My Dearest Cousin Betty,
Have you been well? No, that is not how I wanted to begin this letter, but I do not know how. I do not even know what to say to you, my sweet little cousin. How have you been? I long to see you, but I fear to show my face again in Salem. I fear not the people, for you know most of those who knew of me are now dead. I fear God. I truly do. Do not think I am trying to fool you again. I have had fifty-two years to grow since I saw you last, Betty. Old age has made me shake my head with shame of my old self.
Betty, I am sure you are reading this with confusion in your heart. Please do not mistake my intentions; I do not wish to trick or harm you longer. Nay, I want only to see that you know, before I am dead, how truly and eternally sorry I am. There is nothing in this world that I could do to make up for the horrible things I have done, especially to you, Betty.
You, a blood relative, I threw aside and used as a pawn to keep my own body from the gibbet. You, I have smacked and scolded out of fear. You, who was only a child of ten, I forced into lying and taking lives, however indirectly. I am sorry for what I have done to you, Betty, and since I have grown up and become wise to the world, I have not lived a day without you in my mind.
I realise that I was wrong in so many ways that I disbelieve in God’s power to forgive me. I pray, Betty. I pray for myself. I pray for you. I pray for all of Salem. I pray for the recently deceased Elizabeth, who, under God’s protective wing, was kept alive through the witch hunt. My God, the terrible things I had done to that woman. An adultress! I blush at my reputation, or what was my reputation. I have prayed more in these last few years than I have in my entire life. To think I once laughed during prayer brings a scorching colour to my cheeks. How could that girl called Abigail Williams be the woman I call Abigail Williams?
I was seventeen, Betty. I did love John Proctor, and I still do. I have never met a man who has kept me so in love with him since John Proctor. I believed he loved me, too, and that Elizabeth’s death would have made us happy together. I did not think of her children, or the sadness her death would have brought the town of Salem. Please, do not believe me all bad. I am not, Betty, though I may have been once. I have changed. Allow your heart to believe that I have changed. If you do not believe in me, Betty, than it is all worthless. It would be as though I had never changed at all.
It is true, I was a whore on the streets of Boston. There, I knew many men, and each of them made me more and more ashamed of myself, although it was the only way I could live. I did not want to be a drunkard and beggar like Goody Good! I should have come home for you. I should have grown up. I was the closest thing to a mother that you had. For that, I am sorry.
My dear Betty, I am sorry, and I love you. It may be nothing coming from me, but that is all I can say to you. Take what you can from that, because those words are all I have to give you.
Your Cousin,
Abigail Williams
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Character description: Giles Corey
Christina DeSario
Mr. George- AP English
12•13•09
Character Description
Giles Corey
Giles Corey is a hardworking and sweet man, who wants nothing more than the honest truth.
Giles is a funny person. From the moment he is introduced into the story, he brings sarcastic wit into the scene: “I’ve not said a word. No one here can testify I’ve said a word. Is she going to fly again? I hear she flies” (26). Even at the end, while people are killing him to confess, he is still a character that makes the reader smile, and reflect on themselves: “’More weight,’ he says. And died” (135). He is funny and blunt, bragging that, “he knew I’d break his fingers before he’d set his name to it” (32). Giles is honest, and often misunderstood, leading to the execution of his wife when he naively brought up her name during the initial crossfire of accusations. He is feisty and sticks up for himself and his wife when he needs to: “A fart on Thomas Putnam, that is what I say!” (96). Giles is the kind of character that brings the reader’s insight to the story. He says what we want to say in the situation, and pays for it dearly.
Giles is like a puppy barking and howling around everyone’s feet while they are trying to shoo him away in a language he does not understand. Giles is always trying to get into everything, and is therefore always being told to be quiet; however, his nature does not allow it and he can not keep from barking again for long. In the court against his wife, Giles screams, “I have evidence. Why will you not hear my evidence?” (84) even after being told several times to, “keep [his] seat!” (84). He tries to nip at the ankles of beings far larger than him, and it does nothing but get him thrown out to sleep in the cold. He is lovable, naive, and funny like a puppy is. Even when he is killed, he dies with a smile and goes straight to his Master’s lap.
Giles Corey is like Charlie Brown, because nothing goes his way and everyone seems to be against him in one way or another.
Mr. George- AP English
12•13•09
Character Description
Giles Corey
Giles Corey is a hardworking and sweet man, who wants nothing more than the honest truth.
Giles is a funny person. From the moment he is introduced into the story, he brings sarcastic wit into the scene: “I’ve not said a word. No one here can testify I’ve said a word. Is she going to fly again? I hear she flies” (26). Even at the end, while people are killing him to confess, he is still a character that makes the reader smile, and reflect on themselves: “’More weight,’ he says. And died” (135). He is funny and blunt, bragging that, “he knew I’d break his fingers before he’d set his name to it” (32). Giles is honest, and often misunderstood, leading to the execution of his wife when he naively brought up her name during the initial crossfire of accusations. He is feisty and sticks up for himself and his wife when he needs to: “A fart on Thomas Putnam, that is what I say!” (96). Giles is the kind of character that brings the reader’s insight to the story. He says what we want to say in the situation, and pays for it dearly.
Giles is like a puppy barking and howling around everyone’s feet while they are trying to shoo him away in a language he does not understand. Giles is always trying to get into everything, and is therefore always being told to be quiet; however, his nature does not allow it and he can not keep from barking again for long. In the court against his wife, Giles screams, “I have evidence. Why will you not hear my evidence?” (84) even after being told several times to, “keep [his] seat!” (84). He tries to nip at the ankles of beings far larger than him, and it does nothing but get him thrown out to sleep in the cold. He is lovable, naive, and funny like a puppy is. Even when he is killed, he dies with a smile and goes straight to his Master’s lap.
Giles Corey is like Charlie Brown, because nothing goes his way and everyone seems to be against him in one way or another.
The Crucible p. 129-end (I LOVED this book D=)
"I will not receive a single plea for pardon or postponement. Them that will not confess will hang... Postponement now speaks a floundering on my part; reprieve or pardon must cast doubt upon the guilt that died till now" (129).
Danforth is terrified. He thinks that, the moment he makes a move that may be even slightly translated into doubt on one of the accused's guilt, he will be pulled from the court and his name will be tarnished. It can be compared to Proctor's fear, except Danforth is a judge, and so his name has a more respectful connotation to it. Danforth's ruined name would ruin him as a person. He would not be allowed to go on as a judge, and he would be forced to find a new profession, earning less income. He has a reason behind his acting and the deaths of all of these people, although the reason is lackluster.
"Let you not mistake your duty as I mistook my own. I came into this villiage like a bridegroom to his beloved, bearing gifts of high religion; the very crowns of holy law I brought, and what I touched with my bright confidence, it died; and where I turned the eye of my great faith, blood flowed up... Life, woman, life is God's most precious gift; not principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it., I beg you, woman, prevail upon your husband to confess... it may well be God damns a liar less than he that throws his life away for pride" (132).
Hale is making a good, valid point. Pride is the deadliest sin of all. However, this conflicts with the need to keep one's name clean. As we see in Proctor later, he grapples with this and chooses to die with his name as pure as it could be. Hale is criticizing himself very, very severely in this passage, and perhaps that was necessary and true. It is quiet hard to judge that severely outside of a person. Only Hale could say that about himself, because he saw each thing he touched turn to a disaster. Good, pious people called themselves instruments of the devil. Girls who had never held a position of power had the entire town on the tips of their accusing fingers. This predicament was not Hale's fault as he claims, because it would have happened anyway. Hale just happened to be the Reverend who took the case. His belief in witches did not help the situation, and by the time he spoke out against it, it was too late, and innocent women had been hanged.
Danforth is terrified. He thinks that, the moment he makes a move that may be even slightly translated into doubt on one of the accused's guilt, he will be pulled from the court and his name will be tarnished. It can be compared to Proctor's fear, except Danforth is a judge, and so his name has a more respectful connotation to it. Danforth's ruined name would ruin him as a person. He would not be allowed to go on as a judge, and he would be forced to find a new profession, earning less income. He has a reason behind his acting and the deaths of all of these people, although the reason is lackluster.
"Let you not mistake your duty as I mistook my own. I came into this villiage like a bridegroom to his beloved, bearing gifts of high religion; the very crowns of holy law I brought, and what I touched with my bright confidence, it died; and where I turned the eye of my great faith, blood flowed up... Life, woman, life is God's most precious gift; not principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it., I beg you, woman, prevail upon your husband to confess... it may well be God damns a liar less than he that throws his life away for pride" (132).
Hale is making a good, valid point. Pride is the deadliest sin of all. However, this conflicts with the need to keep one's name clean. As we see in Proctor later, he grapples with this and chooses to die with his name as pure as it could be. Hale is criticizing himself very, very severely in this passage, and perhaps that was necessary and true. It is quiet hard to judge that severely outside of a person. Only Hale could say that about himself, because he saw each thing he touched turn to a disaster. Good, pious people called themselves instruments of the devil. Girls who had never held a position of power had the entire town on the tips of their accusing fingers. This predicament was not Hale's fault as he claims, because it would have happened anyway. Hale just happened to be the Reverend who took the case. His belief in witches did not help the situation, and by the time he spoke out against it, it was too late, and innocent women had been hanged.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
The Crucible p. 113-127
"Hale: Excellency, it is a natural lie to tell; I beg you, stop now before another is condemned! I may shut my conscience to it no more- private vengeance is working through this testimony! From the beginning this man has struck me true. By my oath to heaven, I believe him now, and I pray you call back his wife before we-
Danforth: She spoke nothing of lechery, and this man has lied!" (144).
I believe that Danforth is somewhat justified in what he says to Hale, although he has gone too far to not call Elizabeth back. Danforth means Proctor has lied either because Elizabeth can lie, or because of the lechery. Either way, there was a lie. However, this lie as an entity is disconnected from the witch hunt, and should not be evidence to keep the accused in jail. Danforth is a superstitious type of person who does not seem to grasp the concept of justice. He is a dangerous man to have as a member of the court, and he can not think outside of what has been laid down for him. If he could, he would have seen around Elizabeth's lie, but he did not do that. Or possibly, he did not want to do that. Maybe he was afraid that his name would be soiled if there were no witches. He said, "And seventy-two condemned to hang by that signature?" (87). If there be no witches, Danforth must come to face the fact that those women died because of his false judgment, which he would not be able to do, because of his belief that he is as infallible as God.
"Parris: Judge Hathorne- it were another sort that hanged till now. Rebecca Nurse is no Bridget that lived three year with Bishop before she married him. John Proctor is not Isaac Ward that drank his family to ruin... Let Rebecca stand upon the gibbet and send up some righteous prayer, and I fear she'll wake a vengeance on you" (127).
The way that Parris says this gives me the impression that he and Hathorne know there are no witches. He says that all of the other "witches" were bad people who did things out of the norm. This does not make a person a witch, and I get the feeling that he knows that. He is saying that Rebecca and Proctor are good people that people like and respect, and that they are not like the strange people who have already been accused. I do believe that they know there are no witches, but I do not understand why they refuse to say anything, other than their personal motives! I think it's disgusting. Hathorne told Parris, in a somewhat naive voice, "why at every exicution I haveseen naught by high satisfaction in the town" (127). I think he knows that they were only happy because they had killed off one person who had threatened their society, not because they were actual witches who had hurt the people.
Danforth: She spoke nothing of lechery, and this man has lied!" (144).
I believe that Danforth is somewhat justified in what he says to Hale, although he has gone too far to not call Elizabeth back. Danforth means Proctor has lied either because Elizabeth can lie, or because of the lechery. Either way, there was a lie. However, this lie as an entity is disconnected from the witch hunt, and should not be evidence to keep the accused in jail. Danforth is a superstitious type of person who does not seem to grasp the concept of justice. He is a dangerous man to have as a member of the court, and he can not think outside of what has been laid down for him. If he could, he would have seen around Elizabeth's lie, but he did not do that. Or possibly, he did not want to do that. Maybe he was afraid that his name would be soiled if there were no witches. He said, "And seventy-two condemned to hang by that signature?" (87). If there be no witches, Danforth must come to face the fact that those women died because of his false judgment, which he would not be able to do, because of his belief that he is as infallible as God.
"Parris: Judge Hathorne- it were another sort that hanged till now. Rebecca Nurse is no Bridget that lived three year with Bishop before she married him. John Proctor is not Isaac Ward that drank his family to ruin... Let Rebecca stand upon the gibbet and send up some righteous prayer, and I fear she'll wake a vengeance on you" (127).
The way that Parris says this gives me the impression that he and Hathorne know there are no witches. He says that all of the other "witches" were bad people who did things out of the norm. This does not make a person a witch, and I get the feeling that he knows that. He is saying that Rebecca and Proctor are good people that people like and respect, and that they are not like the strange people who have already been accused. I do believe that they know there are no witches, but I do not understand why they refuse to say anything, other than their personal motives! I think it's disgusting. Hathorne told Parris, in a somewhat naive voice, "why at every exicution I haveseen naught by high satisfaction in the town" (127). I think he knows that they were only happy because they had killed off one person who had threatened their society, not because they were actual witches who had hurt the people.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
The Crucible p. 98-113
"The law, based upon the Bible, and the Bible, writ by the Almighty God, forbid the practice of witchcraft, and describe death as the penalty thereof" (102).
This is the root of the problem. To have a society whose law is based on a book written centuries and centuries before is unpractical. If this society's law was based on justice and righteousness and fairness, then this entire scandal would have been totally avoided. However, they judge each person as God would, and that is impossible to do, as God is supposedly the all perfect being. They rule based on religion, making the laws completely strict and ridiculous. Mr. Cheever actually said, "He plow on Sunday" (90), and expected it to be a legitimate argument in their court. This made Proctor less credible in Danforth's eyes, and the chance of Abigail actually being the word of God actually increased to him because of that. Because of this theocracy, the people are now in danger of their lives because of minor arguments that may have taken place years ago. It's ironic, that such a God-fearing place would so soon turn to killing their neighbor over pigs.
"Parris: We are here, Your Honor, precisely to discover what no one has ever seen" (104).
Basically, this is confirming that the entire town of Salem is on a wild goose chase. It's as if they are on a search for Santa Claus, or an imaginary friend. They might as well be searching for God Himself. You can not discover what you can not see, at least in this sense. You can discover air, or energy, but he is not speaking of science. He is speaking nonsense! And you can not discover an unseen force within a court! That's an absolute outrage! A court is based on cold, hard, tangible, visible facts, not an unseen something. Parris does not understand the idiocy of what he is saying. Sadly, this is the entire focus of the court system throughout the witch hunts. The judges and accusers are looking for witches; rather, they are feeling for them, loudly accusing them, trying to sniff them out, and they swear they are so close they can taste them. They are using basically each sense but their sight. And, because of this, there will be a dramatic number of innocent people hanged.
This is the root of the problem. To have a society whose law is based on a book written centuries and centuries before is unpractical. If this society's law was based on justice and righteousness and fairness, then this entire scandal would have been totally avoided. However, they judge each person as God would, and that is impossible to do, as God is supposedly the all perfect being. They rule based on religion, making the laws completely strict and ridiculous. Mr. Cheever actually said, "He plow on Sunday" (90), and expected it to be a legitimate argument in their court. This made Proctor less credible in Danforth's eyes, and the chance of Abigail actually being the word of God actually increased to him because of that. Because of this theocracy, the people are now in danger of their lives because of minor arguments that may have taken place years ago. It's ironic, that such a God-fearing place would so soon turn to killing their neighbor over pigs.
"Parris: We are here, Your Honor, precisely to discover what no one has ever seen" (104).
Basically, this is confirming that the entire town of Salem is on a wild goose chase. It's as if they are on a search for Santa Claus, or an imaginary friend. They might as well be searching for God Himself. You can not discover what you can not see, at least in this sense. You can discover air, or energy, but he is not speaking of science. He is speaking nonsense! And you can not discover an unseen force within a court! That's an absolute outrage! A court is based on cold, hard, tangible, visible facts, not an unseen something. Parris does not understand the idiocy of what he is saying. Sadly, this is the entire focus of the court system throughout the witch hunts. The judges and accusers are looking for witches; rather, they are feeling for them, loudly accusing them, trying to sniff them out, and they swear they are so close they can taste them. They are using basically each sense but their sight. And, because of this, there will be a dramatic number of innocent people hanged.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
The Crucible p. 81-98
"Danforth: Let me continue. I understand well, a husband's tenderness may drive him to extravagance in defense of a wife. Are you certain in your conscience, Mister, that your evidence is the truth?" (89).
This is what we talked abut in class. Because Elizabeth, Mrs. Proctor, is in jail, Danforth is suspecting that John is strictly there for the single purpose of setting his wife free. However, I wonder what these judges would have said if Proctor had gone before Elizabeth had been placed in jail? I do think that they would have found something else to complain about. Possibly to prevent his wife from going to jail, or because of a vengeance towards one of the girls. These people are never pleased, it seems like, and they would have found even the smallest or most obscure loophole they could and played on it to make it seem like a gaping wound in his complaint. This, I believe, was just the one thing they picked to make it seem as though his argument did not hold water. Proctor was screwed simply because the entire town is in a witch frenzy, and they will not allow one man to ruin their chance of revenge.
"Parris: This is a clear attack upon the court!
Hale, to Parris, trying to contain himself: Is every defense an attack against upon the court? Can no one-?" (94).
When witch-crazy Hale is trying to defend the accused girls, you know that he really believes that they are not what the accusers say they are. He's annoyed with Parris for his constant outcries of all of the defenses being an attack. Hale is just missing the reason for why Parris wants to continue this trial so badly. If only Hale were to stop and think about it, then find the facts of Parris' passion for the case, then the whole thing would end. Yes, it may seem as if he is worried for Abigail because of the needle, but there is only so well a man can act. There is a difference between fear for yourself, and fear for others. You panic when you are afraid for yourself. If Parris really feared for Abigail, would he not want to be sure that the women he were accusing were actually witches? He is even spoken of as "a widower with no interest in children" (3). That should be known by the townspeople in such a small town! Why aren't they questioning him?!
