- "Introduction to Poetry" by Billy Collins
- Mr. P. Goes Global (Website)
- "The Danger of the Single Story" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- Global Goals for Sustainable Development
- "First Hour" by Sharon Olds
- Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
- Pride & Prejudice (1995)
- Petrarchean Sonnets
- English Sonnets
- Shakespearean Sonnets
- Metaphysical Poetry and Works of John Donne
- Persuasion by Jane Austen
- Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)
- Sense and Sensibility (1995)
- Becoming Jane (2007)
- Love and Friendship (2016)
- "Where are You Local?" by Taiye Selasi
- Who Am I?
- Macbeth by William Shakespeare
- Freaky Freedom by Denice Yao Pomary
- To Walk Invisible (2016)
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
- Jane Eyre (2011)
- Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
- The Tennant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
- Beowulf (Translated by Seamus Heaney)
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
2) Select a cross-section of five of the works above, and make a list of the five substantial quotations that mirror life lessons you obtained from our class.
3) Using the bullet list, compose a fat paragraph for each one, using direct evidence from the text and other texts. These paragraphs should look like comprehensive blog responses or body paragraphs for a formal essay. Make personal connections to the characters and your own experiences. What will you do in your life now that you have been touched by these works?
4) Include a conclusion where you describe your overall experience in class. You may even choose a paraphrased quotation from Mr. P. as your heading. What books were your favorites? What were your favorite units? Lessons? Projects?
4) When all five paragraphs and your conclusion are complete, post them to the blog. Make sure to keep the quotations. It will most likely need to be spread out to 2-3 posts, as it will be a lot of words.
5) On exam day, we will spend half the class reading other's responses and responding. The second half we will have our final discussion and say our temporary goodbyes. We will also discuss the summer reading list and some British Literature suggestions by Mr. P.
For the record, I didn’t really obtain much wisdom here that I didn’t already know from somewhere else. However, we did reinforce several important principles; more than I can list here. But as always, I’m going to do the best I can, so here goes.
ReplyDeleteDon’t let your lack of experience hinder your understanding. My very sensitivity comes from stories about what others have been through, fact and fiction alike. I demonstrated this when we studied Jane Austen. As soon as she said, “‘Tis a truth universally acknowledged that a man in possession of good fortune must be in want of a wife”(Pride and Prejudice), I could tell that she was getting ready to express her frustration with sexism and commercialism. Of course, I had already realized my capacity for sympathy while reading far more excruciating material such as Elie Wiesel’s Night and Stephen King’s Carrie.
DeleteNever let them see that they get to you. Deep down, I don’t want any trouble, but while someone’s getting picked on, I won’t turn a blind eye. Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre features a discussion on how to cope with bullying. Helen Burns advises Jane Eyre to “‘read the New Testament, and observe what Christ says, and how He acts; make His word your rule, and His conduct your example.’ ‘What does he say?’ ‘Love your enemies; bless them that curse you; do good to them that hate you and despitefully use you’”(Jane Eyre). Jane finds this rather counter-intuitive, but Helen advises her not to give up hope either. Friendship always prevails.
DeleteSome things work out better if you let them happen without foretelling them in advance. In an infamous Scottish play, three witches say, “‘All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!’ ‘All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!’” and “‘All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter’”(M**beth)! When Macbeth hears this, he isn’t too sure, but his wife eggs him on, which leads to him killing King Duncan, seizing power, and doing a lot of other horrible stuff. The witches are left to fight fire with fire, boosting his confidence again, so he can be caught off guard and defeated. This is why I don’t gamble or spoil movies.
DeleteNewcomers are trained and veterans and casualties are laid to rest, but heroism is here to stay. As King Beowulf of Geatland is dying, he tells Wiglaf, one of his Thanes, “‘Now is the time when I would have wanted to bestow this armor on my own son, had it been my fortune to have fathered an heir and live on in his flesh. For 50 years I ruled this nation. No king of any neighbouring clan would dare face me with troops, none had the power to intimidate me’”(Beowulf). As far as I can tell, he chooses Wiglaf as his successor because he has similar qualities.
DeleteSet a good example for the underclassmen. Now, this is an important one, because over the next year, it’ll be our responsibility. “If the seniors [break] the rules, the [underclassmen shall] follow suit and then the situation [shall] get out of hand”(Freaky Freedom). Indeed, this one is important, and I bring it up on account of the Class of 2019’s Watermelon Massacre. That there is a disgraceful, inconvenient excuse for a prank! To this day, several bathrooms are closed for repair. I forbid us to do any such thing!
DeleteI actually quite enjoyed this class. We covered a variety of well-written material. I find this particularly worth my while, considering I intend to be an author in the long run. Even those of you who don’t quite have these intentions still should’ve obtained a lot of wisdom in here. Wisdom that will move us ever onward and ever upward. In the words of the late Stanley Martin Lieber, alias Stan Lee, excelsior!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete1/2
ReplyDeleteJonathan McConley
06/11/19
Everything I Really Needed to Know I Learned In Brit Lit
Macbeth
Peer Pressure can lead to some really bad things
“Was the hope drunk Wherein you dressed yourself? Hath it slept since? And wakes it now, to look so green and pale At what it did so freely? From this time Such I account thy love. Art thou afeard To be the same in thine own act and valor As thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life, And live a coward in thine own esteem, Letting “I dare not” wait upon “I would, ” Like the poor cat i' th' adage?”(1.7: 36-45).
In this instance, the pressure that Lady Macbeth was placing on Macbeth was
pressure to kill King Duncan. She calls him a coward and a fool. These ad hominem attacks lead, eventually, to Scotland having a king that goes on murderous rampages. It eventually also leads to the suicide of Lady Macbeth and the regicide of Macbeth and the reclaimation of the throne by Malcom.
Pride and Prejudice
Don’t judge a book by its cover
“Mr. Wickham wrote to inform me that, having finally resolved against taking orders… He resigned all claim to assistance in the church, were it possible that he could ever be in a situation to receive it, and accepted in return three thousand pounds” (Chapter 35).
