Tale of Two Cities Book 2 Ch. 1-4 Litblog

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
10-31-12

Book 2 Chapters 1-4

Summary: In chapter 1, It is now five years later, in 1780. Jerry Cruncher was known as the "odd-job man" at the bank and was always running errands.The scene starts at Jerry's dingy apartment, and he wakes up to see his wife praying and tells her to stop because he thinks that praying will make God stop his successful grave-robbing business. In chapter 2, an old clerk tells Jerry to go to the court, and give a message to Mr. Lorry and to wait for further instruction. When he goes in, he sees a 25 year old man on trial for treason, Charles Darnay. He supposedly told France info about England . A whisper runs through the room on who a lady and her father is, but Darnay figures out these people are the witnesses against him. In chapter 3, The attorney- general and the solicitor-general battle and they examine the witnesses, John Barsad  and Roger Cly and both are considered untrustworthy witnesses.  Mr. Lorry takes the stand and Lucie is brought to the stand and says how Mr. Darnay helped her with her sick father, but she thought he was guilty. The jury deliberates to find Mr. Darnay not guilty. In chapter 4, Darnay, Lucie, Mr. Manette, Mr. Stryver, Mr. Carton, and Mr. Lorry leave the courthouse and the book says Mr. Manette is now a proud civilized citizen and Lucie is the "golden thread" to his past. Mr. Carton and Darnay head to a tavern and talk about how Darnay is the source of Lucie's compassion. Carton comments that no one loves him and he loves no one, and Darnay leaves. 

Quotation: "There is nothing in you to like; you know that. Ah, confound you! What a change you have made in yourself! A good reason for taking to a man, that he shows you what you fallen away from, and what you might have been." 

Quotation Significance: Mr. Carton says this to himself once Darnay leaves and he thinks that there is nothing inside himself to like, which is why he drinks so much. He thinks he has changed and that Darnay is who he used to be and who he always wanted to become. This is basically saying that Mr. Carton wishes he was someone else and that he could be a better person.

Reflection: So far, it seems that Lucie and Darnay have something. They will fall in love, and live together hopefully. It seems that Mr. Carton has a self-image problem and desperately wants to improve himself and Darnay reminds him of the young man he used to be. Mr. Lorry thinks that life has no meaning and that he is a simple machine, only useful for one thing, and having no feeling or no meaning  to his life. Lucie feels bad for Darnay and pities him. She wants to help him but knows he is ultimately guilty. Lucie also has a little crush on him too. Darnay likes Lucie and thinks she is beautiful but he doesn't enjoy being the source of her pity. Mr. Manette is now a happy distinguished citizen and Lucie is "golden thread" that links from safely from his past to the future and keeps him happy and not in misery anymore. It was hard for him to adjust though, after being in prison for 18 years. But he has gotten over it and is ready to live a new life. Jerry has a sucessful job as a grave-robber and doesn't like his wife for praying for him because he fears God will take away his sucessful job because Jerry knows it is wrong. I think that next Darnay and Lucie will fall in love and Mr. Lorry will find someone, but something then will go wrong so the plot of the book is revealed.

Discussion Question: Why do you think Mr. Carton is so hard on himself?

Tale of Two Cities Book 1 Ch. 5-6 Litblog

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
10-30-12

Book 1 Chapters 5-6

Summary: In chapter 5, In Saint Antione, a wine bottle falls to the ground and a man dips his finger in the red wine and uses it to write "blood" on the wall. Miss Manette and Mr. Lorry arrive at the wine shop but the owner, Mr. Defarge and his wife behind the counter ignores them at first and talk to three other men. Mr. Defarge leads the three men upstairs and when he returns Mr. Lorry has a conversation with him and Mr. Defarge leads them upstairs to a room to see an old man making shoes. In chapter 6, Mr. Manette tells them he is making a woman's shoe and mistakes Lucy for his wife and tells her how he begged them to let him keep a few strands of her hair that he had in possession. Lucy tells him he can go home, and Mr. Manette is overcome with emotion and she says he must now go to London, and Mr. Defarge puts them in a coach so they can go home. 

