captures the tension of the time and the characters. Their actions are so conflicted and they're pushing to a greater good. You see what they're looking for among the turmoil.

The book should be read in school because if you can't pick out the themes, you won't understand it.

There are other books that can explain classism and it's possible for a person to read several other books to get a feeling for that era, but the only way to get this feeling is to read this book.

When you see the changes of themes, you see the significance that runs in real life. A classic has those themes that run in your life. It's the guy next door, the guy I work with, they have the roundness of those characters, the themes, personalities, attitudes, actions, emotions. It fits those people you know and that you've read about in history.

When you are able to envision the story you get the emotional appeal, you can see a picture. In your mind you can see them interacting. You can see when they cry, when they're excited. It's the emotional feeling. Not like a newscast of something thousands of miles away but like when something happens next door.

In some classics some people say I cried or got angry at the end. You question the rightfulness of what happens to this character. You wonder about these struggles, differences...these things haven't happened, may happen or have happened to me.

CamVan Nguyan
Boston Latin Academy
It's classical and timeless. It's about what true love is. You can apply the morals to the time. If you're oppressed in society, overthrowing that government is inevitable.

As a business person, you don't really need to know about the war to be successful, but as a romantic or historian, you can see how two people can grow in a turmoiled situation.

Dickens carries out themes most clearly: deceit, true love. It's universal, about the oppressed needing to be free, like the Civil War.

Manuel Montes
Boston Latin Academy
It's something you'll remember forever, on an epic scale. It has unforgetable characters and you don't forget the actions and everything they did. It's also about the French Revolution. I had never read about it but it was easier to understand than reading a history book.

I can picture the characters in my mind, assign them a face of a movie star or historic figure and actually see them doing things.

Jill Faherty
Boston Latin Academy
It's a book everyone can appreciate. Everything together makes it brilliant and the human behavior is well developed.

If you don't read this book you are missing out. It's a book that will change your ideas, give you a better perspective.

Marleny Franco
Boston Latin Academy
It will enrich your view of life. It will help you understand other literature. You can compare it to other literature. There are similarities between Dickens and Virgil.

When an author creates a plot that seems so real and the characters come alive, and the plot is well-developed, and you can feel it and someone in Australia can say that and someone 10 years from now...It has to be universal.

(any classic)It's not just a book that shows themes clearly. It's not given to you, you have to work for it, earn it, define it.

Eleni Wolfe-Roubati
Brookline High School
I think it was worth reading because the way the characters were developed. I haven't found that in any other book and it's important to do in your own writing.

Sometimes people confuse classics with good books. Sometimes it's because an author is well-known or has written several books that were considered to be good, that it becomes a classic. This book you can connect to and that's what makes it a classic, that years later people can still connect to it.

Sometimes people consider books that are old and have been around classics. It's important to look at each book itself, rather than who wrote it to determine if it's a classic.

I don't think it will help in everyday life. It's unique in its way of writing and everyone should read it just to see that type of writing. I don't see how it can relate to everyday life but it can help you write better.

Andrew Berns
Wayland High School
Honestly, I don't remember the book well and that says it may not be as great as it's thought up to be. I generally remember books that are great but I remembered being overwhelmed by Dickens, the way he wrote. Literature for high school students should create a love of reading. A kid who loves to read is discouraged because it's not a good book at all. My strongest memory is that I didn't like it. It wasn't really a book that should be central to high school learning. It was difficult to read with Dickens' tone. It wasn't central to me disliking it though. When you combine that lofty style with a story that isn't gripping, it's not a good combination. I had heard it was a classic. I probably wouldn't contest it was a classic but I don't consider it to be one, because I didn't enjoy it. I think I should emphasize that the way it's written is hard for high school students to relate to. I can't point my finger on it but it wasn't a good read. Maybe if I read it in college I might have a different point of view. It was a required reading and if it's going to be required you need to bring it to life. I read it sophomore year. The book didn't impress me and to be called a classic I have to really be taken by it, but my feelings toward the book were apathetic.