Elizabeth judged Mr. Darcy mainly on lies and rumors, while she trusted Mr. Wickham completely based upon his charisma. Later it is learned that she should have questioned every word out of Wickham’s mouth and been more respectful of Darcy. Anything bad Mr. Darcy did, he did by accident and with good intentions; Mr. Wickham intended to achieve revenge against Elizabeth by running away with her sister.
Beowulf
Sometimes you need to forget yourself for the protection of others
"’I shall draw not back a foot's space,’ he said boldly and with calm demeanour, ‘nor shall I flee before the watcher of treasure; before the rock it shall be as Wyrd decrees--Wyrd who measures out a man's life. . . . Ready am I, and I boast not before the dragon. . . . Ye warriors in armour, watch ye from the mound, so that ye may perceive which of us is best able to survive the strife after deadly attack. . . It is not for one of you to fight as I must fight; the adventure is for me only. . . . Gold shall I win for triumph, and death is my due if I fail. . . .’"
Beowulf sacrifices himself to save his country and kinsman. He realizes that being king is a responsibility, not a leisure cruise. He takes it upon himself, due to his reputation, to fight and kill a rampaging dragon. The dragon ends up killing him and he gives the throne to the only person that was still by his side when the fight began, Wiglaf. His last deed was also selfless. He saw the potential for a great king in Wiglaf due to his willingness to stick to the program even in the face of certain doom.
2/2
DeleteThor: Ragnarok
There are some challenges you are not yet ready to face. Sometimes you must gain experience in a subject or skill before you can take them head on.
“Doug has, Doug! Oh yeah, Doug’s dead. Anyone who fights the Grandmaster’s champion perishes.”
“That’s exactly what Doug used to say! See you later, new Doug!”
“Another day, another Doug.” - Korg while talking to and about Thor
Thor did not realize that he was not ready to fight the Grandmaster’s champion. He believed that his power was tied to his hammer rather than himself, when in fact the hammer only helped Thor channel his power. Once he realized that he didn’t need his hammer he would have been able to defeat the champion, if only the fight were fair.
To Walk Invisible
Substance abuse can lead to the ruin of lives. Not only of the life of the abuser, but also of those around them.
Branwell Brontë drinks a lot. He does it to the point where he is in debt from it. Initially his father is disgusted and tells the debt collectors to take him to the debtors’ prison. It gets so bad that his sister, Anne, writes The Tenant of Wildfel Hall, a book about a woman who takes her son and leaves her husband who abused alcohol. He died of “many complications”, some of which were alcohol and other substance abuse, the main “complication” was Tuberculosis.
"We know each other. He's a friend from work!"
DeletePride and Prejudice:
ReplyDeleteIt’s no secret that I love Jane Austen, she is truly now one of my favorite authors because she was able to give strong woman a strong love. This book was written in a time when women weren’t meant to be strong, but Austen gave strength to her female characters through small acts (not agreeing blindly, wanting a life outside of marriage, etc). You would think a victorian writer creating stories about love and marriage would’ve created characters not relatable to the modern world, but with Austen it is completely the opposite. Not only can we all relate to the struggles Elizabeth faces, but it reminds us how lucky we are to have the ability to marry who we love, not based on some arbitrary social hierarchy. My favorite quote from Pride and Prejudice is “There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.” Because not only does it show the badass nature that is Elizabeth Bennet, but it challenges the thought of women slightly agreeing with their partners. I think Darcy always wanted someone who’d challenge him, even at the beginning ball he won’t interact with people and I think this was because he didn’t think anyone could have a conversation at his “intelligence level.” But when Elizabeth Bennet not only challenges him and stands up for herself, but breaks the social restrictions put on her -- he is intrigued. The first thing I learned in Mr. Pellerin’s Survey of British Literature Class is that a book about love and marriage can still be a feminist novel.
Petrarchan Sonnets:
This assignment was one of my favorites because I have this belief that a lot of people in the world wear masks as protection, and the ability to analyze and finally put into words my opinion was really fun for me. My sonnet was “Lassare il velo o per sole o per ombra” and it was about a girl who always wore a “veil” in front of her love. “The veil so governs me // that to my death, and by heat and cold, // the sweet light of your lovely eyes is shadowed.” I understood her, thinking she had to be happy all the time and not tell the truth of her feelings over fear of losing someone, but in fact she was losing someone because of her mask. This class helped me gain the confidence to not share my opinion, but my feelings about what we read. I felt supported by everyone in class, it wasn’t just that I could debate people based on facts, but I could talk about how these poems and novels made me feel and that would be respected. I could talk about my history and not be mocked for it. The second thing I learned in Mr. Pellerin’s Survey of British Literature Class is people, when given the opportunity, will support you.
Who Am I?:
I learned from Taiye Selasi that I am a local of Andover and New England School of Performing Arts. Her idea that “experience is where I’m from” and that it’s not a country’s culture that dictates who you will become, but the experiences you go through. When I wrote my response to “Who Am I?” I wrote about being a child of divorce because it was the first thing that came to my mind when Mr. Pellerin told us about this assignment. I remember thinking about how much I wanted to go back to before the divorce happened, but Selasi said something that stuck with me. “We can never go back to a place and find it exactly where we left it. Something, somewhere will always have changed; most of all ourselves. People.” That stuck with me because people always talk about going back, but we all have to accept that once something passes it’s over. And soon we will all have to accept that Brit Lit is over. This class has given me a connection to everyone in the class even though everyone and I aren’t best friends. We have a connection of being the only 29 kids in our grade to do BL and only we know what happened in our amazing class. The third thing I learned in Mr. Pellerin’s Survey of British Literature Class is that our history is something to be proud of and I am a local of Mr. P’s Brit Lit.
Macbeth:
DeleteAfter reading and seeing Taming of the Shrew I lost hope that Shakespeare could be at all a feminist, but after learning about Lady Macbeth I know even if he didn’t intend it he created a complex strong femine character. Her character showcases the depth that sexism ran during Shakespearen times; not only was this a powerful woman, but she was a woman who felt she had to become a man to stay powerful. She was intelligent and ruthless, but she still had the “weakness” of being a woman and thus called “Come, you spirits //That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, // And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full // Of direst cruelty! make thick my blood; // Stop up the access and passage to remorse.” To make a character with such power have the weakness of being a woman unintentionally showcases how ridiculous a thought this is. She was stronger than Macbeth and more cunning, but just because she was a woman she was weak. Women should be allowed to be strong and feminine; to feel you have to lose your femininity to become strong is horrible. The fourth thing I learned in Mr. Pellerin’s Survey of British Literature Class is that not every strong woman looks the same, but they exist in almost every story.
