Trinity’s Comments (group member since Jul 05, 2016)

Trinity’s comments from the Mills AP Lit and Comp group.

Be not deceived. If I have veiled my look,
I turn the trouble of my countenance
Merely upon myself. Vexèd I am
Of late with passions of some difference,
Conceptions only proper to myself,
Which give some soil perhaps to my behaviors.
But let not therefore, my good friends, be grieved—
Among which number, Cassius, be you one—
Nor construe any further my neglect
Than that poor Brutus, with himself at war,
Forgets the shows of love to other men.

These lines, spoken by Brutus in response to Cassius’ accusation during Julius Ceasar, can live with a small piece of our hearts every single day. What shakespeare was conveying when writing this scene, will be a forever relatable experience. We go through this, especially as adolescents, frequently. We must remember that even though we struggle with our own, inner identity, we need to remember we cannot outwardly express our emotions to those we care about, in an unmannerly way. Even though we deal with inner struggles and dilemmas often, our loved ones must not suffer as well. For we all struggle in some way, and we cannot exhale more hate into the world when plenty of it already exists. Especially, if we love that person and deeply care about them.

Ray wrote: "Ray Hootman
Period 2

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, a novel written in 1860, tells the tale of a young man named Pip who endeavors to find love and wealth and in doing so rejects his "comm..."

Although the second ending is more positive, I do not believe it brings the story to a full circle. Throughout the novel, Pip encounters unfortunate luck and really sad events during his life. The most common, ‘circle’ it would take would be when a bad thing turned into a good thing, then once again turned into a bad thing. As a person who adores cliches and cheesy stories, the second ending doesn’t fulfill the artistic style of the novel in a whole. Therefore, I believe the original ending continues the path Pip is supposed to take in his life. However, saying that, I do agree that the original ending was deeply depressing and left me wanting something more. But, in an aesthetic sense, the first ending continues the message Dickens wanted to send to the world about this story.

Trinity Grant
Period 2

Throughout the novel Great Expectations, Charles Dickens illustrates a deceiving life for a common boy named Pip. During the course of his life, Pip experiences depressing events that later on shape his personality and his awareness as an adult. However, one thing after another throws down emotional difficulties for Pip. This gives him a saddening lifestyle, along with crippling self doubt that he learns to cope with. The original ending that Charles Dickens intended to publish, continued the roller-coaster like path the novel traveled upon. Whereas the published ending, was too fulfilling according to the path of Pip’s life.

In the unpublished ending, when Pip recountered with Estella in the final chapter, the expected was not accomplished. Rather than giving into what the audience was expecting, Dickens took another side, and displayed the unfortunate luck Pip seems to have. “I heard her of leading a most unhappy life,” (551). From an obscured point of view, the sadness of this ending can be satisfying to the pattern of the story. For example, the very beginning scene with the homeless criminal, turning out to being Pip’s benefactor, then resulting in the never ending anxiety of Magwitch’s escape, sadly leading to Magwitch’s death in prison. However, being that Pip had also learned life is constantly changing and that a person must make the most of what they have, “We were not in a grand way of business, but we had a good name, and worked for our profits, and did very well.” (545). He learns to move past these struggles and continue on with his common lifestyle. After this strange, yet fulling encounter with Estella, Pip remains hopeful and content. “I was very glad afterwards to have had the interview; for, in her face and in her voice, and in her touch, she gave me the assurance that suffering had been stronger than Miss Havisham’s teaching, and had given her a heart to understand what my heart used to be.” (552).

The published ending, however, was a basic summary of, ‘happily ever after.’ Literally, the last passage of the novel begins with, them walking out of the scene in a dramatic sense. “I took her hand in mine, and we went out of the ruined place.”(549). Now, anyone can argue that the closure of these endings are truly satisfying to finish with. But, when something satisfies more people, that really just means it’s too broad of an idea. The unpublished ending had it’s own character, and obviously meant something to Dickens since it was the one he wrote first. The unpublished ending was the better ending, in that it stayed true to what the story truly was. Instead of giving the audience hopeless fulfillment.

Trinity Grant
P2
Distortion can be used, in a writer's world, to set a more emotional image in the reader's mind. Within well written pieces, such as The Great Expectations, it is conveyed as the pencil on paper. It draws out a beautifully descriptive scene, with a character’s emotional insight of the environment that is occurring around them. In the span of Pip’s life, he encounters difficult situations that need to be worked through. But, due to his abusive sister and terrified ‘uncle’, he has no one to talk through said issues with. For example, when he is first met with the homeless ‘criminal’ in the marshes. Pip’s mind goes through clear instances of an altered reality. It’s almost as if distortion is used as a comprehensible system for Pip to deal with new situations. As he describes the older man walking away from him, and further in the marshes, Pip can see him as a monster in a nightmare. “At the same time, he hugged his shuddering body in both of his arms- clasping himself, as if to hold himself together-” (19). Dickens uses a case of clear distortion as an almost promising metaphor. Within this sentence, the reader can understand the homeless man’s emotional output. The distortion in the scene continues with, “he looked in my young eyes as if he were eluding the hands of the dead people, stretching up cautiously of their graves, to get a twist upon his ankle and pull him in.” (20). This continues to enforce Pip’s understanding of this strange man, and the struggle he has been through.
When Pip is first introduced to the brewery at Miss Havisham’s house, his mind takes a spin, and the new found territory is explained as foreign material. “The brewery buildings had a little lane of communication with it , and the wooden gates of that lane stood open.” Dickens also uses this concept when Pip and Estella have their first conversation, and Pip is beginning to face an identity crisis, of sorts, when he realizes how different everything is around here. (in describing Estella,) “She seemed much older than I” (75). Again, later in the novel, the world he once knew is changing, as his perspective. “When I neared home the light on the spit of sand off the point on the marshes was gleaming against a black night sky, and Joe’s furnace was a flinging path of fire across the road.” (116). This example can demonstrate the idea of changing views, and his emotional processing of the ‘common boy’ accusations Estella makes upon him. It illustrates a point of view that is fearful to the ground he was once accustomed to. In the end, distortion is used by Dickens to expand on the new things happening to Pip, and to help the audience understand Pip’s emotional being throughtout the book and these new experiences.

