Mrs. Joe's Mad Mind

~Blog Post #1~
Topic A
April 17th, 2015
Rachel Bierman

In the first few pages of Great Expectations, the reader learns much about Pip and his home life. Dickens writes, “Philip Pirrip, late of his parish, and also Georgiana wife of the above, were dead and buried; and that Alexander, Bartholomew, Abraham, Tobias, and Roger, infant children of the aforesaid, were also dead and buried” (3). This quote shows not so much what Pip has been through (because he was young at the time of his parents’ passing), but rather what his sister has had to deal with, therefore, giving a possible explanation as to why she is so bitter and rude. The undesirable attitude of Mrs. Joe has a great effect on Pip. The quote can show much significance as to why Mrs. Joe, Pip’s sister, is the way she is, rude and unlikeable. It can be assumed that Mrs. Joe has gone through much hardship in her life by the loss of her parents as well as infant siblings. The responsibility of caring for Pip, while not only a grueling task, also brings back those terrible memories of the times of death within her family. This simple quote shows the great hardship and stress that Mrs. Joe has experienced that is then retaliated on Pip, therefore, building the characters in this novel and foreshadowing future life events for the two. Though Mrs. Joe is hateful towards Pip, the lack of background around her character means that her anger and resentment could have a viable cause, such as the death of her family; except Pip, the little boy she much raise on her own from a young age. 

Put it on to Understand

Topic: G

April 20, 2015

by Debra Dunham

In Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, Pip’s suit, though only mentioned briefly, provides a relatable explanation of his life. A suit is typically worn to appear more respectable at formal occasions or even to wear in the presence of the Lord at Mass. In a similar way, Pip’s life is seemingly all about respecting his sister who brought him “up by the hand,” gave him food, a shelter, and life, yet she barely acknowledged him as being her own (13). Both the suit and his sister create unpleasant times in which Pip is restricted. While his suit literally restricts the “free use” of his of his body, his sister constrains almost every other aspect of his life (23).  From not being able to have light as he goes up to bead, to being constantly reminded of the humility of his sister raising him after his parent’s deaths, Pip doesn’t know the luxuries life can bring.

A nice suit also brings attention to the person wearing it and often offers a good impression that can be left on the surrounding people. Pip’s suit, on the other hand, does not offer this. Other people treat Pip as less than him simply because he is an orphan, and is viewed as “a young offender,” (22). He has no privileges, such as receiving a portion of the money he earns, that even indicates that Pip is taken care of, except for the fact that he is even alive, by his supposed family. His restricted life is well demonstrated by his restraining suit in such a way that even modern readers have a more relatable idea of Pip’s life. 

Reading Reflection

In Performative Literacy: The Habits of Mind of Highly Literate Readers by Sheridan Blau, readers are challenged to go beyond past ideas of being literate and understand the information in new ways using strong reading skills.

In my opinion, reading for school is different than reading for pleasure. When reading for an assignment, I always have to be on the lookout for important symbols, characters, and meanings within the text as I constantly focus on interpreting the content in which I'm reading. I need to put in more time and energy to comprehend the stories in the required way. However, when I read for fun, I become more immersed in the story.The strength of my comprehension relies on the focus I have, so while I may seem more focused when I read for fun, I am simply seeing things as I see life. On the other hand, I leave the book with new interpretations when I read for school even if I didn’t appear quite as focused.

When I began reading for school this year, I found myself wrapped up in the storylines rather than the intellectual insights and had to re-read the entire thing. When this happened, I was better prepared for class, and understood the book in a way that combined the thrill of the world I read and the new ideas of what the book was about. The only problem was, it took twice the amount of time. Reading the story the first time made it easier annotate as I reread it, but with all my other homework, it was difficult to fit that in.

If I am able to stay focused, meaning undisturbed silence, then I am easily able to monitor my understanding as I read and know when I need to re-read something. Sometimes it takes me five or six times to really comprehend and make use of it. When I read a book, I may see things differently than they are explained, but often times, I never speak up out of fear of being considered incompetent and wrong. However, I find myself changing within every time I read a book. For example, when we read In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, I felt more compelled to stay true to my beliefs.

There are certainly aspects that I need to work on, but then again, if I didn’t, what would be the point. I need to find the courage to speak up for what I believe the novel or story to be telling us. Focus needs to be found even in the midst of noise, and I most importantly need to better accept when I don’t fully understand. Reading is not just hearing a story, but relating it to everything we know.

~Debra Dunham

The Not-So-Great Expectations of a Family

In Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, it is evident that Pip, the main character, has a comparable family life to Liesel from The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Pip, like Liesel, has both parents stripped from him at a young age, and he is forced to live with his sister and her husband, Joe. After arriving at their respective new homes, Pip and Liesel both comment on how strict and grumpy their new mother figures are. Pip frequently calls himself and Joe “fellow-sufferers” for having to deal with Mrs. Joe Gargery (8). He even goes as far to think of stealing from her and running away and similarly, Liesel wants to run away to find her mother.

One person in particular makes them both stay, the father figure. Joe and Hans have resembling personalities; they are both kind, gentle, and responsible. These qualities help them gain their brother-in-law’s/foster child’s trust so that they are able to convince the children that Mrs. Joe Gargery and Rosa are not horrible. Joe tells Pip how his sister is a “fine figure” and that he must appreciate and comprehend all that she has done for him. He points out how naughty he has been in return (46). Likewise, Hans sits Liesel down and explains to her that Rosa is only trying to stay tough in the hard times and that she loves Liesel, but has a funny way of showing it.

Liesel and Pip have homogenous home lives; they are both stripped from their blood parents, they have difficult times getting along with their new mother figures, and they are close to their father figures.

Blog Reflection

           In the article Performative Literacy: The Habits for Mind of Highly Literate Readers, author Sheridan Blau describes the traits of strong readers and lists ways to improve reading habits, allowing us to classify our own strengths and weaknesses.

           In my experience as a reader there are two types of reading: reading for school and reading for fun. When reading for school, I tend to re-read areas I don't understand, annotate (which I loathe doing in fear for ruining the book), and generate questions based off of the text. However, as I am reading for fun, I often read faster, don't pay attention to the small details, foreshadow events, and get excited to read because it is a book I choose for myself. At times I could be classified as a strong reader based off of the amount I read, but when reading books I pick out, I don't use the best habits for learning.

          This article suggested that I keep a dictionary by my side when reading for school as well as reading for fun to improve my vocabulary and strength. I can also question myself more and take risks during class discussions and not be afraid to be wrong.

         I generally enjoyed the novels we read this year. I took notes and annotated, understood the text, and created my own questions about the plot. The only book that was a struggle to comprehend was Much Ado About Nothing due to the Shakespearean language and the multiple metaphors. Although it was difficult to read, I liked the play, and it taught me to keep going, use outside resources if confused, and ask for help if necessary.     

Blog Prompts

Blog Post Topics (Respond to 1 of the prompts below each week):

A.            Select a significant quotation from your reading; explore the significance of that quotation to the development of characters, conflict, theme, etc.

B.            Explore a significant change in an important character.

C.           Explore a significant relationship’s conflicts or growth.

D.           Write about a motif you see developing--where have you noticed it? What does it seem to be revealing about characters or themes?

E.            Explore the significance of a particular setting (not of the whole novel--pick a specific scene).

F.            Explore the significance of a passage with a lot of imagery or description.

G.           Write about a symbol--how does it exist both literally and figuratively? What does it represent?

H.           Explore connections between your book and something you’ve read previously in English class.

I.              Explore connections between the text and your own life.

J.            What is the significance of the book’s title? What