Tenant of Wildfell Hall:
Austen laid the groundwork for feminism in the 21st century by breaking stereotypes, and Bronte pushed the feminism movement even further by telling the realities of a woman of this time period. Bronte took the movement Austen created and pushed it even further; not only was Bronte’s books about showing a strong woman, but also the hardships women were expected to suffer through. I think Elizabeth Bennet and Helen Graham would’ve been good friends because they both are pushing past what was expected of them for the greater good. Helen Graham left her husband to protect herself and her child, which was unheard of while Bronte was writing. But the most amazing thing about Helen’s story isn’t what she did, but that someone wrote this and published it for the public. You weren’t supposed to talk about these events, just sweep it under the rug, and Bronte is forcing you to read the truth every hard moment. Helen Graham also was a very strong mother to her son, Arthur, and made certain choices on how to raise him. Throughout her story people criticise her way of raising Arthur, but not only does Bronte give Helen moments of strength against these critics, but she utilises theses moments to argue against the expectations of sons. There is a moment Helen says “I trust my son will never be ashamed to love his mother!” And I think this is a great moment because Helen is not only standing up for herself, but saying her son and boys like him have the right to their emotions. The last thing I learned in Mr. Pellerin’s Survey of British Literature Class is feminism is forever evolving and should not only examine the injustices towards women, but men as well.
Overall:
DeleteMr. Pellerin must be one of the best teachers I have ever had. I think I speak for the whole class when I say not only have we learned about literature in this class, but we have learned about ourselves and how to be good people. We have had the ability to argue, laugh, share our feelings and on every step of the way we have supported each other. Yesterday in our final class, we joked that this class was built one stone at a time and each is one stone; we said Ethan is the biggest stone because this class would’ve so different without him, but without Pellerin everything would’ve been different. Honestly I don’t think any other teacher was more suited for this class. The blog is something I will go back to over and over again and laugh at the mentions of Carrie, the Grinch, and Ethan’s random comments. I will also smile at the support I received on my posts and Mr. Pellerin’s shockingly open paragraph he wrote on his struggle with depression. Overall in Mr. Pellerin’s Survey of British Literature Class I learned three major things: that strong women with feelings and opinions have lasted since the beginnings of british literature, that I love literature so much and that I know what kind of teacher I want to be when I grow up; the type of teacher that lets their students students learn at their own pace and is always there for them.
All this sounds exactly like you - from the opening sentence "It’s no secret that I love Jane Austen" and the quotes you choose. I could see you saying this and it was fun to read.
DeleteShakespeare was anything but feminist, considering his original casts were really all-male.
DeleteShare Gilbert some love!!!
DeletePride and Prejudice
ReplyDeleteThe first lesson I took away from this class was that respectability is based on one’s actions. Out in the real world, every action counts. Whatever someone does, whether it is good or bad, will always leave a mark on the world. The constant stream of good-willed actions creates the sense of respectability from others. This lesson was shown in the book Pride and Prejudice written by Jane Austen, one of the finest authors in british literature history. During this book, the Bennett family was known as a fine family of credible people. However, once Lydia eloped with Mr. Wickham, “[the Bennett’s] importance, [their] respectability in the world, must be affected by the wild volatility” of Lydia’s actions. This one commotion can destroy the reputation of the entire family. As a result, it should be known that every action reflects that person and their family. If it had not been for Mr. Darcy, the entire Bennett family would be shamed for a very long time. This is similar in the real world, there will always be at least one person who remembers each of your actions, which is how respect is formed.
Sense and Sensibility
Similar to my first life lesson described above, people judge a person by their actions, which in turn replicates their personality. As a result, every action should be thought about carefully as they will stick with them for the rest of their life. This can be applied to any kind of action, whether good or bad, it cannot be retracted. The idea of nothing can be taken back is reflected in the book Sense and Sensibility also written by Jane Austen (just showing how great of an author she was). When Fanny and Mr. Dashwood were discussing how much money to give to Eleanor, Margaret and Marianne, she kept coming back to the point that “when the money is once parted with, it can never return”. Although it the lesson isn’t completely covered by the quote, it can be symbolized by it. This idea shows that nothing can be taken back. Once something happens, there is not anything someone can do make it feel as if it never happened. People can always try to make amends, but the actions will already have been completed.
Macbeth
The idea to work for a cause, not for applause has stuck with me for years. If people work to achieve a goal, others will notice the hard work without any need to draw attention to that fact. Pursuing a goal requires a lot of work and, in fact, it is the lack of drawing attention to one’s diligence will attract more awareness from others than sharing that fact will. People will notice the good and bad in people through their actions. As stated in Macbeth, people notice the good in others, who in this situation is the king. As a generous king, he strove to make things better for everyone and this didn’t go unnoticed. Even Macbeth himself noticed when he was scheming his murder. He was reluctant to kill the king since his “virtues will plead like angels”. The ruler was clearly kind-hearted to his subjects and everyone knew that, which made Macbeth second-guess his decision. Although things didn’t work out in the end for the king, it shows how people notice the actions that people take whether they share it with everyone or not. To get a respectable reputation, it is always best to be humble and let others notice the effort.
Tenant of Wildfell Hall
ReplyDeleteLife is a cycle of mountains and rivers, ups and downs, rises and falls. Whenever one falls, it is all about bouncing back to get to the top again. Everyone faces adversity in their life, but they just have to keep moving on and rise up higher. People just have to keep on moving forward in life, regardless of the situation they may find themselves in. This was the situation that Helen faced in the Tenant of Wildfell Hall. After Arthur Huntingdon died and left Helen a wealthy person, “she must not lose her present advantage”. Despite the tragic death of her husband, she had to keep on moving so she wouldn’t fall behind. To stay at the top of the chain in society, she needed to keep working. This is the kind of perseverance that everyone has to go through in life; although to a different extent for some. Dwelling on the bad moments will only make one fall even lower.
