The End Already?

To find yourself, think for yourself.
- Socrates 


The duration of high school is a time in which many people begin to find themselves, and along with that their "niche" so to speak. It is also a time in which many people try to just follow the crowd; they conform to the norm-in relation to mindset and other actions. Now, you may be wondering how this relates to my blog post? Well, that's simple enough to answer, so here it is. As I read my blog posts, I noticed and pondered something rather surprising: my growth in character and in who I am greatly influenced my growth in writing, and my growth in writing in turn influenced my growth in character and personality. They seem to have a seemingly abstract correlation, but I feel it may even be more than that. Initially, I came into Honors English a bit nervous for the analytical writing aspect of the class, for it had never been one of my strongest abilities. Looking back upon this, I can clearly see my problem; I conformed to the mass of ideas in writing, I made only meager attempts at new ideas. I'm not quite sure why I didn't try for new ideas, for I guess you could say most of the time I'm a very anti-conformist person. I enjoy coming up with new creative ideas, however abstract they may be. The only reason for going along with the river of ideas in the beginning was my original impression that when analyzing any work of literature, there is only one or two acceptable answers. Again, looking back on this, I realize it was a struggle for me to not be using my creativity in my writing; for that reason I enjoy creative writing. One simple thing put the idea in my head that creativity can be used in analytical writing; just a more structured creativity. What opened this door to my writing were the blogs. Yes, the blogs. These were more conducive to being creative, because I wouldn't be hearing other answers, so I easily came up with my own. Seeing my good scores on these blogs, I became cognizant of the fact that my creativity on these was working. I implemented this in my paragraph and essay writing. All of a sudden these grades went up. Then I wondered if these varying ideas I could come up with would help me in the once dreaded discussions. Very quickly I learned that all I had needed was to open up the innovative part of my mind, which prolifically altered my discussion scores for the better. Of my blogs, since the very beginning, there are two that really stand out to me. One is the one on the poem "Lobsters." I touched on some different ideas in this that don't seem to be mentioned much or at all by my peers. I also just really like how I wrote this one. The other blog that really stands out to me is the blog in which we related Great Expectations to any other art type thing we've seen. I really enjoyed this blog because it connected the novel into my world, and I was able to implement some creativity and abstract connections in it. Both of which I like writing. Reminiscing upon this year I see how the blogs, whether directly or secondarily, influenced my personality. I think that they have made me think even more creatively and out of the box. I have gained a heightened respect for many novels, seeing how complex some really are. I can't say I won't miss these blogs, for I think in the long run they've really had a big impact on me as a writer, as well as a creative analytical thinker. That to me seems like somewhat of a paradox.

Memorable Assignment

Throughout English this year there have been many assignments which have been very creative and rather fun. Originally, I really didn't like the discussions because I rarely ever spoke. I think that was most likely caused by my lack of creative and thought provoking questions. That really changed for me in the Great Expectations discussion. Throughout this discussion I spoke a good amount, and actually had some good ideas for discussion. Because of all this, it made the discussion a more of an enjoyable assignment.

To make this discussion what it was for me, but in retrospect I did work very hard on my questions. I had realized that my questions previously hadn't been creative enough; they didn't make you think much. This time I spent a lot more time on each question; perfecting them to the best of my abilities. I tried to write questions that I thought would go along with the discussion, while bringing up some new ideas. At this point I realized just how helpful annotations are, because without them I couldn't look back on different ideas I had. All in all my hard work paid of in this whole assignment, making it more enjoyable for me.

Experience With Poetry

While reciting poetry may not be at all enjoyable to me, analyzing and writing it stands somewhat higher on my hierarchical ladder of English related studies. This year, reading some of Percy Bysshe Shelley's poetry really opened my eyes, showing me that poetry wasn't necessarily centered around love. I enjoyed reading Shelley's poems because in them he wrote many things which I like to think about, such as his sly ridicule towards authoritarian ruling. The writing style that he used really intrigued me as well, for he used a lot of sarcasm to convey more meaningful messages; a style I really like.

The different formats in which Shelley wrote his poems also intrigued me. I liked the fact that it wasn't a generic format, but a more creative one which seemed to have a different flow and rhythm. I think that from this experience I crawled a bit farther out of my shell of ignorance to the vast and creative world of poetry. It made me realize that anyone can write poetry; you just really need to write about what you know and like in a creative way conducive to a certain audience, or just yourself. Poetry seems like an art: if you like what you produce, great; if others like it, then that's a bonus. At this point in my life I respect poetry and poets, especially those who try to bring their poetry and writing into untouched places, like Percy Shelley; this action, however courageous, ensued with his banishment.