This is what we talked abut in class. Because Elizabeth, Mrs. Proctor, is in jail, Danforth is suspecting that John is strictly there for the single purpose of setting his wife free. However, I wonder what these judges would have said if Proctor had gone before Elizabeth had been placed in jail? I do think that they would have found something else to complain about. Possibly to prevent his wife from going to jail, or because of a vengeance towards one of the girls. These people are never pleased, it seems like, and they would have found even the smallest or most obscure loophole they could and played on it to make it seem like a gaping wound in his complaint. This, I believe, was just the one thing they picked to make it seem as though his argument did not hold water. Proctor was screwed simply because the entire town is in a witch frenzy, and they will not allow one man to ruin their chance of revenge.
"Parris: This is a clear attack upon the court!
Hale, to Parris, trying to contain himself: Is every defense an attack against upon the court? Can no one-?" (94).
When witch-crazy Hale is trying to defend the accused girls, you know that he really believes that they are not what the accusers say they are. He's annoyed with Parris for his constant outcries of all of the defenses being an attack. Hale is just missing the reason for why Parris wants to continue this trial so badly. If only Hale were to stop and think about it, then find the facts of Parris' passion for the case, then the whole thing would end. Yes, it may seem as if he is worried for Abigail because of the needle, but there is only so well a man can act. There is a difference between fear for yourself, and fear for others. You panic when you are afraid for yourself. If Parris really feared for Abigail, would he not want to be sure that the women he were accusing were actually witches? He is even spoken of as "a widower with no interest in children" (3). That should be known by the townspeople in such a small town! Why aren't they questioning him?!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
The Crucible p. 67-81
"The girl, the Williams girl, Abigail Williams, sir. She sat to dinner
in Reverend Parris's house tonight, and without word nor warnin' she
falls to the floor. Like a struck beast, he says, and screamed a
scream that a bull would weep to hear" (74).
Abigail goes so far as to actually stick a pin into her and blame
Elizabeth Proctor of trying to kill her. It's gone so far, and now she
has honestly decided to stop at nothing to get John Proctor. It
doesn't make sense that a girl as beautiful as her would torment the
entire town of Salem for this one lowly farmer. They make her sound
beautiful enough to get any man she wants, so it does not make any
sense why she is stuck on John. He has not been described as
incredibly handsome, and he is not rich or extremely nice or anything.
He's kinda mean. Why Abigail would go to such extreme measures to get
him is beyond me. She's willing to kill off every woman in the entire
town of Salem for him! Why? I would like to know that.
"This warrant's vengeance! I'll not give my wife to vengeance!"
John is trying to tell everyone that the witchery is just a plot used
by these girls, and yet they do not want to listen. Elizabeth is
saying that she will just go to jail, but she would be going for no
reason! The entire town is so wrapped up in this, and I think part of
it is because nothing exciting ever happens in a Puritanical town.
It's so strict on everything, and that this excitement has thrilled
them all beyond belief. It's sad that they are putting lives on the
line for a little fun. And why are the townspeople believing Abby over
John Proctor? He's older and has a better and more well-formed
reputation that she does! If he were to say something, shouldn't they
believe him before Abby, when he has a logical explanation for the
entire mess? I think that the bored Puritans just want something to
help them escape from their daily chores, and that is why they are
holding on to this witch hunt, and why John Proctor might never be
heard.
in Reverend Parris's house tonight, and without word nor warnin' she
falls to the floor. Like a struck beast, he says, and screamed a
scream that a bull would weep to hear" (74).
Abigail goes so far as to actually stick a pin into her and blame
Elizabeth Proctor of trying to kill her. It's gone so far, and now she
has honestly decided to stop at nothing to get John Proctor. It
doesn't make sense that a girl as beautiful as her would torment the
entire town of Salem for this one lowly farmer. They make her sound
beautiful enough to get any man she wants, so it does not make any
sense why she is stuck on John. He has not been described as
incredibly handsome, and he is not rich or extremely nice or anything.
He's kinda mean. Why Abigail would go to such extreme measures to get
him is beyond me. She's willing to kill off every woman in the entire
town of Salem for him! Why? I would like to know that.
"This warrant's vengeance! I'll not give my wife to vengeance!"
John is trying to tell everyone that the witchery is just a plot used
by these girls, and yet they do not want to listen. Elizabeth is
saying that she will just go to jail, but she would be going for no
reason! The entire town is so wrapped up in this, and I think part of
it is because nothing exciting ever happens in a Puritanical town.
It's so strict on everything, and that this excitement has thrilled
them all beyond belief. It's sad that they are putting lives on the
line for a little fun. And why are the townspeople believing Abby over
John Proctor? He's older and has a better and more well-formed
reputation that she does! If he were to say something, shouldn't they
believe him before Abby, when he has a logical explanation for the
entire mess? I think that the bored Puritans just want something to
help them escape from their daily chores, and that is why they are
holding on to this witch hunt, and why John Proctor might never be
heard.
Monday, December 7, 2009
P&P Essay- Prompt 5
Christina DeSario DeSario,1
Mr. George- AP English 11
12•05•09
Prompt 5
The Delay of Elizabeth and Darcy’s Felicity
Love is something that does not take place all at once, despite how fairy tales or dreams express it. Love happens gradually and, sometimes, unexpectedly. It opens like a flower bud, slowly but surely. Nothing can start out perfectly beautiful, and a bud is the ugly duckling of the flower bed. Buds, the small promise of something to come, is a metaphor for the first meeting between a man and a woman who will grow to love each other. Sometimes, buds do not open. They stay closed tightly; afraid, or dead. Other times, they open proudly, displaying their lively and awe-inspiring colors to the entire world. Love, in the case of Pride and Prejudice, happened between a girl who hated a man, and a man who wanted nothing more than that girl’s affection. It took Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy a long, hard time to become happy, like the coldness of winter passes slowly to those who wish for spring. Because of Elizabeth’s hatred towards Darcy, despite his constant and outright displays of affection for her, she was the one at fault for delaying their life-long happiness.
Elizabeth prides herself on being able to tell anyone’s character. She believes that she can see through others as if they were a stained-glass window. She is proud of being able to tell that they are just windows, while everyone else is simply so entranced by the person’s pictures and colors that they can not see the window beneath their façade. She believes that she knows things about others that nobody else knows. She says to Jane, “‘and yet I meant to be uncommonly clever in taking so decided a dislike to him, without any reason’” (Austen 172). She admits one of her greatest faults: her pride in the ability she thought she had, but did not. Instead of being correct in her assumption, she was mistaken in her belief, and ended up letting the greatest chance of her life slip away with a long mouthful of harsh words to the man who loved her. The worst move she makes in delaying her happiness, and almost putting an end to any chance of it
DeSario, 2
whatsoever, was when Lizzy rejects Mr. Darcy after he proposes.
Darcy comes to Lizzy, overcome, and professes his love for her. Instead of saying yes, she says, “‘I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry’” (148). She rejects him because of different reasons, even though he loved her. She refused to marry him, and, although this was no fault of hers with the information she had, it placed her in a terrible position later on. Elizabeth further delays her and Darcy’s matrimony with her grudges.
Mr. Darcy comments on Lizzy, claiming that she was, “not handsome enough to tempt me [Darcy]” (7). Lizzy overhears this rude, but minuscule, insult, and holds onto it like a child wearing their favorite shirt every day and night. She refuses to let it go, even after he has long since forgotten about it. He never verbally attacks Lizzy again, and yet she believes him to hate her looks and continues to despise him. After she rejects his proposal, she continues to hold onto this, “‘my beauty you had early withstood’” (291). Although it is no longer in a malicious or bitter way in which she thought of the comment, she had not at all forgotten it. The reason she even brought it up was because it was still bothering her. If it did not, she would have let it go. Lizzy, for the first time in the book, begins to fall for a man- she begins to fall for the evil and vengeful Mr. Wickam.
Mr. Wickham had great and admirable manners. He could charm anyone, and was good at hiding his true nature. Lizzy, whlo thought she could see through anyone, could only see the picture Wickham displayed. Her mind was occupied with thoughts of Wickham, and not Darcy. Even though she mentions Darcy more than almost anyone else, her interactions with Wickham turn her attentions from Mr. Darcy and towards Mr. Wickham. Wickham got her tooth, nail, and sinker: “Elizabeth... listened with all her heart” (59). She spent time with him, instead of with Darcy. Had Mr. Wickham not shown up, she would have been free to see Bingley, whom she and
DeSario, 3
Jane were very fond of. Bingley and Darcy were always together, and she would have seen Darcy more, which would have increased her liking of him. Instead of spending time with Darcy, she spends it with Wickham, and listens to him as though his words were absolute truth.
Mr. Wickham tells Lizzy that Mr. Darcy was a terrible person who forced him into the regiment. This Lizzy holds onto, and it adds to her hatred of Darcy considerably. Wickham lies through his teeth, and Elizabeth is deceived: “‘Your character was unfolded in the recital which I received many months ago from Mr. Wickam’” (147). She refuses to believe that Darcy is anything other than evil and conniving. Caroline, and even her sister Jane, tell her differently. Thinking only that Caroline would lie and that Jane had been manipulated, she throws these valid arguments out of mind, and thinks of them no more. She holds on to Wickham’s false account from many months ago, although she could have made a new opinion of Darcy within that time period, as she saw him many times.
One of those times specifically shows Darcy’s character was not as bad as Elizabeth had originally believed: “‘I certainly have not the talent which some people possess,’ said Darcy ‘of conversing easily with those I have never met before” (135). Lizzy disliked his character from the start because of his quietness and perceived pride, when it was just shyness. However, she does not get rid of her notion that he is stricken with intense pride, and goes on to believe all of the wicked lies of Mr. Wickham. Lizzy could even be sure that Darcy is not lying when he says this. It would not be the first time that Darcy explains himself so honestly: “‘No... I have faults enough... My temper I dare not vouch for. -It is I believe too little yielding” (43). Elizabeth should have known from experience with Darcy that he would not lie, and so she has no reason not to believe him. The grave mistake she makes here is to not connect it with her first meeting with him at the ball. She does not see that his shyness was what made him act superior. She still hold onto the belief that Darcy was embarrassingly prideful. Elizabeth hates Darcy even more
DeSario, 4
after he keeps Jane’s arrival in London a secret from Mr. Bingley.
The reader can easily sympathize with Lizzy on this point. Darcy did not tell Mr. Bingley that Jane, Lizzy favorite sister, was in town. When Jane returned home to Longbourn, she was sullen and loveless. She was left to believe that Bingley had fallen out of love with her, and in love with Darcy’s younger sister, Georgiana. She was then resolved to forget about him. Lizzy tells Darcy that, “‘I have every reason in the world to think ill of you’” (146). She assumes that Darcy is out to spite her family. Even though she is completely in the right to assume it, she does not even give Mr. Darcy the chance to explain his reasoning. She continues to twist the conversation and backs him into the corner until he can not even defend himself: “And this... is your opinion of me!” (147). She only tells him that, “‘you cannot deny that you have been the principal, if not the only means of dividing them from each other... and involving them both in misery of the acutest kind’” (146). She never asks for specifics, only attacks him. She infuriates and wounds him to the point where he could not attempt to defend his reasoning even if he wanted to. Darcy is far too logical a character to speak of something so delicate and personal when he believes to he is too emotional. Lizzy does not find out until his letter that there was a just reason Darcy acted the way he did. By the time she did find his reasons out, she had already rejected him, and it was too late. Lizzy puts off their happiness further by then expecting Mr. Darcy to make another move after her harsh rejection.
The thought of making the first move never even occurs to Lizzy. She waits for Darcy, even after crushing him, in hopes that he will chase after her like a puppy chases a bike. She does not even try to give him any hope of her reciprocating his love. Instead of giving him some sort of hint or hope to encourage him, she simply says to herself, “‘if he does not come to me, then, ‘ said she, ‘I shall give him up for ever’” (259). She waits for Darcy, while he is trying to forget his love for her because he believes she hates him. She drops no hints for him. At the rate she was
DeSario, 5
going, there would have been no chance for love had it not been for Darcy’s meddling relatives.
Darcy worked hard to get Elizabeth to like him, and after he was rejected, he worked just to make her happy, but Lizzy ignored and hated him, putting her at fault for the delay of their felicity. It took her most of the story to even realize that she loved Darcy, even though he was the prominent figure on her mind throughout it. She rejected his proposal of marriage, and later realized her true feelings for him, after it was too late for her to speak to him without being humiliated. It took Darcy’s second proposal to make her express her love for him. Had she just put aside her pride and prejudice from the beginning, she would have found happiness far earlier than she really did, and her love would have blossomed from the beginning, instead of staying tight in a bud over the harsh winter.
DeSario, 6
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. United States: Oxford University, 1990
Mr. George- AP English 11
12•05•09
Prompt 5
The Delay of Elizabeth and Darcy’s Felicity
Love is something that does not take place all at once, despite how fairy tales or dreams express it. Love happens gradually and, sometimes, unexpectedly. It opens like a flower bud, slowly but surely. Nothing can start out perfectly beautiful, and a bud is the ugly duckling of the flower bed. Buds, the small promise of something to come, is a metaphor for the first meeting between a man and a woman who will grow to love each other. Sometimes, buds do not open. They stay closed tightly; afraid, or dead. Other times, they open proudly, displaying their lively and awe-inspiring colors to the entire world. Love, in the case of Pride and Prejudice, happened between a girl who hated a man, and a man who wanted nothing more than that girl’s affection. It took Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy a long, hard time to become happy, like the coldness of winter passes slowly to those who wish for spring. Because of Elizabeth’s hatred towards Darcy, despite his constant and outright displays of affection for her, she was the one at fault for delaying their life-long happiness.
Elizabeth prides herself on being able to tell anyone’s character. She believes that she can see through others as if they were a stained-glass window. She is proud of being able to tell that they are just windows, while everyone else is simply so entranced by the person’s pictures and colors that they can not see the window beneath their façade. She believes that she knows things about others that nobody else knows. She says to Jane, “‘and yet I meant to be uncommonly clever in taking so decided a dislike to him, without any reason’” (Austen 172). She admits one of her greatest faults: her pride in the ability she thought she had, but did not. Instead of being correct in her assumption, she was mistaken in her belief, and ended up letting the greatest chance of her life slip away with a long mouthful of harsh words to the man who loved her. The worst move she makes in delaying her happiness, and almost putting an end to any chance of it
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whatsoever, was when Lizzy rejects Mr. Darcy after he proposes.
Darcy comes to Lizzy, overcome, and professes his love for her. Instead of saying yes, she says, “‘I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry’” (148). She rejects him because of different reasons, even though he loved her. She refused to marry him, and, although this was no fault of hers with the information she had, it placed her in a terrible position later on. Elizabeth further delays her and Darcy’s matrimony with her grudges.
Mr. Darcy comments on Lizzy, claiming that she was, “not handsome enough to tempt me [Darcy]” (7). Lizzy overhears this rude, but minuscule, insult, and holds onto it like a child wearing their favorite shirt every day and night. She refuses to let it go, even after he has long since forgotten about it. He never verbally attacks Lizzy again, and yet she believes him to hate her looks and continues to despise him. After she rejects his proposal, she continues to hold onto this, “‘my beauty you had early withstood’” (291). Although it is no longer in a malicious or bitter way in which she thought of the comment, she had not at all forgotten it. The reason she even brought it up was because it was still bothering her. If it did not, she would have let it go. Lizzy, for the first time in the book, begins to fall for a man- she begins to fall for the evil and vengeful Mr. Wickam.
Mr. Wickham had great and admirable manners. He could charm anyone, and was good at hiding his true nature. Lizzy, whlo thought she could see through anyone, could only see the picture Wickham displayed. Her mind was occupied with thoughts of Wickham, and not Darcy. Even though she mentions Darcy more than almost anyone else, her interactions with Wickham turn her attentions from Mr. Darcy and towards Mr. Wickham. Wickham got her tooth, nail, and sinker: “Elizabeth... listened with all her heart” (59). She spent time with him, instead of with Darcy. Had Mr. Wickham not shown up, she would have been free to see Bingley, whom she and
DeSario, 3
Jane were very fond of. Bingley and Darcy were always together, and she would have seen Darcy more, which would have increased her liking of him. Instead of spending time with Darcy, she spends it with Wickham, and listens to him as though his words were absolute truth.
Mr. Wickham tells Lizzy that Mr. Darcy was a terrible person who forced him into the regiment. This Lizzy holds onto, and it adds to her hatred of Darcy considerably. Wickham lies through his teeth, and Elizabeth is deceived: “‘Your character was unfolded in the recital which I received many months ago from Mr. Wickam’” (147). She refuses to believe that Darcy is anything other than evil and conniving. Caroline, and even her sister Jane, tell her differently. Thinking only that Caroline would lie and that Jane had been manipulated, she throws these valid arguments out of mind, and thinks of them no more. She holds on to Wickham’s false account from many months ago, although she could have made a new opinion of Darcy within that time period, as she saw him many times.
One of those times specifically shows Darcy’s character was not as bad as Elizabeth had originally believed: “‘I certainly have not the talent which some people possess,’ said Darcy ‘of conversing easily with those I have never met before” (135). Lizzy disliked his character from the start because of his quietness and perceived pride, when it was just shyness. However, she does not get rid of her notion that he is stricken with intense pride, and goes on to believe all of the wicked lies of Mr. Wickham. Lizzy could even be sure that Darcy is not lying when he says this. It would not be the first time that Darcy explains himself so honestly: “‘No... I have faults enough... My temper I dare not vouch for. -It is I believe too little yielding” (43). Elizabeth should have known from experience with Darcy that he would not lie, and so she has no reason not to believe him. The grave mistake she makes here is to not connect it with her first meeting with him at the ball. She does not see that his shyness was what made him act superior. She still hold onto the belief that Darcy was embarrassingly prideful. Elizabeth hates Darcy even more
DeSario, 4
after he keeps Jane’s arrival in London a secret from Mr. Bingley.
