A Tale of Two Cities
Insights into Book the First, Chapter Five: “The Wine Shop”
1. Annotation Colors for A Tale of Two Cities
• setting (both time and place): green
• literary devices: yellow
• Jerry Cruncher's characterization: black
• Jarvis Lorry's characterization: brown
• Lucie Manette's characterization: blue
• Miss Pross’s characterization: red
• Monsieur Ernest Defarge: purple
• Madame Defarge: orange
2. The narrator assumes that you will eventually understand that Chapter 5 takes
place in Saint Antoine, which is a suburb in Paris, France. Write this place
element of setting in the white space on page 28, and be sure to remember that
Dickens personifies the suburb as a male. Be careful not to think he’s discussing a
real person.
3. Be sure to read pages 28 through the top of 30 (the wine episode) as both literal
and foreshadowing, marking specifically that the foreshadowing will be fulfilled
on page 223.
4. In the middle of page 29, circle the word dancing, draw an arrow to the margin,
and note that this particular activity foreshadows the Carmagnole (p. 283).
5. At the bottom of 29, Dickens uses the phrase “one tall joker” who wears a “nightcap” and who “scrawls” (top of 30). Mark all of these, being sure to write “one
tall joker” at the top of 29.
6. Dickens has his narrator decode the symbolism of the wine at the top of 30.
Highlight the word “BLOOD” in yellow, highlight “that wine too” in the next
line, and draw a connecting line between the two.
7. Find the em dashes (—) in the third line of the big paragraph on page 30. Within
these em dashes, Dickens tell us what are the “lords in waiting on the saintly
presence” of Saint Antoine. He also tells us which is the one with greatest power.
Mark this personification.
8. In the large paragraph on page 30, significant use of anaphora, parallelism, and
personification is used with “Hunger.” Note all three, being sure to highlight the
word “Hunger” in yellow each time it is used.
9. On page 31, the narrator tells us that, although the poor people (the Third Estate)
of Saint Antoine don’t have food, they do have an abundance of some things.
Highlight these things, remembering that these will be what they use for
ammunition.
10. A “kennel” (middle of page 31) is a gutter.
11. On page 31, near the bottom of the big paragraph, you see Dickens make his third
reference to the sea. Be sure that you’ve marked all three in yellow (p. 7—
“unwholesome sea”; p. 19—“the sea did what it liked, and what it liked was
destruction; p. 31—“Indeed they were at sea and the ship and the crew were in
peril of tempest”). Writing the allusions at the top of each page and note that the
sea is symbolic of the Third Estate. Be sure then, that you understood what the
Vickie C. Ball, Harlan High School
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“ship and the crew” who are in “peril of tempest” symbolize at the bottom of page
31.
12. Also at the bottom of page 31, make sure you mark and label the symbolism of
the “gaunt scarecrows” and the “birds, fine of song and feather.” Note that we will
see the bird imagery alluded to on page 177.
13. You should copy the following chart with the color-coded symbolism, put the
date of Friday, March 25th on it, and put it in your notebook in chronological
order.
14. On page 32, mark any characterization of Monsieur Defarge.
15. Do the same for Madame Defarge on page 33.
16. At the bottom of page 33, “Jacques” is a code name for anyone who is supportive
of the Revolution (which, as you know, is growing “silently” in this year of
1775—because it won’t break open until July 14th, 1789).
17. On page 36, the narrator tells you that the wine shop’s
turret (or attic room) is in the shadow of “the two great
towers of Notre-Dame” (see picture at right). Keep in
mind that the First Estate is represented by images of the
church in general—and that Dickens is implying that all
of this poverty and suffering occurs in the literal and
symbolic shadow of the Church—while the Church does
nothing.
18. Make sure that you understand that Monsieur Defarge is
taking Lucie and Mr. Lorry to see her father—and that
the reason Monsieur Defarge has her father is because
Dr. Manette has been imprisoned for eighteen years and
has just been released to the care of Monsieur Defarge
because Defarge used to be Dr. Manette’s servant—and he loves Dr. Manette.
19. Keep in mind that Dr. Manette has been in solitary confinement, so Monsieur
Defarge keeps him confined so he will not do danger to himself.
20. Lucie’s father is actually a doctor, but you should note that he is busily engaged in
another “profession” when Lucie sees him for the first time at the end of Chapter
Five.
Vickie C. Ball, Harlan High School
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