Beowulf
No matter the circumstances, people should always stand up for their beliefs. It doesn’t matter if they are alone in that stance or if they have a lot of support. In the real world, often times, others won’t agree with another’s point of view, but that doesn’t mean they should switch even if it is a minority’s point of view. People should stick with their gut and stand up for it. As shown in Beowulf, although it is a literal representation, when Beowulf entered the dragon’s lair with several of the finest warriors to bring him down, he strongly believed in destroying the dragon, despite the fact that it may have been for the wrong motive. He fought the dragon with “no help or backing was to be had then from high-born comrades”. Beowulf believed that the dragon had to be defeated, so he stood his ground alone, with the exception of one of the warriors. He had the belief that it was his duty to rid society of the creature. Despite the fact that this example is very literal, it still represents how one should always stand up for what they believe in, despite the circumstances.
Conclusion:
Overall, I felt that this class taught me more than just british literature. Throughout the class, I was constantly learning more life lessons, whether it was managing my time, balancing my school work with sports, or the messages in the book itself. However, my favorite book would still have to be Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. It was an incredible book that we always looked back onto during the course. I enjoyed the fact that it was the first book as I found it to be the most interesting one. Based on this, I loved the Jane Austen vs. Bronte debate. It was a great, interactive activity that really stimulated our learning. I had so much fun working with other kids in the class to build our argument together. Thanks for a great year Mr. Pellerin!
Haywood Schwartz
ReplyDeleteMacbeth
"Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,And then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing."
In this quote we learn the important life lesson that our lives are short; but what I take from this is that our lives are short so we should make the best of it. Macbeth did this when he decided that he would become the king. He was ambitious his entire life. This drove him to seize things like the crown and before that, the title of Thane of Glamis and Cowdor. I will keep this in mind next year when applying for colleges. When I decide what college I want to go to, I need to do everything in my power to achieve that. I should be ambitious and get interviews to better my chances. If I do decide that I want to go to a music school, I should get in touch with the professors and make a personal connection with them. I can also stretch this to be ambitious in other aspects of my life like Drama Fest. This year in Drama Fest we didn't even make it to Semifinals, something that we typically manage every year. This quote will remind me that next year to be more ambitious with Drama Fest and put in even more effort than this year to secure our spot at finals.
Pride and Prejudice
Delete"Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us."
We need to live our lives not caring what other people think. We need to be confident in ourselves and live our lives that way. If we live our lives full of pride then good things will come to us like they came to Elizabeth Bennett. This quote has helped me realize that I need to live my life not caring about vanity. If I live my life like this then I will have a lot of pride, but it needs to be limited because I cannot have too much pride or my pride may turn into hubris. I believe that this is the case for some characters in the book, like Darcy. At the beginning I believe that Darcy is filled with hubris, which later in the book changes to pride. In my life I have had too much pride before; enough that once that I thought that I could do any ski jump. This caused me to fall the equivalence of 3 stories, and ultimately hurt myself. I also have thrown vanity to the wind. Every friday for instance I wear a ridiculously flamboyant sweater. I don’t care if others look down on me because of it so I have a lot of pride in the sweater. This prompts people to think it is “cool” that I wear this sweater because of the fact that I take pride in it.
Thor: Ragnarok
Delete"My God, you’re a Valkyrie. I used to want to be a Valkyrie when I was younger, until I found out that you were all women. There’s nothing wrong with women, of course. I love women. Sometimes a little too much. Not in a creepy way, just more of a respectful appreciation. I think it’s great that there is an elite force of women warriors."
We need to be respectful of everyone without prejudice against race, religion, sexual orientation or gender. If we are accepting of all then the world will be a better place. With this in mind, I will live my life without prejudice or judgement against other people no matter their background or identity. We are all human and we deserve to be treated as such. I have already made steps forward with this. Last weekend I went to the pride parade in Boston to support the LGBTQ+ community. I also in the future will not feed into stereotypes. If someone says or uses a stereotype I will try to address it. I should also go to meetings that discuss how we can better integrate our school, so there is no systematic racism or barriers because of identity. I think that one of the best ways we can change this is by addressing jokes that are made against identities. Jokes about race or sex or religion are awful in terms of progressing our world.
Shakespeare sonnets
Delete“When my love swears that she is made of truth
I do believe her, though I know she lies,
That she might think me some untutor’d youth,
Unlearned in the world’s false subtleties.”
At the beginning of the year I had a really bad breakup. It was only until later that I realized it was not a good relationship.This quote puts into words what I learned from that relationship. My ex-girlfriend lied to me, cheated on me, and manipulated me to be there for her while she was never there for me. Like this quote says, I believed her even though I knew she was lying to me. Now I know that I shouldn’t let this happen to me again. I will do everything in my ability to make sure that this doesn’t happen to me again. My ex thought of me as some untutor’d youth, unlearned in the world’s false subtleties, but I am not. I now know that people can be evil and cruel and I should protect myself from them. I enjoy the lines like this that Shakespeare wrote because they put into perspective what love is truly like
Jane Eyre
Delete“Do you think I am an automaton? — a machine without feelings? and can bear to have my morsel of bread snatched from my lips, and my drop of living water dashed from my cup? Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! — I have as much soul as you — and full as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you. I am not talking to you now through the medium of custom, conventionalities, nor even of mortal flesh: it is my spirit that addresses your spirit; just as if both had passed through the grave, and we stood at God's feet, equal — as we are!”
We need to be able to speak up for the things that matter to us like when Jane Eyre spoke up about herself. She realized her voice was powerful and meaningful and she deserved to be heard. If we speak up about issues that are important to us then we will be able to progress ourselves and the world. I should use this by going to protests and rallies that support opinions that I believe in. I need to exercise my first amendment right of freedom of speech. This quote also talks about equality which is an important lesson as well. We need to respect everyone no matter of race, religion, creed, gender, or sexual orientation. Jane talks about how because she is poor that doesn’t make her insignificant. In the future I will volunteer for non-profits that help people in poverty. In 2020 I should exercise my right to vote so I can get my opinion to a place that matters. I can vote on issues that are important to me and make a stand for what I believe in.
