Great Expectations: The First Stage

In the novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens the young character Pip says "Pause as you read this, and think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns and flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on one memorable day". In this quote he is indefinitely referring to the time when he lied to his sister and Joe. This is because it was one particular event that greatly effected him in all aspects of his life. Its apparent that this had an extremely emotional affect on Pip because he felt so completely guilty about his dishonesty. He had a special relationship with Joe which was very strong friendship, and too see how sad he was when Pips story was all made up was something he wouldn't forget. When Joe shares his younger life with Pip about his difficulties with his own father it made Pip become a more grown up version of himself and to start appreciating everything that life has to offer. From this same event, he learned that he should stay away from lying because he feels extreme guilt from it and also to respect Mr. and Mrs. Joe more.

Personally, an event in my life that had a "chain" effect was my first ballet lesson at Johansens. From this moment dance became the hugest part of everything I did, and still participate in. For a total of ten years I successfully participated in classes doing a yearly recital. However in the middle of all this is when the "chain" began. After dancing for so long, by fourth grade I was able to participate in my first year of The Nutcracker, and by seventh grade I could also do the spring productions. Once I began high school, Drill Team became my largest involvement, causing me to have to choose my activities. Choosing drill was something I did because I think it is extremely important to be involved in school. I know that one of the main reasons I was able to make the team was because of my past dance experiences, therefore, showing the effect my first dance classes had on my life until now.

Group Writing of the Importance of Being Earnest

Thesis Statement: Throughout the play, The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde portrays the many aspects of marriage in the Victorian Era using satire because he wants to show that marriage wasn't all about romance, and was more of a business deal.


In my paragraph, I am writing about how Algernon changes his views of marriage throughout the book, so that by the end he completely contradicts everything he had previously said. The first concrete detail I used is on page 10 when Algernon says, "Well, in the first place, girls never marry the men they flirt with." I chose this because it is specifically referring to Jack and Gwendolen's relationship, but in a broader spectrum, Algernon is also saying in general he is disapproving of marriage. In the middle part of my paragraph the concrete detail I used is the beginning of Act 2. Algernon decides to go and meet Cecily, basically for the pursuit of pleasure, but then ends up proposing to her. This is a good example because it is starting to show Algernon's opinion transitioning from one view to another. The last point that I make in my paragraph is on page 90 at the very end of Act 3. This is when Algernon and Cecily shout and hold on to each other and Algernon acts as if he planned for that to happen all along. The fact that Algernon ends up marrying in the end of Act 3 is the most blatant example of the contradictions between his pursuit of pleasure and anti-marriage attitudes continuously shown before. My conclusion will end up bringing together the idea of Algernon's transitioning ideals and morals throughout the story. I am not exactly sure which paragraph mine will be preceding, so does anyone have an idea about which thought I could maybe include to create a smooth transition into the next paragraph?