The reader can easily sympathize with Lizzy on this point. Darcy did not tell Mr. Bingley that Jane, Lizzy favorite sister, was in town. When Jane returned home to Longbourn, she was sullen and loveless. She was left to believe that Bingley had fallen out of love with her, and in love with Darcy’s younger sister, Georgiana. She was then resolved to forget about him. Lizzy tells Darcy that, “‘I have every reason in the world to think ill of you’” (146). She assumes that Darcy is out to spite her family. Even though she is completely in the right to assume it, she does not even give Mr. Darcy the chance to explain his reasoning. She continues to twist the conversation and backs him into the corner until he can not even defend himself: “And this... is your opinion of me!” (147). She only tells him that, “‘you cannot deny that you have been the principal, if not the only means of dividing them from each other... and involving them both in misery of the acutest kind’” (146). She never asks for specifics, only attacks him. She infuriates and wounds him to the point where he could not attempt to defend his reasoning even if he wanted to. Darcy is far too logical a character to speak of something so delicate and personal when he believes to he is too emotional. Lizzy does not find out until his letter that there was a just reason Darcy acted the way he did. By the time she did find his reasons out, she had already rejected him, and it was too late. Lizzy puts off their happiness further by then expecting Mr. Darcy to make another move after her harsh rejection.
The thought of making the first move never even occurs to Lizzy. She waits for Darcy, even after crushing him, in hopes that he will chase after her like a puppy chases a bike. She does not even try to give him any hope of her reciprocating his love. Instead of giving him some sort of hint or hope to encourage him, she simply says to herself, “‘if he does not come to me, then, ‘ said she, ‘I shall give him up for ever’” (259). She waits for Darcy, while he is trying to forget his love for her because he believes she hates him. She drops no hints for him. At the rate she was
DeSario, 5
going, there would have been no chance for love had it not been for Darcy’s meddling relatives.
Darcy worked hard to get Elizabeth to like him, and after he was rejected, he worked just to make her happy, but Lizzy ignored and hated him, putting her at fault for the delay of their felicity. It took her most of the story to even realize that she loved Darcy, even though he was the prominent figure on her mind throughout it. She rejected his proposal of marriage, and later realized her true feelings for him, after it was too late for her to speak to him without being humiliated. It took Darcy’s second proposal to make her express her love for him. Had she just put aside her pride and prejudice from the beginning, she would have found happiness far earlier than she really did, and her love would have blossomed from the beginning, instead of staying tight in a bud over the harsh winter.
DeSario, 6
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. United States: Oxford University, 1990
Sunday, December 6, 2009
The Crucible p. 49-60
"Proctor: What work you do! It's strange work for a Christian girl to hang old women!" (58).
This makes a lot of sense, and I do not understand why other people do not see it the way Proctor does. Christians are not supposed to be evil and go against the commandment thou sgall not bear false witness against thy neighbor like thy are. Proctor knows that this is all a lie that the girls put together, and so he knows that Goody Osborne is going to be hanged for nothing at all, and that Goody Good will be put into jail for confessing to a crime she did not commit. All of these people are being condemned because of a malicious scheme put together by a jealous seventeen-year-old girl, and it goes against the Christian faith one hundred percent.
"Proctor: She cannot think it! He knows it is true" (61).
Proctor is certain that Abigail simply wants to take Elizabeth's place. Abigail is going to accuse her, and Elizabeth will be hanged for being Proctor's wife, and no other reason. He understands that his sin with Abigail has sealed his wife's fate, and that if he refuses to end it, Elizabeth will be called a witch by Abigail, the saint of the village.
This makes a lot of sense, and I do not understand why other people do not see it the way Proctor does. Christians are not supposed to be evil and go against the commandment thou sgall not bear false witness against thy neighbor like thy are. Proctor knows that this is all a lie that the girls put together, and so he knows that Goody Osborne is going to be hanged for nothing at all, and that Goody Good will be put into jail for confessing to a crime she did not commit. All of these people are being condemned because of a malicious scheme put together by a jealous seventeen-year-old girl, and it goes against the Christian faith one hundred percent.
"Proctor: She cannot think it! He knows it is true" (61).
Proctor is certain that Abigail simply wants to take Elizabeth's place. Abigail is going to accuse her, and Elizabeth will be hanged for being Proctor's wife, and no other reason. He understands that his sin with Abigail has sealed his wife's fate, and that if he refuses to end it, Elizabeth will be called a witch by Abigail, the saint of the village.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
The Crucible p. 30-49
"Proctor: I've heard you to be a sensible man, Mr. Hale. Let's hope you leave some of it in Salem" (37).
At least Proctor is being smart about this witch scandal. He is hoping that Reverend Hale is smart when it comes to the witch business. He expects Hale to understand that the supernatural is a myth, and not something common and all around. I think that that is a lot of pressure on Hale, and a lot of assuming on Proctor's part. Hale is surrounded by people who believe- most ardently- that Betty and Ruth are under a spell, so it would be hard for him to break away and say his true opinion, which he wouldn't do anyway, because he believes in witches. It is a lot for Proctor to assume of the Reverend, because Proctor barely even knows him.
"Rebecca: I wish I knew. She goes out; they feel resentful of her note of moral superiority" (40).
I rolled my eyes. Why does the last sensible one have to leave the group of morons to fend for themselves in the dark? Hale seems perfectly normal until Rebecca leaves, and, regretfully, becomes a superstitious dumbass. Hale suddenly turns and begins to attack Abigail and Tituba on the Devil and his witches. Sadly, Proctor and Rebecca are both gone, and so is any hope for common sense.
At least Proctor is being smart about this witch scandal. He is hoping that Reverend Hale is smart when it comes to the witch business. He expects Hale to understand that the supernatural is a myth, and not something common and all around. I think that that is a lot of pressure on Hale, and a lot of assuming on Proctor's part. Hale is surrounded by people who believe- most ardently- that Betty and Ruth are under a spell, so it would be hard for him to break away and say his true opinion, which he wouldn't do anyway, because he believes in witches. It is a lot for Proctor to assume of the Reverend, because Proctor barely even knows him.
"Rebecca: I wish I knew. She goes out; they feel resentful of her note of moral superiority" (40).
I rolled my eyes. Why does the last sensible one have to leave the group of morons to fend for themselves in the dark? Hale seems perfectly normal until Rebecca leaves, and, regretfully, becomes a superstitious dumbass. Hale suddenly turns and begins to attack Abigail and Tituba on the Devil and his witches. Sadly, Proctor and Rebecca are both gone, and so is any hope for common sense.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
The Crucible pg. 8-30
"Betty: You did, you did! You drank a charm to kill John Proctor's wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor!" (19).
So, we finally have the cause behind all of this foolishness. How ridiculous, thinking a charm could kill a woman! And, how more ridiculous, thinking that witchcraft is the reason of it all! Because of Abigail's silly crush on a married, thirty-year-old man, the entire town is in a fuss, screaming witchcraft. She shouldn't have gone so far, although she is an orphan, and saw her parents get killed (or so she later says), it's really no excuse for her to go so far for the sake of feeling loved. She must be lonely, though. It's hard not to feel sorry for her, but at the same time, it's hard to feel sorry for her.
"Rebecca, sitting: I think she'll wake in time. Pray calm yourselves. I have eleven children, and I am twenty-six times a grandma, and I have seen them all through their silly seasons, and when it come on them they will run the Devil bowlegged keeping up with their mischief. I think she will wake when she tires of it. A child's spirit is like a child, you can never catch it by running after it; you must stand still, and, for love, it will soon itself come back" (27).
I'm very happy to see one sane person in this life of religious dimwits. Rebecca is saying that kids are just kids, and to just let her play, because she's fine, and she's only playing. She puts it in a very soft way, because she could have hit her and yelled at her to wake up, instead of warning the people that Betty was only being a kid. She doesn't believe in witches, and I think that she is very level-headed because of this. Unless, of course, she's saying this and ends up to be a witch. In that case, she's a very good actress, but I doubt that notion.
So, we finally have the cause behind all of this foolishness. How ridiculous, thinking a charm could kill a woman! And, how more ridiculous, thinking that witchcraft is the reason of it all! Because of Abigail's silly crush on a married, thirty-year-old man, the entire town is in a fuss, screaming witchcraft. She shouldn't have gone so far, although she is an orphan, and saw her parents get killed (or so she later says), it's really no excuse for her to go so far for the sake of feeling loved. She must be lonely, though. It's hard not to feel sorry for her, but at the same time, it's hard to feel sorry for her.
"Rebecca, sitting: I think she'll wake in time. Pray calm yourselves. I have eleven children, and I am twenty-six times a grandma, and I have seen them all through their silly seasons, and when it come on them they will run the Devil bowlegged keeping up with their mischief. I think she will wake when she tires of it. A child's spirit is like a child, you can never catch it by running after it; you must stand still, and, for love, it will soon itself come back" (27).
I'm very happy to see one sane person in this life of religious dimwits. Rebecca is saying that kids are just kids, and to just let her play, because she's fine, and she's only playing. She puts it in a very soft way, because she could have hit her and yelled at her to wake up, instead of warning the people that Betty was only being a kid. She doesn't believe in witches, and I think that she is very level-headed because of this. Unless, of course, she's saying this and ends up to be a witch. In that case, she's a very good actress, but I doubt that notion.
I THINK I cited it right, but I don't know. o.O
Christina DeSario
Mr. George- AP Eng 11
12•01•09
Critique
Critique of Mr. Collins
Mr. Collins has an admiration for Lady Catherin de Bourgh, or rather, for her high social standing. She is his main topic of conversation, not because he has any fondness for her character, but because she is rich, and he aspires to be like her by getting as close to her as possible. Because of his reasonless exuberance in her social standing, he is all the more ridiculous to the reader, and a clearer criticism of the class system. He represents those members of the lower class who have high respect for those of the higher class, and all those who dream of taking part in their lifestyles.
Collins embodies the lower class’ respect for the higher class. He has no reason for each time he rejoices when Lady Catherine “condescends” to give him advice. She tells him to do things, such as put shelves in the closet. He complies like an excited puppy, and the closet is immediately stacked with impractical shelves. Because of this scene, an eye roll is forced from the readers as they understand that Collins is like a puppet who moves without being forced, but by suggestion, and through his own will. In other words, he is an idiot.
Through Mr. Collins Austen is calling everyone who looks up at the rich with awe as stupid. She uses Mr. Collins to portray those people, and with each word that comes out of his mouth, or off of the paper from the letters he writes, we laugh at him more and more. He speaks of Mr. Darcy as though they were close friends, mortifying Lizzy and telling the reader that Mr. Collins believes he is in with the rich crowd because of his loose connections with Darcy’s aunt, connections which he believes are much tighter than they actually are.
Collins almost believes that he is rich in a sense, like the chihuahua puppy dog who believes he is big and brave because his shadow is as big as a Saint Bernard. He is small in society’s eyes, and yet he feels one hundred percent comfortable. Collins thinks that the fact that he lives next to Rosings and dines there occasionally makes him higher in social class. Collins knew almost nothing of Darcy, and yet he went on to say how amazing he was, and how he would make a perfect husband, simply because of his social standing.
Mr. Collins’ social standing, compared to what he believes, makes him ridiculous, and he is a criticism of the classism of that time period. He is a stupid man who believes to be much better than he is, and he is not. Collins has big hopes, hopes that can never be met as a small town preacher.
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. United States: Oxford University, 1990
Mr. George- AP Eng 11
12•01•09
Critique
Critique of Mr. Collins
Mr. Collins has an admiration for Lady Catherin de Bourgh, or rather, for her high social standing. She is his main topic of conversation, not because he has any fondness for her character, but because she is rich, and he aspires to be like her by getting as close to her as possible. Because of his reasonless exuberance in her social standing, he is all the more ridiculous to the reader, and a clearer criticism of the class system. He represents those members of the lower class who have high respect for those of the higher class, and all those who dream of taking part in their lifestyles.
Collins embodies the lower class’ respect for the higher class. He has no reason for each time he rejoices when Lady Catherine “condescends” to give him advice. She tells him to do things, such as put shelves in the closet. He complies like an excited puppy, and the closet is immediately stacked with impractical shelves. Because of this scene, an eye roll is forced from the readers as they understand that Collins is like a puppet who moves without being forced, but by suggestion, and through his own will. In other words, he is an idiot.
Through Mr. Collins Austen is calling everyone who looks up at the rich with awe as stupid. She uses Mr. Collins to portray those people, and with each word that comes out of his mouth, or off of the paper from the letters he writes, we laugh at him more and more. He speaks of Mr. Darcy as though they were close friends, mortifying Lizzy and telling the reader that Mr. Collins believes he is in with the rich crowd because of his loose connections with Darcy’s aunt, connections which he believes are much tighter than they actually are.
Collins almost believes that he is rich in a sense, like the chihuahua puppy dog who believes he is big and brave because his shadow is as big as a Saint Bernard. He is small in society’s eyes, and yet he feels one hundred percent comfortable. Collins thinks that the fact that he lives next to Rosings and dines there occasionally makes him higher in social class. Collins knew almost nothing of Darcy, and yet he went on to say how amazing he was, and how he would make a perfect husband, simply because of his social standing.
Mr. Collins’ social standing, compared to what he believes, makes him ridiculous, and he is a criticism of the classism of that time period. He is a stupid man who believes to be much better than he is, and he is not. Collins has big hopes, hopes that can never be met as a small town preacher.
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. United States: Oxford University, 1990
Friday, November 27, 2009
2 Character Analyses- Bingley & Wickham (I've been Listening to Disney songs all day. Can you tell?)
Christina DeSario
Mr. George- AP English 11
11•27•09
Character description
Mr. Bingley
Mr. Bingley is a sweet guy with little common sense, who falls in love easily and smiles through everything.
Bingley, throughout the novel, is sweet and whimsical. He was always nice to each person he came into contact with, even when they were not great people- such as his sisters, especially Caroline. Each person he met grew to like him very much because of his sweet and friendly nature. He always just wanted what was best for the other person. He danced with a lot of girls, even though he fell in love with Jane Bennet almost immediately. His extroverted nature allowed him to talk with other people easily, and allowed them to enjoy his company in return and make no enemies. He immediately became the favorite of virtually everybody, and even cynical Mr. Bennet liked spending some time with him.
Charles Bingley is like a child. He is always smiling and playful. He is looked after by Darcy with father-like patience and worry. He is excited over little things, like a ball of poor commoners, much like little babies can giggle over car keys or mobiles. Women fawns over him with love like they would to to a a cute little boy. He is naive and sees the good in people, like a child. Like a child, he is pushed around and manipulated by hs sisters and Darcy, like when they moved him back to London. Bingley’s childish nature is frustrating at times, but it is what made Jane fall in love with him, and so that is why readers are so happy for him.
A modern-day example of Bingley would be Simba from The Lion King. He is childish and is looked over, but grows more into a man by going from London to Longbourn and proposing to Jane, like when Simba went from where he had been living with Timon and Pumba and took back Pride Rock. Bingley and Simba went from being silly and childish to being ambitious enough to get what they knew would make them really happy.
Christina DeSario
Mr. George- AP English 11
11•27•09
Character description
Mr. Whickham
Whickham was a man who smiled while he used people and tossed them aside for his own selfish purposes.
In Pride and Prejudice, Whickham originally comes across as nice and pleasing, but eventually it is found out that he is actually only interested in himself, revenge, and gambling. He uses Elizabeth by feeding her lies about Darcy’s character. He tells her things about him that are the exact opposite of who he is. He flirts with her, and then drops her for a child with a larger dowry. Then, he runs off with Lydia in an attempt to further ruin the Bennet name and hurt Darcy. A man, who at first, was sweet and lovable, was actually evil and mean underneath his mask.
Wickham is like a poisonous snake. He seems beautiful from his colors, but he can pack a dangerous punch. Instead of using his charming looks and mannerisms for good, he uses them to hurt those people who are fooled by his colors. He attracts people with a false beauty, bites them where it would affect them the most, and then leaves them stunned. He does this all for his own pleasure, and there is no reason for it.
In a modern-day sense, Wickham would be like Jafar from Aladdin. He acts loyal to the Sultan, then turns around and commits the greatest act of treason on his trust. He tries to marry Jasmine, much like Wickham tried to marry Georgiana. Jafar might not have the good looks that Wickham had, but they had the same types of goals in mind: Jafar wanted to be Sultan, and Wickham wanted a huge fortune. They both had to meet their goals the same way: by marrying the girl who could give them their positions. Like Jafar’s staff with hypnotizing powers, Wickham’s good looks and charms made people trust him and like him. Both of them, however, were found out and hated.
Mr. George- AP English 11
11•27•09
Character description
Mr. Bingley
Mr. Bingley is a sweet guy with little common sense, who falls in love easily and smiles through everything.
Bingley, throughout the novel, is sweet and whimsical. He was always nice to each person he came into contact with, even when they were not great people- such as his sisters, especially Caroline. Each person he met grew to like him very much because of his sweet and friendly nature. He always just wanted what was best for the other person. He danced with a lot of girls, even though he fell in love with Jane Bennet almost immediately. His extroverted nature allowed him to talk with other people easily, and allowed them to enjoy his company in return and make no enemies. He immediately became the favorite of virtually everybody, and even cynical Mr. Bennet liked spending some time with him.
Charles Bingley is like a child. He is always smiling and playful. He is looked after by Darcy with father-like patience and worry. He is excited over little things, like a ball of poor commoners, much like little babies can giggle over car keys or mobiles. Women fawns over him with love like they would to to a a cute little boy. He is naive and sees the good in people, like a child. Like a child, he is pushed around and manipulated by hs sisters and Darcy, like when they moved him back to London. Bingley’s childish nature is frustrating at times, but it is what made Jane fall in love with him, and so that is why readers are so happy for him.
A modern-day example of Bingley would be Simba from The Lion King. He is childish and is looked over, but grows more into a man by going from London to Longbourn and proposing to Jane, like when Simba went from where he had been living with Timon and Pumba and took back Pride Rock. Bingley and Simba went from being silly and childish to being ambitious enough to get what they knew would make them really happy.