Conclusion
DeleteI enjoyed this class a lot. It was a super fun environment to learn in because of all the discussions we had. I enjoyed some of the books but other ones were a little bit of a bore. I enjoyed Pride and Prejudice, but persuasion was really really really boring. I liked how in depth we got with Pride and Prejudice. Watching Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was also a blast. My second favorite book was Macbeth. I really enjoy reading Shakespear and performing the musicals were amazing. I didn’t like the Bronte unit though. Too much will he, won’t he. But all in all it was a super fun class that I would definitely recommend.
Don't believe in stereotypes; they all have exceptions.
DeletePride and Prejudice
ReplyDeleteQuote: “Angry people are not always wise”
It sounds simple, but people in a state of anger are usually susceptible to make more rash decisions, and these decisions are rarely good choices. Though, of course, it is inevitable that we will get mad at some point, it is wiser to wait until one calms down before making any important decisions. Making ill choices can hurt not only others but yourself and potential connections that would be useful later on in life. Conversely, making better choices when one is calmer can further promote yourself in a business, career, project, etc.
Shakespeare
Quote: “If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?”
Though the outer appearance of someone may be different, inside they are the same. This is the mistake that we made in several conflicts throughout history. Why does looking different make you second class? Why do people hate differences?
Macbeth
Quote: “Look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent under it.”
Much like Muhammad Ali’s “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” this quote signifies a different thing than the more positive quotes. Be more than you are, but do not show this easily to others.
Jane Eyre
Quote: “Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrongs”
People will make mistakes, it’s what makes us human. However, you don’t need to spend time trying to correct other’s issues because there is a chance you will commit the same mistake, and it would look highly embarrassing. And do not spend your life on the little petty things, constantly strive for something better, something bigger.
Beowulf
Quote: “...warped In the shape of a man, moves beyond the pale Bigger than any man, an unnatural birth Called Grendel by country people In former days.”
Grendel is the description of incorrectly directed anger, desire for vengeance, and feud. Much like the human mind, Grendel also has a “counter”, that is Beowulf. Beowulf simply symbolizes the good while Grendel symbolized evil, and much of the stories at the time were simply good conquering evil.
Conclusion:
In retrospect, this class gave me a better understanding and an appreciation for literature. Mr. P goes out of his way to make sure everyone enjoys the class, and I appreciate this. My favorite units, lessons, and books were those pertaining to Shakespeare. In the class, any reading done was simultaneously for our pleasure and to learn about the state of mind of people then, and how they went about their lives.
In life sometimes it is better not to know what the future holds. In Macbeth, he is told his future by the 3 witches and that leads to his downfall. They tell him “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” with these few words the whole tragedy start and the downfall of Macbeth. If he didn't know that he might have been ok and lived a good life with his wife maybe he would have become king but he would have not done anything and wouldn't have died. In life, it is better to be in the moment than to try to guess the future.
ReplyDeleteIt’s ok if you are not good at everything. In Pride and Prejudice, at the beginning of the novel, the main heroine Lizzy talks to Mr. Darcy about what defines an “accomplished” woman.``no one can be really esteemed accomplished, who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved.''``All this she must possess,'' added Darcy, ``and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading.''...``I never saw such a woman, I never saw such capacity, and taste, and application, and elegance, as you describe, united.'' She is saying she has never been good at all the things he is saying but she is ok with that showing you don’t have to be good at everything to succeed.
If you are ever in an abusive relationship you have to get out. In Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Helen is in an abusive relationship with her husband Arthur. At a party, they go to Helen see him kissing another woman and when she runs away he follows her and Helen writes that he “caught me in his arm,” and insisted ‘No, no, by heaven, you shan’t escape me so!’” Helen is victimized but angry: she describes herself “in a passion,” warning her husband against continuing to treat her this way and “looking steadfastly on him till he almost quailed before me.” This is an example of an abusive relationship and shows how it can destroy a person’s psyche so it is good to get out of those relationships like Helen did.
When someone you love dies you got to think of the future and not dwell on their death. In Beowulf, Beowulf says a quote I really like. “It is always better to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning. For every one of us, living in this world means waiting for our end. Let whoever can win glory before death. When a warrior is gone, that will be his best and only bulwark.” After a death, you can’t just sit there and wait for them to come back because they will not. Look forward to the future and think about how you could make their death better the world.
ReplyDeleteIt is always better to go with your gut than rethink everything. In Persuasion because of the fact that Anne rethought throw her decision she ended up not being with the one she loved. She tells Captain Wentworth “If I was wrong in yielding to persuasion once, remember that it was to persuasion exerted on the side of safety, not of risk. When I yielded, I thought it was to duty; but no duty could be called in aid here. In marrying a man indifferent to me, all risk would have been incurred and all duty violated.” She talks about her reasoning duty is why she chose to not marry him. In the end, she marries him but if she would have followed her heart she would have been with him longer.
I really like taking British literature this year. The class was engaging and I like many of the books. My favorite book was Pride and Prejudice because it was interesting and very funny. My favorite unit was the Bronte unit because we did in that unit(wrote an essay, debate, and movies). My favorite project was the presentation of Macbeth project because it was new and something I have never done before. I wish I could take British literature again.
Here's my final:
ReplyDeleteBecoming Jane
DeleteGood things don’t always happen to good people, but look on the bright side. In Becoming Jane, we explored the possible backstory of Jane Austen, and where she must’ve gotten all these brilliant novel ideas from. Tom Lefroy, the fabricated lover of Jane Austen, claims that “Vice leads to difficulty, virtue to reward. Bad characters come to bad ends,” which is a basic and understandable view of life. However, this reflects the happy storybook ending, perhaps a “Disney ending” to life, which rarely occurs. Austen responds, “Exactly. But in life, bad characters often thrive. Take yourself.” Austen understands that in reality, karma doesn’t exactly exist as it does in stories. She reflects this in her works, despite them mostly ending in marriages. For example, Wickham’s situation in Pride and Prejudice by the end of the novel wasn’t terrible, and neither were Bingley’s sisters. In addition, Mr. Darcy was made out to seem as a bad character early in the novel, yet still received a happy ending. Austen acknowledges that happy endings exist, but she proves that not everyone gets what they deserve. This is a lesson I want to take into my own life because it’s an accurate depiction of reality. You can be the absolute image of a perfect person, yet deal with terrible circumstances. Same is true for the opposite. Not all the bad people in the world receive justice, karma, what have you. “It is a truth universally acknowledged,” said Mr. Wisley in the movie. Life is complex and hard to predict, and story book endings aren’t always reality, unlike how we used to think as children. If we go into the world without realizing this, we will be lost and confused, and will probably have to learn it later- the hard way.