Rob Close
Wayland High School
It covered all the major points that you expect in a book. It had the love and the ending is just as good as you can get in a book. It was emotional. Students need to learn how to read books with the Shakespearean text. Everything that we have read in a classical literature class is easy to read, but this not giving us a view of a lot of books. It's nice to be able to hear other people talk and infer what people are saying. If you are able to look at words and read the book at a reasonable pace, it increases your reading skills. The book is easily a classic. It has to be old, survived the ages and is loved by people. It's something that's held its popularity. The old version is out and people are still reading it and loving it. The plot was so deep. Once you got into it and saw how it was all interrelated. The first time I read it, I was bored in homeroom one day and wanted to read a book I heard was good. Then sophomore year it was necessary. When my friends read it their sophomore year I grabbed a copy of it and read it again and I helped them with it. I may read it again later this year (senior year) when I have spare time. I enjoy reading books over and over again. Mostly it's the ability to look deeply into heavy stuff and capture it all but also to be able to look at deep heavy words and how they work together and be able to grasp their meaning. You need something that people will pay attention to and keep my interest up. The last two chapters were great. Everytime I seem to have read a book I got at school it had deep thought and lots of characters. It was the easiest complex book I've ever read and that's what colleges are looking for. It's a good foundation for the literature part of english courses. If you can find another book that's up to its level than people should read that, but I strongly recommend that they do. They need to have the experience with this type of book. If you're going to have a good education, it's a good foundation.

Megan Nichols
Wayland High School
Nothing that stood out about it. I guess a classic it is applicable to society that you can look back and look at the lessons that were taught and apply it to today. It's the same ideas that are trying to get across today. It was classic.

Nicole Owens
Bishop Fenwick
''A Tale of Two Cities'' is a classic novel of good and evil, of light and dark. This novel's coincidences and twists and turns leave the reader feeling exhilarated and lucky to live in a free country. Dicken's use of suspense and serial endings leave the reader wanting to read more pages chock full of details. I would recommend this novel to anyone who doesn't mind some difficult reader. Yes, the reading was difficult but a little slow reading will get you right through it. To read this book with a group of people really helps when the confusing parts come along. Overall it was a good book. It was well thought out and kept me enchanted.

Stephanie Tsouvalas
Bishop Fenwick
When I first began reading this book I was confused and unattentive. Once I had made the distinction between the event in France and the events in England I was able to grasp the main points that were being made. As I continued reading this book I began to appreciated Dickens writings and his style. I enjoyed the suspense that was continuous throughout each chapter. I also enjoyed the way Dickens could make you feel different towards characters as each chapter was read. I feel this was an excellent book that has great detail and language.

Giselle Perez
Bishop Fenwick
I think that ''A Tale of Two Cities'' is a good and well-thought out novel. I like a lot of Dickens novels, but this one really caught my attention. I like how he seems to make the characters come alive by giving them such vivid descriptions. What really made me continue to read the book is how he ends his chapters with suspense. Even if the chapter was kind of boring, the ending made me want to go to the next chapter. The only thing that I really didn't like about the book is how Dickens rambles on about a certain subject or when he gives too many details. In some of the chapters that I read, so many details were given about a certain subject that I didn't understand what I was reading.

At first I didn't really want to read this book because it looked too long and boring. After reading it, I don't regret having to read it.

Samantha Sousa
Bishop Fenwick
I have currently been reading ''A Tale of Two Cities'' by Charles Dickens for my sophomore English class. As I near the end of this novel I would like to make some comments on what I've read up to this point.

For the most part I feel that this is a wonderfully written and well thought out novel. Dickens obviously had to put great thought into writing this novel, otherwise the characters would not have been tied together so well. Dickens did an outstanding job of creating suspense within this novel. Dickens left his readers hanging at the end of chapters just dying to find out what was to happen next. I think that this book was really very well written. There are many instances in which Dickens leads the reader to think that one thing is going to happen and then totally shocks the reader by the outcome. Although this novel starts off a bit slow, it really picks up the pace in book three and becomes very exciting. Based on what I have read so far, I think that I'd give this novel two thumbs up.

Kristen Parcell
Bishop Fenwick
''It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.''

Charles Dickens has written many interesting themes within ''A Tale of Two Cities'', but only of those ideas needs to be stressed to Americans today. This theme revolves around the sacrifice of self for the sake of others. Sydney Carton, a less than perfect character, willingly gives his life so that a family can remain together. With his death he is able to alter fate and achieve a once lost sense of purpose to his life. He accomplishes his final act of courage and frees himself.

On the other hand, Americans today seem so self involved. The theme for today's society now leans more towards, ''what's in it for me?'' True happiness can only be attained for the joy of giving to others. Perhaps this story can inspire the American people to change their selfish ways.

Courtney Smith
Bishop Fenwick
''A Tale of Two Cities'' was a great book. I like the way that Charles Dickens ends his books with all the coincidences, the similarities, such as that John Barsad is really Miss Pross's brother and that Mrs. Defarge is the sister of the girl who Doctor Manette tried to save. It makes it worth while reading all the slow chapters to get to these coincidences. What I really didn't like was how flat of a character Lucie is. She really never developed except that she is everyone's savior just because of her beauty (angelic features). She never does anything to inspire such love from Sydney, Charles, and Mr. Stryver except that she showed pity for them. And pity isn't any basis for love and/or devotion. One thing that I didn't understand was why at the end, Mrs. Defarge wants to hurt Dr. Manette and Lucie when Dr. Manette tried to save her brother and sister and even tried to warn authorities of the abuses of the Evremondes. One would think she would be thankful!