Christina DeSario
Mr. George- AP English 11
11•27•09
Character description
Mr. Whickham
Whickham was a man who smiled while he used people and tossed them aside for his own selfish purposes.
In Pride and Prejudice, Whickham originally comes across as nice and pleasing, but eventually it is found out that he is actually only interested in himself, revenge, and gambling. He uses Elizabeth by feeding her lies about Darcy’s character. He tells her things about him that are the exact opposite of who he is. He flirts with her, and then drops her for a child with a larger dowry. Then, he runs off with Lydia in an attempt to further ruin the Bennet name and hurt Darcy. A man, who at first, was sweet and lovable, was actually evil and mean underneath his mask.
Wickham is like a poisonous snake. He seems beautiful from his colors, but he can pack a dangerous punch. Instead of using his charming looks and mannerisms for good, he uses them to hurt those people who are fooled by his colors. He attracts people with a false beauty, bites them where it would affect them the most, and then leaves them stunned. He does this all for his own pleasure, and there is no reason for it.
In a modern-day sense, Wickham would be like Jafar from Aladdin. He acts loyal to the Sultan, then turns around and commits the greatest act of treason on his trust. He tries to marry Jasmine, much like Wickham tried to marry Georgiana. Jafar might not have the good looks that Wickham had, but they had the same types of goals in mind: Jafar wanted to be Sultan, and Wickham wanted a huge fortune. They both had to meet their goals the same way: by marrying the girl who could give them their positions. Like Jafar’s staff with hypnotizing powers, Wickham’s good looks and charms made people trust him and like him. Both of them, however, were found out and hated.
Monday, November 23, 2009
"Elizabeth feeling all the more than common awkwardness and anxiety of his situation, now forced herself to speak; and immediately, though not very fluently, gave him to understand, that her sentiments had undergone so material a change, since the period to which he alluded, as to make her receive with gratitude and pleasure, his present assurances. The happiness which this reply produced, was such as he had probably never felt before; and he expressed himself on the occasion as sensibly and as warmly as a man violently is love can be supposed to do" (280).
I'm glad that Darcy proposed again. I think that this time was much better than the last two Elizabeth had received. It was less wordy and more emotional than ever, and was right to the point. Putting aside all of the stupid words of love and just getting out the message that he wants to be with her is so much better. This is how it should be for Darcy and Elizabeth, because they're both too awkward to talk too much about love. Elizabeth gets shy and Darcy gets scared, so a simply, easy proposal was better.
"'I know that you could be neither happy nor respectable, unless you truly esteemed your husband; unless you looked up to him as a superior. Your lively talents would place you in the greatest danger in an unequal marriage. You could scarcely escape discredit and misery. My child, let me not have the grief of seeing you unable to respect your neighbor in life" (288-289).
Mr. Bennet knows how Lizzy is smart and playful, and having a husband who she looked down on or thought was dumber or boring would not make her happy in life, even if she was rich. He believes that she would hate her life with a partner like that. That is why he implies that she should be careful in selecting Mr. Darcy as a husband. He even goes as far as to imply that he is unhappy with his partner by the italicized "you" when talking about not being able to respect her partner. He is basically saying that he can not respect Mrs. Bennet, which was obvious throughout the entire text, and that he is unhappy and would hate to have her be equally as unhappy. Although, he may just be implying that he would care less if his other, less valued daughters were to marry badly, such as Lydia with Wickham.
I'm glad that Darcy proposed again. I think that this time was much better than the last two Elizabeth had received. It was less wordy and more emotional than ever, and was right to the point. Putting aside all of the stupid words of love and just getting out the message that he wants to be with her is so much better. This is how it should be for Darcy and Elizabeth, because they're both too awkward to talk too much about love. Elizabeth gets shy and Darcy gets scared, so a simply, easy proposal was better.
"'I know that you could be neither happy nor respectable, unless you truly esteemed your husband; unless you looked up to him as a superior. Your lively talents would place you in the greatest danger in an unequal marriage. You could scarcely escape discredit and misery. My child, let me not have the grief of seeing you unable to respect your neighbor in life" (288-289).
Mr. Bennet knows how Lizzy is smart and playful, and having a husband who she looked down on or thought was dumber or boring would not make her happy in life, even if she was rich. He believes that she would hate her life with a partner like that. That is why he implies that she should be careful in selecting Mr. Darcy as a husband. He even goes as far as to imply that he is unhappy with his partner by the italicized "you" when talking about not being able to respect her partner. He is basically saying that he can not respect Mrs. Bennet, which was obvious throughout the entire text, and that he is unhappy and would hate to have her be equally as unhappy. Although, he may just be implying that he would care less if his other, less valued daughters were to marry badly, such as Lydia with Wickham.
Friday, November 20, 2009
P&P 13-15
"'You are each of you so complying, that nothing will ever be resolved on; so easy, that every servant will cheat you; and so generous, that you will always exceed your income'" (265-266).
Br. Bennet has some truth in his words. Jane and Bingley are both so nice that they will be cheated by servants and never resolve on anything. I like this quote because of its truth.
"Jane was beyond competition her favorite child" (266).
This was also a very true quote. Jane was the prettiest and the most wealthily married, now. Of course she would be Mrs. Bennet's favorite!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
"They owed the restoration of Lydia, her character, everything to him. Oh! how heartily did she grieve over every ungracious sensation she had ever encouraged, every saucy speech she had ever directed towards him" (248).
Finally, Lizzie is changing! She has gone from have strong prejudice, to holding onto it to keep herself from being embarrassed, to this: shame. She really is allowing herself to feel bad for everything she had done to Darcy because he has gone out of his way to save Lydia when it was by no means his job to do so. He has proven himself time and time again to be a good person, and Lizzie feels so bad for hurting him.
"Darcy had walked away to another part of the room. She followed him with her eyes, envied everyone to whom he spoke, had scarcely patience enough to help anybody to coffee; and then was enraged against herself for being so silly!" (260).
I like this quote a lot because it is so realistic and easy to relate to. Lizzie is in love with Darcy, who is probably too afraid to talk to her after getting told he sucked as a person by her. She's just watching him, waiting for him to give her the attention she is dying for, but he keeps staying away, which makes her angry at him, but more at herself, for rejecting him, especially in the manner in which she did. She gave him no hope to cling to, so she doesn't even expect him to ever even be nice to her again.
Finally, Lizzie is changing! She has gone from have strong prejudice, to holding onto it to keep herself from being embarrassed, to this: shame. She really is allowing herself to feel bad for everything she had done to Darcy because he has gone out of his way to save Lydia when it was by no means his job to do so. He has proven himself time and time again to be a good person, and Lizzie feels so bad for hurting him.
"Darcy had walked away to another part of the room. She followed him with her eyes, envied everyone to whom he spoke, had scarcely patience enough to help anybody to coffee; and then was enraged against herself for being so silly!" (260).
I like this quote a lot because it is so realistic and easy to relate to. Lizzie is in love with Darcy, who is probably too afraid to talk to her after getting told he sucked as a person by her. She's just watching him, waiting for him to give her the attention she is dying for, but he keeps staying away, which makes her angry at him, but more at herself, for rejecting him, especially in the manner in which she did. She gave him no hope to cling to, so she doesn't even expect him to ever even be nice to her again.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
P&P 7-9
"That they should marry, small as is their chance of happiness, and wreched as his character, we are forced to rejoice!" (231).
The family knows that they must just make the best of the situation. To force the couple apart would be even more shameful, because now that Lydia has lost her virginity to Wickham, it is doubtful another man would marry her, and she'd die with a terrible reputation.
"She had scarcely needed her present observation to be satisfied, from the reason of things, that their elopement had been brought on by the strength of her love, rather than by his; and she would have wondered why, without violently caring for her, he chose to elope with her at all, had she not felt certain that his flight was rendered necessary by distress of circumstances" (241).
It's obvious (to Lizzy at least) that Wickham isn't really in love with Lydia. It's almost obnoxious that Lydia hasn't realized this herself, since she had been living with him alone. One would think that he, someone who always seemed so nice but was, in reality, very individualistic and spiteful, wouldn't be hard to read when they weren't really in love. It should have been obvious to Lydia that her "angel" wasn't really an angel at all. I'm sure he must have been cold towards her, because he didn't love her (he didn't even have any special interest in her at all).
The family knows that they must just make the best of the situation. To force the couple apart would be even more shameful, because now that Lydia has lost her virginity to Wickham, it is doubtful another man would marry her, and she'd die with a terrible reputation.
"She had scarcely needed her present observation to be satisfied, from the reason of things, that their elopement had been brought on by the strength of her love, rather than by his; and she would have wondered why, without violently caring for her, he chose to elope with her at all, had she not felt certain that his flight was rendered necessary by distress of circumstances" (241).
It's obvious (to Lizzy at least) that Wickham isn't really in love with Lydia. It's almost obnoxious that Lydia hasn't realized this herself, since she had been living with him alone. One would think that he, someone who always seemed so nice but was, in reality, very individualistic and spiteful, wouldn't be hard to read when they weren't really in love. It should have been obvious to Lydia that her "angel" wasn't really an angel at all. I'm sure he must have been cold towards her, because he didn't love her (he didn't even have any special interest in her at all).
P&P 3-6
“She had no difficulty in believing that neither her virtue nor her understanding would preserve her from falling an easy prey” (212).
Lizzy is sharply criticizing Lydia here. It's harsh but true that Lydia was easy, and Lizzy is showing her superior sense by even noticing it. The other sisters, even Jane, would never have thought of these reasons as for why she would have run away.
"'No, Kitty, I have at least learnt to be cautious, and you will feel the effects of it '" (228).
Mr. Bennet is finally looking for his daughters' good. He becomes a father to them. It took Lydia's elopement to do this, which is a little pathetic, but he decides that it's best to watch over them like a real father should. However, it's a little late now, because one of his two "silly" daughters has disgraced themselves (unknowingly, but still). He doesn't really need to worry about the other three.
Lizzy is sharply criticizing Lydia here. It's harsh but true that Lydia was easy, and Lizzy is showing her superior sense by even noticing it. The other sisters, even Jane, would never have thought of these reasons as for why she would have run away.
"'No, Kitty, I have at least learnt to be cautious, and you will feel the effects of it '" (228).
Mr. Bennet is finally looking for his daughters' good. He becomes a father to them. It took Lydia's elopement to do this, which is a little pathetic, but he decides that it's best to watch over them like a real father should. However, it's a little late now, because one of his two "silly" daughters has disgraced themselves (unknowingly, but still). He doesn't really need to worry about the other three.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
P&P 19-2
"When Elizabeth had rejoiced over Wickham's departure...The thought of meeting Mr. Darcy there, while viewing the place, instantly occurred. It would be dreadful! She blushed at the very idea" (181-184).
This is an interesting quote because she once liked him a lot, and now she is happy over the fact that he is leaving. It's a dramatic change in character for her, so I chose this quote to show that she has believed Darcy and overcome her prejudice and blindness. I went on to page 184 to show exactly how her emotions toward Darcy have shifted. It has gone from hate and superiority to embarrassment and fear.
"Since her being at Lambton, she had heard that Miss Darcy was exceedingly proud; but the observation of a very few minutes convinced her, that she was only exceedingly shy" (197).
The shyness that Miss Darcy gives off doesn't seem to be the type that can be confused with pride, and so I'm sure Wickham was lying and not mistaken. It's a pity that he was such a liar. He could have been such a nice person. Miss Darcy seems very nice, and Elizabeth would have felt so bad if she had severly prejudged Georgianna and she had ended up only a shy young girl.
This is an interesting quote because she once liked him a lot, and now she is happy over the fact that he is leaving. It's a dramatic change in character for her, so I chose this quote to show that she has believed Darcy and overcome her prejudice and blindness. I went on to page 184 to show exactly how her emotions toward Darcy have shifted. It has gone from hate and superiority to embarrassment and fear.
"Since her being at Lambton, she had heard that Miss Darcy was exceedingly proud; but the observation of a very few minutes convinced her, that she was only exceedingly shy" (197).
The shyness that Miss Darcy gives off doesn't seem to be the type that can be confused with pride, and so I'm sure Wickham was lying and not mistaken. It's a pity that he was such a liar. He could have been such a nice person. Miss Darcy seems very nice, and Elizabeth would have felt so bad if she had severly prejudged Georgianna and she had ended up only a shy young girl.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
P&P 12-18
"...I had detached Mr. Bingley from your sister... Her look and manners were open, cheerful and engaging as ever, but without and symptom of peculiar regard... The situation of your mother's family... so uniformly betrayed by herself, your three younger sisters, and occasionally even your father" (150-152).
Mr. Darcy tells Elizabeth in his letter to her why he got in between Bingley and Jane. He states that he didn't like the way the family was acting in public. They made fools of themselves so often that he was embarrassed for Bingley and didn't want him stuck in that family because he obviously loved Jane. Darcy also states that he saw no particular love for Bingley in Jane, just as Charlotte said earlier on in the book.
"'If you were aware,' said Elizabeth, 'of the very great disadvantage to us all, which must arise from the public notice of Lydia's unguarded in imprudent manner; nay, which has already arisen, from it, I'm sure you would judge differently in the affair'" (176).
Finally, Lizzy is taking Darcy seriously! It takes a proposal and a letter for her to do it, but she does it eventually, which is good. I think she's a little slow in doing so, because her prejudice was long and a little unnecessary, but better late than never.
Mr. Darcy tells Elizabeth in his letter to her why he got in between Bingley and Jane. He states that he didn't like the way the family was acting in public. They made fools of themselves so often that he was embarrassed for Bingley and didn't want him stuck in that family because he obviously loved Jane. Darcy also states that he saw no particular love for Bingley in Jane, just as Charlotte said earlier on in the book.
"'If you were aware,' said Elizabeth, 'of the very great disadvantage to us all, which must arise from the public notice of Lydia's unguarded in imprudent manner; nay, which has already arisen, from it, I'm sure you would judge differently in the affair'" (176).
Finally, Lizzy is taking Darcy seriously! It takes a proposal and a letter for her to do it, but she does it eventually, which is good. I think she's a little slow in doing so, because her prejudice was long and a little unnecessary, but better late than never.
Monday, November 9, 2009
P&P 6-11
"When they ascended the steps to the hall, Maria's alarm was every moment increasing, and even Sir William did not look perfectly calm.- Elizabeth's courage did not fail her... and the mere stateliness of money and rank, she thought she could witness without trepidation" (124).
Elizabeth is different from the Lucases in this way, which I think shows a good contrast between the two families. She can hold her composure perfectly around wealth, which makes her a perfect fit for Mr. Darcy! She is not intimidated, at least here, and so she does not feel like she needs to be worried about anything. The Lucases, I would say, embody normally all lower class people in this respect, while she stands out perfectly to show her compatibility with Darcy.
"Aye, no doubt; but that is what a governess will prevent, and if I had known your mother, I should have advised her most strenuously to engage one" (127).
I picked this quote my Lady Cathrine because when I read it, I thought immediately of my grandmother. She likes to give her opinion, which is expected to be taken as truth and law no matter how wrong or inconvenient or impossible it is. In Lady Cathrine's mind, she is judge, jury, and executioner, and no one can (or should try to) tell her otherwise.
Elizabeth is different from the Lucases in this way, which I think shows a good contrast between the two families. She can hold her composure perfectly around wealth, which makes her a perfect fit for Mr. Darcy! She is not intimidated, at least here, and so she does not feel like she needs to be worried about anything. The Lucases, I would say, embody normally all lower class people in this respect, while she stands out perfectly to show her compatibility with Darcy.
"Aye, no doubt; but that is what a governess will prevent, and if I had known your mother, I should have advised her most strenuously to engage one" (127).
I picked this quote my Lady Cathrine because when I read it, I thought immediately of my grandmother. She likes to give her opinion, which is expected to be taken as truth and law no matter how wrong or inconvenient or impossible it is. In Lady Cathrine's mind, she is judge, jury, and executioner, and no one can (or should try to) tell her otherwise.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
P&P 2-5
"The first part of Mrs. Gardiner's business on her arrival, was to distribute her presents and describe the newest fashions... Mrs. Bennet had many grievances to relate, and much to complain of" (108).
This is a juxtaposition. Mrs. Gardiner is giving out presents and talking about clothes, which is something all women love to do. Basically, she's very happy at the moment, giving out presents to her family and talking about what is probably her favorite subject. Mrs. Bennet is only complaining and being obnoxious, the exact opposite of her sister-in-law. Mrs. Bennet even goes on to talk badly of the Lucases, her friends!
"...Elizabeth felt that Charlotte expressed herself... exactly as she might have forseen... It was Mr. Collins's picture of Hunsford and Rosings rationally softened; and Elizabeth perceived that she muct wait for her own visit there, to know the rest" (113).
Charlotte, someone exactly the opposite of Mr. Collins, has the exact same opinion of Rosings and Hunsford as he. Elizabeth respects and trusts Charlotte's opinion more because she is not so obsessive over the topic, and so her letters to Elizabeth have intrigued her much more than the constant rambling she heard from her distant cousin.
This is a juxtaposition. Mrs. Gardiner is giving out presents and talking about clothes, which is something all women love to do. Basically, she's very happy at the moment, giving out presents to her family and talking about what is probably her favorite subject. Mrs. Bennet is only complaining and being obnoxious, the exact opposite of her sister-in-law. Mrs. Bennet even goes on to talk badly of the Lucases, her friends!
"...Elizabeth felt that Charlotte expressed herself... exactly as she might have forseen... It was Mr. Collins's picture of Hunsford and Rosings rationally softened; and Elizabeth perceived that she muct wait for her own visit there, to know the rest" (113).
Charlotte, someone exactly the opposite of Mr. Collins, has the exact same opinion of Rosings and Hunsford as he. Elizabeth respects and trusts Charlotte's opinion more because she is not so obsessive over the topic, and so her letters to Elizabeth have intrigued her much more than the constant rambling she heard from her distant cousin.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
P&P 21-1
"In as short a time as Mr. Collin's long speeches would allow, everything was settled between them to the satisfaction of both; and as they entered the house, he earnestly entreated her to name the day that was to make him the happiest of men; and though such a solicitation must be waved for the present, the lady felt no inclination to trifle with his happiness" (93).