Conflict

     Internal conflict is one which I have taken note of numerous times throughout the reading of this play. While interpersonal conflict is far more prevalent, I find internal conflict much more intriguing. Juliet is a character in the play with constant, sometimes conflicting, thoughts drifting through her head; struggling with the notion of what's "moral" versus what she wants is an ever-present conflict in her. These abiding rows with herself begin to wear on her character, occasionally turning this seemingly composed figure into an emotional wreck. In Act 3 Scene 2, Juliet says "My husband lives, that Tybalt would have slain,/And Tybalt's dead, that would have slain my/husband. All this is comfort. Wherefore I weep then?" [115-118] Juliet is agonized by the notion of which she struggles: whether to side with her love, or her family. She is joyful of the fact that Romeo was not slain, however she laments over Tybalt's bereavement. This plays a crucial role in our understanding of Juliet's character; for it shows what really breaks her down, and also how rash she may be in her thinking, for in this same monologue of hers she wonders why her parents could not have been slain as well.
     Today, people still cope with internal indecision and conflict; however frivolous it may be, that who is struggling with it sees it with great importance. Internal conflict builds character, which is very influential on how others view one, and how that one views him/her self. While internal conflict doesn't have the power to make one who is narrow minded more open minded to others' views like interpesonal conflict does, it does have the power to show a person's ingenuity and coping skills; their ability to change and react in a positive way. However, it readily has the power to easily break people down, both mentally and physically. Everybody faces internal conflict, and I know that personally, I usually grow in character from the experience. I really think that one learns a lot about their own personality through these periods of their life, and it's an important aspect of growing up.

Romeo and Juliet Everywhere

     The themes of Romeo and Juliet prevail in many examples of modern art, whether subtle, or overpowering, or intentional, or merely coincidential. Either way, I believe my song of choice to compare with Romeo and Juliet has a meaning that parallels the relationship between Romeo and Juliet. The song "With or Without You" by the world-renowned U2 talks of a man who can neither live with this certain woman in his life, however, he can also not live without her; she is, in a sense, a double edged sword. Romeo can neither live with Juliet, or without her; for it has been foreshadowed his death will be a result of their relationship. However, it seems he cannot live without her; for, through his dramatic rantings, he talks of how he can only be happy with this woman. So, in a sense, he can't live without her, for he would become a recluse in his "fake night." Whether this connection is merely coincidential or intentional, I will never know, but either way these two concepts tie together quite well, showing that even know people have similar issues to those of people during Shakespeare's time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzeDqRhM09w

Comparison of the Play to Me

In this eloquent, yet somewhat confusing play, I find myself most similar to the Prince or Mercutio. The Prince ends the fight in the beginning of the play; I feel like that is similar to me, for I do not like fighting and I usually try to keep the peace wherever I am. Mercutio is the one who sarcastically pokes fun at Romeo's exceedingly dramatic monologues. I think I am somewhat of a sarcastic person, especially towards those who seem to leave a trail of drama wherever they go; I don't see the point in it and I just think it's silly.

I really like every aspect of reading the play at home, and following it up with your knowledge of the play the next day, it really helps me to understand some scenes that are originally so confusing. At home I understand the bullk of everything happening, but then when we read it during class the next day I feel enlightened by seeing new double meanings or puns that Shakespeare so often uses; and so often that I don't catch while reading at my house. Initially, Shakespeare's writing was quite overwhelming to me, but as I've kept reading it has gotten surprisingly easier to understanding. I think I'm saying this of behalf of the class as well: Thank you for letting us read this in class, it helps so much.

Theme

     Times may come and go, but meaningful messages about life will always remain engraved in our minds. In Great Expectations, the dominating theme that money doesn't buy happiness, or love, is intertwined in the morals of many people today, as it was when Dickens wrote this novel. While this ideal is known, it is clear that not everyone takes it into account as a part of their life, both in our times and those of Dickens' lifetime. Those of "gentlemanly" stature are sometimes likely to become swayed by their portable property, loosing sight of of the important things in life. The word 'gentleman' usually comes with a positive connotation, so the irony is the behaviors and morals of these "gentlemen" are not gentlemanly at all, but rather irresponsible and immature. While money may buy materialistic items that make one happy for a temporary amount of time, it cannot buy permanent happiness in the forms of love or other major emotions.

