The Constituents Shall be Heard Act:
Every bill over 2,000 pages in length shall trigger mandatory public comment. Any member of the public who wishes to voice an opinion on a bill over 2,000 pages shall be allowed to speak on the chamber floor unobstructed for as long as desired. Such public comments must occur before any vote may be cast.
Great literature should do more than entertain us. It should provide a roadmap to improving our lives.
In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens introduced readers to Sydney Carton, one of literature's most compelling and deeply flawed characters. Dickens also gives him an unusual title: the Jackal.
His struggles raise questions that remain relevant today.
Are we defined by our past mistakes? Can we overcome our weaknesses? What separates the people we are from the people we could become?
Lessons From the Jackal is a 25-day character study exploring these questions through Sydney Carton’s life, decisions, relationships, and personal development.
This is not a traditional course on A Tale of Two Cities. Our reading assignments will focus specifically on Carton, with sufficient background provided to understand his story. No previous knowledge of the novel is necessary.
Each day will feature selected readings, historical comparisons, reflection questions, discussions, and practical challenges ...
In today's reading, we learn that Lucie and Charles Darnay have experienced the death of their young son. For families living in eighteenth-century England, childhood mortality was a tragic but familiar reality. Diseases such as smallpox, measles, scarlet fever, and whooping cough claimed thousands of young lives each year. Modern antibiotics did not exist, vaccinations were extremely limited, and physicians frequently lacked effective treatments for serious infections.
Even wealthy families were vulnerable. Access to better food, housing, and medical attention could improve a child's prospects, but wealth offered no guarantee of survival. Even though childhood death was much more common than it is today, parents still experienced profound grief. Surviving letters, diaries, and family memorials reveal the emotional suffering that accompanied the loss of a child.
Dickens introduces this tragedy with relatively little elaboration. Yet one detail stands out. As the young boy approaches death, ...
“This favored the desperate resolution Charles Darnay had begun to make, that he would go to Paris.”
Charles Darnay has consistently attempted to distinguish himself from the cruelty and selfishness of his aristocratic ancestors. He has rejected the privileges associated with his inheritance and established a life based upon his own efforts. These decisions suggest that Darnay possesses a strong sense of personal responsibility.
Darnay appears to believe that because he has acted honorably, others will recognize his honorable intentions. He knows that France is experiencing unbelievable political turmoil, but he seems confident that his personal circumstances will distinguish him from the aristocrats whom the revolutionaries despise. This confidence may reflect his integrity. It may also reflect his naïveté.
Yet another man’s life is in danger. Darnay feels compelled to save Gabelle. So he prepares to travel to France.
“Yes. The Loadstone Rock was drawing him, and he must sale on, ...
