Notes on Great Expectations

Novel of childhood fantasy. Imaginings of what life could be like. He sees them but doesn't see what will come from him. This makes him pure, mysterious. He has a very strong sense of being unwanted. He feels the normal life of black smithery and his life is not enough. There is this question of am I a good question, or am I wicked. From him there really isn't an answer. Pip is fatherless so he turns to these male figures for fatherhood. Pip means seed. 

Magwich- he eats like an animal. Not governed by civilization. Passion for wickedness and brutality. Represents the abandonment. Magwich represents what pip could become. 

Havasham- play on words, symbolizes horrible decay and shining promise. What could be a fairy godmother. Everything in her house is left the way it was since she was left at the alter. 

Pip does not talk truthfully to any character about magwich or havasham because it reminds him of what he could become. Mrs. Havasham and magwich vanish. Pip needs to see what he can do in his life to make what he wants to happen. 

Dickens uses both joe and Jaggers for pip to see which one he could be like. Joe is blacksmith and has power and strength. He can use it but he doesn't. Joe has many feelings, he is almost romantic. He is not completely financially stable but is content. Joe comes across a child and mother. He adopts the child and takes him in.

Jaggers also has power. He knows stuff, but won't uses it against them. Logic and reasoning are used a lot in his life. He is not successfully emotionally or spiritually, but he has a lot of money. Jaggers comes across a child and mom and sells the child to the highest bidder. 

Wemick- plays off Jaggers. Two people, one at home and one at work. A foil from both places. 

Magwich- plays off joe. Comes to represent pip from worse circumstances. Sort of like wemick in that he has a double life. 

Painful realizations- havasham is not his godmother. Pips thoughts were planted there by someone's influences. Pip was secretly happy when orlack attacks mrs. Joe, but not when he attacks him. Although, pip is still a fantasist even though he wants to be like joe and Jaggers. Pip wants the benefits but doesn't want to pay the piper. He becomes a snob because he can't come to a conclusion of who he really is. 

AP PREP 1: SIDDARTHA

1.) The main purpose of the first-person point of view in the passage, “I am no longer what I was, I am no longer an ascetic, no longer a priest, no longer a Brahmin” is to make clear?
a. The change in Siddhartha’s physical lifestyle, in order to follow his spiritual one
b. Show Siddhartha’s anger at the corruption present in his father’s position
c. Reveal the frustration in Siddhartha’s journey toward enlightenment
d. The views and beliefs of his family and his religion
e. Draw attention toward the excitement that Siddhartha feels now that he has less responsibility

 I think the answer is A.

2. The main purpose of the first-person point of view in the passage, “I am no longer what I was, I am no longer an ascetic, no longer a priest, no longer a Brahmin” is to make clear?
a. The change in Siddhartha’s physical lifestyle, in order to follow his spiritual one
b. Show Siddhartha’s anger at the corruption present in his father’s position
c. Reveal the frustration in Siddhartha’s journey toward enlightenment
d. The views and beliefs of his family and his religion
e. Draw attention toward the excitement that Siddhartha feels now that he has less responsibility

I think the answer is C

3. In the beginning of the book, Siddhartha rebels against his father. Later on in the book, Young Siddhartha often rebels against Siddhartha. Which literary technique best describes this?
a) metaphor
b)anthropomorphism
c)allusion
d)foreshadowing
e)irony

I think the answer is  C? I don’t know what the answer is.

4. What does it mean to be “newly born” from Siddhartha’s point of view? pg 40
a) To be enlightened, or to have found Self
b) To be reincarnated, to have started life again in a new body
c) To be awakened, or having a new understanding
d) To have been educated, the feeling after you had met the Buddha.
e) To get to a new town and meet new people

            I think the answer is A.

5. What has this passage taught you about life?

This passage has taught me a lot about life. One of the main things that can be drawn from the text is to ask questions. Basically, meaning think for yourself. Siddartha does this in the beginning which ultimately leads to a new understanding of him self. Also, another concept is to look forward and forget about the past. I feel like a lot of times people dwell on the past and it's pointless because nothing can be done. It's gone. Siddartha points to this view towards the end of the passage, specifically the last sentence. 

Notes from Siddhartha Passage

Brahmin: highest class in India

He was finding himself and discovering himself. Asking questions and his dad didn't like it because he was a Brahmin.

Theme: inner transformation, moving on

"Standing still as snake was in his path" was repeated. Snake symbolizes evil and deceitfulness. He was originally scared of what to do so it translated to this as an image.

Shaking off old identity and becoming himself is sort of the same as a snake when they shed their skin

Tone: overwhelmed.  With the questions he evoked but it changes once he starts looking forward and 

These were some questions I had when first reading the passage. For the most part I have answered alll of them.

Is the beginning a dream?

Where does this take place?

Why are the rhetorical questions significant?

Planning for Masterpiece

My topic is how sports bring people together. No matter what sport: basketball, football, baseball, soccor etc.; they always bring people together. A big part of this topic is how sports spread and how people interconnect in different countries through a sport. To think of this in a more visual context, think about two kids. Each speak a different language and love to play basketball. They may never talk to each other or become friends, but if they are put on a court and a ball between them there is a better chance for an instant friendship.
I became interested in this topic because for one I play sports myself. Also, through watching things like the NBA with numerous players from foreign countries or back to the FIFA World Cup sports just seems to bring people together. It is intriguing to see a team like the Spurs in the NBA who have 10 international players on their roster. Most would think that would be a setback, but it has only helped them as they are the reigning champs.
Learning about this topic will enrich my life because I will be able to see the true value in sports and how fortunate I am to play them. Also, I hope to shed light on this fact that sports naturally brings people closer and teaches life lessons.
I do have a formal plan for the research I am going to put in with books and other resources.  I just don't have a set plan in what I am actually going to produce and how i am going to do it.