Connections To Romeo And Juliet

I think that the relationships between the title characters and their parents are similar to situations today.  For example, I can metaphorically relate to the self conflict that Juliet feels.  She loves Romeo, but she is expected to love Paris.  She feels torn within herself between her heart and her parent's wishes.  I totally understand that feeling especially when it comes to school and extra-curricular activities. People expect things that either aren't realistic, or they want something for you so they try to force their ideas upon you.  Then the decision lies in who you will disappoint.  There's one thing I know for certain:  you can't please everyone.
As far as the reading goes, I doing it twice.  At home, I read in my room or in the car when it's quiet and I can really concentrate on what I'm reading.  For the most part, I clearly understand Shakespeare's language and writing styles.  I have read Shakespearian plays before, and that has been a huge advantage.  I thought I would have to use Spark Notes a lot, but it turns out that I haven't.  Reading Shakespeare is a lot easier than I would have thought, and I really enjoy Romeo and Juliet.  I definitely feel like I understand it better when we read in class.  We are able to share ideas about interpretations, and I like that aspect a lot.  Also, it is easier to pick up on the puns and such when it is read aloud.  Reading the material twice really implants it on our minds, and I think it is serving it's purpose very well.

Wrapping It Up :D

     I feel like the main message of Great Expectations was that money can't buy you happiness.  I think that everyone can relate to the experience of feeling inferior to someone or something.  No one can be the absolute best at everything, so there will always be someone that a person feels subordinate to, much like Pip and Estella.  Naturally, humans want to improve themselves which is why people will try to better themselves so that they can feel more confident and have more self esteem.  All of the self improvement, however, will not make a difference in a person long term.  For example, if you get 10 dollars, next time you want 20 dollars.  Now, money can give you short term happiness, but obviously, that won't last forever. Humans can never be satisfied, and at some point in their lives, everyone has to learn that no matter how much money is in their possession, money won't be able to make them truly happy.  In the end, people will realize that family and friends are the truly important things in life, and they need to keep the most significant things closest to their hearts.  This is pretty much the development of Pip's character through the novel, and I feel like no matter who picks up the book, the lesson can relate to the young, the old, the rich, or the poor.  Dickens was trying to develop a theme that is timeless, and by golly, he did a mighty fine job of doing it.

Thoughts on Reading

      The story line of Great Expectations was fine in the first stage, very dry and boring in the second stage, and it picked up a little bit in the third stage.  I liked the development of Pip's character, but the static characters in the book were by far the best.  They were the most likable and realistic characters.  The setting was so depressing.  Dickens always talked about the gloominess and I felt like I get enough of that living in Washington.  The writing style was pretty cool, actually.  It was a challenge, and I enjoyed the challenge of trying to decipher the meaning.  I thought he was an OK author.  His story was dry, but his writing style made it a little bit better.  I was able to sympathize and relate to Pip a little bit.  There have been people in my life that have inspired a change in me in a negative way.  I felt pressured to change, just like Pip did.  As far as being able to solve mysteries, I couldn't really solve any mysteries.  I had seen the movie and that kind of gave everything away.  I would not have been able to guess the ending though.  To be honest, I like the movie ending a lot better.
     I read the entire book of Great Expectations.  I didn't really have a habit of reading my book.  It got crazily fit into my schedule alongside all of my other homework.  With track 5 days a week and soccer 3 days a week, I was really hard pressed for time to spend on homework.  I did however manage to find time to read the book.  I typically read right before I went to bed or while I was in the car on my way home from track or to and from soccer.  I usually read when it was late and I was tired, but I don't think it really had an affect on my comprehension of the novel.  I didn't use Spark Notes that often, and I understood most of what happened.  The things that I didn't understand, I asked my group members.  I think the book was a rather dry read, and I would not read it if I didn't have to.