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
DeletePerfection does not exist. Our imperfections are what make us beautiful. In The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë, Gilbert experiences great attraction towards the new widow next door, Helen Graham, but is frustrated by her rejections. He learns her backstory and discovers why she’s been hesitant about him. When they were discussing Helen’s arrival, there are claims that she is much prettier than Eliza. Gilbert maintains that while there may be people more beautiful than Eliza, Helen is most likely not even comparable to her. He says, “I maintain that, if she were more perfect, she would be less interesting.” I think this is an important life lesson we learn in high school: No one you meet is perfect, and neither are you. I also believe it’s important that this is noted in this novel because it proves that this is a common, universal human struggle that was also dealt with centuries ago, and not just in our media-obsessed generation. High schoolers are under constant pressure from parents, teachers, peers, social media, and preconceived notions that they must look a certain way, act a certain way, get these kinds of grades, be interested in specific things, be an outstanding athlete, and so on and so forth. Yet we don’t accept that our imperfections are what make us unique, and that’s beautiful. I admit, Gilbert did annoy me for much of the novel with his childish behavior and impulsivities, however, I’m going to agree with him on this topic. Not being perfect is what makes us perfect.
Macbeth
DeleteControl what you can control, and don’t hold on to regrets. At first glance, the first life lesson I’d say I learned from Macbeth was: Don’t murder people so you can become king and try and cheat fate. However, after absorbing the entire play, I think the deeper meaning is that you really can’t change the past, but you can decide whether you regret it. Lady Macbeth’s impulsive actions in the past drove her to literally insanity, the same with Macbeth. Directly after he kills Duncan, he feels incredibly guilt, and despite becoming King and achieving his goal, he still feels massive regret and emptiness, and therefore strives for more. As teenagers, we are the most prone to impulsive decisions; while not all are bad, there are ones that can affect our life in unchangeable ways. We shouldn’t be regretting anything about high school. If there’s a school dance and we aren’t sure whether to go, we should just go because why bother regretting not going? I don’t want to regret not studying for that test. I don’t want to regret bad decisions in high school that could be life-threatening. Regret can come from making a decision, or not making a decision at all. “What’s done cannot be undone,” as Lady Macbeth says as she descends further into madness. We shouldn’t have major regrets about our teenage years. We can’t control what exists in our past, but we can control how we react to it.
Pride and Prejudice
DeleteIf you’re motivated, almost anything is possible. I think as high schoolers, we often want to think we’re these highly motivated, productive students, and we are for maybe about a week into school, but something drops off, maybe our interests, and it frustrates me that I’m like that too. Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice always seemed determined and confident. She rarely let a small mishap or circumstance stand in her way. After reading the novel, I could think of no other fictional character to aspire to emulate. When Jane writes to her family that she’s fallen ill while at the Bingley’s, Elizabeth exhibits almost no hesitation in wanting to see her sister. Her mother tells her that she cannot go, because there is no way to get there but walking at this time, and it would be horrifying if she were to be covered in mud by the time she arrived. Her father offers to send for the horses, however, Elizabeth declines both. A woman of her own decisions, she says, “The distance is nothing when one has a motive,” and decides to walk to the Bingley’s for her primary motive of seeing Jane. It doesn’t matter what the journey is, she just wants to see her sister. At first, I probably didn’t think twice about this quotation when we first read the novel most likely because I don’t believe it was meant to be a main quote, except it spoke to me. If you really want something, the journey to get there, despite how muddy and unpreferable it may be, is ultimately worth it. Elizabeth is the ultimate, strong female character I aspire to be in my own life novel. (Just missing a Mr. Darcy hahaha).
Thor Ragnorak
DeleteYou decide your fate. Despite Thor being God of Thunder and super worthy, there was little he could do to prevent Ragnorak. He was subject to the prophecy, or fate, just like everyone else, despite his reputation. When someone, who is obviously very smart in their area of work, is telling the God of Thunder that his fate doesn’t look promising, Thor refuses to take this. It’s just in his nature. Dr. Strange says, “Thor, I sense a great change in your future. Destiny has dire plans for you, my friend.” Thor responds, “I have dire plans for destiny.” And although he’s quite egotistical at times, a superhero-God version of Beowulf, this is a quality that I want to have: Perseverance. He wants to decide his own fate, he wants to rewrite the prophecy. Obviously, by the end of the movie, he does not prevent Ragnorak, he only defeats Hela, and although saving his people from Ragnorak, he fails to save them from Thanos. This gives him the intense desire for revenge which we see in the following movies, and it’s one of his main qualities. As rising seniors, we are forced to think about our future and it almost seems as if we are given these strict paths for colleges, applications, academics, and especially majors. As someone who’s picking a risky major- Audio Engineering -I understand Thor’s desire to change his destiny. Becoming a music producer is insanely difficult, especially in an age of new technology that allows people to produce as amateurs. The music business is a coin toss and I know I’m putting my future on the line by betting on it. I’ve felt doubt about my future because of all these strict outlines we are encouraged to follow. I wish to carry Thor’s perseverance and confidence with me as I continue my college search as a rising senior, and to have “dire plans” for my possible destiny. Only I get to decide my future, it’s mine to build.
Conclusion (to quote Mr. P) "Okay."