Well, Mr. Collins, I guess, wanted a wife really badly. I guess this shows his loyalty to Lady Cathrine who had advised him to do so. This just proves that he things of Lady Cathrine before all other women, because he couldn't love Charlotte yet. He barely knew her. This all must just be to appease Lady Cathrine, and Charlotte too, who found this marriage advantageous.
"Hope was over, entirely over; and when Jane could attend to the rest of the letter... Miss Darcy's praise occupied the chief of it... Caroline boasted joyfully of their increasing intimacy" (103).
I can't believe Jane can still think of Caroline as a good person! Obviously she was adding all of those unnecessary things about Bingley and Miss Darcy to Jane to upset her and make her want to cut all ties with Bingley, when they both obviously like each other. I'm not at all surprised at Caroline, I mean, I expected this of her, but it's so cruel I can hardly imagine a person doing it.
Well, Mr. Collins, I guess, wanted a wife really badly. I guess this shows his loyalty to Lady Cathrine who had advised him to do so. This just proves that he things of Lady Cathrine before all other women, because he couldn't love Charlotte yet. He barely knew her. This all must just be to appease Lady Cathrine, and Charlotte too, who found this marriage advantageous.
"Hope was over, entirely over; and when Jane could attend to the rest of the letter... Miss Darcy's praise occupied the chief of it... Caroline boasted joyfully of their increasing intimacy" (103).
I can't believe Jane can still think of Caroline as a good person! Obviously she was adding all of those unnecessary things about Bingley and Miss Darcy to Jane to upset her and make her want to cut all ties with Bingley, when they both obviously like each other. I'm not at all surprised at Caroline, I mean, I expected this of her, but it's so cruel I can hardly imagine a person doing it.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
P&P 17-20
"The possibility of his having really endured such unkindness, was enough to interest all her tender feelings; and nothing therefore remained to be done, but to think well of them both, to defend the conduct of each, and throw into the account of accident or mistake, whatever could not be explained otherwise" (64).
I like this quote about Jane. It shows her sweet personality. She's a hard character to relate to because she doesn't like to think badly of anyone and almost seems like she has no faults, but she's not a hard character to like, which is a good thing. She can't think badly of Mr. Darcy, and I think Bingley has a lot to do with that, because if they had not been such good friends, she would have no real evidence to base Darcy's goodness on. But she sees that it's difficult for Darcy and Bingley to be friends if Darcy is so terribly cruel as Wickham says.
"He smiled, and assured her that whatever she wished him to say should be said" (69).
Aw! This is my favorite line thus far in the book! How cute! He's so sweet and cute! This is the best part. He's so quiet, but when she prods him to talk, he makes it seem like he'd comply with whatever she wants. I love that. This is so cute! I just can't get over it. If Mr. Darcy was real, I would marry him. I. Would. Marry. Him.
I like this quote about Jane. It shows her sweet personality. She's a hard character to relate to because she doesn't like to think badly of anyone and almost seems like she has no faults, but she's not a hard character to like, which is a good thing. She can't think badly of Mr. Darcy, and I think Bingley has a lot to do with that, because if they had not been such good friends, she would have no real evidence to base Darcy's goodness on. But she sees that it's difficult for Darcy and Bingley to be friends if Darcy is so terribly cruel as Wickham says.
"He smiled, and assured her that whatever she wished him to say should be said" (69).
Aw! This is my favorite line thus far in the book! How cute! He's so sweet and cute! This is the best part. He's so quiet, but when she prods him to talk, he makes it seem like he'd comply with whatever she wants. I love that. This is so cute! I just can't get over it. If Mr. Darcy was real, I would marry him. I. Would. Marry. Him.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
P&P 10-16
"Miss Bingley was then sorry that she had proposed the delay, for her jealousy and dislike of one sister much exceeded her affection for the other" (44).
Miss Bingley here is a real bitch. She tries to be so nice, but she doesn't feel that way at all. Her hate of Elizabeth made her so-called "affection" for Jane really small in comparison, especially since it was really small to begin with. It makes you wonder how she and Mr. Bingley could have been brought up in the same house! I just think this quote really summarizes her personality well, because it shows how she's trying to hide her dislike and force herself to be a person she's not (for Mr. Darcy).
"Mr. Bennet's expectations were fully answered. His cousin was as absurd as he had hoped, and he was listening to him with the keenest enjoyment, maintaining at the same time the most resolute composure of countenance , and except in an occasional glance at Elixabeth, requiring no partner in his pleasure" (51).
I like this. It shows how crazy Mr. Collins is and how playful Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth are. Mr. Collins is obviously silly, or the two wouldn't get so much enjoyment out of his antics. It has already been established that Lizzy likes silly things, and since she is her father's favorite, it is only common sense they would share the same traits. This kind of kills three birds with one stone in portraying the personalities of Mr. Collins, Mr. Bennet, and Lizzy.
Miss Bingley here is a real bitch. She tries to be so nice, but she doesn't feel that way at all. Her hate of Elizabeth made her so-called "affection" for Jane really small in comparison, especially since it was really small to begin with. It makes you wonder how she and Mr. Bingley could have been brought up in the same house! I just think this quote really summarizes her personality well, because it shows how she's trying to hide her dislike and force herself to be a person she's not (for Mr. Darcy).
"Mr. Bennet's expectations were fully answered. His cousin was as absurd as he had hoped, and he was listening to him with the keenest enjoyment, maintaining at the same time the most resolute composure of countenance , and except in an occasional glance at Elixabeth, requiring no partner in his pleasure" (51).
I like this. It shows how crazy Mr. Collins is and how playful Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth are. Mr. Collins is obviously silly, or the two wouldn't get so much enjoyment out of his antics. It has already been established that Lizzy likes silly things, and since she is her father's favorite, it is only common sense they would share the same traits. This kind of kills three birds with one stone in portraying the personalities of Mr. Collins, Mr. Bennet, and Lizzy.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
P&P 7-10
"Her hopes were answered; Jane had not been gone long before it rained hard. Her sisters were uneasy for her, but her mother was delighted" (22).
This is an important quote because it really gets into the personality of Mrs. Bennet. She's completely obsessed with getting her daughters married, even if it puts that daughter at the risk of getting ill. She doesn't, in this quote, seem to even care about them, although that is untrue. She has her priorities all mixed up.
"Perhaps I do. Arguments are too much like disputes. If you and Miss Bennet will defer yours till I am out of the room, I shall be very thankful; and then you may say whatever you like of me" (37).
Mr. Bingley is adorable here! he seems like such a pacifist and he's so honest in what he's thinking. He doesn't care that they speak badly of him as long as he isn't around to hear it. I love this piece of dialog because I think that it really shows his character as a good-humored, sweet kind of guy. This makes it easy to see how someone sweet and innocent like Jane could fall in love with him.
This is an important quote because it really gets into the personality of Mrs. Bennet. She's completely obsessed with getting her daughters married, even if it puts that daughter at the risk of getting ill. She doesn't, in this quote, seem to even care about them, although that is untrue. She has her priorities all mixed up.
"Perhaps I do. Arguments are too much like disputes. If you and Miss Bennet will defer yours till I am out of the room, I shall be very thankful; and then you may say whatever you like of me" (37).
Mr. Bingley is adorable here! he seems like such a pacifist and he's so honest in what he's thinking. He doesn't care that they speak badly of him as long as he isn't around to hear it. I love this piece of dialog because I think that it really shows his character as a good-humored, sweet kind of guy. This makes it easy to see how someone sweet and innocent like Jane could fall in love with him.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The Appendix
The most important of the Tao is The Law of Mercy. People are not people without mercy. It is what sets us apart from animals. We can lie, cheat, and steal, but without mercy we are just evil and selfish. All other things are bad habits and mistakes, but mercy is something that makes a human, a human. If we were to take mercy out of ourselves, what would we be? We would lose all love and hope and faith in anything. Mercy, more than all other teachings of the Tao, mean the surviving of humanity. Even if we do not go extinct as a race, without mercy, we are extinct in our soul.
I would add The Law of Selflessness. This should be a low in the Tao because it would help create and shape a good person. People can be merciful, tell the truth, and have courage, but it is no good if those people do not put their talents to use. If people are selfless and give themselves or their time up for the sake of others, nothing will become accomplished. Selflessness gives people a sense of fulfillment, because it makes the person feel good about their contribution to others. One can do nothing without doing something for someone else.
I would add The Law of Selflessness. This should be a low in the Tao because it would help create and shape a good person. People can be merciful, tell the truth, and have courage, but it is no good if those people do not put their talents to use. If people are selfless and give themselves or their time up for the sake of others, nothing will become accomplished. Selflessness gives people a sense of fulfillment, because it makes the person feel good about their contribution to others. One can do nothing without doing something for someone else.
Monday, October 19, 2009
The Abolition of Man
"It might be going too far to say that the modern scientific movement was tainted from its birth:but I think it would be true to say that it was born in an unhealthy neighborhood and at an inauspicious hour" (78).
"The whole point of seeing through something is to see something through it" (81).
What Lewis is getting at it that people can no go on seeing the truth forever, because then there would be no truth. While science is good, it is no the be all end all. There are things that even science can not prove, and that they should not try to prove, or else there will be nothing left and thus there will be nothing left in the world but a long series of understanding. One can not be fulfilled when they know the whole truth of each and every thing. Then everything is logically seen through like a piece of glass, and you can see nothing else but transparency.
"The whole point of seeing through something is to see something through it" (81).
What Lewis is getting at it that people can no go on seeing the truth forever, because then there would be no truth. While science is good, it is no the be all end all. There are things that even science can not prove, and that they should not try to prove, or else there will be nothing left and thus there will be nothing left in the world but a long series of understanding. One can not be fulfilled when they know the whole truth of each and every thing. Then everything is logically seen through like a piece of glass, and you can see nothing else but transparency.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
The Way
"Whence comes the Innovator's authority to pick and choose?" (43).
"The rebellion of new ideaologies against the Tao is a rebellion of branches against the tree; if the rebels could succeed, they would find that they had destroyed themselves" (44).
The argument that Lewis makes throughout this chapter is about instinct and whether it is real or has any control over us. It sounds a lot like the argument he makes for conscience in that what makes you obey it can not be the instinct itself but something else, like a prejudgement. He is saying that people can not pick and choose values, like out of the Tao, because they are all together, and to pick and choose would either make them all valid or all wrong. He says that to debunk or reject traditional values would reject all values.
"The rebellion of new ideaologies against the Tao is a rebellion of branches against the tree; if the rebels could succeed, they would find that they had destroyed themselves" (44).
The argument that Lewis makes throughout this chapter is about instinct and whether it is real or has any control over us. It sounds a lot like the argument he makes for conscience in that what makes you obey it can not be the instinct itself but something else, like a prejudgement. He is saying that people can not pick and choose values, like out of the Tao, because they are all together, and to pick and choose would either make them all valid or all wrong. He says that to debunk or reject traditional values would reject all values.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Men Without Chests
"In filing their book with it they have been unjust to the parent or headmaster who buys it and who has got the work of amateur philosophers where he expected the work of professional grammarians" (12)
"We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst" (26)
Lewis is trying to say that society has bred people to be exactly as society wants them: stupid, gullible, and repetitive. He begins with one example out of a text book and twists that to make the reader see that society is trying to put people into a category, although that was not the anticipation of the writers of The Green Book whatsoever. Lewis wants the reader of his book to realize that without understanding the tricks that the media is trying to play on you to get you to do as they want, you will fall for even the most stupid tricks. Using the text book as an example, he is showing that the media has gotten to children (or, in his obviously sexist views, boys), and has begun to turn their young, influenced minds into a product of the media through their emotions. He shows the smart people versus the corrupt, where he says, "When the age for reflexive thought comes, the pupil who has been thus trained ... but to the corrupt man..." (16). His use of diction is very interesting, I think, because he uses intelligent words instead of simple language.
"We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst" (26)
Lewis is trying to say that society has bred people to be exactly as society wants them: stupid, gullible, and repetitive. He begins with one example out of a text book and twists that to make the reader see that society is trying to put people into a category, although that was not the anticipation of the writers of The Green Book whatsoever. Lewis wants the reader of his book to realize that without understanding the tricks that the media is trying to play on you to get you to do as they want, you will fall for even the most stupid tricks. Using the text book as an example, he is showing that the media has gotten to children (or, in his obviously sexist views, boys), and has begun to turn their young, influenced minds into a product of the media through their emotions. He shows the smart people versus the corrupt, where he says, "When the age for reflexive thought comes, the pupil who has been thus trained ... but to the corrupt man..." (16). His use of diction is very interesting, I think, because he uses intelligent words instead of simple language.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
MLK
Christina DeSario
Mr. George- AP English 11
10•12•09
Letter from Birmingham Jail
The Letter from Birmingham Jail
Martin Luther King, Jr. makes an argument within his letter from his time in Birmingham jail to the white clergymen who objected against his actions of equality for his fellow oppressed blacks. King tells his story in a simple manner, making it easy for people to understand and sympathize with. Like the rebelling Americans in the Revolution, he has the cause on his side. While his letter would be naturally passionate, his brilliance enhanced it by his use of logic, character, emotion, syntax, and diction.
King used very little logic within his letter. He used it only when he was answering rhetorical questions. He says, “nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community that has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue” (King 740-741). That is one of the only times King uses logic in his letter. What he is saying is that he wants to do something to force the white people to look at the problems and humiliation black people of America are forced to live with. He is saying that, through nonviolence, people he is opposing will not become defensive or stubborn, but they will be able to willingly see the other side because they are not being forced to do anything by a people they do not like or do not yet accept.
Character plays a part in the letter. Martin Luther King, Jr. shows his character within the first paragraph when he answers his fellow clergymens’ obviously offensive objection with maturity and respect. Instead, he says, “but since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and your criticisms are sincerely put forth, I would like to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms” (738). When the clergymen, people who should have agreed with him and backed him up; men of the white church who follow God and should act within His laws that all people are equal said that his actions were untimely, King refrains from becoming impatient with the word that he had heard so many times in the past from white people who were supposedly on his side. He instead writes a patient, calm letter explaining in reasonable terms why he can not wait.
Emotion plays the biggest part in King’s letter. It is the element with which he based everything around. Without grasping the emotions of the readers, he would make it no where with his plea; for the people did not like him or any of the blacks, and they were unwilling to give up their high social statuses to mingle with the blacks who had been below them for generations. The black community jumped from despised slave to acknowledged acquainance, and the whites of that era were unwilling to allow them to then jump to equal neighbor.
The emotions he intertwines with each word are at times subtle, such as when he says, “lukewarm acceptance is a much more bewildering than outright rejection” (745). He is not making a strong point here of social injustice, he is forcing the clergymen to look inside themselves. He is urging them to pick a side by saying that they have hurt them more than outspoken racist people. This makes the reader to choose where they want to be and what they want to do. Men of God do not want to sit on the sidelines and hope for the best. They work for God because they was happiness and equality and to spread the Word of God, which is exactly those things. Telling a man of God, or anyone on the fence about the issue of equality in America in the sixties that he has hurt black people more than the KKK is something that makes a person turn inward and choose a path.
King uses other subtle devices to allow you to peek at the injustice he experiences. He says things like, “I was arrested Friday on a charge of parading without a permit” (743). That is not outright terrible, but when one reads into it further, you realize that it was because he was black and because he was parading for equality. That was the reason he was arrested- not because he deserved it, but because the people simply did not like his dark color skin or his noble cause of equality.
There are a few emotionally strong arguments he uses against the readers to really grip their interest, pity, and empathy. He uses children, and how they must learn early that something very trivial keeps them from being able to do things that children should be able to do. King’s simple and heart-felt explanation of doing that makes parents think of their own children and how it would hurt them to have to tell their beloved children that they were social outcasts because of something that they had no control over- their skin color. The situation he writes out is one that parents can not ignore, because parents have a soft spot for children: “...when you suddenly find your tongue twisted... as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can’t go to the public amusement park... and see tears welling up in her little eyes when she is told Funtown is closed to colored children, and see... clouds of inferiority begin to form in her little mental sky...” (742). King knows that whites and blacks have the same feelings, but whites are still ignorant of that, so he uses something that brings the two of them together: the love for their children.
When it comes to diction, King’s words are chosen with consideration to the tone of his letter and his letter and his audience. He uses words like injustice, bleakness, and most importantly, nonviolence. Nonviolence is a word he uses often to stress the way he is willing to go about his plans. He never once threatens to use violence. Instead, he warns that he must act, or violence will break out: “If his repressed emotions do not come out in these nonviolent ways, they will come out in ominous expressions of violence” (747). He is using the use of nonviolent to hammer it into the heads of the oppressors that he is not willing to put any lives or wellbeing at stake.
King uses parallelisms and juxtapositions to make his point more clear. The syntax he incorporates makes certain points stand out: “Was not Jesus an extremest for love?... Was not Paul an extremest for the gospel?... Was not Abraham Lincoln an extremest?” (747). Normally when one would think of the word extremest, they would think of a terrorist group, but here he twists it to give the infamous word a peaceful meaning. He criticizes the church before reassuring the audience that he is “a minister of the gospel, who loves the church” and criticizes it with love and not as an outside hater of religion.
King uses his knowledge of syntax and diction to make the people listen to him. He incorporates emotion, logic, and character to help the readers understand where he is coming from and how sincere he is with the cause. The way he makes the white community of the 1960s listen to him is not only a miracle, but proof that Martin Luther King, Jr. would stop at nothing to nonviolently sway the whites to believe in his cause of equality.
Mr. George- AP English 11
10•12•09
Letter from Birmingham Jail
The Letter from Birmingham Jail
Martin Luther King, Jr. makes an argument within his letter from his time in Birmingham jail to the white clergymen who objected against his actions of equality for his fellow oppressed blacks. King tells his story in a simple manner, making it easy for people to understand and sympathize with. Like the rebelling Americans in the Revolution, he has the cause on his side. While his letter would be naturally passionate, his brilliance enhanced it by his use of logic, character, emotion, syntax, and diction.
