Dickens Map

Reading Schedule

I have about 250 pages left to read of A Tale of Two Cities (yeah, I know; blame AP Gov) so I plan on reading 30-40 pages a night for the rest of this school week, then getting any pages leftover done during the weekend.

AP Questions

The following are five AP Questions that I hope to be able to answer after finishing the book.  They're from Oprah's website, but "developed" by Penguin Books, so I'll accept that as enough validity for me.  The questions seem fairly in depth.

1.  A Tale of Two Cities opens with "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." one of the best-known passages in English literature. What does Dickens mean by setting the stage with such polarities? For whom was it the best and the worst of times? Dickens wrote A Tale of Two Cities in the late 1850s. Why does this passage continue to be quoted today? In what ways does our own present period merit such an assessment?

2.  The novel takes place, as its title suggests, in two cities: London and Paris. What are some of the differences between these two cities? Between their denizens? What about characters who travel—or move residence—from one to another? How are the cities themselves divided in two?

3.  Dickens seems to have great sympathy for the poor, the sick and the powerless, but not all such characters are portrayed sympathetically. What does that say about his sympathies? Where does he intend our sympathies as readers to lie?

4.  Why was Charles Darnay able to see the unfairness of the class structure that benefited him and then able to extricate himself from it? Are there other characters as capable of seeing beyond their own circumstances?

5.  Sydney Carton's background is alluded to, though we never quite learn the source(s) of his disappointment and degeneracy. What might have happened in his past?

Evaluation

I don't see any reason not to test my understanding of the book by simply revisiting these questions.  As far as class evaluation goes, I think a Socratic seminar in which people present their best discussion question (and answers!) would be beneficial.  A post-discussion write up should aptly demonstrate expertise.