Thoughts on Reading

1.    I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Although quite tedious throughout the second stage, overall the story was a good one. The characters were very creative, I really liked the different personalities, and how they interacted; like Wemmick and Mr. Jaggers. My two favorite characters are by far Herbert and The Aged. Herbert is a very like-able character, he has more realistic problems that one could relate to, and he has a good personality. I like The Aged because he is so happy and content to do the simplest of tasks. One thing about Pip that is think most little children could sympathize with is wanting something, and not being "content" until you get it; however Pip's wants are much greater than this. I actually liked Dickens writing style very much, and how he used a lot of satire in sly ways. His long sentences and word choice did get confusing at many points in the novel. One mystery that I did somewhat solve concerns the benefactor of Pip. Many statements in the book led the reader to believe that Miss Havisham is the benefactor, but I never actually thought she was, I knew it was someone else. This deduction was used without aid of Sparknotes, or other students.
2. My reading habits for this book weren't all that great. I was usually able to keep up with the reading, but a lot of the time I read after doing all of my other homework, so the words in the long, seemingly never ending sentences melded together, making some scenes quite confusing to me. I was only behind on the reading for one section, when I couldn't get around to the reading due to other homework. This isn't to say that homework for other classes isn't as much of a priority to me as English homework, but I decided that I would be able to catch up the next day, which I successfully did. I didn't have an actual routine for reading, I just tried to get it done when I could. I usually read in my makeshift reading room, where nobody is, so it's very quiet. All in all, I would say that I understood most of the book, mainly the parts I didn't understand were scenes when they would go to the theatres for plays.

Photo Relation

This picture represents the unfavorible change in Pip's character over the course of the reading up to this point. In the beginning, he was a quite likeable character, but from the point he meets Estella he starts riding the "wave" into the very superficial, unlikeable character he is now. Being dubbed a gentleman has done nothing to Pip except create this man with nothing better to do than ponder the things he's not content with. Pip is miserable, and I think that this change in him will ultimately "defeat" him. Pip got so caught up in this change, that he forgot the important things in life; these things aren't buying clothes, or having drunken debates with other gentlemen; they are talking with Joe in the Jolly Bargemen, or walking with Biddy, or teaching Joe to read and write...etc. The convict Magwitch didn't make Pip a jerk, he attempted at making him a gentleman, however it seems that Dickens is trying to show that, in this time period, the two terms were synonymous. Changes can be great, or very poor; it all depends on how those affected rise to the occasion. Pip decides to take the unfavorable route.

Making Connections

     In Great Expectations Pip is trying to find a life that suites him. He is never quite content, and always seems to have something to complain about. I think a big theme that Dickens was trying to show is that simple is not necessarily bad. Pip ventures to London, only to be dissapointed. I think it is shown that in a much simpler life, there is more stability and consistency. On the other hand, in the fast life of an aristocratic person, there are many surprises and more freedoms. These things make someone more irresponsible, as is shown by Pip's and Herbert's booming amount of debt. Another theme I find in this book is finding yourself, and staying true to that person you know you are.

    In my favorite movie, Lost in Translation, the main character is stuck in an awful marriage, and basically living a life he doesn't like. For his job he travels to Japan, and instantly falls in love with the more simplistic way of life. He likes how they aren't so materialistic, and how they are so kind. He goes on many excursions throughout the city, and wishes for a life in Japan. For him, going from a hectic career to this warm-welcoming place, he found himself. He found that this simpler way of life was far more enjoyable and relaxing than the stressful industry of acting. Although I'm not sure how Pip's story ends, my prediction is that in the end he will come the realization that his life was far better than this hectic, stress written life he's been leading since he became involved with Estella. I think that eventually, Pip will become fed up with always trying to prove himself to others, for that completely masks a person's true personality. Another similarity, based on my prediction, is that both characters have to leave their life and go someplace very different to find themselves.