King used very little logic within his letter. He used it only when he was answering rhetorical questions. He says, “nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community that has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue” (King 740-741). That is one of the only times King uses logic in his letter. What he is saying is that he wants to do something to force the white people to look at the problems and humiliation black people of America are forced to live with. He is saying that, through nonviolence, people he is opposing will not become defensive or stubborn, but they will be able to willingly see the other side because they are not being forced to do anything by a people they do not like or do not yet accept.
Character plays a part in the letter. Martin Luther King, Jr. shows his character within the first paragraph when he answers his fellow clergymens’ obviously offensive objection with maturity and respect. Instead, he says, “but since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and your criticisms are sincerely put forth, I would like to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms” (738). When the clergymen, people who should have agreed with him and backed him up; men of the white church who follow God and should act within His laws that all people are equal said that his actions were untimely, King refrains from becoming impatient with the word that he had heard so many times in the past from white people who were supposedly on his side. He instead writes a patient, calm letter explaining in reasonable terms why he can not wait.
Emotion plays the biggest part in King’s letter. It is the element with which he based everything around. Without grasping the emotions of the readers, he would make it no where with his plea; for the people did not like him or any of the blacks, and they were unwilling to give up their high social statuses to mingle with the blacks who had been below them for generations. The black community jumped from despised slave to acknowledged acquainance, and the whites of that era were unwilling to allow them to then jump to equal neighbor.
The emotions he intertwines with each word are at times subtle, such as when he says, “lukewarm acceptance is a much more bewildering than outright rejection” (745). He is not making a strong point here of social injustice, he is forcing the clergymen to look inside themselves. He is urging them to pick a side by saying that they have hurt them more than outspoken racist people. This makes the reader to choose where they want to be and what they want to do. Men of God do not want to sit on the sidelines and hope for the best. They work for God because they was happiness and equality and to spread the Word of God, which is exactly those things. Telling a man of God, or anyone on the fence about the issue of equality in America in the sixties that he has hurt black people more than the KKK is something that makes a person turn inward and choose a path.
King uses other subtle devices to allow you to peek at the injustice he experiences. He says things like, “I was arrested Friday on a charge of parading without a permit” (743). That is not outright terrible, but when one reads into it further, you realize that it was because he was black and because he was parading for equality. That was the reason he was arrested- not because he deserved it, but because the people simply did not like his dark color skin or his noble cause of equality.
There are a few emotionally strong arguments he uses against the readers to really grip their interest, pity, and empathy. He uses children, and how they must learn early that something very trivial keeps them from being able to do things that children should be able to do. King’s simple and heart-felt explanation of doing that makes parents think of their own children and how it would hurt them to have to tell their beloved children that they were social outcasts because of something that they had no control over- their skin color. The situation he writes out is one that parents can not ignore, because parents have a soft spot for children: “...when you suddenly find your tongue twisted... as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can’t go to the public amusement park... and see tears welling up in her little eyes when she is told Funtown is closed to colored children, and see... clouds of inferiority begin to form in her little mental sky...” (742). King knows that whites and blacks have the same feelings, but whites are still ignorant of that, so he uses something that brings the two of them together: the love for their children.
When it comes to diction, King’s words are chosen with consideration to the tone of his letter and his letter and his audience. He uses words like injustice, bleakness, and most importantly, nonviolence. Nonviolence is a word he uses often to stress the way he is willing to go about his plans. He never once threatens to use violence. Instead, he warns that he must act, or violence will break out: “If his repressed emotions do not come out in these nonviolent ways, they will come out in ominous expressions of violence” (747). He is using the use of nonviolent to hammer it into the heads of the oppressors that he is not willing to put any lives or wellbeing at stake.
King uses parallelisms and juxtapositions to make his point more clear. The syntax he incorporates makes certain points stand out: “Was not Jesus an extremest for love?... Was not Paul an extremest for the gospel?... Was not Abraham Lincoln an extremest?” (747). Normally when one would think of the word extremest, they would think of a terrorist group, but here he twists it to give the infamous word a peaceful meaning. He criticizes the church before reassuring the audience that he is “a minister of the gospel, who loves the church” and criticizes it with love and not as an outside hater of religion.
King uses his knowledge of syntax and diction to make the people listen to him. He incorporates emotion, logic, and character to help the readers understand where he is coming from and how sincere he is with the cause. The way he makes the white community of the 1960s listen to him is not only a miracle, but proof that Martin Luther King, Jr. would stop at nothing to nonviolently sway the whites to believe in his cause of equality.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
The Letter from Birmingham Jail
Christina DeSario
Mr. George- AP Eng 11
10•07•09
Letter from Birmingham Jail
Letter from Birmingham Jail
Martin Luther King, Jr. was trying to convey, within his letter, why whites should give up their high social monopoly and give he oppressed blacks their rights as humans. With his strong words and phrases, such as, "blasted hopes" (740), and "dark shadow" (740), he hopes to draw the readers emotions and attention to the cause he feels so strongly toward.
He uses words that would hit home for the readers. Everyone has felt blasted hopes. Everyone has felt suffocated in a dark shadow. When King uses these words, he hopes they will appeal to the emotions of even his hardest critics, because even the most racist people on earth are still people, and they have all felt despair at one point in their lives or another. If King could possibly arrouse sympathy in them, then a miracle would be preformed, and the Civil Rights Movement would be put to a favorable end.
King uses a tug-of-war between pathos and logos. He will slide gently into pathos and then pull tightly back into logos so as to not wear his reader down and criticize him more for wasting their time with his life’s story. The balance is just enough that he can show them glimpses of his life and his hardships, and by his hardships, he alludes to those of everyone of his race, by saying often, “... vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers... drown your sisters and brothers... kill your black brothers and sisters” (742). He goes into talking about the children, which would pull on the heartstrings of those who are not racist but have kept quiet, those in the “appaling silence of the good people” (745-746) catagory.
Right after talking about children and unrelated family, he goes into logos. He answers his own rhetorical questions by asking, “‘how can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?’ The answer is... that there are two types of laws. There are just laws and... unjust laws.” He hands you the answer to the question that was on the tip of your tongue, and he goes into further detail. He silences you with logic that he puts in an agressive way, and you find y6ourself unable to think of another question and simply agree with him because he has such an amazingly conveyed message that it just sounds right.
He forces you to see segregation from his point of view, from the point of view of the oppressed, instead of from the point of view of the oppressor. His words make it real, and he does this by showing you a small, dramatic snippet of his life and then pulling back into logic, but you are so caught up in his situation, such as with his children, that the logic just flows through you and settles itself in you.
He never comes out to attack white people or racist people. He never does anything to make himself sound angry or bitter or superior, even though he had all the right to do so. He was brilliant and angered by the pain the white community had inflicted on him. Instead, he spoke as if they were on good terms, never insulting them or even being passive agressive. He lets the reader know when he is disappointed, but he never even goes as far as to say that he was angry. He just sounds like a wise parent explaining a difficult situation to a child who can not quite grasp the concept of what he has done.
Mr. George- AP Eng 11
10•07•09
Letter from Birmingham Jail
Letter from Birmingham Jail
Martin Luther King, Jr. was trying to convey, within his letter, why whites should give up their high social monopoly and give he oppressed blacks their rights as humans. With his strong words and phrases, such as, "blasted hopes" (740), and "dark shadow" (740), he hopes to draw the readers emotions and attention to the cause he feels so strongly toward.
He uses words that would hit home for the readers. Everyone has felt blasted hopes. Everyone has felt suffocated in a dark shadow. When King uses these words, he hopes they will appeal to the emotions of even his hardest critics, because even the most racist people on earth are still people, and they have all felt despair at one point in their lives or another. If King could possibly arrouse sympathy in them, then a miracle would be preformed, and the Civil Rights Movement would be put to a favorable end.
King uses a tug-of-war between pathos and logos. He will slide gently into pathos and then pull tightly back into logos so as to not wear his reader down and criticize him more for wasting their time with his life’s story. The balance is just enough that he can show them glimpses of his life and his hardships, and by his hardships, he alludes to those of everyone of his race, by saying often, “... vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers... drown your sisters and brothers... kill your black brothers and sisters” (742). He goes into talking about the children, which would pull on the heartstrings of those who are not racist but have kept quiet, those in the “appaling silence of the good people” (745-746) catagory.
Right after talking about children and unrelated family, he goes into logos. He answers his own rhetorical questions by asking, “‘how can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?’ The answer is... that there are two types of laws. There are just laws and... unjust laws.” He hands you the answer to the question that was on the tip of your tongue, and he goes into further detail. He silences you with logic that he puts in an agressive way, and you find y6ourself unable to think of another question and simply agree with him because he has such an amazingly conveyed message that it just sounds right.
He forces you to see segregation from his point of view, from the point of view of the oppressed, instead of from the point of view of the oppressor. His words make it real, and he does this by showing you a small, dramatic snippet of his life and then pulling back into logic, but you are so caught up in his situation, such as with his children, that the logic just flows through you and settles itself in you.
He never comes out to attack white people or racist people. He never does anything to make himself sound angry or bitter or superior, even though he had all the right to do so. He was brilliant and angered by the pain the white community had inflicted on him. Instead, he spoke as if they were on good terms, never insulting them or even being passive agressive. He lets the reader know when he is disappointed, but he never even goes as far as to say that he was angry. He just sounds like a wise parent explaining a difficult situation to a child who can not quite grasp the concept of what he has done.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Fallacies
Hasty Generalization:
Jane did not eat chicken today, so she must not like chicken.
Stereotype:
Everyone from the Middle East must be Muslim.
Cause and Effect:
Because I failed the test, the teacher did not teach well.
Only Cause:
If you start reading more, your grades will be better.
False Analogy:
The traveling band worked hard like each ant in a colony works.
Attacking the Person:
Even though he came up with a healthcare plan, Jack is a Republican, so he doesn't even care about the majority of the people.
Either-or:
If you don't stop acting up, you will get detention.
Non Sequitur:
Because you have been staying out so late on school nights, we will get rid of the computer.
Circular Reasoning:
I have always tried to get all my work done, so you should not fire me.
Begging the Question:
Nobody has ever liked her.
Jane did not eat chicken today, so she must not like chicken.
Stereotype:
Everyone from the Middle East must be Muslim.
Cause and Effect:
Because I failed the test, the teacher did not teach well.
Only Cause:
If you start reading more, your grades will be better.
False Analogy:
The traveling band worked hard like each ant in a colony works.
Attacking the Person:
Even though he came up with a healthcare plan, Jack is a Republican, so he doesn't even care about the majority of the people.
Either-or:
If you don't stop acting up, you will get detention.
Non Sequitur:
Because you have been staying out so late on school nights, we will get rid of the computer.
Circular Reasoning:
I have always tried to get all my work done, so you should not fire me.
Begging the Question:
Nobody has ever liked her.
Syllogisms
True:
Toys 'R' Us only sells toys.
Toys 'R' Us sells dolls.
Dolls are toys.
Dogs bark.
German Shepherds bark.
German Shepherds are dogs.
John wears blue.
John's room is blue.
John likes blue.
I have teachers.
I do schoolwork.
I am a student.
False:
Ants live in colonies.
Termites live in colonies
Termites are ants.
Pepsi is black.
Pepsi comes in a can.
Pepsi is Coca-Cola.
The rainbow is colorful.
The marker set is colorful.
The marker set is a rainbow.
My cell phone rang.
The school bell rang.
My cell phone is the school bell.
Toys 'R' Us only sells toys.
Toys 'R' Us sells dolls.
Dolls are toys.
Dogs bark.
German Shepherds bark.
German Shepherds are dogs.
John wears blue.
John's room is blue.
John likes blue.
I have teachers.
I do schoolwork.
I am a student.
False:
Ants live in colonies.
Termites live in colonies
Termites are ants.
Pepsi is black.
Pepsi comes in a can.
Pepsi is Coca-Cola.
The rainbow is colorful.
The marker set is colorful.
The marker set is a rainbow.
My cell phone rang.
The school bell rang.
My cell phone is the school bell.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Proposal 10•01
Christina DeSario
Mr. George- AP English 11
10•01•09
Proposal
Proposal
“I just want you to listen to me for a little while. I’m not the best person in the world, and I’m not the best person for you by far, but there’s something in me that’s stronger than my fear of being rejected or of sounding stupid. There’s something in me that’s stronger than all of that, and I don’t know why it’s there, and it scares me, but I want you to know exactly what I’m thinking, because if I don’t tell you, I think I’ll just spend the rest of my life wishing I had, and that would hurt more than any answer you give me now.
“This is not something I’m used to doing, or something I’ve ever wanted to do, but you make me almost hate myself and all that I’ve stood for. Every time I do something wrong or unfair, I cringe at the thought of how you’d react to it. All I want is to be the person you would want me to be; the person that you’d be proud of. The person you’d want to be around and associate yourself with. I’m always so scared that you’d be upset or disappointed in me that I’m constantly working on myself and improving myself in a way that I thought was silly for other love-struck idiots would do. (all this was bolded)
“You make me so happy. Every time I hear your voice or someone says your name, this really annoying feeling runs through me, and I feel like I’m going through a black tunnel on a roller coaster, straight down, with no seat belts. I just want to be able to make you feel the same way, because ever felt more complete than when that feeling zaps through me. I want you to be able to understand it, and I think I would die if you felt this way for another person.
“I don’t say this often, and I won’t ever say it again, so listen. I love you more than I’ve loved anyone. Ever. You’re not just a person I could picture spending my life with, you’re the person I need to spend my life with. I want to protect you. I want to make you laugh. I want to be the person to make you cry, make you mad, and every other emotion in between. I want to be the person to help you up and carry you when you aren’t strong enough to do it yourself. I want to stand by you when you think you’re standing alone. I want to stand up for you when you don’t even know where to stand! I want to know what’s on your mind. I want you to tell me the most vile thoughts in your head. Nothing about you is bad to me. I’m amazed by everything you say and do.
“We get along so well. We almost never fight, and we think so much alike, it’s almost scary. We like the same things and we can finish each other’s sentences. I look up to you for strength, and whether you know that or not. You’re my hero, and I want nothing more that to be yours. Even that would be so much more than I could have ever asked for.
“I know that I sound silly and pathetic, but I’d never leave you to be by yourself. I’m not the kind of person to do that. I’m just a person swallowing their pride and asking the most amazing person in the world to go through the rest of their life with me.” (this last part was bolded)
Mr. George- AP English 11
10•01•09
Proposal
Proposal
“I just want you to listen to me for a little while. I’m not the best person in the world, and I’m not the best person for you by far, but there’s something in me that’s stronger than my fear of being rejected or of sounding stupid. There’s something in me that’s stronger than all of that, and I don’t know why it’s there, and it scares me, but I want you to know exactly what I’m thinking, because if I don’t tell you, I think I’ll just spend the rest of my life wishing I had, and that would hurt more than any answer you give me now.
“This is not something I’m used to doing, or something I’ve ever wanted to do, but you make me almost hate myself and all that I’ve stood for. Every time I do something wrong or unfair, I cringe at the thought of how you’d react to it. All I want is to be the person you would want me to be; the person that you’d be proud of. The person you’d want to be around and associate yourself with. I’m always so scared that you’d be upset or disappointed in me that I’m constantly working on myself and improving myself in a way that I thought was silly for other love-struck idiots would do. (all this was bolded)
“You make me so happy. Every time I hear your voice or someone says your name, this really annoying feeling runs through me, and I feel like I’m going through a black tunnel on a roller coaster, straight down, with no seat belts. I just want to be able to make you feel the same way, because ever felt more complete than when that feeling zaps through me. I want you to be able to understand it, and I think I would die if you felt this way for another person.
“I don’t say this often, and I won’t ever say it again, so listen. I love you more than I’ve loved anyone. Ever. You’re not just a person I could picture spending my life with, you’re the person I need to spend my life with. I want to protect you. I want to make you laugh. I want to be the person to make you cry, make you mad, and every other emotion in between. I want to be the person to help you up and carry you when you aren’t strong enough to do it yourself. I want to stand by you when you think you’re standing alone. I want to stand up for you when you don’t even know where to stand! I want to know what’s on your mind. I want you to tell me the most vile thoughts in your head. Nothing about you is bad to me. I’m amazed by everything you say and do.
“We get along so well. We almost never fight, and we think so much alike, it’s almost scary. We like the same things and we can finish each other’s sentences. I look up to you for strength, and whether you know that or not. You’re my hero, and I want nothing more that to be yours. Even that would be so much more than I could have ever asked for.
“I know that I sound silly and pathetic, but I’d never leave you to be by yourself. I’m not the kind of person to do that. I’m just a person swallowing their pride and asking the most amazing person in the world to go through the rest of their life with me.” (this last part was bolded)
Monday, September 28, 2009
Pride And Prejudice
A proposal will never work when it is devoid of love, its place filled with talk of money and convenience.
Mr. Collins' choice of words in his proposal to Elizabeth make him seem like exactly the opposite of any man a girl would like to marry. Even his first few words of the marriage proposal are enough to turn her away. He says, "Believe me, my dear Miss Elizabeth, that... you would have been less amiable in my eyes had there not been this little unwillingness; but allow me to assure you that I have your respected mother's permission for this address" (Jane Austen). The problem about what he says here is that he is so formal. Calling her Miss Elizabeth puts a huge gap between the two. They are like two absolute strangers instead of cousins, or more importantly, in the middle of a marriage proposal. It almost feels like he is pushing Elizabeth away, and when he later goes on to talk about her mother, out of any word he could have picked, he chose the word respected. Elizabeth's mother must be his aunt if Mr. Collins and Elizabeth are cousins, so should he not call her mother something more endearing? Instead, he seems to place Elizabeth and her mother as an entity that has nothing to do with him, almost.
