The irony of the Republic that never existed“The One and Indivisible Republic of Freedom, Equality, Fraternity or Death”. This statement is best known as the slogan of the French Revolution and is mentioned as a popular quote in Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. The French Revolution, (as recounted by Wikipedia) was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France from 1789 to 1799 that had a fundamental impact on French history and modern history throughout the world. This 10-year war is the main focus of A Tale of Two Cities. The slogan of the French Revolution, often quoted in the book, is completely full of irony. First of all, starting from La Repubblica. Webster's Dictionary of 1828 defines a Republic as "a state in which the exercise of sovereign power is entrusted to representatives elected by the people." At that time France was not a republic. This, however, was what they aimed for as a result of this decade-long civil war. At the time, France was in total chaos because it had no official form of government. An example from the book is a quote from the dressmaker, referring to her cousin, shortly before she is guillotined. “What I was thinking as we arrived, and what I still think now, as I look at your kind and strong face that gives me so much support, is this: if the Republic really does good to the poor, and they come to be less hungry, and in any case, suffer less, she will be able to live a long time: she will even be able to live until she becomes old." It is clear that he believes his death will give hope to the republic, which doesn't even exist. Freedom, as defined by Webster's Dictionary of 1828, means: “A state of society hitherto only reduced and restricted...... of paper......the deaths which have occurred in this war have done nothing but destroy a nation, taking it away from its goal. As you can see, the statement “The One and Indivisible Republic of Freedom, Equality, Fraternity, or Death. it is full of irony. Whoever made this statement was clearly trying to imagine France as the perfect Republic. When in reality it only succeeded in giving the French people a false sense of hope and the belief that the continuation of the war would create the perfect Republic, which could never exist. Perhaps the revolutionaries should have rewritten their slogan. Something to the effect of “The Aspiring Republic, which has not yet succeeded in being One and Indivisible of Freedom, Equality, Fraternity and Death”. (dauntingbooks.wordpress.com)Taylor Lundy11/11/13Works Cited as Told by Wikipedia)(dauntingbooks.wordpress.com)