Day: December 8, 2021

THEMES OF THE NOVEL “A TALE OF THE TWO CITIES” BY CHARLES DICKENS

While analyzing the themes of Charles Dickens’s 1859 historical fiction, A Tale of Two Cities it is apparent that the author has incorporated variety of themes in the novel. Through the beginning lines “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. . .” the chaotic society of eighteenth society is well depicted by Dickens. Even though the characters in the novel do not engage in many conversations, their actions strengthens the themes of this work.
Resurrection or rebirth is the major theme of the novel, which is presented from the beginning to the end of the novel. The first important resurrection is that of Sydney Carton’s. Sydney Carton’s resurrection and sacrifice gives new life to Lucie and her family. Carton is portrayed as a Christ like figure who dies to save the lives of the people he loves and reborn in their minds. The theme of resurrection comes again with respect to Dr Alexandre Manette, who is reborn into his previous life, from imprisonment and mental illness, with the love of his daughter Lucie. In Jerry Cruncher’s life also we can see the resurrection, who leaves the job of grave digging for his loved ones. These are the resurrection in
personal level. In the societal level, we can see the old status of France appears to give way to New France with the sacrifice of many revolutionaries. The revival of peace and a better society echoes throughout the novel. Sacrifice is the next dominant theme in A Tale of Two Cities . On a personal level sacrifice of Sydney Carton is most strongly visible. He gives importance to the happiness of Lucie and family and this encourages him to sacrifice his life. Carton does not have a family of his own and he lead an unproductive life throughout, so he haven’t offered much to the world. So he believes this act of sacrifice will redeem everything and make his life meaningful. Next factor which strengthens the theme of sacrifice is the revolution. Revolutionaries sacrifice their life to give a new society.
Violence and oppression is the next major theme. Even though Dickens’s seems to support the revolution, he emphasizes the sufferings caused by violence. Dickens sympathizes with the peasantry and emphasizes the need for liberation. But the strategy of peasants for overcoming this situation causes more violence and death of many innocent humans. The scenes of people sharpening their weapons in the grindstone, senseless killings of people and dance with weapons emphasizes the theme of violence and oppression.

Since the background of the novel is eighteenth century society Social Inequality and Class conflict are the next important theme. There are two classes in France, the peasants and the aristocrats. The aristocrats are portrayed as lazy, irresponsible, spoiled and heartless who does not have any regard for the peasants or lower section of the society. The social inequality is evident in the incident of the rape of the peasant woman by Marquis. And when the Marquis killed the son of Gaspard he is not subjected to any legal proceedings because he is from the aristocracy. The storming of Marquis’s castle is the symbol of the fall of aristocracy. Towards the end the situation reverse. The violent measures by the peasants arises as a result of long suffering. Even though Dickens supported revolution he portrayed both social class as equally violent and oppressive.
The theme of justice is intertwined with discrimination and injustice. Justice is presented literally by trails and imprisonments in the plot. The imprisonments of Darnay and Dr Manette are example of innocent people being subjected. As said earlier after the death of the son of Gaspard Marquis is not subjected to any legal proceedings. At this occasion justice is taken by individuals, like murder of Marquis by Madame Defarge as a revenge against Everemonde family.


Apart from these major themes Dickens focuses on themes of duality like light v/s darkness love v/s hatred with the comparison of two countries and the actions of the people there. While England remained as peaceful country, France goes through intense revolution. The contrast between these countries is progressed through the novel which intensifies the theme of light v/s darkness. Dr. Manette has been locked away in a dark prison for many years and lost his mind. Charles Darnay is struggling to right the wrongs done by Evremonde family. Sydney Carton is living his life unproductive and feels he has no purpose. So Lucie is the person who is considered as the light in their lives, who lead them to recovery and bring them out of darkness.

Revolution is the next major theme which is clearly apparent throughout the novel. The revolution and it’s impact on lives of many people is clearly portrayed. The sinners and innocent people, both are equally affected by revolution. The reversal of roles are the next theme. Towards the end of the novel the peasants who were poor in the beginning become more barbaric and cruel. And as a result of this the aristocrats suffer at the end. So this is an example of reversal of roles among peasants and aristocrats. On another level the replacement of Darnay by Carton in the prison is also an example for the reversal of roles. Apart from these, themes like family preservation, fate, love and hate are also included by Dickens. Through these themes author clearly reflects the society of eighteenth century.

Gadgets that will make your life easier!

This is an image of gadgets that will make your life easier!

 

With rapid industrialisation and innovation making its way through centuries. People living through them benefit widely due to employment opportunities and hi-tech gadgets being produced. We cannot imagine our lives today without our phones and it is rendered useless without a good internet connection. With the continuation of experiments and innovations, the boundaries of possibilities are being pushed and new gadgets arrive in the market that vow to make our lives easier. 

We will be looking at such gadgets in the list below. Make sure to check them out!

1.Wireless earphones or earbuds

Nothing is more frustrating than grappling with tangled earphone wire when you need to listen to some music. Many tech giants have come with affordable solutions to this problem in the form of wireless earphones and earbuds. Yes, there are affordable options to choose from. You can also choose from a range of manufacturers to buy your wireless earphones as its a product competed for production by many popular brands. 

