"Great Expectations" - Reading Assignment #1

Pip was looking down at his parents grave, lost in his own thoughts. Those thoughts were disturbed when a rugged, scary looking man approached him, ordering him to bring him wittles and a file. He had approached this by threatening the poor, small boy by saying he would cut him open, though all he really did physically was hang him upside down, which shows that he isn't as threatening as he puts himself out to be. He also shows this trait when he describes another "young man that is just as bad as himself". Does that really show toughness? Not at all. So, the next morning, Pip goes into Mrs. Joe cabinet and steals bread, liquor, and a meat pie, while then taking a file from Mr. Joe. His thoughts were racing because he didn't want to be thief, but what is more important, feeding a hungry and cold man, or stealing just because it is wrong? When Pip finally brought the food to the convict, he returned the favor by showing him a bit of kindness and respect.
These threats weren't as bad as what he got at home. His sister, Mrs. Joe, was a very hateful person towards Pip. This is for the simple fact that she blamed him for not moving ahead in life, though we all know you could move ahead in life with or without extra responsibilities. Now, her relationship with Pip was very rotten, for she brought him up by hand, which means she hit him and abused him. The only good relationship he has is with Mr. Joe, who sticks up for him a lot and makes him feel better most of the time about few problems in his life, though a question always arose. If he is getting abused by his sister, why don't Joe step in. This is because she is the head of the house, making all decisions.
So, on Christmas Eve, Pip couldn't take it anymore, with his thoughts about getting in trouble for stealing, he just started running out of the house, until a group of soldiers stopped him. His heart raced faster.

Now, I think it was right for Pip to steal that food to feed this starving, cold man. Of course, stealing is bad, but that is only if you're doing it for your pleasure. In this case, he was doing this for the act of goodness.
This simple act shows that Pip is the kind of person who cares for others, even though of how is life is. You would think that with such an ugly life, Pip would be the complete opposite of caring and compassionate for others.

"Great Expectations" - Getting the General Idea

"Great Expectations" is about a boy named Pip who is in search of finding his great expectation. In this time, during the Industrial Revolution, it is hard for a boy with his status in society to get very far in life. Being that his parents are dead, and having an abussive sister that raises him up by hand, life for Pip isn't very "peachie". The only good thing he has is Mr. Joe, his sister's husband. They get along great, being good friends, but Pip still isn't happy.

So, in the next few blogs, you, dear reader, will go through and witness events in Philip Pirrip's life, seeing how he reaches his "Great Expectation".

In my opinion, I think we could all relate to this book in some ways. By this, I mean we all have great expectations for ourselves, such as being a doctor or the next President one day. Of course we're not living in time like Pip, but we all want our dreams to come true, no matter how much hard work we put into it, just like Pip.

How The Industrial Revolutoin Shaped Our World

The Industrial Revolution was a great time when major changes had been made to areas of the economy such as agriculture, manufacturing, and transportation all over the world. These changes also influenced the world today. Socially, the rising middle class led to the discovery of "ordinary" people finding many opportunities for employment in factories and other good paying jobs, though the long hours and extremely fast paced work was considered very cruel. The child labor law created a need for the government to eliminate the law of children as young as nine to work in such horrible conditions. These major changes didn't end there. The Industrial Revolutin was started with the textile industry, eventually influencing iron-making techniques and the increased use of refined oils and chemicals, resulting in improved roads, railways, and canals. The economic influences of this great event would amend the way politicians and government looked at the world. After the government had made the correct adjustments, it was decided that they must play a more active role in business and economy. Therefore, many people, including business owners, moved towards a mixed economy where a free market and government could share the authorization of the economy. In conclusion, the Industrial Revolution was a time for change, discovery, and hard work. All this time and energy would eventually lead to a Second Industrial Revolution.

Who is Charles Dickens?

Charles Dickens was, and still is, one of the most famous and respected writers of our time. Born in 1812, he had painful childhood memories, which some say is what lead him to write some of his most famous stories such as Great Expectations, Bleak House, and A Tale of Two Cities.

At the age of 22, he joined a London newspaper, which helped him for his journalism career.

Then, 1836, he married Catherine Hogarth. They had 10 kids, but soon seperated in 1858. After this, he worked relentlessly at creating characters in a "shakespear" type of way.

Now, even after his death in 1870, his novels still provide the basis for many successful theatre and plays.

In my opinion, I think Charles Dickens was a creative writer, telling about how people lived in different times, though I think some of his novels would have been more interesting if he would have put a lot more personal experiences in his stories. Yes, of course he uses characters in a book, but I think you would connect to his stories a lot more of he said it was him who went through this. Maybe he should've written an autobiography, then I think a lot more people of his time and our time would understand what he meant through his writing.