A Tale Of Two Cities Essays (768 words) - English-language Films

A Tale Of Two Cities Essays (768 words) - English-language Films A Tale Of Two Cities It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness . . . Dickens begins A Tale of Two Cities with this famous sentence. It describes the spirit of the era in which this novel takes place. This era is the latter part of the 1700s - a time when relations between Britain and France were strained, America declared its independence, and the peasants of France began one of the bloodiest revolutions in history. In short, it was a time of liberation and a time of terrible violence. Dickens describes the two cities at the center of the novel: Paris, a city of extravagance, aristocratic abuses, and other evils that lead to revolution and London, a city rife with crime, capital punishment, and disorder. In both cities, the capabilities of an angry mob were a dangerous thing, to be feared by all. The tale begins on a road between London and Dover (in southern England) in 1775. Three strangers in a carriage are traveling along this dangerous road. The carriage encounters a messenger on a horse who asks for one of the passengers, Jarvis Lorry of Tellson's Bank. They are wary, because the messenger could be a highwayman, robber, or other undesirable. However, Mr. Lorry ventures out into the rain to receive the message. He recognizes the messenger as a man named Jerry, who works for Tellson's Bank, as well. Jerry tells him to wait at Dover for the young lady. Lorry tells Jerry to relay to the people at the Bank this message: Recalled to Life. Jerry has no idea what it means and rides off into the rain. Dickens then ponders how the heart of a person is a true mystery. Lorry can tell who or at least of what class the two other passengers are. Traveling on, Lorry dozes in and out of dreams. His dreams reveal to the reader that his mission is to metaphorically dig a man out of the grave. He dreams of imaginary conversations with this man he is to recall to life. Buried how long? Lorry always asks. Almost eighteen years, replies the man. Lorry brings the man in his dreams to see a woman (the young woman of which Jerry the messenger spoke). But the man does not know if he still wishes to live or if he can bear to see the young lady after having been buried for eighteen long years. Upon arriving at an inn in Dover, Lorry waits for the young lady. Here the reader learns that the sixty-year-old Lorry is a well-dressed businessman who works for Tellson's Bank. Tellson's has an office in London, and an office in Paris. Lorry is above all a man of business, and tries to reduce everything to business terms. When the young lady arrives, Lorry goes to see her. She is Lucie Manette, a seventeen-year-old orphan. Lucie believes that she must go to Paris with Lorry because Tellson's Bank has discovered something regarding her dead father's small bit of property. However, Lorry nervously tells her the truth: Her father was a well known scientist in France, whom Lorry knew while working at Tellson's French office. Lucie vaguely recognizes Lorry because he brought her to London many years ago when she was orphaned and Tellson's Bank was put in charge of her. Lucie is shocked when she learns that Tellson's has found her father alive in Paris. He was imprisoned in the Bastille (a famous French prison) for eighteen years, but no one knows why. Lorry calls in the servants, and a strong, brusque woman (who we later discover is Lucie's servant and who essentially raised her) comes in to take care of the young lady. Commentary The two cities are very important to the development of this novel. Both are violent cities rife with injustice. The characters travel between them throughout the novel. The cities provide two distinct settings, each with its own secrets and perils. The major themes of this novel are resurrection and revolution. The first of the two themes is introduced in this section. Resurrection is the literal action of bringing the dead back to life.

Dandelions and Medallions

Dandelions and Medallions Dandelions and Medallions Dandelions and Medallions By Maeve Maddox Reader Richard Walker wonders if the -lion endings in words like dandelion and medallion have anything to do with lions. Yes, where dandelion is concerned; no, for medallion. The English word dandelion comes from French dent-de-lion, lions tooth. This name derives from the toothed leaves of the plant. Modern French speakers call the dandelion pissenlit, pee in the bed. Middle English speakers called it the piss-a-bed. Herbalists know that the dandelion has diuretic qualities. Medallion, on the other hand, comes from Italian medaglione, large medal. The word medal comes ultimately from Latin metallum, metal. A taxi medallion is a license that allow taxi drivers to operate in the US. Here are some quotations from the newspapers: the soil a bit,† said Ryan Anderson, program and communications manager for Midwest Pesticide Action Center. â€Å"Dandelions are good at reducing soil erosion.(www.chicagotribune.com) Uppkar Thind said he has to drive his yellow cab as many 13 hours a day, as he struggles to pay off a taxi medallion that he bought 11 years ago. (www.nytimes.com) a forerunner of the City Council, to pass the Haas ordinance. That law limited the number of hack licenses medallions that made it legal for taxis to transport passengers who hailed them on the street. (www.nytimes.com) value of Chicagos taxi medallions have plummeted dramatically over the last several years. Now, foreclosures in the city boasts the second (www.usatoday.com) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Rhetorical Devices for Rational WritingBody Parts as Tools of MeasurementJanuary 1 Doesn't Need an "st"

Suicide after Combat in the Military Research Paper

Suicide after Combat in the Military - Research Paper Example The effects of this on the military personnel’s psychological well being has been adverse and contributed greatly to the military suicides since the inception of the missions. Discussion Military deployment negatively affects the lives of the military personnel and their respective families - their family life is altered forever- as it entails four distinct phases; pre-deployment, deployment, reunion and post deployment. The events in these phases affect the military official mentally as they have to deal with issues related to the changes occurring in their lives; they are shifting from their normal life schedules to others they have no idea how they are likely to turn out and if they would actually be back to their families or not. Pre-deployment issues include dealing with the separation from the social support network they are used to, dealing with the increased workload and the shift in daily duties. In the deployment, they may encounter issues like physical injuries, exp osure to traumatic events and lack of communication with their loved ones among others. The re-union and post deployment phases pose their own challenges as the individuals strive to readjust to their old lifestyles and social networks as well as deal with the reality of their experiences during the deployment (Hoge,  2006). The effect of the entire deployment experience is can be devastating and the individual is unable to effectively fit into the society and options of suicide make more sense to appease their conscience. Why does this happen? The deployment experience has negative impact on the military official’s mental health. Stressors and experiences related to the post-deployment, deployment, and post deployment experiences together put the service member at a risk of mental health problems such as post traumatic stress disorder, depression and drug and substance abuse. The experience in one way or the other impairs the service members quality of life; a decrease in the emotional well being, social functioning and the general health of the concerned individual. According to military surveillance data, mental health related concerns and behavioral health among the service members rise 3-6 months after deployment and sometimes it exerts a lasting effect on the military personnel. Other than the experience in the military deployment and combat, mental health is triggered by the interpersonal concerns and stressors throughput the four phases of the deployment. A study conducted on the 2008 OIF veterans showed that mental health was impacted by the post-deployment social support. The study participants reported not getting the desired family and friends emotional and instrumental support they desired during and after the deployment. The respective families experienced financial difficulties, spousal arguments, physical aggression and sometimes abuse of a spouse and child abuse during the post deployment period. Long deployment periods increase the s ervice a member distress levels and shows more psychiatric and physical health symptoms compared to the short deployments, however, the effect of the location and duration of deployment on the peoples’ mental health of depends on the types and severities of the stressors.