Quotation:  "If, when I hint to you of a Home that is before us, where I will be true to you with all my duty and with all my faithful service, I bring back the remembrance of a Home long desolate, while your poor heart pined away, weep for it, weep for it!"

Quotation Significance: This quote is Lucy talking to her father and she is saying that if he is hinting for a home and he knows that she is hinting for him to share it with her, all he has to is ask. She is saying that she wants her dad to come home and be with her forever and live with her .

Reflection: Lucy has just met her father in the Wine Shop and is obviously in shock about it. She is sa to see the condition he is in and she wants to love him and be with him forever. Mr. Manette recognizes her first as his wife but realizes she is way too young and starts to assume that this is his daughter. He calls her a gentle angel and wants to be with her again. In the first part of chapter 5, the scene where the wine bottle is dropped to interesting because it seems to foreshadow how Lucy and Mr. Lorry's relationship will work out, it will bring some good- the wine being fed to the children- and have some good aspects but will ultimately end badly, this is symbolized when the man writes "blood" on the wall of a building. I thought that the idea of the "wine shop" symbolizing more than just a wine shop was interesting, it was not only a shop, but the center of the revolutionary force in Paris. I think that next Mr. Lorry and Lucy will fall in love and it will br good for some time but ultimately end badly. 

Discussion Question: What kind of emotions does Lucy feel when she meets her father?

Tale of Two Cities Book 1 Ch.1-4 Litblog

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
10-29-12

Book 1 Chapters 1-4

Summary: In chapter 1, the author explains it was one of the best and worst times in history. A stern king and a queen with a plain face ruled England and a stern king with a beautiful queen ruled France. In 1775,  Mrs. Southcott had turned twenty-five and England was stable but France was heading towards disaster. In chapter 2, a group of passengers with a guard are travelling with the Dover mail coach and the horses are tiring out, and they hear galloping from behind. Mr. Lorry, a passenger, gets a message from Jerry, a messenger,  from Tellson's Bank, where Mr. Lorry works, his message back is "Recalled to Life". Then the coach keeps going up the hill and Jerry leaves. In chapter 3, Jerry rides back and stops to drink along the way, and plans to deliver the message to the night watchman outside of Tellson's bank. Mr. Lorry nodes off beside his horse and dreams heading to a grave to bury someone who is forty-five and was brought back to life. In chapter 4, Mr. Lorry arrives at the Royal George Hotel and tells the clerk to wait for a young woman to arrive and to tell him when she arrives. Later that night, Miss Manette arrived from England and she arrived to be escorted to Paris to meet a gentleman from a bank because her father died. She says that she knows that Mr. Lorry brought her to England as an orphan when she was a baby, he says he did this and that her father went to prison and her mother tried to hide it from her. He is alive and they plan to go see him, everything about him is pretained under the line "Recalled to Life" and is top secret. Miss Manette doesn't move and Mr. Lorry has to call for help. 

Quotation: "As to this, his natural and not to be alienated inheritance, the messenger on horseback had exactly the same possessions as the King, the first Minister of State, or the richest merchant in London."

Quotation Significance: This quote is saying that secrets is what keeps all men equal. The poor farmer, the King, the Minister and the merchant are equal in the fact that they all have secrets which means they are equal. 

Reflection: So far, it seems that Mr. Lorry likes Miss Manette a little and thinks she is pretty. He is scared though when she doesn't move and he calls for help. Miss Manette is shocked to find out her father is alive and that they are planning to see him. So far, this story mostly follows Mr. Lorry, but a brief chapter is about Jerry heading to deliver a message to Tellson's bank and about his dream of the man dying. I think this dream is about something to come and this makes Jerry nervous because he doesn't know the man in his dream, why he dies, who the woman he talks about is, or why he is brought back to life. Overall, Jerry is just generally confused on how he feels about everything. I think that next Miss Manette and Mr. Lorry will fall in love and go to visit her father. So far, it is hard to know what is coming up next. Mr. Lorry keeps saying he is a machine, meaning he feels like life doesn't mean anything and he only knows things about money and he loves no one. 

Discussion Question: Why does Mr. Lorry call himself a machine?