Click here to find some affordable wireless earbuds.

2. Powerbank

With a portable powerbank in hand, you no longer need to worry about losing all the charge in your phone. Or your wireless pods if you own a pair. However, you will have to remember to charge the power bank to use it for its intended purpose. Apon charging it, your powerbank can sustain long enough to power your mobile phones over long journeys. 

3. Streaming sticks

Streaming sticks are the modern solution for streaming video content on your television or computer using a Wifi or 4G internet connection. It comes with a remote as well to toggle through streaming services on your electronic devices. It works as an amazing alternative over set-top-boxes and cable TV connections. 

Google Chromecast or Amazon FireTV can be viable options to look for while purchasing a streaming stick.

4. Go Pro

GoPros are tinier versions of a traditional camera that allows you to capture photos and videos while you are on the run. GoPro is basically a US based brand that has widely become synonymous with compact and portable cameras. These compact cameras from GoPro are expensive. But if you don’t mind spending extra for a YouTube video or to simply capture a worthwhile experience, you can give this a go!

5. Selfie stick

Works every time when you lack a tall friend in your group. This selfie stick can be a portable extension for your arm while taking selfies. Or groupfies!

6. Fitness tracker

The rest of the world might not be interested in knowing the steps you covered. But you would want to keep tabs on it. Fitbit wrist bands can do the job by notifying you about the number of steps you have covered. There are more complex alternatives such as smartwatch that come with GPS connectivity and waterproofing as well. 

7. E- Reader

E-Readers don’t have the traditional glare you receive from your smartphones and computers. Thus, taking it easy on your eyes while you read your favorite book on one of them. You also have thousands of reading options to choose from on a single device. 

8. A lost-stuff finder

Here comes a hi-tech gadget that will help you find your important stuff. It’s a small chip-like structure that you can place inside your wallet or clip it to your keys. When you lose track of your items, you can trigger a sound on the chip from your smartphone to find your lost items. 

9. VR viewer

Get the experience of a virtual reality from Samsung gear VR or Google daydream view that can be operated from your smartphones. Because why not. There are tons of 360 degree videos and VR contents out there for you to witness. 

10. Wireless Charging pad

If your smartphone supports wireless charging, getting a wireless charging pad will be worth it. It will definitely make your life easier by not having to look for adaptors or cables anymore. It also looks cool!

So these are some of the tech-gadgets mentioned that can make your life

easier. 


References


Alex Fitzpatrick, the 20 tech accessories everyone should have, time.com


World System And Dependency

Structural approaches of international relations, also known as ‘neo-radical approaches’, are of recent origin. Theories in support of these approaches were advocated by leftist writers who were deeply influenced by Marxism-Leninisim. The structural approaches, including the ‘World System Approach’ and the ‘Dependency Theory’, consider the world structure from the class point of view, based largely on the level of development and accumulation of capital. Western capitalist countries, having huge accumulation of capital, are termed as the centre or core of the world system, while third world countries, lacking development and capital, are called the periphery. We shall examine the concept of development and underdevelopment with reference to the centre versus periphery.

A reference may be made here to neo-realists, who also examine the international structure, but from the political angle. They describe the international structure as chaotic or anarchic because there is no all powerful central authority to discipline the nation states, and to resolve their disputes and maintain world peace. The leftists, on the other hand, largely concentrate on economic relations between the rich industrialized nations of the capitalist world on the one hand and the poor developing third world countries on the other. This chapter will discuss the centre-periphery aspect of development as advocated by the neo-radicals.

Economic Accumulation : The North-South Divide

There is enormous gap today between income levels in the world’s industrialized regions and those in the third world. The rich industrialized countries generally lie in the northern parts of the world, while the poor developing countries are in the south. This difference in the income levels has caused differences in the overall prosperity between the rich North and the poor South. How can this gap be explained? This may be done with the help of the liberal view and also with reference to the revolutionary or radical world view.

The liberal view explains the problem by stressing that the capitalist countries have overall efficiency in maximizing economic growth. This view holds that the poor countries are merely lagging behind the industrial north. The liberals would make us believe that more wealth creation in the North is a good thing, as is wealth creation in the South. According to this view, there is no conflict between the two, as eventually the South will also acquire more wealth.

The leftist, or socialist, view is that the divide may be viewed not only in terms of creation of wealth but also with regard to its distribution. According to this view, the creation of wealth in the North often comes at the expense of the South.

The World System Approach – Centre And Periphery

The system of regional class divisions has been viewed by scholars of international relations with Marxist orientation as the ‘ world system’ or ‘capitalist world economy.’ The world system approach is a leftist theory and it relies on global system of analysis. Marx himself had limited his theory to domestic class conflict only, but Marxist scholars apply the same logic in their world system approach. In this system, class divisions are regionalized. The third world countries (exceptions apart) generally produce raw materials, including agricultural products.

These activities need large manpower but not much of capital. The peasants working in agriculture, mining and other sectors are paid low wages. The industrialized countries, on the other hand, mostly produce manufactured goods. This requires large amount of capital, and needs more skilled workers who are paid high wages. The industrialized manufacturing regions are called ‘centre’ of the world system; and the extraction regions (producing raw materials and agricultural items) are known as ‘periphery’.

Reference : International relations by V.N Khanna