“One and Indivisible Republic, Freedom, Fraternity, Equality or Death!” This was the phrase that resonated through the streets of France in Charles Dickens' important, intense book: A Tale of Two Cities. However, although these revolutionaries who successfully attempted to overthrow the previous aristocratic government used this phrase as a slogan, the actions they performed were ironically contradictory. From their excusable version of a republic shaped by elitism, to their frightening example of freedom in a useless dictatorship, Dickens captures the terrible irony of the French Revolution through this classic book. The first word that the French revolutionaries used in their campaign motto was the word republic. According to Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, a republic is "a state in which the supreme power resides in the body of citizens entitled to vote, and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them." An orthodox example of a republic is the United States of America. In the United States, it is the citizens who elect the officials to power, and no one is chosen without the consent of the citizens. Ironically, the members of the French Revolution in A Tale of Two Cities have no voices at all. Instead, wine shop owner Defarge and Jacques' 1-3 simply begin leading the Revolution against the aristocratic establishment (pp. 165-166). Then, a few chapters later, when Defarge enters a room that already hosts other French citizens, everyone stands up, as if to greet and honor him, as he gives them direct orders (p. 170-171). Furthermore, throughout the book Defarge and his associates named Jacques give orders to the “citizens” absolutely: no one… in the middle of the paper…… stated that although the phrase of the entire Revolution was “Republic One” and Indivisible, Freedom , Fraternity, Equality or Death”, the results were completely different from this sentence. First, the Revolution did not produce a Republic in which citizens elect leaders, but in which special citizens set themselves up as leaders. It was elitism, not republic. Second, the Patriots did not promote freedom through their actions. Instead of ending the tyrannical reign of the aristocrats with their rebellion, the Patriots only increased the tyranny through ridiculous laws and unjust death sentences and incarcerations. Ultimately, although the Revolution did indeed result in the deaths of many men, one man, Sydney Carton, ended up escaping death by resting on Christ's sacrifice. Throughout A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens demonstrated the great and painful irony of the French Revolution.