Second Stage

In the beginning of Stage Two, Pip arrives in London ready for his great expectations. Although somewhat disappointed with the superficial appearance of London, he seems to enjoy the company of Herbert Pocket; a character whom Pip finds out is the pale young gentleman from Miss Havisham's. Herbert Pocket tells Pip the story of Miss Havisham, and how she was cheated. I believe this background information of her is quite important. Pip also meets Mr. Wemmick, who works at Mr. Jaggers' office. These two characters seem to be contrasting-while Mr. Jaggers is very forward and somewhat socially akward, Mr. Wemmick is extravagant and dramatic, which is decipherable from his "castle" house and his nightly routines. Another impotant character is Mr. Pocket, who educates Pip and two other folks by the names of Drummle and Startop. Pip developes an expensive taste as well.

All of these characters mentioned above relate to the motif of becoming a gentleman, whether it's teaching Pip something, providing money, or offering dinner and company. The motif of mystery is also prevalent, for you find out why Miss Havisham's clocks were all stopped at 8:40. Miss Havisham was engaged to a man who only wanted the brewery for money, but she was truly in love with him. Also, the mystery of who the pale young gentleman is is resolved in Stage Two. Pip greatly "matures" in the beginning of this stage. He starts spending great amounts of money, and becomes very conceited. This started during the first stage when he acted condescending towards Biddy and Joe, but afterwards he felt bad. He has definitely changed, in my opinion for the worse.

Pip Quotation

   In this quotation, Pip is showing that at this point in his childhood, he changed his outlook on the kind-hearted fool Joe. Up until this point, Pip looks up to Joe, yet when Estella condescendingly comments on Pip's coarse hands and thick boots Pip realizes that there is a better life held within the upper class. This thought becomes that which makes him think of Joe in a different light. It's not that Pip doesn't like Joe anymore, it's just that he now feels somewhat indifferent towards him. Developing from his original ideals of Joe, he now feels disappointed of Joe and who he is; and he wants to aviod becoming similar to Joe. I believe generally readers feel that this change in Pip is a negative one. I think it is inevitable to enjoy the character Joe, so as a reader I certainly didn't like this change in Pip. This quote is a certain turning point for Pip, he has grown to want more for himself, he wants to become one of the aristocrats. This is the first link in the chain, the day he realizes this other life he strives for.

   As a kid I always loved art projects, whether it was drawing, painting, pastels, etc. I spent the next eight years trying to get really good at drawing. I got know my uncle (whose an artist) and he helped me a lot. I ended up joining an online art sharing website, where you could explore all sorts of different types of art. One branch that I really became interested in was photography. I talked to my other uncle (a great photographer) as often as I saw him about photography, different cameras, etc. The idea of being able to capture things that intrigued my eyes really latched on to me. When I learn something new, I always like learning the "traditional" method first, and when it came to my mind I had no doubt that I would choose film over digital. So I guess I could look back and say that the first link to this was the day I held a pencil. Or, on a much more broad spectrum, when I was born.

Confusions

   Throughout this weeks reading, there were incidences in the reading in which I became downright confused with the meaning of what I was taking in, however I found if I took the time to reread the passage I could usually decpher at least the general meaning. There was a section in which I couldn't figure out the meaning of, no matter how much I thought about it. During the dinner gathering, Uncle Pumblechook states: "You've hit it, sir! Plenty of subjects going about, for them that know how to put salt upon their tails. That's what's wanted. A man needn't go far to find a subject, if he's ready with his salt box...Look at pork alone. There's a subject! If you want a subject, look at pork!" (Page 24, Chapter 4) I don't understand how any of this is relevant to what Mr. Wopsle was previously saying about subjects. My guess is that "salt upon their tails" is some sort of saying used during this time, however I'm not sure. Once he says pork, the conversation shifts to pigs, and they further relate the pig to Pip. I recall earlier that the convict was compared to being a dog, and maybe this human/animal comparison is a motif...

Group Collaboration

     Katie and Sean, I haven't changed anything much since we discussed our body paragraphs except that I changed one of my concrete details to "Nothing will induce me to part with Bunbury, and if you ever get married, which seems to me extremely problematic, you will be very glad to know Bunbury. A man who marries without knowing Bunbury has a very tedious time of it." My other quote is : "Divorces are made in heaven." I am just debating what I should use for my third quote, if either of you have any ideas let me know. I am going to get some ideas down for our transitions between our paragraphs, and I will either post them on your blogs or e-mail tomorrow. So make sure that we are still focusing our paragraphs around the character Algernon, that way it all goes nicely together. Also, any ideas for nice transitions? Comment or e-mail me them.