Trinity Grant, Period 2

The Great Gatsby is an allusion in its whole, meaning that almost every aspect of it is a symbol for something else. The largest example of this would be Daisy, and the flowers that seem to follow her character around. There are flowers in her house that she lived in with Tom, Gatsby brought her bouquets to rekindle their lost love. Early on in the story, there was an incident between Daisy and Nick. Nick was asking about Daisy’s baby, and she got agitated about the question. She then bickered on about the child being a girl, and how unfortunate it was that the child was female. “I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool- that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” (17).

This ramble is illuminating to some of the ‘mistakes’ Daisy makes later on in the story. Which, could be said are foolish. When she rekindles her affair with Gatsby, and flirts with him in the presence of Tom. She even listens to Gatsby later on, when he practically forces her to lie to Tom, and tell him that she never loved him. “She never loved you, do you hear?” He cried.” (130). “I never loved him,” she said, with perceptible reluctance.” (132). This is seen as a helpless (foolish) action. Being that she is a beautiful woman pushed around by two men. These encounters center the plotline of the story, and therefore this event illuminates to The Great Gatsby’s center.

Trinity Grant, Period 2
The Great Gatsby argues themes of an almost, a ‘coming of age’ like story. When Nick moves to the East, he is coming to further his dreams, and work for a life of his own. He wants to use some of his financial knowledge and put it to work. He predicts the East will be very different, and will be a place for a new beginning- a new chance at his life. “And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on trees, just as things grow fast in movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning all over again.” (4). To go into an even further analysis, one can make the assumption that subtle symbolism was placed later in the story. When Nick discusses his work life, he states that when he awoke to go to his job, “the sun threw my shadow westward”(56). This can represent the west is behind him, while he is working towards the East.
Nick discovers, very early on in the story, that even though he had moved to the East, western habits still linger within everyone. He expects to start anew, and leave the silly, immature traits the West held behind. “The fact that gossip had published the banns was one of the reasons I had come East.” (19). He is immediately angered after this encounter with Daisy, and drives off to avoid the silly confrontation. Even though Nick had moved away from it all, his friends still contained aspects of the dreaded West. Subconsciously, Nick kept the drama and these people in his life because the ruckus of it all almost reminded him of his old home. He continues to work forward with his life, clearly stating that the problems his friends associated him with, “were merely casual events in a crowded summer” (55). But, Nick always falls back on the crazy people he has as friends to remind him where he came from.

Trinity Grant, Period 2
F. Scott Fitzgerald is an american novelist who dreams of stories that can be picture-perfect. The Great Gatsby, a book loved and understood by many americans, fulfills Fitzgerald’s destiny as an author. Fitzgerald shares with his audiences the authentic american dream, and the ways money can have a positive effect on any person’s life. He thinks about life in a truly materialistic way, focusing on the the riches rather than the authenticity of it all. The true fault that can be immediately identified within this novel, are the errors that come with a picture perfect setting. Many characters in this book, for example Tom, have reached high achievements in their lives. Tom was a well achieved man, being that in his early twenties he had lived the most entertaining moments of his long life. After he has obtained a large steady income, and after he had lived the greatest moments some people will forever strive for, he is left empty. After receiving everything he could imagine, he has nothing left to fulfill his desires. “But I felt Tom would drift on forever seeking, a little wistfully, for the dramatic turbulence of some irrecoverable football game.” (6). Firstly, the audience most likely cannot relate to the things Tom has achieved. Secondly, Tom is all looks and stationed things, but no true emotion or human like empathy. We are shown, as the story continues, he has an affair with Ms. Wilson, even though Daisy, ‘seems’ to be a very kind, loyal wife. This leads to the reader to grow a slight distaste towards Tom’s character. This distaste grows as we are shown even darker sides of Tom when he breaks Mrs. WIlson’s nose (37) over slight bickering.
Another example of this dry character development, would be Daisy. During the novel, Daisy doesn’t experience much (really, any) personal growth as a character. Some people would argue she is simply there as a plot device. However, when we are first introduced to her character, the house she lives in is a mere allusion to her. The house is surrounded by deep colored roses (7) and the interior mimics bright flower like colors. But, Daisy is only an image in the novel. Like the exterior of the house she lives in, the mere purpose Fitzgerald put her in this story was to be looked at. The audience can’t reach any point of her personality to cling to or relate. The point being, the characters of The Great Gatsby, all seem appealing to the eye. They all have aspects to them that can give a thoughtful first impression. But in the end, they lack integrity and human like qualities. The story is all glitz and glam, but lacks the relatable qualities audiences ache to have in their characters.