Dr. Manette's Letter Change Of Fate

683 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Major themes in the strange case dr jekyll and mr hyde self reflection

Papers: Papers represent a change of fate for the characters whenever they are referenced with the papers. Whenever papers are received in any court it always changes the trial. This is because they are usually evidence that changes the verdict of the trial. An example of this changing someone’s fate is when Charles Darnay is on his last trial of the book and Dr. Manette’s letter causes him to be “Unanimously voted [guilty]. At heart and by descent . . .an enemy of the Republic” (318). Before this letter his fate was drastically different, “All the voices were in the prisoner’s favour, and the President declared him free” (273). The papers are markers of a large shift in the destiny of a character. Scarecrow + birds: The scarecrow + birds represent the rich not heeding to the warning signs of the peasants. The scarecrows are the warning signs and the birds are the rich. The book shows how “France shook the rags of the scarecrows in vain, for the birds … took no warning” (29). The book also shows how the birds are the rich when Madame DeFarge speaks about how she would “set upon the birds of the finest feather” (166). The birds of the finest feather are supposed to be the royalty, the ones who will first die in the revolution. The birds, like the rich, are able to fly away before it's too late but they don't because they don't listen to the …show more content…

These flies do not mean certain death though, if the warnings are listened to they would be able to avoid death. This is shown by the “cloud of great blue-flies swarming about the prisoner” (60). The prisoner in this instance is about to die but later on he does not actually die because he was able to avoid it. If the warnings aren’t listened to, death will come as it is shown by how their “decease made no impression on the other flies … until they met the same fate” (171). In this case the flies are being ignorant of the warning signs, like the aristocrats, and then they

Show More
Related

  • Kate Chopin's The Awakening

    1023 Words  | 3 Pages

    Chopin mentions birds in a subtle way at many points in the plot and if looked at closely enough they are always linked back to Edna and her journey of her awakening. In the first pages of the novella, Chopin reveals Madame Lebrun's "green and yellow parrot, which hung in a cage" (Chopin 1). The caged bird at the beginning of the novella points out Edna's subconscious feeling of being entrapped as a woman in the ideal of a mother-woman in Creole society. The parrot "could speak a little Spanish, and also a language which nobody understood" (1). The parrot's lack of a way to communicate because of the unknown language depicts Edna's inability to speak her true feelings and thoughts. It is for this reason that nobody understands her and what she is going through. A little further into the story, Madame Reisz plays a ballad on the piano. The name of which "was something else, but [Edna] called it ‘Solitude.' When she heard it there came before her imagination the figure of a man standing on a desolate rock on the seashore…His attitude was one of hopeless resignation as he looked toward a distant bird winging its flight away from him" (25). The bird in the distance symbolizes Edna's desire of freedom and the man in the vision shows the longing for the freedom that is so far out of reach. At the end of the story, Chopin shows "a bird with a broken wing…beating the air above, reeling, fluttering, circling disabled down, down to the water" while Edna is swimming in the ocean at the Grand Isle shortly before she drowns (115). The bird stands for the inability to stray from the norms of society and become independent without inevitably falling from being incapable of doing everything by herself. The different birds all have different meanings for Edna but they all show the progression of her awakening.

    Read More

  • Suspense In 'The Birds' By Daphne Du Maurier

    1811 Words  | 4 Pages

    In today’s society, individuals have the need to feel superior in situations where they do not necessarily comprehend the circumstances. In order to have a sense of normality, they make up explanations to compensate for their lack of knowledge. The characters in Daphne Du Maurier’s “The Birds” take on this style of thinking when a plethora of birds mysteriously appear in the sky. The main character, Nat, warns his family and neighbors of the deadly potential of the birds which was demonstrated to him one afternoon. Once the birds begin to attack, Nat and his family must proceed to protect themselves. With reason and logic thrown into the air, the characters in the story fill themselves with false confidence in order to convince themselves that

    Read More

  • Dorianne Laux’s “Bird”

    1108 Words  | 3 Pages

    The tile of the poem “Bird” is simple and leads the reader smoothly into the body of the poem, which is contained in a single stanza of twenty lines. Laux immediately begins to describe a red-breasted bird trying to break into her home. She writes, “She tests a low branch, violet blossoms/swaying beside her” and it is interesting to note that Laux refers to the bird as being female (Laux 212). This is the first clue that the bird is a symbol for someone, or a group of people (women). The use of a bird in poetry often signifies freedom, and Laux’s use of the female bird implies female freedom and independence. She follows with an interesting image of the bird’s “beak and breast/held back, claws raking at the pan” and this conjures a mental picture of a bird who is flying not head first into a window, but almost holding herself back even as she flies forward (Laux 212). This makes the bird seem stubborn, and follows with the theme of the independent female.

