Open Prompt #3

1991. Many plays and novels use contrasting places (for example, two countries, two cities or towns, two houses, or the land and the sea) to represent opposed forces or ideas that are central to the meaning of the work. Choose a novel or play that contrasts two such places. Write an essay explaining how the places differ, what each place represents, and how their contrast contributes to the meaning of the work.

     When it comes to writing about contrasting places, Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities shows the stunning history of the French Revolution which was right after the American Revolution. The “tale” of the two cities is quite different, in that London is portrayed as heaven where crimes are supposed to be justified yet Paris is hell where the French Revolution booms. Even though two completely different events go on in the two cities, the sense of injustice was shown by Dickens throughout the novel.
     In A Tale of Two Cities the two cities, London and Paris, are contrast in the incidents that occurred. Britain just experienced the loss of America in the American Revolution. The war caused Britain to rest and fall back on extreme military use. When there is no war, there is no huge loss of money and troops. Citizens follow orders, and everyone is happy, but the court is not taking cases seriously, they judge by how ever people want things to be. There was no real law either, because everyone is so free of will. Meanwhile in France, aristocrats are getting nastier and demanding more from citizens. The class differences are getting so big and ridiculous that the aristocrat needs four people to make breakfast for them. Soon the French Revolution begins, killing numerous aristocrats and anyone that has power or money, France immediately turned into a blood shedding land. The blood shedding of aristocrats soon turned to the blood shedding of anyone who does not like the guillotine. The injustice that occurred in both cities creates either fear or carefree mood.
     Dickens portrayed London as a heavenly place where everyone is nice to each other, no war, no battle, no real crime, no real law, no precise court, and no justice. Yet in Paris people are chopping off each other’s head. Paris started out as a revolutionary, an act to make the country better and bearable for everyone. The act then soon turned into random blood shedding, killing about forty thousand people. Dickens’ extreme contrast of the neighboring lands showed how London and Paris affect each other, either in violent way or justice.
     In the end Dickens points out that the two countries are so different yet they are both injustice. In Paris thousands of people died without a real reason, and none of those that died had a chance of defending themselves before they were sent to the guillotine, and this happened every Saturday morning. While in London, those who committed crimes are not being punished enough, but those that didn’t do anything are being punished. The judge of the court are lacking on their job, judges listen to public desire and allows the desire to become reality. While the two cities might seem very different in that one is killing thousands of people and the other is so peaceful nothing happens. They are actually really similar in that there is no justice.