In the novel, Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens, the main character Pip lives with his older sister and her husband Joe. Pip, who was raised "by hand" as his sister says, is very sensitive and thoughtful. At the end of chapter 9, Pip says, "Pause you who read this, and think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the information of the first link on one memorable day." Pip is referring to how he lied to Joe, his sister and Mr. Pumblechook. Pip had been to Miss Havisham's house to play and this is the first day he met her and the first day that he met Estella. Estella was very cruel to him, and Miss Havisham was definitely strange. Pip was so concerned that nobody would understand what Miss Havisham or her home was like, and he was afraid of making her look bad... He wanted to protect her, so he lied about what happened at Miss Havisham's house, so that he could cover up how terrible Miss Havisham's was that day. This feeling of lying would soon lead to other things, like Pip being ashamed of his home life, and to him feeling so self conscious of what Estella and Miss Havisham would think of him, which makes Pip feel common and ignorant.
One memorable day that has started a "chain" effect, was when some friends and family began to notice that I have an eye for taking photographs. Ever since this day, it led to me thinking more artistically and more creatively with everything I do, especially photography. Since this time, I have bought a Nikon d3000, and I spend a lot of my time taking pictures. It's something that has added to my personality, and helped round my character. I can express myself through it, and it helps me to see things in a different way.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Group Essay
Thesis statement: In Oscar Wilde's play, The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde uses black humor and a satirical manner to show the shallow, and hypocritical views on marriage in the Victorian Era.
My group essay is topic one. For my individual paragraph, I'm writing on the overall views on marriage during the Victorian Era, and in the play The Importance of Being Earnest. My first CD is about marriage not being about pleasure, or being with someone who you truly like or love. My CM will be supporting this by explaining how people feel about the people they are married to, and why people marry the people they marry. The second CD is about Lady Bracknell not approving of Jack and Gwendolen being engage. My CM will support this by explaining how people didn't always get to choose who they married, and that parents usually wanted their daughters to marry someone of high status for money reasons. My last CD is about how people rushed into marriage. My CM will support this by explaining how people rushed into marriage for my reasons, for status reasons, and for all the other reasons.
If there is anything I should change, tell me!
-Nicole Dandridge
My group essay is topic one. For my individual paragraph, I'm writing on the overall views on marriage during the Victorian Era, and in the play The Importance of Being Earnest. My first CD is about marriage not being about pleasure, or being with someone who you truly like or love. My CM will be supporting this by explaining how people feel about the people they are married to, and why people marry the people they marry. The second CD is about Lady Bracknell not approving of Jack and Gwendolen being engage. My CM will support this by explaining how people didn't always get to choose who they married, and that parents usually wanted their daughters to marry someone of high status for money reasons. My last CD is about how people rushed into marriage. My CM will support this by explaining how people rushed into marriage for my reasons, for status reasons, and for all the other reasons.
If there is anything I should change, tell me!
-Nicole Dandridge
Thursday, January 28, 2010
The Importance of Being Earnest/Victorian Research
After taking notes and doing plenty of research on the Victorian Era and on the life of Oscar Wilde, I can now see how it helped me to understand the play, The Importance of Being Earnest, and to get a better understanding of the lifestyle people lived in that time period. After I began reading the play, I noticed how I could understand more of what was going on, and I could see connections between what I was reading and the research I had done. The facts I had learned through my research that really connected with the play, were things such as marriage, social class, religion, education, gender status, etc. There were several references to all of the subjects throughout the play.
One example, is on marriage when Lady Bracknell talks about how much healthier her friend has been looking since her own husband had passed away. "I hadn't been there since her poor husband's death. I never saw a woman so altered; she looks quite twenty years younger." (p. 17) This comment by Lady Bracknell tells that marriage was not something people generally enjoyed. Marriage often started off with two people in love, then was nothing good. She is really saying people are much happier when they are not married. In the Victorian Era, women were raised to learn that they would marry and have children, and that they weren't there for anything else. Women usually married young and without a choice of who they marry. Another example, is on social class. Gwendolen and Cecily comment on one an other's social status and one an other's ways of living. There were many social classes in the Victorian Era, and each one had their own standards and jobs they had to do. A third example, is on gender status. "How absurd to talk of the equality of sexes!... men are infinitely beyond us."(p. 75) In the Victorian Era women were not thought of highly. Men always overruled the women and the women were only there to be married and have children (with the exception of lower class women, who were expected to work). Overall, many of these points are made constantly throughout the play and references and satirical jokes are made about these social institutions. After doing the Victorian Era research, I feel like it helped me to understand the play and how marriage, social status, gender, etc. were during the time period.
- Nicole Dandridge
1/28/10
One example, is on marriage when Lady Bracknell talks about how much healthier her friend has been looking since her own husband had passed away. "I hadn't been there since her poor husband's death. I never saw a woman so altered; she looks quite twenty years younger." (p. 17) This comment by Lady Bracknell tells that marriage was not something people generally enjoyed. Marriage often started off with two people in love, then was nothing good. She is really saying people are much happier when they are not married. In the Victorian Era, women were raised to learn that they would marry and have children, and that they weren't there for anything else. Women usually married young and without a choice of who they marry. Another example, is on social class. Gwendolen and Cecily comment on one an other's social status and one an other's ways of living. There were many social classes in the Victorian Era, and each one had their own standards and jobs they had to do. A third example, is on gender status. "How absurd to talk of the equality of sexes!... men are infinitely beyond us."(p. 75) In the Victorian Era women were not thought of highly. Men always overruled the women and the women were only there to be married and have children (with the exception of lower class women, who were expected to work). Overall, many of these points are made constantly throughout the play and references and satirical jokes are made about these social institutions. After doing the Victorian Era research, I feel like it helped me to understand the play and how marriage, social status, gender, etc. were during the time period.