Jane Eyre Chapters 35-36 Litblog

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
10-24-12

Chapters 35-36

Summary: In chapter 35, St. John is still angry at Jane for refusing to be his wife, she talks to him and tries to make amends the night before he leaves for India, and he tries to convince her to go as a coadjutor to another woman, but she refuses to go with strangers. She is persuaded by St. John and almost agrees to marry him when she hears a voice in her head, Mr. Rochester's voice was calling her. In chapter 36,  Jane gets a letter from St. John that says he wants her answer for marriage in a fortnight. She decides to leave for four days to visit Mr. Rochester and Thornfield Hall. When she arrives, the hall is in ruins, and she finds out that the building burnt down in a fire the autumn before.  Bertha had set fire to the house. In the fire, Bertha committed suicide. Because Mr. Rochester saved the servants over himself, he went blind and had to have his arm amputated. 

Quotation: " 'Formerly' I answered, 'because you did not love me: now, I reply, because you almost hate me. If I were to marry you, you would kill me. You are killing me now." (441).

Quotation Significance: Jane says this to St. John when she still refuses to marry him, despite his persuasion. She thinks that St. John is so cold that he almost hates her, and it would kill her to be tied to someone who almost hates her. Just by asking her to marry St. John, he is killing her already, just at the thought of it.

Reflection: Jane still refuses to marry St. John. I think St. John is upset that Jane won't marry him, but he doesn't love her, he just wants to convert her soul to work for God as a laborer. She almost marries him because she thinks she gets a message from God- but right after she hears Mr. Rochester's voice call out to her in her mind and then she leaves Thornfield. She is devastated when she hears about Bertha and the fire, but this also means that they can marry each other. Jane feels sad for Mr. Rochester because he is now blind, depressed, and a cripple. She wants to see him and plans to travel thirty miles away to a farmhouse to do it. I think Jane believes this is all her fault because if she had stayed with him and went on adventures through the world with him, he wouldn't have been in the fire. She is especially sad when she hears that he was so angry, depressed, and heartbroken when she left and he wouldn't leave Thornfield. I think next Jane will visit Mr. Rochester and marry him, and maybe a miracle will save his eyesight. 

Discussion Question: Why do you think Bertha lit Thornfield on fire and kill herself?

Jane Eyre Chapters 33-34 Litblog

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
10-23-12

Chapters 33-34

Summary: In chapter 33, Jane finds out that her uncle in Madera died, leaving her 20,000 pounds. She also finds out she is the cousin of St. John, Diana, and Mary and has decided to split her fortune with them and live them in their house. She has also decided to leave the school, but waits until a substitute comes to take over. In chapter 34,  Diana and Mary arrive home and St. John tells them that Miss Oliver is marrying Mr. Granby, a rich man in another shire. Before going to bed, St. John kisses Jane on the lips. He asks her to learn Hindustani instead of German. He then asks her to go to India and marry him, not for love but for the service of God. She says she will go to India with him, but not as his wife, he is angry at this and leaves the room.

Quotation: "What can you mean? It may be of no moment to you; you have sisters and don't care for a cousin; but I had nobody; and now three relations- or two, if you don't choose to be counted- are born into my world full-grown. I say again, I am glad!"(411).

Quotation Significance: When Jane finds out that she is related to Diana, Mary, and St. John, she is ecstatic. She thought she had no relative left in the world or someone left to support her. Now that she knows she won't be lonely and can share her fortune with someone she is relieved. But St. John doesn't understand this.

Reflection: Jane is in shock after learning St. John wants to marry her, and what's sad it that is that it is only just for service for the missionaries, Not for loving her. Jane understands service for God, but doesn't want to be ties to St. John and she sees how mad and hurt he is, and is almost persuaded by him to marry him because of it. Jane just can't possibly imagine being marrying to a cold man who doesn't love her and living her whole life tied to him. I think next she will run away from St. John and find Mr. Rochester again or she not go to India and stay with Diana and Mary and be found by Mr. Rochester eventually. Because earlier a couple chapters back, when the tree was split down the middle, it means they will be split up, but their foundation or very roots of their friendship and love still remain and be strong. 