What made me love this book the most was how love conquered all in the end. Such as when Miss Pross kills Madame Defarge and how Sydney could die for Charles. It showed that love instills all things necessary to do anything. It gave Sydney the courage, understanding and usefulness to die not for a friend, but for a friend's husband. And, in the end by loving Lucie and dying for her happiness he helped a girl and finally allowed himself to love and be happy to. Unfortunately he had to be in line to die before finding the meaning of life and the courage to change, but that still didn't scare him. Maybe that is why he drank because by drinking he couldn't help anyone and he basically was just scared of anyone returning his love and the pressure that that included and by drinking no one thought he loved. So, he could not be hurt. By him believing that he couldn't love made life easier, lonely, but easier.

Kate F. Hawke
Bishop Fenwick
I have taught ''A Tale of Two Cities'' for so many years that I have memorized huge passages and can put on, in class, a one woman show taking parts of Mme. Defarge, her husband, and John Barsad, to name one scene. Even though I know this novel intimately, every year my students show me a new insight, make an original observation or connect events or characters in a way that I had never seen before. That experience confirms my opinion that this is literature worth studying even though my principal thinks it is outdated and ought to be replaced by something that is more fun.

''A Tale of Two Cities'' is a tale, a ripping good story with suspense, mystery, heartbreak, love, sacrifice, death and resurrection, and a good cry at the conclusion. Who could ask for anything more?

My students come away from their study of Charles Dickens with, I hope, an appreciation for the art and craft of the novelist. Most are impressed with the meticulous planning that goes into the coincidence-ridden conclusion.

I hope to be reliving the French Revolution with the Defarges and the Manettes and Sydney Carton for many years to come.

Thanks for this opportunity.

Joanne Fenlon
Bradford
It was a pleasure to read Dickens ''A Tale of Two Cities'' in English. Many years ago I was required to read it in French. I know now that much was lost in the translation. Thanks for prodding me into reading it again.

The characters were just as I had imagined back then, but the street scenes were not. They were vivid and primordial. I look forward to your next book list entry.

S. Dorothy Hart
CSJ, Brighton
After Dickens wrote a story of revolutionary France, he considered several titles and research shows the following were suggested to his mind: ''One of These Days'', ''Buried Alive'', ''A Thread of Gold'' and ''The Doctor of Beauvais''. These were abandoned in favor of ''A Tale of Two Cities''.

The setting in Tellson's London house and the inner sanctuary of Monseigneur at his grand hotel in Paris describes the atmosphere. The homes in the small, poor French town contrasts the home of the great chateau of Monsigneur Evremonde. The description of the various characters homes in London are quite unsavory compared to the way royalty lives.

The story of Doctor Manette in Paris is written in time sequence which keeps the curiosity of the reader while the sub-plot involving a love story of Lucie and Charles provides interest.

The characters developed by Dickens give a motivating force that brings the plot to its climax with the marriage of the lovers.

Calling 1775 'the best of times and the worst of times' and using his skill, Dickens constructs his events with imaginary and real historical persons and events.

My favorite character is Sydney Carton, a self-wrecked and self-devoted man who was inspired to nobility of action.

Another character, Miss Pross, is shaped by the same vivid, clear pictures and sensory details as was her antagonist, Therese Defarge.

The suffering and pathos of the story is reflected in the lives of the characters of Carton and Miss Pross. In our times, there are events similar to those described by Dickens in ''A Tale of Two Cities''.

Elisa Ercolini
Arlington
The plot (this writer probably meant to say themes) - greed, arrogance, cruelty - sadly, is as old as time, but it is written with such subtle suspense, that it surpasses any best-seller thriller of the day.

And why do we not speak with such elegance as they did then? Because we would be put in a loony bin if we did - that's why. But why?

As I read with despair, the cruelty and suffering that the people at that time were enduring, the most delicious humor was introduced in the person of Mr. Cruncher (of the spiky hair). His castigating his sweet wife about ''flopping about'' and accusing her of any misfortune that might befall him because of her praying was, to me, hilarious!

I found myself, as I knelt in church, giggling, and saying - ''there you go again Elisa - 'flopping about.''' If our Lord does not have a sense of humor - I am a ''dead duck.''

The relevance for modern day Americans? Nothing will change until people change. As Mr. Cruncher changed when he commissioned Miss Pross with a message to his wife (that he understood and appreciated her ''flopping about''). I then and there ''developed'' a warm and glowing love for Mr. Cruncher (of the spiky hair).

