Conflict in Romeo and Juliet

One of the main conflicts in the play is Romeo and Juliet’s love and marriage versus the society in which they live.  They love each other and can’t live without each other, but at the same time, they aren’t supposed to be together because of the fight between their families.  For example, Romeo tells Juliet, “My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself because it is an enemy to thee,” (2.2.60).  They know that their love is not supposed to be, yet they can’t help but love each other.  Friar Lawrence only agrees to marry the two because he thinks their marriage will solve the fight between their families that keeps them apart, (2.3).  This conflict helps enhance the theme that nothing but death can keep true love apart.  The mere fact that the Montagues and Capulets are fighting will not separate Romeo and Juliet.  They are so in love that if they can’t be together, they would rather kill themselves.

                This person versus society conflict is present in our world today.  For example, people may be in relationships that their family and friends don’t approve of like Romeo and Juliet.  Another example is the pressure people may feel to go into a certain field of work that they don’t feel passionately about.  There are many more examples, but this type of conflict is important because people are forced to do something that they may not want to.  The decision s that people are making may affect them in negative ways, but they succumb to the pressure they are feeling.  I don’t have much experience with this type of conflict, but I have experienced person versus person conflict, and it has had a large impact on my life.  If I am in a conflict, I will typically walk away until I have cooled down so that I can deal with the problem more rationally.  Other people get fired up, and they explode without considering their decisions.  Conflict is present in Romeo and Juliet and in our lives today.  That is part of what makes this play such a timeless classic, and it is why this book will continue to be read by teens and adults alike for a long time to come.

Modern Culture References

This movie reminds me of Romeo and Juliet though I have only seen the commercials.  In the play, Romeo loves Rosalind, but she doesn't love him back.  He is heart-broken and only wishes he could find love.  Juliet is about to be engaged to Paris, and Shakespeare is clear that they are not meant to be together.  In the end, Romeo and Juliet find each other and live happily ever after.  In Something Borrowed, there are role reversals.  The main girl is like Romeo, and the main guy is like Juliet.  She loves him, but it's unrequited.  He becomes engaged to her best friends which makes their love even more forbidden.  The commercials allude to the fact that they will fall in love and live happily ever after as well.  With a modern twist, the story lines are very similar.  All in all, I love the play and can't wait to see the more modern movie!

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.

Survey =)

I took the survey on the website, but I wasn't sure how to post it in my blog.  Just wanted to say that I took it though.  I tried going back to the website so I could try to copy and paste it, but it wouldn't let me.

Photo Connections :)

I chose the photo of a man in prison for a few reasons.  The first reason is rather obvious.  It relates to the theme/motif of prison and convicts within the novel.  Up to the point that we have read, all of Pip's story, his great expectations, and livelihood have originated from convicts. His benefactor was a convict that he met as a little boy.  Now, Pip is trying to help and save that very man from going to prison again and being hanged.  He would not be in the position that he is in, with all of his money and wealth if it had not been for this convict.              The second reason I chose this picture has to do with the character of Pip.  I think that Pip feels trapped within himself and within his lifestyle.  He says multiple times throughout the novel that he wishes he had never met Miss Havisham or gotten his expectations.  As a child, he wanted to become a gentleman more than anything else, but as he finally got what he had always wanted, he realized that being a gentleman was not as great as he had thought it would be.  Since he has assumed this social status, he can't really back out of it anymore.  He is trapped in the lifestyle that he has, and he feels, in a way, like a prisoner.

The last reason I chose this picture is based on love.  Pip loves Estella, but she does not return those same feelings.  Again, I think he feels like a prisoner because he is on the outside looking in.  He is trapped within Estella's love, and he knows he can never have it. 

The prison theme is present in several aspects of the book, both literally and inferentially.  The relation to the book is very important in the story as a whole, and that is why I chose this picture.