Dishonesty

     In The Importance of Being Earnest Oscar Wilde portrays this theme of dishonesty through many of the characters. Whether it is lying to further their personal pleasure, or to avoid akward social gatherings, or to avoid having to reveal their true nature, these characters (most prominently Jack and Algernon) lie more than they tell any truth whatsoever. Through epigrams stated by Algernon one gets the feeling that he feels lying is quite common and not a horrible thing, rather the opposite. This is fairly ironic considering that he ends up lying to Cevily, saying his name is Ernest which is an allusion to truthfulness. The title seems to contradict the play, for most of it is lies and deception, however the title relays a message of how important it is to be truthful. Marriage in the play, as quoted from Algernon, is "business." The aristocratic people look at it as an opportunity to gain one of two things: inherited money or land. He also portrays the idea that just because someone got an education doesn't mean they're far superior or that they have a greater intelligence level. Wilde also seems to put satire on the religious practice of baptism. He makes it sound like a great and overwhelming ordeal, then contrasts that by basically saying it's the act of dumping water on a vulnerable child.
     In the play The Importance of Being Earnest Wilde greatly satirizes the aristocracy of the Victorian Age. He shows that they are able to do as they please and have little consequences. For example, Algernon has massive amounts of debt because he's able to blow money as he sees fit, for he will always inherit more. He puts heavy emphasis on the fact that dishonesty for your own pursuit of pleasure is wrong, and that it happens all the time. He shows that although this dishonesty is not very moral, there are people who may always get out of anything.

Animal Farm Project Evaluations

1.Kayla-

I think that Kayla's pyramid greatly represents the social structure of the animals in Animal Farm. Before the rebellion, I'm not sure but I feel that all of the animals were equally treated horribly by Mr. Jones. So I may be wrong about her pyramid that says "before" because it doesn't specify what it's before.

2.Brooke-

I felt that this song didn't flow well together, and that without explanation it would be hard to understand how it pertained to the novel. With the side explanations however, it worked to show the different themes of the novel.

3.Leah-

I liked Leah's comic, it portrayed irony very well. I liked how she showed Squealer's propaganda, and what it really means.

4.Rachel-

I thought that this powerpoint game was a very creative idea. It worked very well, and showed different aspects of the novel very well. I could tell a lot of work went into this project.

5.Kamron-

I'm not exactly sure what to call this project, the closest I can say is "comic." This project was hard to follow, but through his descriptions one could decipher how these images portrayed events in the novel.

6.Ting-

I really liked Ting's poem, I can tell she worked very hard on the word choice. The poem clearly shows irony in the novel, as well as corruption of power.

7.Alena and Mackenzie-

I thought that this movie trailer was a very well done project. I liked how they used the animal figures and showed irony, foreshadowing, and the corruption of power.

8.Sara-

I liked this graphic Sara made. I thought that it was very creative how she used different things in the image to represent different tones in the novel. Again, a project I can see had a lot of effort put into it.

9.D'andra-

This poem is another project that I really like. It feels very dramatic, and it portrays the events very well in a stylistic form.

10.Reagan-

Wow. This may be my favorite. This poem shows irony, foreshadowing, corruption of power, all in a very stylistic manner. Very well done, very creative.

I think that our project did well in comparison. There were those that I feel were better and worse. We definitely put a lot of work into it, and I am very happy with the final product. I think that it seems unique in comparison, which I like. I think that ours surely conveyed the element of irony, and also it conveys corruption of power.

New Years Resolution Extra Credit

     This New Year I made many resolutions, but I feel the most important one for me is my decision to learn to play an instrument. I have an acoustic guitar that I bought two summers ago, but never got around to playing it at all until this past summer, when I took about ten lessons. Since then I haven't played it until this past week while I've been attempting at teaching myself. I think that it is a good thing to know how to play an instrument, and it's something I've wanted to do for awhile. I'm hoping to broaden my interests, and I feel playing an instrument would be a commendable hobbie. After learning guitar, I think it will enable me to learn other string instruments (like ukulele or banjo) fairly easier. So far learning guitar has actually been going well, and I enjoy self-teaching, hopefully I will be able to continue this throughout the year.

Animal Farm Project

The beginning symbolizes the animals' hope through the song Beasts of England, yet this hope comes to an end when Napoleon rises to power. Squealer uses propoganda to convince the animals that everything Napoleon does is right, and just. A new version of Beasts of Englnd is written by one of the pigs named Minimus. Through the somber tune and our recitations the corruption of power aspect of the novel is portrayed.