Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens was greatly influenced by his upbringing. He knew what it was like to live in poverty and to constantly live with debt. Dickens grew up in England in the early 1800's. This time period was very important to his understanding of life and people because it was a time of revolution in countries all over the world. Dickens was also greatly influenced be his own family. His father went to prison because of a large debt. His family moved closer to the prison and left Dickens behind. He was forced to make his own living and start his own life. Charles made money doing small jobs like shoe shining and decided he would be a writer at the young age of fifteen. Dickens later became a very successful writer. Because of the hardships he faced in his own life, he was able to make the characters in his novel very easy to relate to for the people of the time period. Dicken's realistic writing caused him to become not only famous in Europe, but even in the United States. Today Charles Dickens is thought to be one of the greatest writers along with William Shakespeare. He started a new age of writing about real people and persuaded his readers to reach their dreams and stay young at heart.  

A Tale of Two Cities Practice Test

1: What two cities does the title refer to?
a. London and Paris
b. Paris and Nice
c. Edinburgh and Paris
2: Why does Dickens use the phrase “recalled to life” in reference to Doctor Manette?
a. Because he had never traveled.
b. Because he was born again.
c. Because he came out of a coma.
d. Because he was released from prison.
3: How does Sydney Carton save Darnay from being found guilty of treason during the trial in England?
a. He finds the real criminal.
b. He points out the resemblance between Darnay and himself.
c. He proves Darnay wasn’t in England when the crime was committed.
d. He pleads guilty to the crime, himself.
4: During the day Jerry Cruncher is a porter for Tellson’s Bank. What is his occupation at night?
a. Hustler
b. Grave robber
c. Bartender
d. Bank robber
5: What is Madame Defarge knitting?
a. a scarf
b. a suicide note in the shape of a sweaterc. a register of people who will be condemned to die after the Revolution
d. clothes for the revolutionaries
6: Why does the Doctor keep himself busy by making shoes after Lucie and Darnay get married?
a. He sees that Darnay has no shoes.
b. He learns that Darnay is a revolutionary.
c. He realizes that Darnay is the son of the man who sent him to prison.
d. He discovers that Darnay is a traitor.
7: Why does Darnay return to France in 1792?
a. To turn in Defarge
b. To expose the revolutionaries
c. To visit a gravesite
d. To help his family’s steward, who is in prison for helping Darnay
8: How does Madame Defarge die?
a. She is executed.
b. She is poisoned.
c. She is shot.
d. She is sent to the guillotine.
9: How does Carton get Darnay out of prison?
a. He makes the guards think Darnay is dead.
b. He hides Darnay in a cart full of dirty laundry.
c. He sneaks Darnay out after bribing a guard.
d. He changes clothes with Darnay, drugs him, and arranges for the guards to take Darnay out of the
prison in his place.


I got this test on http://dmhscommunity.wikispaces.com and I found it really helpful.

A Tale of Two Cities

A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens definitely fits it's title. The novel was the first of his stories to literally be the tale of two cities rather than just one. The novel depicts the parallels of high civilization and eternal religion. For the first time, Dickens compared the two through one story. The story follows many main characters. Two of the characters are Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton. The characters' backgrounds and relationships are revealed through different aspects. Charles is faced with the hardships of revolution, while Sydney strives to redeem his sad life and pursue love. Both characters face different hardships and settings, but are still related.

The Great Gatsby

Literature Analysis (Plot, Theme, and Setting)
              The theme of the novel is the "American Dream". A better understanding of the American dream during the nineteen-twenties is crucial to the understanding of the theme.The decay of the American dream during the nineteen-twenties is portrayed through the life of Gatsby, a wealthy man who believes that the only way to achieve social acceptance is through material wealth. Fitzgerald reveals the corruptness of the ideal lifestyle during this time period through the characters and events Gatsby encounters.

  The nineteen-twenties were a time of low social and moral values. After WWI, a sudden rise in the stock market occurred, making it very quick and easy to become wealthy. The importance of wealth and partying replaced many valuable goals. Gatsby is a prefect representation of this lifestyle. Throughout the novel he threw many lavish parties at his mansion but didn't converse or become friendly with any of his guests. This reveals Gatsby’s lack of the correct values. He believes that he will be accepted by flaunting his wealth and power.

 Drinking also became more prevalent during the nineteen-twenties. In 1919, the Eighteenth Amendment legally banded drinking. This opened a new world of wealth and power. Illegal distribution of alcohol created new social classes and revealed the corruptness of not only commoners but men of honor like policeman. Drinking was also a way for people to escape their unaccomplished dreams. Attending parties was not only a way to achieve social acceptance, it was also a way to fill the need for pleasure and material wealth during the time period. The people during the nineteen-twenties have been referred to as “the lost generation”. This means that they accomplished nothing of great value. After WWI, many soldiers returned depressed and replaced their feelings of hopelessness with alcohol.

 

Is Success Directly Dependent On Upbringing?

1. Background of study
First off, success must be clearly outlined. Success is all about perception and happiness. It is a matter of personal opinion. Some people may only feel successful when they are the leader of a large company and making a very high wage, while someone else may feel successful as a kindergarten teacher. Success also must be compared with past and present. Along with wages and technology, personal goals and self esteems have also changed. So, are these ideas and opinions dependent on upbringing? Are children who are born into wealthy families forced to believe that money is the only key to success?
2. Importance
It is important to understand how the lives of parents affect their children. Are children more likely to be happy as adults if their parents were happy with their success?
3. Purpose of study
It is also important to prove what roles parents play in children's adult lives. Where do we draw the line?
4. Organization
I plan to look up the childhoods of many people that are viewed to be successful in society. I will researched popular people like Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama and see how their upbringings affected them. I also plan to define success the best I can. It does depend on the person, so I will also research ordinary people and their ideas of success.

Practice AP Essay

                                                                                                Briana Stinn Period 3

"By their deeds shall ye know them." We often judge people by what they do; therefore, we consider people who commit cruel or reprehensible acts corrupt, base or amoral. In literature, however, authors often introduce us to characters whom we learn to like or even respect, despite their deeds. 

Write an essay about one such character for whom you developed admiration or compassion. Briefly explain why you felt his or her behavior to be condemnable or contemptible, and how the author's techniques influenced you to admire that person. Do not summarize the plot. (40 minutes)

Over the course of the novel, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, I developed great admiration for the character, Hester Prynne. Hester faced tragedy and hardships in her life, but stayed strong and became a devoted mother. Hester stood out in a time period when women were ignored and often miss treated. Through setting and characterization, Nathaniel Hawthorne created a character that I will always admire and respect.

The setting of the novel is crucial to the true understanding of Hester’s importance. Hester lived in Boston, Massachusetts in the 17^th century. During the time period there was lots of sexism and women were treated unfairly. Religion also played a huge role in the setting. Religion was a big part of government and law making. Hester committed what was thought to be a crime for the time period. Not only was it considered a crime because of religious influence, but Hester was also frowned down upon because she was a woman committing the crime.  Despite social alienation, Hester remained strong, lived her life, and raised her daughter will love and protection.

Hester’s character and personality are very noble and honorable. She stayed strong through all of the agony and humiliation cause by the public surrounding her. Hester remained prideful and accepted her scarlet “A” as a challenge. She proved that a simple patch on her chest would not affect her or her child. Hester stayed determined a created the best possible life she could for herself and her daughter.

Hester is definitely and character to be admired. She holds very honorable qualities. Through setting and characterization, Nathaniel Hawthorne developed a character that I really admire and respect.