Blog 5

Luke Leslie

Mrs. Coughlin

14/5/15

In Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, the connection between the title and the story is based of Pip’s life after his sudden rise to a lavish and successful life. Pip expects a lot of himself to become as successful as possible in the fame and luxury driven London while he also expects others that he is close to be successful and smart.

The expectations he has for others are really harsh considering the fact that he grew up in a poor area and was raised by his sister. His lifetime friend, Joe, who helped raise him and was always there for Pip with his love and compassion with open arms is forgotten by Pip and embarrasses him when he is seen around Joe due to his social status of little money and illiteracy. As for the expectations others have for Pip change the more and more that Pip changes because of his constant upsurge in wealth. Joe wants the same Pip that he had when he was a child but unfortunately he won’t get that again. Miss Havisham, Biddy and Estella look at Pip as a potential partner only for both of them to break Pip’s heart for someone else. Finally, Pip’s expectations for himself, which are set high and help him to stay motivated. Pip has to major goals that he hopes to achieve in life which are to learn who the wealthy and successful benefactor was and marrying Estela. This is why Pip is disgusted and disappointed out of his mind when he found out that the benefactor was a criminal with a past he didn’t want to be convoluted with.

This novel was basically a lot of characters expecting a lot from wither others or themselves, which is why the title fits it so well. If I had written this book, I would’ve named it London Dreams.

Henry's Blog Post 5

Perceptions and Expectations

~Blog Post #5~

Topic J

May 15, 2015

by Henry Sledz

Throughout the novel, the characters all develop certain expectations that are then subverted by the real world, hence the title, Great Expectations. Some characters develop expectations for others, mostly for Pip, and are then let down or surprised by what really happens.

The expectations characters develop shape the way they behave and interact more than any other factors. The upper-class in general expects lower-class people like Joe to be unintelligent and crude, while Joe proves to be one of the kindest people in the story. Pip’s influences expect great things from him, Jaggers and Mr. Pocket expect him to become a successful high society young man while Magwitch and Joe expect him to be a good young man. Pip has his own expectations about his future. He expected that Miss Havisham was his benefactor, planning for him to marry Estella, but that was, “all a mere dream.” His real benefactor was the common criminal Magwitch. Pip’s hopes are crushed by this revelation, he had too high expectations and he was inevitably disappointed by Magwitch. Expectations play a clear role in the interactions in the novel and they shape the relationships between these characters.

In Great Expectations, the characters’ expectations are constantly subverted and crushed. The reader also develops expectations for the novel and Dickens manages to subvert those as well. The title also is somewhat self-referential as Dickens turns the story on its head, keeping the reader interested and on their feet as their own expectations are constantly changing.

Henry's Blog 4

London’s Classism

~Blog Post 4~

Topic D

May 8, 2015

by Henry Sledz

In Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens, classism is the central motif of the book. Pip goes from a peasant of humble birth, to a young aristocrat high up on the social ladder. This gives us a very complete glimpse into the different classes in this time because as the reader, we see what Pip does.

We first meet Pip as a poor orphan boy living with his sister and her husband. It is here where we learn about what the average life of a poor person is like in this setting. Joe is illiterate, Mrs. Joe abuses Joe and Pip, they live in a small house next to a gloomy marsh, and life is just all around terrible. Pip ends up getting to move up in life and experiences the upper class and their way of life. This new lifestyle is lavish but is filled with skeevy and slimy characters. These unsavory people show how the upper class isn’t really much better than the lower class. Despite this, Pip is drawn into this lifestyle and even goes as far as to treat Joe as his inferior. He becomes the ideal, wealthy, young man, but that isn’t necessarily a good thing.  As much as they say otherwise, they are all equal.

All of Pip’s unique experiences in London with both the lower and upper classes give us a better insight into the classism of England at the time than any other perspective could.

Luke's Blog 4

Luke Leslie

Mrs. Coughlin

English 10

May 8, 2015

Topic C

In Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, many characters begin developing as the story goes on changing the relationships between many. One relationship especially that oversees change is Pip and Joe.