DeleteConcluding my final blogpost, this is quite bittersweet. To be completely honest, I only took this class because under no circumstances did I want to take American Literature, and because Ms. Mitchell recommended me for it. As we started on the first day, I was apprehensive to who would be in my class because I had only known about two people. Obviously, this wasn’t a terrible thing because we had a class with great and interactive people, and I managed to make some new close friends along the way. When Mr. Pellerin pulled out Pride and Prejudice, I was expecting to fall asleep. The name sounded boring, uninteresting, and I assumed the novel to be too complex for my taste. Mr. Pellerin initiated the book with the opening scene between Mr and Mrs Bennet, and I’m hooked. A teacher could make literature fun?? At this point, I couldn’t tell if the book was still boring and Mr. Pellerin was just amazing at bringing it to life. I obviously loved the book, and now Jane Austen is one of my favorite authors. I also thought it was cool to survey Shakespeare as a junior because I could actually read the play and understand it. Throughout the class, my reading level skyrocketed, along with my interest in reading. I always had such a busy schedule and rarely found time for reading, and therefore lost my interest. But this class re energized it. We were reading things with stories I wanted to hear. My interest was sparked again, and I found myself wanting to do homework assignments (well, maybe leaving out The Tenant of Wildfell Hall - that was tough to get through). I had never had a teacher that made a class so interesting and engaging to this extent. My biggest life lesson from this class would probably be to try to experience life through many lives. The single story can be dangerous, and the books we read really proved that. Being good people is the ultimate goal, and hopefully we’ve achieved and can continue to achieve that by listening to each other and learning from others who have different experiences. I think Mr. Pellerin was less trying to get through the assignments quickly- more making sure that we were getting something of value from these books. That’s why we read, after all. All in all, this was my absolute favorite class I’ve taken at the high school, and plan to read Northanger Abbey and Sense and Sensibility this summer, thanks to Mr. P. Thanks for being a great teacher, this class is unforgettable. While reading old blog posts, I found this post and thought I’d reminisce in mine:
“Where is the novel going from here?? Only a place of despair, my friends...mR. WiCkHaM AKA Dr. Lady Killer is a literal DIME of a man that is ideal in every aspect while Darc-dawg is an emo princess… Personal TBH, but Wickham is probably gonna smooch Elizabeth at some point, and it is gonna make Darcy totally peanut butter and JEALOUS which will result in a gentlemen's boxing match… I'm really excited to see where this book is going so I can gloat that my theories are right!” - I wonder who wrote this (Back when we didn’t know what was going to happen in P&P)
For the Tenant of Wildfell Hall, I agree. All of Gilbert's inperfections makes him so perfect!! Anyone else agree??
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSurvey of British Literature has without a doubt been my favorite class this year. I have learned much about literature. But the knowledge I gained is not limited to just english and literature.Going back to the early blogs we had this year it is extremely evident that my ability to analyse and write about things I have read has drastically improved .The different thing I pick up and the ways in which I am able to write about such things has become much easier than it was before. Couple of the things that had a fairly large impact on me were Pride and Prejudice, Macbeth, Jane Eyre, the Danger of a single story..
ReplyDeleteFirstly I will begin with Pride and Prejudice and a quotation that had a profound effect on my mindset. “In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” Elizabeth’s astonishment was beyond expression. This was arguably the most important quote in all of Pride and Prejudice. I thought it was important because of the context of the quote. Elizabeth has gone through most of the book believing Darcy thinks she is not worthy for him. And in this quote all of that is erased completely in a few seconds. Little does Elizabeth know that Darcy has felt that way for quite awhile. This quote showed me that regardless of what one might think, you really never know what could be someone's true thoughts and feelings without the person expressing it verbally.
Macbeths is the next story i would like to talk about. Macbeth is largely about a man who just could not be content with what he has. He has all he could really want yet acts on impulse to murder King Duncan to gain more out of greed. And sot surprisingly he immediatly regrets it after the murder is commited.” How is’t with me, when every noise appalls me?
DeleteWhat hands are here! Ha, they pluck out mine eyes.
Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather
The multitudinous seas incarnadine,
Making the green one red.”
What this taught me was that I should be content with the things I have instead of being greedy and wishing for things that are not needed. For greed leads to no good.
Next “The danger of a single story” taught me an important lesson. And that is to not base thoughts off of one thing. Meaning in order to form an opinion on something it is important to base it from multiple things. This makes it so bias is avoided as best as possible.Basing an opinion or thought off of one single thing or story will heavily persuade you to believe in a narrow way. This can often be were stereotypes and things similar are created.”Their poverty was my single story of them. “ This quote describes when Chimamanda Adichie they received the beautiful basket from the family she was surprised because she thought that because they were poor they were incapable of making things.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte taught me a bit as well. It taught me that although people try to do negative things to you that does not mean you yourself have to be negative. For example in the book when it is revealed that Aunt Reed had been hiding letters from Jane she “Why did I never hear of this? I asked, I disliked you too fixedly and thoroughly ever to lift a hand in lifting you to prosperity.” Regardless of this Jane still wishes to reconcile with her Aunt which I found respectable and showed you yourself can choose how you act regardless of others.
Lastly something that was interesting to see was how modern day works and stories still continue to follow the same format as old works. Thor Ragnorok and Beowulf is a good example of this. Both stories follow the Monomyth format. What this really showed me that even today old literature continues to influence what we see today even if we are not conscious about it. One quote that reminded me a lot of Beowulf from Thor was Surtur: You cannot stop Ragnarok. Why fight it?
DeleteThor: Because that’s what heroes do. Just as in Beowulf most believe that the evil cannot be defeated yet the hero throws all that out the window and goes in without fear of their safety and attempts to defeat such evil a.k.a freedom to live from the Mono-myth
Overall I really liked this class. The class was consistently interesting and entertaining. I was originally unsure of which class to take this year for English and I'm very glad I went with Brit Lit. This class was better than I could have hoped and I;m really happy about that. Most of the time English class can be somewhat monotonous depending on how the class is run but this was far from that. In fact it was really fun while also being very informative and interesting. Thanks Mr.Pellerin for a great year!
DeleteAlso Mr.P thanks for being such a kind and passionate teacher all year!
DeletePride and Prejudice:
ReplyDeleteThe first novel we read in class was Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. An important life lesson you can take from this novel is to always give people second chances and to let them evolve as a person. One of our worst qualities as a human being is judging people too harshly. A lot of our first impressions of people lead us to falsely misjudging them because our first thoughts of them frame their characters in our heads. We are all guilty of cutting someone down to a distortion they aren’t. For example the protagonist of Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet, developed a misconception of Mr. Darcy in the beginning of the novel, “His manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity; for he was discovered to be proud; to be above his company, and above being pleased” (Austen Chapter 3). Elizabeth was quick to judge at the start of the novel but later on she realized that people can be as kind as we allow them to be and our pride and pettiness can sometimes prevent us from seeing that.
