Connecting with Romeo and Juliet

Despite its fancy pedigree, Romeo and Juliet was a play I never found interest in. The romanticized characters and the dramatic plot was nothing of my taste. As we began to read the play, I found it to be a much more likable story. Shakespeare added an unexpected humor that can never be dated. Through Shakespeare's unique and clever writing style, I discovered a new appreciation for the play. Shakespeare intertwined characters full of love, humor, and madness. A character that attracted my attention the most was the Nurse. She adds vulgar humor that surprises the reader while incorporating a new tone to the play. Though I cannot relate much to the Nurse,  I can see her sharing the same attitude as a person would today; making her stand out from the others.

Our reading in class has helped me develop a much better understanding for the play. Reading aloud in class brings out so much more to the play, then just lines on a page. Hearing the lines spoken and being apart of the play, makes the story much more enjoyable. What we've been doing in class has given me a better take on the play and a new perspective to the forever known play of Romeo and Juliet.

Wrapping Up Great Expectations

Throughout the novel, Pip battles with the effect of things going from bad to worse. From Great Expectations the reader conveys the message of total corruption through fortune; but what seems to be overlooked by the reader is that situations can always get worse. Through Pip's predicament, the reader is exposed to a young boy born into a plain life, but wanting something more. Later in the novel Dickens proves that a true "gentlemen's" lifestyle is never as glamorous as it may seem; thus having Pip realize that his once seeming bad life style has grown worse as he interweaves the struggles through fortune and love. As the story loops back back to where Pip began, the reader takes in the message of enjoying what you have, and being grateful for what you are given.

Thoughts on Reading

I had been dreading the day we would begin to read Great Expectations; but with low hopes I was surprised to find myself a bit intrigued by the fascinating characters. Consisting of sentences that could cover a whole; it was not a writing style I was used to. Though Dickens' style of writing was different, and sometimes hard to convey, I loved the way he was able to scatter hints throughout the entire novel leaving the reader puzzled yet wanting to read more. I fell in love with the playful Joe from the beginning, and I as I began to like Joe's character more I drew distant from Pip's changing self. However, the one character that kept me reading this book was Miss Havisham. Her crazy attitude and dark rotting house added a lot more excitement throughout the novel. I wouldn't have been able to fulling understand the book without the help of Sparknotes. I used it every time before reading to try and understand what I was about to read. I found it to be very helpful.

Reading Great Expectations was not my first priority; I would often save it for my time laying in bed. I annotated as I was reading and would find quotes that could come an handy later. I did rely off a Sparknotes for a couple chapters in which I lacked at reading. I regret not reading them. For the chapters I thought weren't important, became a much larger concept as everything began to relate back. I realized then that Sparknotes is helpful for understanding what you read, not what you didn't read. Even though I may have not read the whole entire book "on my own," I did manage to complete the assignments all on time. When Sparknotes couldn't fully help me, I would turn to my friends who understood what was going on; and together we were able to fill in the blanks. Reading Great Expectations helped me advance as a reader, but I still lack a few qualities in becoming a great and understanding reader.