- Nicole Dandridge
1/28/10
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
Poetry Out Loud Performances
Joshua Kelly was one of the top performances for Poetry out loud. His recitation of Dulce et Decorum Est was done extremely well. His voice and articulation was right-on, he spoke clearly, his voice was audible at all times, and he spoke at a good pace so you could understand every word in the poem. His appropriateness of dramatization was very good too. He was dramatic, but not over the top - He does just enough for you to show the poem's graphic scenes and haunting war images. His overall performance was very good, and I thought he grasped the meaning of the poem well, and his performance made the poem much more interesting to listen to.
I interpreted the poem, Dulce et Decorum Est, as how people see war as something to be idolized and glorified, but the soldiers of the war are stripping away all of that, to show how bitter and terrible the war truly is. They reveal how horrible everything is, and it is nothing to be proud of. "Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light, As under a green sea, I saw him drowning. In all my dreams, before my helpless sight, He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning..." {Second Stanza} This was a very good example of how the soldiers are sharing their pain of the war with other people, and making the war no longer seem so glorified. Overall, I thought the entire performance of the poem was done very well, and the meaning was well shown.
-Nicole Dandridge
I interpreted the poem, Dulce et Decorum Est, as how people see war as something to be idolized and glorified, but the soldiers of the war are stripping away all of that, to show how bitter and terrible the war truly is. They reveal how horrible everything is, and it is nothing to be proud of. "Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light, As under a green sea, I saw him drowning. In all my dreams, before my helpless sight, He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning..." {Second Stanza} This was a very good example of how the soldiers are sharing their pain of the war with other people, and making the war no longer seem so glorified. Overall, I thought the entire performance of the poem was done very well, and the meaning was well shown.
-Nicole Dandridge
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Mockingbird Motif
In the beginning of the year when we had to know all the definitions of the literary terms, Motif was one of the literary terms I just couldn't grasp. None of the definitions could explain well enough what exactly a Motif was. After reading To Kill a Mockingbird I finally understand what exactly a Motif is. A Motif is a reoccurring symbol or event in a novel that enhances the theme/themes in a novel. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the 'Mockingbird Motif' was a symbol meaning that it's a sin to kill a mocking bird.
Harper Lee says it's a sin to kill a mockingbird, because they don't ever do anything wrong they're put on the Earth to do good things. In the novel, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are considered mockingbirds. They were both innocent people who were trying to do something good for someone else. Tom Robinson was considered a mockingbird because he was put on trial and then killed because the jury thought Tom was guilty of the raping and beating of Mayella Ewell, even though he did not do anything to her. And Boo Radley is considered a mockingbird because he was always there for Jem and Scout and he was always doing something right for them, and people were always brought up thinking he was a bad insane man, but he really was a good man. Both Tom Robinson and Boo Radley were good, innocent people trying to do good for other people - They are like mockingbirds.
-Nicole Dandridge
Harper Lee says it's a sin to kill a mockingbird, because they don't ever do anything wrong they're put on the Earth to do good things. In the novel, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are considered mockingbirds. They were both innocent people who were trying to do something good for someone else. Tom Robinson was considered a mockingbird because he was put on trial and then killed because the jury thought Tom was guilty of the raping and beating of Mayella Ewell, even though he did not do anything to her. And Boo Radley is considered a mockingbird because he was always there for Jem and Scout and he was always doing something right for them, and people were always brought up thinking he was a bad insane man, but he really was a good man. Both Tom Robinson and Boo Radley were good, innocent people trying to do good for other people - They are like mockingbirds.
-Nicole Dandridge
Friday, November 6, 2009
Life Lessons
Through out my life, my parents have always had many little lessons for me but there is one that has proved to be the toughest one to learn, but is also the best one they have ever given me. Their lesson to me is, once a person shows you who they really are, you need to believe them. I have most recently discovered how true this is. People can be very hurtful and cruel, and they often make bad choices. So, once a person shows you that they do these things, you need to know that's how they really are. You need to learn it, accept it, and move on.
The reason this has had such a strong influence over me, is that I have had friends in my life who I thought were the best, and that I cared for strongly, who made really dumb choices or treated me badly; They just weren't good friends to me. They showed me what kind of people they are and what kind of choices they choose to make on a regular basis. No matter how much it was upsetting to give them up, I accepted them for what kind of people they are, and I moved on. After a few weeks, I have realized how much better off I am without people like that in my life. I have learned a lot from my parents, and their opinions and lessons they teach me almost always have an impact on my opinions and thoughts.
-Nicole Dandridge
The reason this has had such a strong influence over me, is that I have had friends in my life who I thought were the best, and that I cared for strongly, who made really dumb choices or treated me badly; They just weren't good friends to me. They showed me what kind of people they are and what kind of choices they choose to make on a regular basis. No matter how much it was upsetting to give them up, I accepted them for what kind of people they are, and I moved on. After a few weeks, I have realized how much better off I am without people like that in my life. I have learned a lot from my parents, and their opinions and lessons they teach me almost always have an impact on my opinions and thoughts.
-Nicole Dandridge
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