Elizabeth wisely rejects him, and he says narcissisticly, "As I must therefore conclude that you are not serious in your rejection of me, I shall chose to attribute it to your wish of increasing my love by suspense, according to th usual practice of elegant females" (Jane Austen). The phrase he picks is "I shall chose". I believe he is being stubborn out of pride, and knows that Elizabeth is rejecting him because she does not love him. I believe that he can not stand being rejected by a woman that he calls repeatedly poor, and even went as far as to say, "...it is by no means certain that another offer of marriage may ever be made to you". He seems like he will not give up on her because he can not understand how a girl he sees as so low and below him as rejecting what he believes to be such a fine offer. It is almost like he believes Elizabeth should embrace his proposal the same way she would if a person were to give her the gift of the lost city of Atlantis.
Mr. Collins could have presented his proposal in a better way, but his lack of love for Elizabeth would have shown through anyway. Had, instead of saying, "...I am, to inherit this estate after the death of your honored father (who, however, may live many years longer), I could not satstfy myself without resolving to chose a wife from among his daughters, that the loss to them might be as little as possible..." (Jane Austen), he could have said that in a lighter tone, and kept himself off such a high pedestal. Here, he gives himself a lot of credit, saying that he is choosing a wife among the daughters so that he can ease their pain because he is inheriting the house. He could have said only that he was to inherit the house, while leaving out the part of easing their pain and their father dying. On that point, he calls their father honored. This is like when he called their mother respected, instead of calling her something more loving and familiar. He goes out of his way to be respectful, which would be nice and polite in a conversation of another topic, such as a friendly conversation, but it is not so in a proposal. Then, it is ridiculous and almost insulting.
The nicest thing he says through this entire scenario is, "...I cannot imagine that her ladyship would at all disapprove of you" (Jane Austen). I do not even know who it is that he is referring to, but I know that if I was being proposed to, I would not like it for him to be bringing other women into it. He makes it seem like he is only marrying Elizabeth because it would please this woman, who is probably rich and influential, and a person whom he wants to impress. That is not very romantic or appealing.
Mr. Collins also says the words, "...after your mother's decease" (Jane Austen). Now, within one marriage proposal, he has spoken of the death of both of her parents. That is definitely the most unappealing thing a man could do while proposing. He has insulter her the entire time, and then talks about the death of her family, as if it were some nonchalant event that would not effect her life whatsoever. If he wanted to make his proposal better, it would be best to leave those parts out, along with leaving out absolutely everything he said, other than "my dear... Elizabeth" (Jane Austen). He could then say something nice, or something absurd of that nature.
Mr. Collins' choice of words in his proposal to Elizabeth make him seem like exactly the opposite of any man a girl would like to marry. Even his first few words of the marriage proposal are enough to turn her away. He says, "Believe me, my dear Miss Elizabeth, that... you would have been less amiable in my eyes had there not been this little unwillingness; but allow me to assure you that I have your respected mother's permission for this address" (Jane Austen). The problem about what he says here is that he is so formal. Calling her Miss Elizabeth puts a huge gap between the two. They are like two absolute strangers instead of cousins, or more importantly, in the middle of a marriage proposal. It almost feels like he is pushing Elizabeth away, and when he later goes on to talk about her mother, out of any word he could have picked, he chose the word respected. Elizabeth's mother must be his aunt if Mr. Collins and Elizabeth are cousins, so should he not call her mother something more endearing? Instead, he seems to place Elizabeth and her mother as an entity that has nothing to do with him, almost.
Elizabeth wisely rejects him, and he says narcissisticly, "As I must therefore conclude that you are not serious in your rejection of me, I shall chose to attribute it to your wish of increasing my love by suspense, according to th usual practice of elegant females" (Jane Austen). The phrase he picks is "I shall chose". I believe he is being stubborn out of pride, and knows that Elizabeth is rejecting him because she does not love him. I believe that he can not stand being rejected by a woman that he calls repeatedly poor, and even went as far as to say, "...it is by no means certain that another offer of marriage may ever be made to you". He seems like he will not give up on her because he can not understand how a girl he sees as so low and below him as rejecting what he believes to be such a fine offer. It is almost like he believes Elizabeth should embrace his proposal the same way she would if a person were to give her the gift of the lost city of Atlantis.
Mr. Collins could have presented his proposal in a better way, but his lack of love for Elizabeth would have shown through anyway. Had, instead of saying, "...I am, to inherit this estate after the death of your honored father (who, however, may live many years longer), I could not satstfy myself without resolving to chose a wife from among his daughters, that the loss to them might be as little as possible..." (Jane Austen), he could have said that in a lighter tone, and kept himself off such a high pedestal. Here, he gives himself a lot of credit, saying that he is choosing a wife among the daughters so that he can ease their pain because he is inheriting the house. He could have said only that he was to inherit the house, while leaving out the part of easing their pain and their father dying. On that point, he calls their father honored. This is like when he called their mother respected, instead of calling her something more loving and familiar. He goes out of his way to be respectful, which would be nice and polite in a conversation of another topic, such as a friendly conversation, but it is not so in a proposal. Then, it is ridiculous and almost insulting.
The nicest thing he says through this entire scenario is, "...I cannot imagine that her ladyship would at all disapprove of you" (Jane Austen). I do not even know who it is that he is referring to, but I know that if I was being proposed to, I would not like it for him to be bringing other women into it. He makes it seem like he is only marrying Elizabeth because it would please this woman, who is probably rich and influential, and a person whom he wants to impress. That is not very romantic or appealing.
Mr. Collins also says the words, "...after your mother's decease" (Jane Austen). Now, within one marriage proposal, he has spoken of the death of both of her parents. That is definitely the most unappealing thing a man could do while proposing. He has insulter her the entire time, and then talks about the death of her family, as if it were some nonchalant event that would not effect her life whatsoever. If he wanted to make his proposal better, it would be best to leave those parts out, along with leaving out absolutely everything he said, other than "my dear... Elizabeth" (Jane Austen). He could then say something nice, or something absurd of that nature.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
TAoHF notes. Forgot about the assignment and left my book in my locker. Yay google?
The way Jim speaks is a critique of the south and their uneducated black population:
"'Yes-en I's rich now, come to look at it. I owns mysef, en I's wuth eight hund'd dollars. I wisht I had de money, I wouldn' want no''" (52). Even though Jim is an adult, it's very hard to even understand what he's saying. He's so uneducated that it's difficult to get what he's saying.
Huck's bad grammar and mixed up tenses seem to be a critique:
"I knowed he was white inside" (301). He's only a kid, but he should be old enough to be able to speak properly. Because he had lived with a father who hadn't wanted him to become smarted than he was, Huck grew not liking school and not being interested in it, and therefore he spoke ignorantly.
Racism, even in Huck, who was young and inexperienced was a critique:
"Conscience says to me 'What had poor Miss Watson done to you, that you could see her nigger go off right under your eyes and never say one single word? What did that poor old woman do to you, that you could treat her so mean?...' I got to feeling so mean and so miserable I most wished I was dead" (97). He had grown up around racism and so he really didn't know any better. It was so deep-seeded into his mind and everyday life that it took his long adventure to realize that all people were equal.
"'Yes-en I's rich now, come to look at it. I owns mysef, en I's wuth eight hund'd dollars. I wisht I had de money, I wouldn' want no''" (52). Even though Jim is an adult, it's very hard to even understand what he's saying. He's so uneducated that it's difficult to get what he's saying.
Huck's bad grammar and mixed up tenses seem to be a critique:
"I knowed he was white inside" (301). He's only a kid, but he should be old enough to be able to speak properly. Because he had lived with a father who hadn't wanted him to become smarted than he was, Huck grew not liking school and not being interested in it, and therefore he spoke ignorantly.
Racism, even in Huck, who was young and inexperienced was a critique:
"Conscience says to me 'What had poor Miss Watson done to you, that you could see her nigger go off right under your eyes and never say one single word? What did that poor old woman do to you, that you could treat her so mean?...' I got to feeling so mean and so miserable I most wished I was dead" (97). He had grown up around racism and so he really didn't know any better. It was so deep-seeded into his mind and everyday life that it took his long adventure to realize that all people were equal.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Honor in TCoMC
Christina DeSario
9•10•09
Mr. George- AP English
Honor in Monte Cristo
In The Count of Monte Cristo, honor plays a big part in the decisions that the characters make. In the case of Morrel, when his money had dwindled down to a small pool of pocket change in comparison to his debts, he resorted to suicide. “‘I will await you, monsieur,’ said Morrel, ‘and you will be paid or else I shall be dead’” (178). Morrel meant these words, and so when he felt that he was out of money, he resorted to his gun.
Monsieur Morrel would have rather been dead that have such a mark on his soul as not being able to pay the debts he had promised to pay off. Instead of living with the reputation of someone who could not repay his debts, which would undeniably overtake his reputation of a good, moral person because people usually remember the bad and not the good, he chose to quit while he was ahead and die the honest person everyone would remember.
Honor makes you who you are. With honor, people respect and look up to you. When you are a business man, like Morrel, the opinions of other people matter a lot. Honor is not only the way others perceive you, but the way you perceive yourself. “‘See to it, my son, that our name will not be dishonoured’” (184). Even though Monsieur Morrel is planning to kill himself, he is still worried about his family name and what would happen to it after his death.
To Morrel, honor is a huge deal. If he would rather be dead than be considered dishonest by his peers, that shows exactly how much he values the goodness of his name. In The Count of Monte Cristo, especially with Morrel, honor is the same as oxygen. Without it, life is just not worth living, or rather, it is impossible to live without it.
Morrel said, “‘Yes... I bless you in my own name and in the name of three generations of irreproachable men’” (184). Recalling that history and hoping for a longer history filled with honesty, Morrel wanted to die with his highest value still in tact: his honor.
9•10•09
Mr. George- AP English
Honor in Monte Cristo
In The Count of Monte Cristo, honor plays a big part in the decisions that the characters make. In the case of Morrel, when his money had dwindled down to a small pool of pocket change in comparison to his debts, he resorted to suicide. “‘I will await you, monsieur,’ said Morrel, ‘and you will be paid or else I shall be dead’” (178). Morrel meant these words, and so when he felt that he was out of money, he resorted to his gun.
Monsieur Morrel would have rather been dead that have such a mark on his soul as not being able to pay the debts he had promised to pay off. Instead of living with the reputation of someone who could not repay his debts, which would undeniably overtake his reputation of a good, moral person because people usually remember the bad and not the good, he chose to quit while he was ahead and die the honest person everyone would remember.
Honor makes you who you are. With honor, people respect and look up to you. When you are a business man, like Morrel, the opinions of other people matter a lot. Honor is not only the way others perceive you, but the way you perceive yourself. “‘See to it, my son, that our name will not be dishonoured’” (184). Even though Monsieur Morrel is planning to kill himself, he is still worried about his family name and what would happen to it after his death.
To Morrel, honor is a huge deal. If he would rather be dead than be considered dishonest by his peers, that shows exactly how much he values the goodness of his name. In The Count of Monte Cristo, especially with Morrel, honor is the same as oxygen. Without it, life is just not worth living, or rather, it is impossible to live without it.
Morrel said, “‘Yes... I bless you in my own name and in the name of three generations of irreproachable men’” (184). Recalling that history and hoping for a longer history filled with honesty, Morrel wanted to die with his highest value still in tact: his honor.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Page of TCoMC notes 9•9
Christina DeSario
9•9•09
Mr. George- AP English Language 11
Dantes as God
When Edmond Dantes with God, he is like the Noah’s Ark story. He, at first, is sweet and happy. Then, people around him do evil things, and he decides to get back at them while also saving those he was close to like the Morrels. “‘Father!’ cried the girl out of breath and overcome with joy. ‘You are saved! You are saved!’” (185). Here, under the alias Sinbad, Edmond saved Monsieur Morrel from suicide by paying Julie’s Dowry and rebuilding the Pharaon. He did godly things by saving a family that was always loyal to him and even his father.
Like God, people respected Dantes and were on his side. “‘Ground arms!’ shouted the chief with a commanding sweep of one hand, whilst with the other he respectfully took off his hat” (223-224). Even a bandit who kidnapped people and put ransom on them later says, “‘Why didn’t some of you tell me of this?’ inquired the brigand chief, turning toward his men, who all retreated before his look. ‘Why have you allowed me to fail thus in my word toward a gentleman like the Count who has all our lives in his hands? By heavens! if I thought that one of you knew that the gentleman was a friend of His Excellency’s, I would blow his brains out with my own hand!” (224). The Count has friends all over, making everything he does easier.
When Dantes saves Valentine, he believes she looks like she “was sleeping with the confidence and innocence of an angel at the feet of the Lord” (510). He had just given her a concoction that would make her sleep and have her family believe she was dead. She trusted Dantes, making him the Lord that was protecting the sleeping angel.
When Edmon and Fernand meet again as themselves, Fernand is terrified. He acts like a sinner facing God on Judgment Day. “With a moan that can be compared to no human sound, he dragged himself to the yard, staggering like a drunken man, and fell into his valet’s arms” (486). Edmond is God by the fear and respect he stirs in people, and protection he can offer.
9•9•09
Mr. George- AP English Language 11
Dantes as God
When Edmond Dantes with God, he is like the Noah’s Ark story. He, at first, is sweet and happy. Then, people around him do evil things, and he decides to get back at them while also saving those he was close to like the Morrels. “‘Father!’ cried the girl out of breath and overcome with joy. ‘You are saved! You are saved!’” (185). Here, under the alias Sinbad, Edmond saved Monsieur Morrel from suicide by paying Julie’s Dowry and rebuilding the Pharaon. He did godly things by saving a family that was always loyal to him and even his father.
Like God, people respected Dantes and were on his side. “‘Ground arms!’ shouted the chief with a commanding sweep of one hand, whilst with the other he respectfully took off his hat” (223-224). Even a bandit who kidnapped people and put ransom on them later says, “‘Why didn’t some of you tell me of this?’ inquired the brigand chief, turning toward his men, who all retreated before his look. ‘Why have you allowed me to fail thus in my word toward a gentleman like the Count who has all our lives in his hands? By heavens! if I thought that one of you knew that the gentleman was a friend of His Excellency’s, I would blow his brains out with my own hand!” (224). The Count has friends all over, making everything he does easier.
When Dantes saves Valentine, he believes she looks like she “was sleeping with the confidence and innocence of an angel at the feet of the Lord” (510). He had just given her a concoction that would make her sleep and have her family believe she was dead. She trusted Dantes, making him the Lord that was protecting the sleeping angel.
When Edmon and Fernand meet again as themselves, Fernand is terrified. He acts like a sinner facing God on Judgment Day. “With a moan that can be compared to no human sound, he dragged himself to the yard, staggering like a drunken man, and fell into his valet’s arms” (486). Edmond is God by the fear and respect he stirs in people, and protection he can offer.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Huckleberry Finn ~Don't stop. Belieeeeevin'! Hold on to that feeeeeeeeeliiiiiin'.
Christina DeSario
AP English- Mr. George
8•27•09
Huckleberry Finn- prompt 2
Huckleberry Finn
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn can be compared to these famous lyrics, “Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world. She took the midnight train going anywhere. Just a city boy, born and raised in south Detroit. He took the midnight train going anywhere” (Journey). A young boy, from a small southern town, on a raft to God knows where. Then Jim, a slave headed towards freedom, on the raft with him. Two unlikely people meet up and end up on the journey of their lives that leads to the two losing connection with the the world and discovering more about life from each other and those they meet along the way than everybody they had left behind on land.
Through Huckleberry and Jim’s adventures, the reader can easily see the difference between Huck and the rest of society. The Grangerfords, for example, had over one hundred slaves, whereas Huck never had one. While living with them, he was given one named Jack, although Jack “had a monstrous easy time, because I warn’t used to having anybody do anything for me” (Twain 118). Had he wanted to, it is possible Huck could have made Jim his slave while they were on the raft together, simply because of the huge gap between the two races. However, that never passed through Huck’s mind, and he simply did as he wanted and allowed Jim to do the same.
It was very early on where Huck gets disconnected from the rest of the world. That is shown when he goes back to his hometown dressed as a girl for a while a few days after he feigns his death. He sees a new person has moved into a house that “hadn’t been lived in for a long time” (65), and goes there to get information. Already, there is a gap forming between who he was, and who he will become.
During the raft ride, Huck was able to put things together on his own. He was not strongly influenced by those around him, because only Jim was around him. Because he was surrounded only by a black man hoping for freedom, racism did not play a large role in his life, although his old habits were still there. He was still racist, because he had grown up around racism, and he once thought,
“Well, I can tell you it made me all over trembly and feverish, too, to hear him, because I begun to get it through my head that he was almost free- and who who was to blame for it? Why, me... I tried to make out to myself that I warn’t to blame, because I didn’t run Jim off from his rightful owner; but it warn’t no use, conscious comes up and says, every time, ‘But you knowed he was running for his freedom, and you could a paddled ashore and told somebody’” (100).
Huck still has trouble seeing Jim as a real human, and sees him still as a piece of property, or more like a pet, from the way he sounds so sad about it. Even though he still had racist thoughts, he was still able to interact with Jim like two normal people, instead of like a master and slave.
Huck meets two men. One says he is the Duke of Bridgewater, while the other claims to be the Dauphin. While at first Jim and Huck believe their lies, “it didn’t take me long to make up my mind that these liars warn’t no kings nor dukes, at all, but just low-down humbugs and frauds” (137). Huck knew they were not what they claimed to be, he ignored it and allowed them to use him and Jim as slaves. He had good reason for doing this, and explains very maturely that he “never said nothing, never let on; kept it to myself; it’s the best way; then you don’t have no quarrels, and don’t get into no trouble... If I never learnt nothing else out out pap, I learnt the the best way to get along with his kind of people is to let them have their way” (136). He kept his mouth shut and the truth to himself. This was a very mature decision on his part. For a young boy to decide to keep a secret such as that without making a fuss makes him more adult than the cons who tricked an uneducated man and a young kid for their own greedy purposes.
Huck was more of a man than most men in the book. He says, after Colonel Sherburn lectures the crowd about men and they all leave, “I could a staid, if I’d a wanted to, but I didn’t want to” (159). He says this in a very relaxed tone that makes him sound unafraid. Although, he probably was, since Sherburn was aiming a gun at the mob, but he sounded like he was trying to have courage. He was trying to be someone bigger and better than himself, and his journey along the river probably had a lot to do with that, along with the strength he learned from his abusive father.