Discussion Question: Why do you think Jane feels obligated to marry St. John?

Jane Eyre Chapters 31-32 Litblog

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
10-22-12

Chapter 31-32

Summary: In chapter 31, Jane has opened the school and Mr. Rivers comes by to drop off a box of art supplies from Diana and Mary for Jane, and Jane meets Miss Oliver, daughter of the rich man who owns the mansion on the hill. Miss Oliver invited Mr. Rivers to her home to talk with Mr. Oliver but Mr. Rivers declines. In chapter 32,  Jane begins to like some of the children at her little school, and becomes friends with many people in the neighborhood. She has many dreams of Mr. Rochester, and Miss Oliver comes to school to teach and to Jane's cottage and Jane makes a sketch of her, Mr. Oliver sees it and has her finish it and meet with him at his mansion. Mr. Rivers tells Jane he likes Miss Oliver alot but can't see it working out even though she likes him.

Quotation: "I am simply, in my original state-stripped of that blood-bleached robe with which Christianity covers human deformity-a cold, hard, ambitious man."(400)

Quotation Significance: Mr. Rivers says this after talking about Miss Oliver. He is saying that he is open and not hidden beneath his mask of deformity to protect himself- making him an overall cold, but ambitious man.

Reflection: Even though Jane moves so far away to avoid Mr. Rochester, she finds she is constantly thinking about hims and having dreams about him all the time. She wants to forget about him, but she can't help but think about how her life would be if she stayed with him. St. John loves Miss Oliver, but he can't see a future with her or imagine her being a missionary's wife. Miss Oliver is in love with St. john and doesn't understand why he doesn't love her back. She is confused and lovestruck and tries to get St. John's attention but nothing really works to change him. He doesn't want to leave the sanctuary of God for a love that probably won't work out, the promise of heaven is too important to him. I think next Jane will go for a visit to Thornfield and fall in love again with Mr. Rochester or they will somehow meet up again one day.

Discussion Question: Why is St. John so afraid to commit his love to Miss Oliver?

Jane Eyre Chapters 27-28 Litblog

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period
10-17-12

Chapters 27-28

Summary: In chapter 27, Mr.Rochester apologizes to Jane, and tries to kiss her but she refuses him. He tells her he didn't tell her about Bertha so she would come to Thornfield. He wants to run from Thornfield with Jane but she refuses and says she must leave him forever, making him angry.  He tells Jane about marrying Bertha, how her family members were mad and and how she slowly grew mad. He then brought her to Thornfield and sought out his soulmate and went travelling through Europe. He then returned to Thornfield and met Jane, he also talks about watching her and thinking about her. He tired to convince her to be his mistress but she refuses and leaves Thornfield. In chapter 28, she hitches a ride to Whitcross and spends the night under a tree. The next few days she searches for a job, sleeps in the woods, and has to beg for food from strangers. She roams to a house in the distance and a man named St. John invites her in and lets her spend the night there.

Quotation: "Terrible moment: full of struggle, blackness, burning! Not a human being that ever lived could wish to be loved better than I was loved; and him who thus loved me I absolutely worshipped: and I must renounce love and idol. One drear word comprised my intolerable duty-'Depart!'"(335).

Quotation Significance: Jane is saying how she could have never been loved more or wished for any more.  And she worshipped Mr. Rochester for this, and loved him for it. But she knew she had to make the right choice and leave him.

Reflection: Jane was so shocked upon finding that Mr. Rochester had a wife that she couldn't even cry at first. When Mr. Rochester talks with her, Jane is sad about how his marriage to this women has had a negative impact on him and he was tricked by his own relatives because they were only interested in Bertha's money. Because of this, Mr. Rochester is depressed and all he wanted was his soulmate, which according to him is Jane. Jane understands this and loves him back, but she can't be a mistress. This is against all that she believes in, even though she wants to say yes to him. She believes that if she says yes she will break a rule and once you break one rule, you are more likely to break many more after that. When she is on the run,she is invited in St.John's home. I know that John Read died of a succide, but was considered a rumor, and maybe not true. It seems weird to me that they share the same name, but then I also think this can't be true because John Read was so cruel to her as a child. I think that next Jane will get a job at St.John's and make some money and move one to go back to Mr. Rochester or to find another governess job.