As Sydney Carton changed when he gave up his life for another.

As Mr. Lorry changed when he realized that money was good, but of no value - without love.

So, ''A Tale of Two Cities'' teaches that we must be ever aware and alert when a seemingly small injustice occurs, before this injustice becomes an unforgivable one (The Holocaust).

Then ''do not go gently into that good night, rage, rage against the dying light.''

Daniel Coffey
Beverly:
I've tried three times to complete reading ''A Tale of Two Cities,'' all to no avail.

Third time I got about three-fourths of the way through before tossing the paperback into the compost pile.

There just is no moving-ahead plot. It goes on and on before putting me to sleep, without any novel action.

The style of writing is just plain simple high school ability. Nothing of interest happens to motivate me to push ahead to another chapter.

Give me Trollope, Wolfe and Agatha Christie any day.

Now I'm sure you'll think I'm stupid for not liking Dickens.

Joyce's Ulysses, read 40 years ago, was a delight, great plot, slightly better than ''(illegible - Tristian?) Shandy,'' both of which I doubt you have read.

Even better that both are all works of Olan O'Brien.

Sorry to disappoint your high school students.

Barbara Barton Badstubner
Groton
As a former English teacher of high school sophomores, I have read ''A Tale of Two Cities'' about fifty or sixty times. Over the years I fed this rich piece of work to students in at least three classes a day, once a year.

I can, truthfully, say that it has always taught me something new, or more accurately, my students found something to teach me.

It is a joy to play detective, as we read each chapter as the people of the time read it as a serial. The book demands patience and persistence, a strong vocabulary and good study skills. It is helpful to keep notes on each chapter's characters, events and connections made to other chapters. Each chapter should lead to the reader forming some questions to be answered in succeeding chapters.

Dickens is a master of the extended metaphor, and the ability to contrast darkness against light. He richly weaves the threads of the plot from England to France and back again. The complicated plot reaches a contrived ending, but there are no loose ends.

The characters are generally flat. Dickens is at his worst writing about children and his best writing about characters he really knows. Poor Sydney is stuck in his poor self image, but his love for Lucie redeems him. Lucie, the ideal Victorian woman is strong and loyal, but also faints when it is possible. It is her ''Golden Thread'' that restores the good doctor's mental and physical health. Dear Mr. Lorry is a continuing presence of support and English stability, while Stryver is the insensitive, pompous lawyer. Miss Pross is loyalty personified; John Barsad, the counterspy, is cleverly outwitted by Carton's legal skill. Madame Defarge has reason to hate The Marquis, symbol of the aristocracy. Jerry Cruncher and Young Jerry provide comic relief in the chapter, ''The Honest Tradesman.'' The reader should pay close attention to the irony and significance of the chapter titles.

The relevance of this book is obvious in Chapter One as we continue to live in ''the best of times'' and ''the worst of times.'' We are still afraid of lawlessness, locking up our possessions behind burglar alarmed doors, keeping valuables in banks, and hiring house sitters. The seeds of revolution are still being sown as the middle class disappears to be replaced by the disparity between the rich and the poor.

Our people are fascinated with the supernatural, demand the death sentence, and avidly watch trials. We learned that the abuse of power ends in destruction and that violence begets violence. We also learn that sacrifice for the sake of happiness of others leads to personal salvation.

Roberta Gilbert
Lively Minds
It's too wordy, boring. I read it in high school and thought it was boring. It hasn't improved with age.

Beverly Tilden
Lively Minds
I tried to read it. I got the video and watched it for forty-five minutes. I thought it was a waste of time.

Dorothea Robinson
Lively Minds
I compared the book to the first time I read it. I was struck by man's inhumanity to man. I thought that's just something that used to happen. Now I thought that we really haven't advanced at all.

Adelaide Gaertner
Lively Minds
I read it years ago. Dickens uses a massive amount of vocabulary. I needed to sit with a dictionary. If this is required reading, the language is probably far beyond students today. Everyone who has read it in high school should read it again.

Ion Siehr
Lively Minds
Madame Defarge was my favorite character. I expected her to turn around but she didn't. She was a strong believer and has seen so much happen to her people. The characters were living in a society that we can't understand. The fact that they had the courage to rebel is amazing.

Walter Egan
Lively Minds
The book exposes us to the reality of 1789. I thought the French were caricatures and not real characters. Madame Defarge is a prototype of vengeance. I thought that Dickens feared what was happening in France would happen in England. Sydney Carton was a sad sack. But, you might be able to see him as a Christ-like figure. He went to the guillotine and gave up his life for a friend. How many people would do that?