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Commence Quote by Charles Dickens

“Commence,” was Monsieur Defarge’s not unreasonable reply, “at the commencement.” quote by Charles Dickens
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““Commence,” was Monsieur Defarge’s not unreasonable reply, “at the commencement.””

Charles Dickens

About This Quote

Monsieur Defarge’s reply is a tautological command to begin at the start

In simple terms: A literal instruction to start at the beginning

Key Takeaway

Begin at the obvious starting point

Themes

communication logic humor

Mood

wry intellectual

Type

literary humorous

When to use this quote

  • reading classic literature
  • analyzing dialogue

Key Concepts

paradox language literary device

Questions to Reflect On

  • Why use redundancy for emphasis?
  • What effect does this have on tone?
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