    Read More

  • The Symbols Of Birds Themes In Hitchcock's Psycho

    787 Words  | 2 Pages

    The birds are seen as quite creepy and a little odd but the different types of birds portrayed in the film, help to portray the two characters they help to draw parallels between. Norman is similar to that of a large yet timid bird as depicted in the scene in the parlor where he is placed methodically in the frame to capture this image perfectly. The owl represents the domineering personality of his mother taking over his personality. While Norman is more like one of the larger birds, Marion is similar to that of a small bird such as the finches depicted in the scene in the parlor. The other bird that could potentially represent her is the crow which could symbolize her guilt for taking the money that did not belong to her. It is interesting that Hitchcock would choose to use such an odd yet creepy motif in this film to help portray the main characters. This is because Norman is a bit odd and creepy but Marion just seems as though she has lost her way and let her judgment get clouded by the idea of being with the guy she loved, nothing really odd or creepy about that. The only really odd thing about Marion is that after ten years of working for a company, she decided to steal from them and just run away, something that seems completely out of character for her. The birds motif is so subtle in this film that upon the first time watching it, it is easily overlooked but when the viewer knows that

    Read More

  • The Scarlet Ibis

    539 Words  | 2 Pages

    The birds can be used for examples good examples and foreshadowing in “The Scarlet Ibis”. Like the screech owl, it can give the reader a hint about Doodle’s death in the story. When the owls are in the coffin this can help predict that Doodle’s death will come soon, assuming if the reader catches the hint. The screech owls are very wise animals, they know what the coffin is used for. Since the owls are very wise, they already know Doodle’s condition as well as what will happen.

    Read More

  • Analysis of Dickinson’s I heard a Fly buzz - when I died

    1316 Words  | 3 Pages

    One thing that stands out about this poem is that the word fly is capitalized throughout. It makes one wonder what the fly actually represents. Flies often gather around death and dead things, and on one level, the fly can be seen as a representation of death. Death, the perpetual fly on the wall, is finally making itself noticed. Although the speaker has always known that death is going to come, when it finally arrives, its modest appearance is disappointing.

    Read More

  • The Abolition of the Feudal System in France

    1337 Words  | 3 Pages

    Peasants set out to discover their fortune and explore their talents in the free market. The Comte de Virieu, a member of the National Assembly, subsequently suggested the right to control pigeon houses be terminated (Herbert). Because pigeons destroyed crops, the lords had confined all the pigeons.... ... middle of paper ... ...

    Read More

  • Oxymoron And Symbolism In Emily Dickinson's Poem

    1551 Words  | 4 Pages

    The evil one is always buzzing around trying to find the next person to attack, in this case the dying soul. In everyday life, a fly can serve as an intruder, a gross unnecessary annoying object, just like the evil one. The fly can represent the evil one because, the devil is always trying to tempt those who are weak in faith and vulnerable. Flies in real life eat on flesh, which is the evil one stealing the life and flesh out of others. In I Heard a Fly Buzz- When I Died the opponent, “the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion,” in which the case the “roars” of the lion can be the buzzing of the fly in the room (New American Bible, 1 Peter 5. 8). The lion (the fly) is looking for, “someone to devour” and trying to drag the person into the fires of hell (New American Bible, 1 Peter 5. 8). The reader can notice that there, “interposed the fly” again trying to drag Emily Dickinson away from the light. As in the Bible, the evil one tempts those who are an easy target, in this case the fly is buzzing around the room trying to get to the dying Emily Dickinson on her

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis of The Awakening

    983 Words  | 2 Pages

    Birds are a sizable image in The Awakening. Edna feels like a caged bird, and wishes to be freed. When Madame Ratignolle plays the piano, Edna often creates pictures in her head that represent the music. Edna's picture of a musical peice called "Solitude" is "the figure of a man standing beside a desolate rock on the seashore" (71). "His attitude was one of hopeless resignation as he looked toward a distant bird winging its flight away from him" (71). Edna feels like this man, as though she is trapped and cannot spread her wings and fly. This is a danger, however. Caged birds, although they are not free, are safe. They do not know of the dangers that can come with freedom. Once Edna tastes freedom, she does not want to go back to the safety of a caged life. She does not know of all the possible dangers, and being naive, she is very s...

