More things that elude me.

Some thing in last weeks reading that i did not understand is when Pip is purchasing a partnership for Herbert with Wemmick in chapter 37: " "Well, you know Mr. Pip, I must tell you one thing. this is devilish good of you." " Say you'll help me to be good then," said I. "Ecod," replied Wemmick, shaking his head, " Thats not my trade." " Nor is this your trading-place," said I" ( 297)

I don't understand what they mean by 'trade' in this segment, and later in the book when the partnership is spoken of, It always nags at me in the back of my brain. I can't wrap my mind around it. What are they talking about and what does trade have to do with the partnership?

Anything will probably help, thanks and hope you didn't have the same problem.

I Don't Understand... Poor Molly

" "Master ," she again murmured. "Please!"

"Molly," said Mr. Jaggers, not looking at her, but obstinately looking at the opposite side of the room. "let them see both your wrists. Show them. Come!"

He took his hand from hers, and turned that wrist up on the table. She brought her other hand from behind her, and held the two out side by side. The last wrist was much disfigured-- deeply scarred across and across." (214)

I read this passage in the book and I wondered why in the world Molly's wrists would be gnarled up like that. It raises the questions of self harm or domestic abuse... I really didn't understand why Dickens put this in the story and ever since I read it I've been dying to find out what happened to Molly. She seems so quiet and sound, but something is going on behind that.

Any idea's anyone?

hold on Pip!

To me this picture symbolizes how as Pip goes on with his life in london after leaving home his connection with his childhood, and his old home in the marshes is unraveling and with seemingly eventually be severed. It is only barely remembered as he attempts to make a gentleman out of the blacksmith he grew up as. It also shows how even though he is leading a different life in the town that there is still a last remaining strand of the boy he was and all of the things that lead him to the point he is at.

The first stage

Pip is referring to his first day at miss Havishams house and how all that he did and saw there changed him as an individual. The day at miss Havishams house changed him. He then saw the difference between the rich and the common, but more importantly it made it mean something to him. He didn't wan to to be common and was nervous about how Estella would think of Joe as a commoner. He was bewitched by Estella, she was so unpleasant and yet so pretty to him, and he was haunted by Miss Havisham ""What do I touch?" "Your heart." " Broken!"" she has suffered her whole life and he is afraid of her. Pip becomes a more thoughtful person after this day. He lies to the adults when they ask him what they did because he didn't want them to not let him go again because of Estella. He becomes more self conscious, trying to match up to the rich people so that he might get Estella to like him who he already seems to think will end up with him.

When i was little i got lost in an airport. I was flying as a minor. A supervisor found me and saw the 'unaccompanied minor tag' around my neck and asked where i was going. I was totally lost, it turns out i wasn't even in the right terminal. The man who found me talked with me for the thirty minutes in took to get to the right terminal, he was french and his accent was thick but i could understand the jest of what he was saying. He talked to me about things like "I think i'm doing a good thing here"...

" And because I'm doing this thing for you, I need you to promise me something" he said to me. "Okay" i whispered.

"Make sure you always do the right thing. Every day. Every choice you make. Make sure it's the right one. The one right from your heart, like in France. We love everyone. Thats all i ask."

I agreed and he got me on the right plane with three minutes to spare. When i was on the plane I looked out the window, the man was helping this elderly lady with her luggage. It was life changing for me to see someone with a truly good-heart who would do things for no personal gain and only to the benefit of others. To this day i try to think back to what the French man said as often as possible. I do my best to do the right thing and make the right choice as much as it is apparent, and like the french i attempt to make it 'from the heart'.

The Importance of Being Earnest...

Alright so I'm writing my paragraph on the white lies that add up throughout the play and help contribute to our view of victorian society.

I'm going to set this out as a list in the hope that it will be easier to follow.

Topic sentence:

In the play 'The Importance of being Earnest' by Oscar Wilde he uses white lies to satirize, mock and make fun of victorian society and the upper-class in particular.

My concrete details are:

1: Algernon pretends to be confused when all of the cucumber sandwiches are gone after he ate them. (p.18)

2: " Jack: I am a liberal unionist. Lady Bracknell: Oh, they count as Tories. They dine with us." (p.25)

3: Lady Bracknell proceeds to call Cecily attractive only after she becomes aware of the 130 Pound fortune attached to her.

My commentary for the CD's are:

1: This shows that Algernon is a hypocrite, and that he is dishonest and disrespectful of his family because he ate the sandwiches him self. Which contributes to the satirization of victorian society.

2: This shows that Lady Bracknell will change her rules and regulations to suit her own wishes.

It's also funny because it implies that she wouldn't dine with anyone who isn't a 'Torie" ( The nickname given to members of the Conservative party in Britain)

3: It implies morbidly the ridiculous attitude that marriage was second to money in the Victorian Era. It shows how greed governs the lives of the upper class and that marriage was a business rather than a quest. This supports my thesis because it satirizes the upper-class by using white lies.

Thanks. Don't forget to comment!

The victorian research that i did in class was very helpful in understanding the play. I wouldn't have understood the subtext or underlying meaning as well if i hadn't looked up some of my victorian areas of interest such as education. I learned that education was made compulsory during the victorian age, and that it was mainly taken seriously by the upper-class as they would commonly be home educated. This is what makes Cecily so funny. She constantly complains that she doesn't like her german lessons when she should be grateful for them: "I don't like german. It isn't at all a becoming language." p. 37

Also throughout the book marriage is portrayed more as a market rather than a quest for love.

Lady Bracknel Wont let her daughter marry Jack because he doesn't have enough social status.

The younger characters in the book are seeking true-love where the older, family leaders are only seeking to up their standing in society. I did research on marriage in the victorian age and found that this was truly the case. Marriage was allot less love-oriented in the victorian age and the play that it is in modern society.

Berkano's New years resolution

One of my 2010 new years resolution is to spend more time with my family. I only ever see my brother at the bus stop in the morning and a few times during weekends because we don't have very many common interests. My step brother and sister see even less of me, they go to elementary school so i don't see them in the morning like my other brother. Sometimes i'll go 2 whole weeks without saying one word to them, Once i get home from school i have to do homework, and by the time I'm done it's usually their bedtime. Lastly, my mother, she sees plenty more of me than anyone else in our family. but we never really spend any quality bonding time together. during the week she's busy with the other children, and on the weekends I'm always with friends.

I will achieve my goal by setting aside at least half an hour a day during the week for each of my family members where we can spend time together and do things that are fun. And by giving more ideas for fun family outings that we can all go on. If i have to rearrange my schedule I'm willing to do that. Just so long as i get to know them better and see them more i'll be content (so long as i don't have to play dress-up or doll-house too much with my little sister). I think if i do these things I will have no difficulty achieving this goal.

Happy new year everyone, and good luck with all of your 2010 resolutions.