Tale of Two Cities Book 2 Ch. 7-9 Litblog

Mary Ann MacDonald
Period 5
11-6-12

Book 2 Ch. 7-9

Summary: In chapter 7, Monseigneur, a great court lord in Paris, has some guests, one of his guests, Marquis, races his carriage through the streets almost killing the commoners and kills a young boy. Marquis tosses a few coins to Gaspard, the boy's father, and Defarge, who tries to help him. Gaspard throws the coins at the carriage as it rolls away, and Madame Defarge knits. In chapter 8, the Marquis gets to his town which he is the lord of and interrogates a man who was watching him. Marquis continues on his way to find a woman mourning her buried husband and begging him for a grave- marker. Marquis ignores her and arrives at his chateau and asks if Darnay has arrived from England. In chapter 9, Darnay, Marquis's nephew, tells him he wants to renounce his title to inherit the property when Marquis dies. Darnay says that their family is associated with fear and slavery and the Marquis was found with a knife to his heart the next day, with a note from Jacques.

Quotation: "'Repression is the only lasting philosophy. The dark deference of fear and slavery, my friend,' observed the Marquis, 'will keep the dogs obedient to the whip, as long as this roof... shuts out the sky.'"

Quotation Significance: The Marquis says that as long there is fear of slavery from the peasants, they can be kept in line as long as they can't see the sky. Which basically means as long as they don't see the world clearly, and have hope for something better and that they are blocked from the world and and any help. 

Reflection: Marquis seems like a terrible, and a cruel man. He sent a carriage through the streets and hit a young boy and didn't even care, and just left a few coins for his father in pity. Gaspard, his father, was so devastated by his son's death and was sickened by the coins. How could killing a young boy be made up with a few small coins? Gaspard throws them away in his disgust. Luckily, Madame Defarge is watching, and stitches his name into her knitting cloth, by doing this, Marquis is on the list to die, and thankfully he gets justice by a knife to his heart and a note from Jacques. This obviously means that the killer was a rebel, and part of the revolution because of the code name "Jacques".  The other part of the message says "Drive him fast to his tomb". This means that they want his death to be quickly hidden so that no one gets suspicious about who did it. I have suspicions that maybe Darnay did it. He was at the headquarters of the revolution, the only known man at the house that night, and he asked to not inherit the property the night before Marquis was murdered. This is why I think it is possible that Darnay killed him. Darnay knew how terrible he is and what he could do, and he had to end Marquis's reign. 

Discussion Question: Who do you think killed Marquis?