“Amid the din of party strife the people's choice was made, but its attendant circumstances have demonstrated anew the strength and safety of a government by the people. In each succeeding year it more clearly appears that our democratic principle needs no apology, and that in its fearless and faithful application is to be found the surest guaranty of good government.
But the best results in the operation of a government wherein every citizen has a share largely depend upon a proper limitation of purely partisan zeal and effort and a correct appreciation of the time when the heat of the partisan should be merged in the patriotism of the citizen.”
Grover Cleveland
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 ...
Sydney Carton appears to be a man resigned to his fate.
He recognizes the deterioration of his own character and seems convinced that his circumstances will only worsen. He is “overshadowed” by a “fatal darkness,” yet when Lucie asks why he does not change, he offers little hope that such a transformation is possible.
This resignation is particularly striking when we consider what Carton has already demonstrated himself capable of accomplishing.
He helped save Charles Darnay from a possible death sentence. His intelligence and legal abilities have contributed substantially to Stryver’s successful career. Yet despite these accomplishments, Carton seems unable to imagine a promising future for himself.
He has spent considerable time in the Manette household, often remaining withdrawn from the conversations around him. He sleeps little, continues to drink heavily, and wanders the stone streets near the Manettes’ home. Perhaps, during these solitary walks, he remembers the conversation about the echoes...
In the early 1780s, London was undergoing significant improvements to its streets and public walkways.
Many major roads were paved with stone blocks, while pedestrian footways were increasingly surfaced with broad, flat slabs of limestone. Legislation passed during the 1760s encouraged improvements in paving, drainage, and street maintenance.
Despite these improvements, London’s streets remained crowded, noisy, and frequently dirty.
Horse-drawn carriages and wagons rattled across the uneven stones, while the sound of iron-rimmed wheels and horses’ hooves echoed between the buildings. Rainwater collected along the gutters, carrying mud, manure, and other waste through the city.
Sydney Carton would have encountered these conditions as he walked through London’s streets.
One location particularly associated with Carton is King’s Bench Walk in the Inner Temple, the historic legal district where barristers maintained their chambers.
Dickens specifically describes Carton walking along King’s ...