    Read More

  • A Tale Of Two Cities: Dr. Alexandre Manette

    624 Words  | 2 Pages

    and happy life and himself to be a part of it. His desire to be a part of Lucie

    Read More

  • Snows Of Kilimanjaro Analysis

    762 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ernest Hemingway uses the always ominous vultures and buzzards to symbolize Harry’s wasted life. In the beginning of the story, the very first thing mentioned are big, “obscene” vultures (Hemingway). These vultures are crowding Harry because of the gangrenous wound that is emanating a putrid stench, which will later be his cause of death. The vultures and buzzards represent both what could have been and what now can’t be. Hemingway chooses the birds as symbols for their ecological function in life and death. Life, because their scavenging allows the African plains to stay mostly rid of rotten carcasses and other debris, and death, because they ominously linger around the wounded in order to get a fresh piece of their prospective dinners. Earlier in his life, Harry studied the way the vultures acted and carried themselves in order to write about them, which he never did. In essence, these “trash men” of the p...

    Read More

  • The Three Symbols in Trifles by Susan Glaspell

    305 Words  | 1 Pages

    The birdcage represents how Mrs. Wright was trapped in her marriage, and could not escape it. The birdcage door is broken which represents her broken marriage to Mr. Wright. It also represents Mrs. Wright escaping her marriage from Mr. Wright. When the door is open it allows Mrs. Wright to became a free woman. At one point in time the cage door use to have a lock that locked the bird inside the cage. This represents how Mr. Wright kept Mrs. Wright locked up from society. Mr. Wright knew that by keeping Mrs. Wright locked up, she would never be able to tell anyone how he really acted. Mr. Wright was very cruel to his wife.

    Read More

  • Lord Of The Flies Critical Analysis Essay

    1305 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lord of the Flies is often interpreted as a dark but simplistic revelation of human cruelty. Beneath the veneer of civility lurk malice, savagery, and the will to slaughter. Through circumstances out of their control, they crash land on an island, without social control and morals, naive children begin to murder one another, trampling through the forest chanting songs about blood and gore. Faced with isolation and hopelessness, they begin to imagine monsters, plot against one another, and attempt to recreate the society that they had grown accustomed to before the island. Only then do the children demand order and obedience, and further, begin to invent rituals of sacrifice and murder. They worship death, spitting the severed head of a pig

    Read More

  • Symbols of Inhumanity in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

    911 Words  | 2 Pages

    For example, the blue-flies represent the people’s lust for blood. During Charles Darnay’s first trial, “a buzz arose in the court as if a cloud of great blue-flies were swarming about the prisoner, in anticipation of what he was soon to become” (Dickens 50). When this quote is said, Charles Darnay, a prisoner at the time, is being tried for treason, with a punishment of death. The people seem to gravitate towards the prisoner, just as flies would on a dead body. Not only that, but there is also a “buzzing” in the courtroom, which could represent the spectators’ whispers. After Darnay has been acquitted, it is said that “the crowd came pouring out with a vehemence that nearly took him off his legs, and a loud buzz swept into the street as if the baffled blue-flies were dispersing in search of other carrion” (59). These people are confused, probably because they are disappointed about the prisoner’s sudden acquittal. The use of the word “carrion” enhances the metaphor of the flies; these people are suddenly searching for new victims. Also, the fact that they pour out of the courtroom with vehemence and passion clearly shows their morbid fascination with death.

    Read More

  • Scarlet Letter Scaffold Scene

    1124 Words  | 3 Pages

    Characters in a story can come back to the same area at different times and have such a dramatic change in perspective.The Scarlet Letter, a novel by Nathanial Hawthorne, was a story about a women, Hester Prynne, who had to wear a scarlet A to mark her adultery and shame. Arthur Dimmesdale, her lover, was involved with her adultery but didn’t want to be identified. Roger Chillingworth was seeking revenge because of Hester’s crime. These three characters all took part on the three pivotal scaffold scenes. Hawthorne unifies his novel with three pivotal scaffold scenes to show how each of these major characters grow and develop.

    Read More

More about Dr. Manette's Letter Change Of Fate

Open Document