The French Revolution began in 1789 as a respectable insurrection; however, it quickly turned into a bloody massacre. Peasants were oppressed by poverty and the aristocracy. Eventually they grew weary and tired of the subjugation; they therefore revolted against the aristocracy, which had not anticipated the revolution. However, they became frenzied and bloodthirsty, getting carried away by the bloodshed. The novel A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens tells the story of these two classes as well as that of two families and two cities, London and Paris, during the French Revolution. The novel is written in a way that allows the reader to experience the trials and tribulations of the French Revolution, while enjoying the characters and the convoluted plot. Dickens seems to believe that imagery is the key to showing the contrast between two characters, cities, or classes, and he often uses it to aesthetically please the reader and successfully influence the reader's sentimentality and sympathies throughout the novel. Furthermore, to develop the theme of man's inhumanity towards his fellow man, Dickens uses imagery to give a specific tone to two characters, CJ Stryver and Sydney Carton, the peasants at the beginning of the novel, and the aristocracy at the end of the novel. .CJ Stryver and Sydney Carton are two very different characters; however, without Dickens's use of compelling imagery, their dissimilarity would not have been as noticeable. CJ Stryver is a man who was "free from all disadvantages of delicacy" and "had a keen way of involving himself (morally and physically) in enterprises and conversations, which argued well for his rise in life" (Dickens 60). . Here Dickens depicts Stryver as... middle of paper... og and not a human. The aristocracy treats peasants as if they were animals, crushing them in cars and leaving them to fend for themselves. During the revolution, the peasants, overcome by the promise of revenge and the thirst for blood, began to persecute the nobility, dehumanizing them and turning the revolution into a massacre. Throughout history, man has always treated his peers inhumanely: making them inferior to him, treating them with disgust, watching them struggle, and slaughtering them. In his novel A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens highlights a part of human nature that no one wants to discuss, a small fire in human nature burning with vengeance and power. A small fire that humans themselves are ashamed of, but can't seem to find a way to put out. Works Cited Dickens, Charles. A tale of two cities. Mineola: Dover, 1999. Print.