ROCKY!!

                                              

Dear readers,

I believe that the motion picture Rocky represents Great Expectations very well. At the beginning of Rocky he is working at a meat shop and also collecting debt on the side, and really doesnt like his position in life as Pip did not like his when he worked as an apprentice in Joe's forge. Rocky meets a very shy women and  they befriend each other. This happens to Pip when he meets Biddy and they become friends and she teaches Pip to read and write. One day In Philadelphia Rocky Balboa is chosen to fight against a world renowned boxer named Apollo Creed, Rocky had been wanting his shot at a title and this was his chance. This part of the movie reminds me of when, in the book, Mr. Jaggers come to Pip and tells him he will become a gentleman.

Also in the movie Rocky and his friend Adrian are almost complete opposites and contrast each other. Adrien is a shy girl that can't talk to any man. While Rocky is a buff fighter that can never be hurt. It reminded me of all the contrasting happy couples, for example Joe and Mrs. Joe, and Mr. Pocket and Mrs. Pocket.

All in all There are manysimilarities between these two stories

Love, Amaya

Learning To Become A Gentleman

Dear readers,

Ever since Pip has moved to London becoming a gentleman has been a main subject. In this particular quote Pip is, without even knowing it, learning an important lesson of become a gentleman. Pip is walking Mr. Wemmick to work in london a observes this, "By degrees. Wemmick got dryer and harder as we went along. and his mouth tightened into an post office again. At last when we got to this place of business and he pulled out his key from his coat-collar, he looked as unconscious of his Walworth property as if the castle…had all been blown into space together…" (pg. 209) Mr. Wemmick is becoming a proper business man who has almost no resemblance to the Mr. Wemmick that Pip saw at his home.

To be a professional gentleman you must be serious and when out in to world must treat everything with business like attitude. This ties into Pip's schooling to become a gentleman, and how just being around a gentleman can be very beneficial to him. Something in the first stage that is a lot like this is when Pip first sees Mr. Jaggers. Pip's description of him is what Pip believes is what a gentleman should look like and uses this example when the time came to furnish himself for gentleman-hood.

Love, Amaya

The Turning Point

Dear readers,

As we all know Pip had a very horrific time working at Satis House. From spending time with Miss Havisham and Estella, Pip has started to feel very self conscious about his living condition and what he will grow up to be. Before he worked for Miss Havisham he was exceptionally excited to be apprenticed to Joe. But after Estella put him down and and call him "common". After this is his turning point. He only wants to be a gentleman, ultimately to empress Estella. I think Pip's changes are very hurtful to his life because he will lose most of the people he loves to heighten his social standing. In the last sentence of chapter 9 Pip is trying to have the reader relate to him and understand why he wants to, or must, change and get the general understanding of what Estella and Miss Havisham have turning him into.

Just like my Boo Radley School was my turning point. At a young age I realized that work and learning is important and life all isn't just about playing house, and sliding down the slide on the playground. At that point I knew that they had to be balanced to have a happy and successful life. This all started while my sister was telling me about her work and how hard she worked in college to get to this wonderful job. She told me the key was to work very hard and take challenging classes but also to take classes that were relaxing and fun to work in. I have tried to keep this balance to this very day by taking advanced Math and Honors English while taking Drama as a fun and entertaining class.

Love, Amaya