Skits!!

1. So first of all, the scene when Pip visits Miss Havisham for the first time would be great. I also believe that this will be a popular choice, due to the fact it is extremely memorable. The characters that would be important to portray include Pip, Miss Havisham, and Estella. There are many parts that would be good to show from these chapters, but I think that what should be shown is when Miss Havisham talks to Pip and shares about her broken heart. Directly after this she calls Estella back in and asks her to play cards with Pip. This would be entertaining to see the class reenact.
2.I believe that another great scene to act out is when Pip arrives in London for the first time. This is because he was country boy, and really unaware of the city life. Important characters to include would be Pip, Jaggers, and Wemmick. Jaggers would obviously be included because he is the escort of Pip to London, and Wemmick because he is newly introduced as the dry clerk of Jaggers.
3.Finally, I think the last skit that should be shown is when Pip runs into the "strange man" on the staircase. He soon learns that this was the convict he ran into when he was younger, and as the story progresses Pip learns that the convict, newly known as Able Magwitch is his benefactor. The characters that are necessary would be Able Magwitch, Pip, and possibly Herbert and Jaggers depending how in depth the skit goes.

More Questions

As I had stated last week, due to the high diction and many characters there are moments when the novel Great Expectations becomes hard to follow. After reading this week around Chapters 42 and 43, the character "Pip's Convict", newly introduced as Able Magwitch shares his past and life story with Pip. Throughout this time, the character of Compeyson was spoken about. What I don't really understand is why Magwitch wants to see Copmpeyson again because he had turned against him. I think its maybe because he wants to get some sort of revenge, but personally I don't know if that makes sense either because he isn't technically supposed to be over with Pip. It would be great if someone could explain this.

Great Expectations: Question

Due to the challenging word choice, plethora of characters, and eventful plot there have been multiple occasions where as a reader you question the content of what you are reading, and become confused about what is going on. A specific question that I have relates to Pip and Biddy. On page 286 when Pip says ""... I reflected on what an unkindness, what and injury, what and injustice Biddy had done me." This quote was referring to the encounter Pip and Biddy had, in which they briefly discussed how Pip doesn't visit often. I was confused by this because Pip hadn't visited her on hardly any occasions before, so for him being frustrated at her for being skeptical of his word is strange in my opinion. I wasn't sure if it was maybe just because he has a bad attitude because of his rise in social standing, or is there was maybe a reason I failed to think of. Basically, I just think that Biddy definitely wasn't being rude or showing and injustice to Pip considering how he has acted lately in the book. It would be fantastic if someone could maybe further explain this particular quote.

Great Expectations: Photos

This picture is a great representation of the last few chapers of the novel Great Expectations. This pitcture is so fitting because money would be an example of Pip's "great expectations" he is coming on to. The last few chapters discuss how Pip is leaving his family to go seek his fortune, and I think this picture of money is very realistic for this topic. Overall, I believe that money changes people either for better or for worse, and Pip is starting to negatively change because he knows that he is going to become of higher social ranking.

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?

The Importance of Being Earnest

After conducting research on the Victorian Era, I can easily say that this gave me a much greater understanding of the lifestyle people in that time period lived. Also, after beginning to read The Importance of Being Earnest, it was extremely noticeable of the relations between my research and the events that occurred throughout the play. Specifically, the research helped me understand social classes, gender status, schooling, and marriage. Related to the play, it is apparent on several occasions that social class had a huge impact on the way everything worked. One example is when Lady Bracknell talks with Jack to see if he is acceptable to marry Gwendolen. After speaking with him, she disapproves because he began in a lower class atmosphere. This same example also proves to show what marriages were based off of. Both Gwendolen and Jack feel like they are suitable for each other, and their feelings tell them to get married, however this isn't feasible because of Jack's past, which is an issue to Lady Bracknell.
Throughout the play, it is also gives some examples of the gender stereotypes that I covered in my research. In the Victorian Era, it was meant for women to be quiet, and basically overruled by the men. The character Cecily shows this because she acts ditsy and allows her thoughts to be taken over by the idea of marrying Ernest (Algernon). Another example of this same idea is when Gwendolen says "How absurd to talk of the equality of the sexes! Where questions of self sacrifice are concerned, men are infinitely beyond us" (pg. 75) Here Gwendolen blatantly states that in this era, men just were thought of as better. The research that I did on the Victorian Era definitely enhanced my understanding of all aspects during this period, and not only this, but it helped me to be more aware of the examples of social class, genders, and marriage that were all used throughout the play.