Revolution In A Tale Of Two Cities

Essay, Research Paper

Revolution

It was the year 1789, when the flood started. The flood known as the French Revolution. The revolution brought France all the change, we desired for a long time. The success of the revolution can not even be expressed in words. I only wish that the flood was started earlier.

The flood was not some spontaneous event, however it was a flood filled with all the bitterness and harshness my people had to endure for centuries. Revolution by definition is the abrupt overthrow of the government; a sudden change in a system. And the sudden change in the system was obvious in A Tale of Two Cities. The cries of our dead children were no longer be silenced, for they began to burst forth from their coffins. Their cries harmonized with those of our forefathers demanding change.

“Monseigneur, the good God knows; but I don’t ask it. My petition is that a morsel of stone or wood, with my husband’s name, my be placed over him to show where he lies. Otherwise the place will be forgotten, it will never be found when I am dead of the same malady, I shall be laid under some heap of poor grass. Monseigneur, there are so many, they increase so fast, there is so much want. Monseignuer! Monseignuer!(Dickens, page 122) This poor woman could not even provide her husband with a proper burial. Her husband probably worked hard all his life just trying to provide for his family. It was in his death that he had to die with no dignity. His story like others was soon to be forgotten. It was up to the flood to assure the fact that his story would not be forgotten, that it would always be remembered as something that should never have happened.

One of the most thrilling events of the revolution occurred on July 14. The French people stood as one, one body, one heartbeat, and one resounding cry. A cry that will forever echo throughout the halls of time. “Deep ditch, single drawbridge, massive stone walls, eight great towers, cannon, muskets, fire and smoke. One drawbridge down! “Work, comrades all, work! Work Jacques One, Jacques Two, Jacques One Thousand, Jacques Two Thousand, Jacques Five-and-Twenty Thousand;in the name of Angels or Devils-which you prefer work!”(Dickens,page 214-215)

For years the Bastille had always stood as a symbol of the king’s power. When the people decided to storm the Bastille they went against the king and his power.The fight was very bloody, but that is how the people were heard. The bloodshed got them the attention that they desired.This was a bold step, once this step was taken there was no way the people could back out now. Although this was a bold step it wasn’t as bold as the one made on June 20th.

On June 20th, the National Constituent Assembly was formed. The Tennis Court Oath was formed. This oath taken by the assembly promised to fight for a fair constitution for the people of France. A constitution that would provide equal rights for everyone living in France. That is why the storming of the Bastille was a very important event.

The reign of Terror happened between the months of July and August. During these months, the French people stormed the countryside to vent out the rage that they felt deep within. They attacked the nobles forcing them to give up their rights on taxation. If the people of France wanted a fair constitution, they had to start with nothing and work their way up. They were not all about to subject our lives on the hope that the nobles would somehow change. The french had to force them to change, whether they liked it or not.

On August 27, The Declaration of the Rights of a Man were documents penned and written. Those that require deeper thought and design are said to be framed.This was the constitution that France. This constitution promised every man equality, freedom of worship, and rights. However this constitution had its flaws. There were still restrictions on being represented in the government. However, that battle was another war that would finally be won with the people’s blood and tears.My people were driven by hunger like no other. It wasn’t just physical hunger, but it was the soul that hungered the most. It hungered for everything. Hungered, to live. Hungered, to feel. Hungered, to want. But most of all it hungered to feel the passion. The kind of passion that was stirred up by the revolution.