When the Wilks sisters lost their money, Huck manned up. Each time he talked to another sister, he kept thinking, “this is another one that I’m letting him rob her out of her money” (188), and it bothered him. Finally he decided, “I’ll hive that money for them or bust” (188). Huck liked the Wilks, and did not want to cheat them, like the king and duke were so willing to do.
The Duke sells Jim into slavery, and then Huck changes very dramatically in the way he thinks. Although he had racist tendencies in the beginning, such as when he believed that it was his fault Jim was going to be free, he suddenly becomes ready to fight for his friend. Huck at first wants to do the right thing by the racist way of thinking, but he realizes that is not the truly right thing to do: “I’d see him standing my watch on top of his’n, stead of calling me, so I could go on sleeping... and at last I struck the time I saved him by telling the men we had a smallpox onboard, and he was so grateful... and then I happened to look around and see that paper” (228). This metaphora in Huck makes him decide that, even though he believes it is wrong, he must save Jim.
Huck later says about Jim, “I knowed he was white inside, and I reckoned he’d say what he did say” (290). The racism that once held on so tightly to him was loosening its grip. He was not full through with it, but he saw Jim as human when he called him white inside. He risked his life to save a black man, and accepted him as something more than what other people saw them as.
Tom wanting to get away from Aunt Sally in the end is a sign of maturity. After being on his own, instead of wanting to relax with a happy home, he is ready to live on his own again and take care of himself.
Two unlikely people meet up and end up on the journey of their lives that leads to the two losing connection with the the world and discovering more about life from each other and those they meet along the way than everybody they had left behind on land. Through the tough times and the fun times, Huck took his experiences and became a better person through them.He became a good, strong man through his experiences. He was ahead of his time for the south as he learned white people and black people are the same, dispite their color. “Everybody wants a thrill. Do anything to roll the dice just one more time” (Journey) is the simplist way to put Huck Finn’s journey in words.
AP English- Mr. George
8•27•09
Huckleberry Finn- prompt 2
Huckleberry Finn
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn can be compared to these famous lyrics, “Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world. She took the midnight train going anywhere. Just a city boy, born and raised in south Detroit. He took the midnight train going anywhere” (Journey). A young boy, from a small southern town, on a raft to God knows where. Then Jim, a slave headed towards freedom, on the raft with him. Two unlikely people meet up and end up on the journey of their lives that leads to the two losing connection with the the world and discovering more about life from each other and those they meet along the way than everybody they had left behind on land.
Through Huckleberry and Jim’s adventures, the reader can easily see the difference between Huck and the rest of society. The Grangerfords, for example, had over one hundred slaves, whereas Huck never had one. While living with them, he was given one named Jack, although Jack “had a monstrous easy time, because I warn’t used to having anybody do anything for me” (Twain 118). Had he wanted to, it is possible Huck could have made Jim his slave while they were on the raft together, simply because of the huge gap between the two races. However, that never passed through Huck’s mind, and he simply did as he wanted and allowed Jim to do the same.
It was very early on where Huck gets disconnected from the rest of the world. That is shown when he goes back to his hometown dressed as a girl for a while a few days after he feigns his death. He sees a new person has moved into a house that “hadn’t been lived in for a long time” (65), and goes there to get information. Already, there is a gap forming between who he was, and who he will become.
During the raft ride, Huck was able to put things together on his own. He was not strongly influenced by those around him, because only Jim was around him. Because he was surrounded only by a black man hoping for freedom, racism did not play a large role in his life, although his old habits were still there. He was still racist, because he had grown up around racism, and he once thought,
“Well, I can tell you it made me all over trembly and feverish, too, to hear him, because I begun to get it through my head that he was almost free- and who who was to blame for it? Why, me... I tried to make out to myself that I warn’t to blame, because I didn’t run Jim off from his rightful owner; but it warn’t no use, conscious comes up and says, every time, ‘But you knowed he was running for his freedom, and you could a paddled ashore and told somebody’” (100).
Huck still has trouble seeing Jim as a real human, and sees him still as a piece of property, or more like a pet, from the way he sounds so sad about it. Even though he still had racist thoughts, he was still able to interact with Jim like two normal people, instead of like a master and slave.
Huck meets two men. One says he is the Duke of Bridgewater, while the other claims to be the Dauphin. While at first Jim and Huck believe their lies, “it didn’t take me long to make up my mind that these liars warn’t no kings nor dukes, at all, but just low-down humbugs and frauds” (137). Huck knew they were not what they claimed to be, he ignored it and allowed them to use him and Jim as slaves. He had good reason for doing this, and explains very maturely that he “never said nothing, never let on; kept it to myself; it’s the best way; then you don’t have no quarrels, and don’t get into no trouble... If I never learnt nothing else out out pap, I learnt the the best way to get along with his kind of people is to let them have their way” (136). He kept his mouth shut and the truth to himself. This was a very mature decision on his part. For a young boy to decide to keep a secret such as that without making a fuss makes him more adult than the cons who tricked an uneducated man and a young kid for their own greedy purposes.
Huck was more of a man than most men in the book. He says, after Colonel Sherburn lectures the crowd about men and they all leave, “I could a staid, if I’d a wanted to, but I didn’t want to” (159). He says this in a very relaxed tone that makes him sound unafraid. Although, he probably was, since Sherburn was aiming a gun at the mob, but he sounded like he was trying to have courage. He was trying to be someone bigger and better than himself, and his journey along the river probably had a lot to do with that, along with the strength he learned from his abusive father.
When the Wilks sisters lost their money, Huck manned up. Each time he talked to another sister, he kept thinking, “this is another one that I’m letting him rob her out of her money” (188), and it bothered him. Finally he decided, “I’ll hive that money for them or bust” (188). Huck liked the Wilks, and did not want to cheat them, like the king and duke were so willing to do.
The Duke sells Jim into slavery, and then Huck changes very dramatically in the way he thinks. Although he had racist tendencies in the beginning, such as when he believed that it was his fault Jim was going to be free, he suddenly becomes ready to fight for his friend. Huck at first wants to do the right thing by the racist way of thinking, but he realizes that is not the truly right thing to do: “I’d see him standing my watch on top of his’n, stead of calling me, so I could go on sleeping... and at last I struck the time I saved him by telling the men we had a smallpox onboard, and he was so grateful... and then I happened to look around and see that paper” (228). This metaphora in Huck makes him decide that, even though he believes it is wrong, he must save Jim.
Huck later says about Jim, “I knowed he was white inside, and I reckoned he’d say what he did say” (290). The racism that once held on so tightly to him was loosening its grip. He was not full through with it, but he saw Jim as human when he called him white inside. He risked his life to save a black man, and accepted him as something more than what other people saw them as.
Tom wanting to get away from Aunt Sally in the end is a sign of maturity. After being on his own, instead of wanting to relax with a happy home, he is ready to live on his own again and take care of himself.
Two unlikely people meet up and end up on the journey of their lives that leads to the two losing connection with the the world and discovering more about life from each other and those they meet along the way than everybody they had left behind on land. Through the tough times and the fun times, Huck took his experiences and became a better person through them.He became a good, strong man through his experiences. He was ahead of his time for the south as he learned white people and black people are the same, dispite their color. “Everybody wants a thrill. Do anything to roll the dice just one more time” (Journey) is the simplist way to put Huck Finn’s journey in words.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
The Great Gatsby Prompt 1 (I'M SO GLAD THIS IS DONE!)
Christina DeSario
AP English- Mr. George
7•31•09
The Great Gatsby prompt 1
The Great Gatsby- Prompt One
To see the future, one must look through realistic eyes. To believe one will become president, or rich, or some other big dream that children believe is not very realistic, and will end up forgotten or crushed, depending on the person who is pondering. Gatsby was the type of person whose dreams do not fade away, but are crushed by an outside force. He held on to his hopes, because he had so few, which made him unable to know how to deal with them. F. Scott Fitzgerald develops a theme of pessimism through the was Gatsby held on so fervently to his dreams while only looking at them as from outside of a glass box.
Gatsby’s love for Daisy keeps him close to her, but Daisy’s marriage to Tom keeps him away. He lives in a house across the water from her, where he can see a small light from her dock. The water is their separation, a blockade that keeps him from his love. This is the worst outcome possible. To know the one you love is right across the water, but when you have no courage to get there because that person is married is much worse than not knowing where your love is at all. It is like hanging a carrot in front of the horse’s face by a pole so that they will continue on, in a vain chase for the treat. It is a torture, and that is part of Gatsby’s problem. He adds to his sadness by watching Daisy without ever even seeing her, instead of trying to move on: “’If it wasn’t for the mist we could see your home across the bay,’ said Gatsby. “You always have a green light that burns all night at the end of your dock’” (Fitzgerald 92). He knows where Daisy is, and she never leaves his mind. That little green light was his carrot that drove him to Daisy.
The American dream is to be rich and in love. It is to be financially secure and have a big yard,dog, grill and a lot of friends. Gatsby has a large house and, although he does not have a lot of friends, as Nick finds out after Gatsby’s death, he has parties and he is in love. His unreciprocated love leaves his American dream unfinished and useless, like a halfway-knitted scarf. It left him feeling incomplete and wanting more. It left him waiting for her, as if she were supposed to simply know to come to him. Because she does not come, it leaves him grim and lost. Jordan Baker said,
“‘I think he half expected her to wander into one of his parties, some night,’ went on Jordan, ‘but she never did... I thought he’d go mad:
‘I don’t want anything out of the way!’ he kept saying. ‘I want to see her right next door’” (79).
He did not want to lose Daisy, so he kept out hope instead of taking the initiative to go see her. He waited for his dream to come to him, instead of going towards his dream.
Gatsby achieved so many things that others could not. He was rich and held huge parties. He had a house so big that he did not even use all of the rooms. He even had butlers and maids and chefs at his beck and call. Although he had so many material possessions, but he was not happy. He was not greedy; he just wanted something more. Fulfillment is something that is different for everybody. For him to be fulfilled, he would need to attract Daisy. That was why he had all of these material possessions: so that Daisy would love him more than her husband, Tom.
Fitzgerald is showing that, even though one can come close, they can never fully accomplish their hopes of America’s promise. They can never be totally happy. Nick is also an example of this. His love affair with Jordan had no real reason to be cut short. He was still, “half in love with her” (177) but decided to end it there, because he did not want to be around the people Gatsby knew. He turned away from something he still wanted and moved on, pushing away the thoughts of love and happiness- something no one searching for what America has to offer would take. That is because Fitzgerald is adopting “Twain’s theme” (George Will) of the inability to achieve what people believe should be achieved.
Nick and Jordan are pushed away from each other, still in love but too prideful to apologize to the other. Daisy and Tom left Gatsby and Myrtle behind, barely even grieving their dead lovers’ bodies. Gatsby, whom everyone thought was happy, was left with no one at his funeral. The owl-eyed man Nick had seen in Gatsby’s library said, “‘The poor son-of-a-bitch,’ he said” (Fitzgerald 175). Gatsby had no real friends. He did not even have Daisy.
Daisy knew that her husband was cheating on her. To get him back, she began an affair with Gatsby, and she told herself she loved him to keep from feeling guilty. When Gatsby died, she sent nothing, did not call, and did not even come to the funeral. She and her husband left as fast as they could and got out of their house, putting the terrible past behind them. Nick calls to find out, “I called up Daisy half an hour after we found him... But she and Tom had gone away early that afternoon, and taken baggage with them” (164). Daisy, who had seemed so innocent and in love with Gatsby left him dead, without even a word of remorse, and went along with her husband in an attempt to make believe nothing ever happened. This shows how she did not really care for Gatsby as he believed when he said, “‘Your wife doesn’t love you,’ said Gatsby,. ‘She’s never loved you. She loves me’” (130.) Gatsby was too confident.
Tom, who was in love with Myrtle, as explained when he told Nick, “‘And if you think I didn’t have my share of suffering- look here, when I went to give up that flat... I sat down and cried like a bay. By God it was awful-” (178-179). Although he made it seem as if he loved his mistress, he had gone along with Daisy after her and Gatsby’s deaths, and got away.
Jordan lost Nick, and said she was engaged to another man. Nick did not believe her, but still allowed her to leave his life, and the two lost each other. Jordan continued to play golf and Nick went on with his life, just as Daisy and Tom went along with their lives, and they moved on as if nothing had ever brought them together and then torn them apart.
F. Scott Fitzgerald develops a theme of pessimism through the was Gatsby held on so fervently to his dreams while only looking at them as from outside of a glass box. Fitzgerald gave Gatsby everything: money, popularity, and power, but he neglected to allow Gatsby to have what he wanted. Like the well-taken-care-of horse who sees the carrot only inches away, there is a dream lingering before all of our very eyes, just waiting to be snatched, but out of our power to get.
AP English- Mr. George
7•31•09
The Great Gatsby prompt 1
The Great Gatsby- Prompt One
To see the future, one must look through realistic eyes. To believe one will become president, or rich, or some other big dream that children believe is not very realistic, and will end up forgotten or crushed, depending on the person who is pondering. Gatsby was the type of person whose dreams do not fade away, but are crushed by an outside force. He held on to his hopes, because he had so few, which made him unable to know how to deal with them. F. Scott Fitzgerald develops a theme of pessimism through the was Gatsby held on so fervently to his dreams while only looking at them as from outside of a glass box.
Gatsby’s love for Daisy keeps him close to her, but Daisy’s marriage to Tom keeps him away. He lives in a house across the water from her, where he can see a small light from her dock. The water is their separation, a blockade that keeps him from his love. This is the worst outcome possible. To know the one you love is right across the water, but when you have no courage to get there because that person is married is much worse than not knowing where your love is at all. It is like hanging a carrot in front of the horse’s face by a pole so that they will continue on, in a vain chase for the treat. It is a torture, and that is part of Gatsby’s problem. He adds to his sadness by watching Daisy without ever even seeing her, instead of trying to move on: “’If it wasn’t for the mist we could see your home across the bay,’ said Gatsby. “You always have a green light that burns all night at the end of your dock’” (Fitzgerald 92). He knows where Daisy is, and she never leaves his mind. That little green light was his carrot that drove him to Daisy.
The American dream is to be rich and in love. It is to be financially secure and have a big yard,dog, grill and a lot of friends. Gatsby has a large house and, although he does not have a lot of friends, as Nick finds out after Gatsby’s death, he has parties and he is in love. His unreciprocated love leaves his American dream unfinished and useless, like a halfway-knitted scarf. It left him feeling incomplete and wanting more. It left him waiting for her, as if she were supposed to simply know to come to him. Because she does not come, it leaves him grim and lost. Jordan Baker said,
“‘I think he half expected her to wander into one of his parties, some night,’ went on Jordan, ‘but she never did... I thought he’d go mad:
‘I don’t want anything out of the way!’ he kept saying. ‘I want to see her right next door’” (79).
He did not want to lose Daisy, so he kept out hope instead of taking the initiative to go see her. He waited for his dream to come to him, instead of going towards his dream.
Gatsby achieved so many things that others could not. He was rich and held huge parties. He had a house so big that he did not even use all of the rooms. He even had butlers and maids and chefs at his beck and call. Although he had so many material possessions, but he was not happy. He was not greedy; he just wanted something more. Fulfillment is something that is different for everybody. For him to be fulfilled, he would need to attract Daisy. That was why he had all of these material possessions: so that Daisy would love him more than her husband, Tom.
Fitzgerald is showing that, even though one can come close, they can never fully accomplish their hopes of America’s promise. They can never be totally happy. Nick is also an example of this. His love affair with Jordan had no real reason to be cut short. He was still, “half in love with her” (177) but decided to end it there, because he did not want to be around the people Gatsby knew. He turned away from something he still wanted and moved on, pushing away the thoughts of love and happiness- something no one searching for what America has to offer would take. That is because Fitzgerald is adopting “Twain’s theme” (George Will) of the inability to achieve what people believe should be achieved.
Nick and Jordan are pushed away from each other, still in love but too prideful to apologize to the other. Daisy and Tom left Gatsby and Myrtle behind, barely even grieving their dead lovers’ bodies. Gatsby, whom everyone thought was happy, was left with no one at his funeral. The owl-eyed man Nick had seen in Gatsby’s library said, “‘The poor son-of-a-bitch,’ he said” (Fitzgerald 175). Gatsby had no real friends. He did not even have Daisy.
Daisy knew that her husband was cheating on her. To get him back, she began an affair with Gatsby, and she told herself she loved him to keep from feeling guilty. When Gatsby died, she sent nothing, did not call, and did not even come to the funeral. She and her husband left as fast as they could and got out of their house, putting the terrible past behind them. Nick calls to find out, “I called up Daisy half an hour after we found him... But she and Tom had gone away early that afternoon, and taken baggage with them” (164). Daisy, who had seemed so innocent and in love with Gatsby left him dead, without even a word of remorse, and went along with her husband in an attempt to make believe nothing ever happened. This shows how she did not really care for Gatsby as he believed when he said, “‘Your wife doesn’t love you,’ said Gatsby,. ‘She’s never loved you. She loves me’” (130.) Gatsby was too confident.
Tom, who was in love with Myrtle, as explained when he told Nick, “‘And if you think I didn’t have my share of suffering- look here, when I went to give up that flat... I sat down and cried like a bay. By God it was awful-” (178-179). Although he made it seem as if he loved his mistress, he had gone along with Daisy after her and Gatsby’s deaths, and got away.
Jordan lost Nick, and said she was engaged to another man. Nick did not believe her, but still allowed her to leave his life, and the two lost each other. Jordan continued to play golf and Nick went on with his life, just as Daisy and Tom went along with their lives, and they moved on as if nothing had ever brought them together and then torn them apart.
F. Scott Fitzgerald develops a theme of pessimism through the was Gatsby held on so fervently to his dreams while only looking at them as from outside of a glass box. Fitzgerald gave Gatsby everything: money, popularity, and power, but he neglected to allow Gatsby to have what he wanted. Like the well-taken-care-of horse who sees the carrot only inches away, there is a dream lingering before all of our very eyes, just waiting to be snatched, but out of our power to get.
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