Discussion Question: Why do you think St. John is so nice and welcoming to Jane?

Jane Eyre Chapters 25-26 Litblog

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
10-16-12

Chapters 25-26

Summary: In chapter 25, Jane receives her wedding dress and has trouble picturing her wedding day, she then discovers that the chestnut tree has been struck by lightening and is cut exactly in half. She is anxious and runs down the road to meet Mr.Rochester on his horse and they go back to the hall to eat dinner together. She tells him that someone came into her room the night before and tore her veil in half. Mr. Rochester has her then sleep with Adele to keep her safe. In chapter 26,  Jane comes down in her wedding dress and ready to be married. They make it to the church and a stranger tells them he has an impediment to their marriage, saying Mr.Rochester was already married. It turns out he is, to a woman named Bertha Mason. Mr.Mason's sister. She is mad, and Mr. Rochester has Grace Poole take care if her. But they have nothing together and she is locked up all through the day, and is like a wild hyena. Jane is devastated.

Quotation: "...I never saw a face like it! It was a discoloured face- it was a savage face. I wish I could forget the roll of the red eyes and the fearful blackened inflation of the lineaments!"(301).

Quotation Significance: This quote is essentially about Bertha Mason. Mr. Rochester's wife, even though Jane doesn't know it at the time. This is why Jane's veil is ripped and Mr. Mason is attacked by this woman, who is his sister. Bertha is described as a savage beast, like a werewolf.

Reflection: Jane is shocked when she hears of Mr. Rochester's betrayal, and thinks about leaving Thornfield. She still loves him but his deepylt hurt by his actions. She does seem to understand though what he must be going through though, he is a man who wants to get away from a estranged wife.  What I find puzzling is the fact that Jane doesn't say much during the service and after, like she thought the whole marriage was too good to be true anyway. Mr. Rochester still wants to marry Jane and didn't mean to hurt her the way he did. My prediction was right in believing that Mrs. Poole was innocent, she is only Bertha's caretaker. But someone had to be blamed for Mr. Mason's injury, the cries, and the torn veil, so Mr. Rochester blames Mrs. Poole to keep Bertha hidden. I think next Bertha will continue to hurt Jane and Mr. Rochester's relationship and will hurt more people. But in the end, Jane will destroy the beast or make it normal once again.

Discussion Question: Why did Mr. Rochester keep Berta Mason a secret?

Jane Eyre Chapters 22-24 Litblog

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
10-16-12

Chapters 22-24

Summary: After a month at Gateshead, Jane returns to Thornfield. She meets Mr.Rochester there and he asks for her opinon on wedding matters. Then he ushers her into the house and she tells him that Thornfield is her one and only home. In chapter 23,  Jane is in the garden and runs into Mr.Rochester, and he tells her he will have to find her a new job in a month and suggests a job in Ireland for her. Jane tells him she doesn't want to go, and he asks her to be his wife. She is shocked and doesn't believe it, but she finally agrees. In chapter 24, Jane kisses Mr.Rochester and he wants to shower her with gifts but she refuses saying that he will love her for a few months  and then he will continue only to like her. Then the pair head down to town to go shop with Adele and tell Mrs.Fairfax about the marriage.  Jane then says she wants everything as it was until the wedding, and Mr.Rochester agrees.

Quotation: "My bride is here...because my equal is here, and my likeness. Jane, will you marry me?"(269).

Quotation Significance: Jane is in the garden with Mr.Rochester and is just finding out his intentions to marry her. She is shocked. Mr.Rochestere is saying that he loves Jane, and she is his equal. He desperately wants to marry her.

