Light

Light in A Tale of Two Cities, and Light in My Life:

An Essay by: Harry Staley

Pine Point English

November 29, 2011

Have you ever thought of light as a symbol? I think of light as a little hint in life of what type of mood the day might be like. When it is bright and sunny, that would mean that you are having a great day. When the weather is dark and stormy, your day might not be going as well as you’d hoped it would. I love my life when it is sunny and bright and, like everyone else, I hate it when it is grey and dark.
My favorite time of year by far is summer because of its sublime light brought by the sun. I love the summertime because I can always be outside in the hot bright sun. I am almost never unhappy because I can be outside in that extravagant weather, unlike the, “clammy intense” weather in wintertime. In the warm wonderful weather I can go to the beach, be with my friends outside and do one of my favorite things, sail. During the summertime, I always sail. Ever since I was ten, I loved to be outside on those sunny scorching days fooling around on a sail boat. It was a great way to stay cool and also a great way to spend my hot and sunny days. My favorite part about sailing would have to be watching the reflection of the sun off of the water. There is nothing better than disturbing the perfect reflection of light with my 420, a piece of fiberglass designed to glide through water with speed. It is a very refreshing feeling, and it is a feeling that never gets old. I love spending bright and sunny summer days on the water.

In the book A Tale of Two Cities, the light often describes a mood or foreshadows an event in the story. In my opinion, the light in the story often describes the mood of the characters. When the light is dim or dark, it seems that the characters are frequently grumpy, a sad or upset feeling which mostly happens from being tired, or they are about to become grumpy, mad, upset. Whenever the light is bright, or on the brighter side, it seems that the characters are happier or cheerier. Lighting in this book is another hint telling you when the book might have taken place. When Madam Defarge was knitting under the street light, it seemed like the light was dimmer because of the type of street lights they had in those days. It also might tell you when the time period takes place, because if you compare it to any other book written around this time it seems quite dark. Brightness and darkness can sometimes foreshadow what might happen next in the story. I think when the story starts to slow down and the light darkens, something bad might happen. I also think when the lighting is happier and bright, something exciting or pleasant will happen, because you can, “always bear a little more light.” In my opinion, the lighting in A Tale of Two Cities is a very useful tool.
There is more to light than just giving the ability to see. I never thought there were so many ways to interpret light until I read A Tale of Two Cities. There were so many examples of light that supported my theories, for example. I think that the symbol of light in A Tale of Two Cities is a very clever way of foreshadowing interesting situations and moods. I personally love the light, and especially that bright side of it, and the author of A Tale of Two Cities probably thought the same way.