Pip and Joe were pals back when Pip was younger and hung out all the time they had to. They would relate to each other sharing many similarities and living similar lives. Pip wouldn’t look down on him for being poor and Joe wouldn’t look down on him for being young. Now after Pip has been living life and making money in London, he has different views. Pip looks down on Joe now for having little money and a low social status as if his competitive lifestyle has taken over the way he thinks. When Joe visits Pip, he isn’t visited by Pip who is too busy and more importantly embarrassed to be seen with Joe after his recent success. Pip does not even know that Joe is illiterate on top of his other weaknesses which would just lead to more lost respect for Pip. This change in the relationship between the characters is a sad transition because once childhood friends are separated by the lifestyle that Pip is put in.

Pip and Joe’s relationship are just one of the quite few relationships in the book that change, especially over the course of the five chapters. This change is the most significant because Pip is the main character and the change leaves to old pals separated and distant.

Luke Leslie Blog Post #3

Luke Leslie

Mrs. Molyneuax

English

5/1/15

Topic B

In Charles Dicken’s Great Expectations, the main character of the story has once again changed. Pip, whom I wrote about under the same topic earlier throughout the story has developed into a more mature person with a different personality and way of life.

Pip came from a lowly background with little money and no parents. Now Pip is living a successful life in a mansion with the money he anonymously received. Seeing Pip put back into a setting close to what he grew up in shows how much he has changed growing up. Pip is reunited with Joe, his old childhood friend which results in a different encounter than the one they would always previously experience. Pip looks at Joe differently now that they are apart of two different social classes unlike before. Pip would just disregard Joe if he knew he was illiterate showing how immersed Pip is in the life he’s been living in London. It is a sad transition in Pip because he was once a kid who looked at all people equally and respected life no matter the amount of money he had or the social status of his friends and family.

The development of Pip into his new self is a quick one that begins right when we lands the money in London while already have been living in a mansion. He becomes well educated and self sufficient living a completely different lifestyle than his first.

Henry's Blog 3

Pip’s Changes

~Blog Post #2~

Topic B

May 1, 2015

by Henry Sledz

In chapter 27, Pip and Joe see each other for the first time in a long time and things are clearly different. Pip’s time in London has changed him while Joe is still the same old blacksmith and is unsure of how to talk to Pip.

This new dynamic shows how much Pip has changed. It can be easy to miss how much Pip has changed when he isn’t surrounded by anything in his old life, but when Joe returns, we as the reader compare this new Pip to the old one and the changes are clear. This new Pip is more elitist and self-conscious. The old Pip didn’t think any less of Joe when he told Pip he was illiterate, but the new Pip would write him off as an idiot and pathetic if Joe were to admit his secret at this point in Pip’s life. The changes in Pip’s life are clearly a reflection of the morally bankrupt, elitist upper echelon of Victorian London that Pip has been immersed in since his arrival in London. Pip’s transformation into a miniature socialite is so easy because as a young, uneducated, ambitious boy, he couldn’t be more easy to mold and manipulate. The upper-class are still taking advantage of the lower-class in this situation.

The evolution, or devolution depending on one’s perspective, of Pip into another upper-class snob is somewhat subtle but it becomes completely clear when Joe returns. Joe represents Pip’s old life and the rest of the lower-class, and Pip treating him as his inferior while Joe treats him like he is his master puts Pip’s new personality on a showcase.

Luke Leslie Reading article reflection

Luke Leslie

Mrs. Molyneaux

English

4-29-15

                                                    Reading Article Reflection

        This article discussed reading methods and styles to interpret texts. It points out what readers should be doing while they read to comprehend work easily. One method that is useful is to annotate your novel or shorter piece of literature you are reading. I began using this method at the beginning of the year. My grade school let us read in whatever way we wanted, we just had to be able to take a quiz for comprehension. Annotating helps a lot when you read vital information in a book and do not want to lose it, like highlighting in a textbook. One thing that the article touches upon that I need to improve on is my focus while reading something. If I am not interested I will put little energy or thought into the book and miss information that creates a snowball of confusion. I believe that I use most of the reading methods while some still need work. This article was a great tool to help me evaluate myself as a reader and notify me what I must improve on.