Reflection: Jane has discovered that Mr.Rochester wants to marry her. Obviously this means that the fling with Miss Ingram was a ploy to make Jane jealous or not real at all. Jane loved Mr.Rochester, but never excepts that he will return her love. She is ecstatic but a little suspicious, I think she believes that Mr. Rochester has a crush on her and that it wont last very much longer. But she has decided to take a chance on him, most likely because she is so in love with him. Mr. Rochester wants to prove his love to her with expensive dresses and gifts, but this will not win Jane's heart and she has no interest in his money. She just wants to be happy and doesn't care too much on how she looks. She tells him that he will just have to accept that or not marry her. Adele is overjoyed at the marriage, because this means she most likely wont be sent away to school. All in all, Jane and Mr. Rochester are happy about the wedding to come soon.

Discussion Question: How do you think this marriage will affect everyone else in the household, and how long do you think this marriage will last?

Jane Eyre Chapters 13-16 Litblog

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
October 2, 2012

Chapters 13-16

Summary: In chapter 13,  Jane and Adele are called to Mr.Rochester's presence and Mr.Rochester learns about Adele and views her artwork and piano skills. In chapter 14,  she is called to Mr.Rochester's presence again and he tells her that he has forbidden Adele to talk about her parents with him and he gives Adele a new dress and he wants to talk with Jane and know everything about her. In chapter 15, Mr.Rochester tells Jane how he could possibly be Adele's father and was in love with her mother who abandoned her, Celine Varens. Jane hears a laugh at her door that night and footsteps along the hall and she finds Mr.Rochester's room on fire and she puts it out just in time. Mr.Rochester thinks that Grace did it. In chapter 16, Jane talks to Grace, but doesn't give anything away. She alos finds out that Mr.Rochester has left to go to a party for a week.

Quotation: "The human and fallible should not arrogate a power with which the divine and perfect alone can be safely entrusted"(144).

Quotation Significance: Jane says this to Mr.Rochester. She believes that the perfect and divine people should hold the power because they will not be greedy and will mot make mistakes with the power. She believes if this happens everyone will be happy.

Reflection: At the end of chapter 16 it is very evident that Jane likes Mr.Rochester and likes his company and looks forward to seeing and talking to him. She is in love with him, but doesn't quite know how to handle it. Mr. Rochester is indebted to Jane because she saved him for the fire, and he likes her as well. He enjoys talking to her and the fact she is interesting for such a young person. Even though Mr. Rochester cares for Adele he doesn't feel much emotion towards her due the fact that her mom betrayed her and he doesn't want to lose anyone again. Grace was supposedly the person who set Mr. Rochester's room on fire, but I'm thinking that this isn't true, but is the person they least suspect, or someone who was forgotten. I think that next something will bad will happen to Adele or someone else and Jane will have to figure out who it is.

Discussion Question: Why does Mr. Rochester not have much affection for Adele?

Jane Eyre Chapters 10-12 Litblog

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
October 1, 2012

Chapters 10-12

Summary: In chapter 10, Jane Eyre puts an ad in the newspaper and gets a job as a governess to a little girl in Millcote. In chapter 11, She arrives and is warmly welcomed by the house manager, Mrs. Fairfax. She gets to know her pupil Adele, and loves the young girl. In chapter 12, Jane runs down to Hay to deliver a letter and assists Mr. Rochester who fell off his horse and received a sprained ankle because of it. After coming back from Hay, she realizes who the man was.

Quotation: "Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do..." (113).

Quotation Significance: Jane is saying that she is tired of women being subordinate and not having true feelings because even though a women doesn't show it as much as men, they have ambitions and dreams too. She thinks that women should have the same oppurtunities as men.

Reflection: Jane thought she would be happy and content as the Thornfield mansion, and she was at first. But now she is staring to feel restless. She wants to go out and see the world, and struggle to make ends meet, and make life an adventure. She loves Adele and wants the best for her, and wants to see to her end of schooling. Adele is glad to have someone she can confide in, because she isn't very fluent in English. Jane is her good mentor and also her companion. When Jane realizes Mr. Rochester is the man she rescues she isn't shocked, and seems to like the man very much. I think that next Jane will fall in love with Mr.Rochester but then realize there is a dark secret about him, but until it is too late. She realizes that this secret might even affect her pupil she loves, Adele.

Discussion Question: How do you think Jane feels toward Thornfield and Mr.Rochester?