Darcy: “There is, I believe, in every disposition a tendency to some particular evil — a
natural defect, which not even the best education can overcome.”
Elizabeth: “And your defect is a propensity to hate everybody.”
Darcy: "And yours," he replied with a smile, "is to willfully misunderstand them."
In this previous quote it displays that we should not let our pride get the best of us and always be able to give someone a second chance because personalities aren’t always set in stone. We are also all flawed and make mistakes, and if given another chance we are able to fix them. If Darcy wasn’t given another chance then Elizabeth and him wouldn’t have had their happily ever after. Therefore stop being petty and allow the mistaken person to fix them self.
I agree judging people is not good and if she didn't change her mind she would have thought he was bad for the rest of her life and not get a happy ending.
DeleteSecond chances are also a motto I believe in, and I'm so glad you mentioned it Talah. Pride and Prejudice is filled with so many life lessons, and I'm so happy everyone took as much from it as I did. -Allison
DeleteMacbeth:
ReplyDeleteOne of our later pieces of literature that we read was called Macbeth. This literature was a play and had a very different theme going on than the themes that would take place in Jane Austen’s novels. After reading this play I learned that too much power is dangerous and can destroy you rather than other people. In the play, Macbeth’s strong desire to become king leads him in a downwards spiral. The more power he obtains the more he wants and the more he will do to achieve it. “To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus,” This quote really says a lot about how power doesn’t always make you feel at peace and authoritative, but can put you on edge and make you feel anxious. After his first violent action in murdering Duncan he is still feeling afraid that his position might be taken which later on leads him to committing more violent actions to maintain his power. Retracing it back to the life lesson, power doesn’t always give you everything and can sometimes take away everything. With Macbeth power only destroyed him and left him dead.
Beowulf:
“You’re Beowulf, are you- the same boastful fool who fought a swimming match with Brecca, both of you daring and young and proud, exploring the seas.” This quote is from Beowulf portraying that you should never underestimate heritage and reputation. Those two things are very important primarily establishing a reputation for yourself. Doing so people will respect you and look up to you.
Jane Eyre:
“I am a free human being with independent will.” This quote is spoken by Jane in the novel Jane Eyre. It displays how no matter what happens stick to your principles. Through her whole life Jane has never done anything immoral even being an orphan with no parents to guide her and her behaviors. When Jane falls in love with Mr. Rochester and was soon to be his wife, she discovers he has a wife. Even being head over heels in love over him she knows it isn’t a right thing to do to marry and married man. Therefore she leaves him there at the aisle. She didn’t think it was worth to go against her morals just for the sake of her feelings.
What you said about power can make you feel very anxious and change your personality really stuck with me. I totally agree that power is not necessarily a good thing, it can change or destroy a person.
DeleteI loved all of the quotes you chose, especially the one from Macbeth. You are totally correct with the struggle for power. It is interesting how the one thing Macbeth wanted was the thing that destroyed him.I also liked your quote from Jane Eyre, it is simple but very sweet.
DeleteSonnet:
ReplyDeleteOne thing I really did enjoy in class was interpreting and breaking down English sonnets. I didn’t quite enjoy this at first, but it taught me how to analyze passages much more and helped me understand the context of Shakespeare’s literature. This was the sonnet I have chosen,
Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore,
So do our minutes hasten to their end;
Each changing place with that which goes before,
In sequent toil all forwards do contend.
Nativity, once in the main of light,
Crawls to maturity, wherewith being crown'd,
Crooked eclipses 'gainst his glory fight,
And Time that gave doth now his gift confound.
Time doth transfix the flourish set on youth
And delves the parallels in beauty's brow,
Feeds on the rarities of nature's truth,
And nothing stands but for his scythe to mow:
And yet to times in hope, my verse shall stand
Praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand.
This class also taught me how to connect ideas together and how to pick out the different literary devices poets and authors use and why they use it.
Conclusion:
Overall, this has by far been my favorite English class. I have learned so much throughout this course from writing to analyzing to learning different life lessons. The interactive activities we have done in this class were very engaging and so much fun. My favorite book was of course Pride and Prejudice, I really loved reading that book and I through it easily. I also loved watching Becoming Jane and creating our own Macbeth musicals.
1.) Mr. P goes global website- “We need to see the entire world as a singular place, which can be difficult in the current climate.”
ReplyDeleteThis quote from Mr. P’s website caught my eye because it is something that is often forgotten about in today’s society. This also applies to so many things in life. However I found that this connected to the Global Goals for sustainable development assignment very well. In this assignment we were asked to choose a goal that we would like to explore. I chose climate action and sustainable cities and communities. These two goals both connect to combating climate change. I think this goal is only achievable if we “see the entire world as a singular place”. Every single country has to make changes because it is a problem that all humans created and that all humans have to stop. This problem is a world issue and countries need to work together to solve it, this means that our world leaders need to be cooperative and active. However we can’t just expect them to fix this issue for us, every individual can do something differently to help. As we read, this topic did not come up in any of the novels because, as I said in my blog about Pride and Prejudice, these novels are in a “different time period and they didn’t know about climate change”. However I can relate to when Darcy says “I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun”. He is obviously talking about love, but in my case I can say that I learned about climate change and it’s crazy implications at such a late age, that it was already destroying our planet and I had no idea. So this wasn’t brought up in the novels but I can relate to Mr. Darcy in how he feels, just about a different topic.
2.) Lady Macbeth in Macbeth- “Out, damned spot! out, I say!”
This quote is very meaningful if you know the context of it. Lady Macbeth is literally and figuratively trying to wipe away all of her wrongdoings. This quote has a great life lesson behind it which is that if you focus on your mistakes and try to hide them, you will get nowhere and drive yourself mad. Instead you should try to move on and learn and become better from it. I understand why Lady Macbeth did what she did. She wanted power, but this want made her make very bad decisions that she later regretted. We all make wrong decisions sometimes and later regret it. However, instead of dwelling on it, like Lady Macbeth is doing here when she is trying to get the ‘spot’ or mistake out, we need to move on. It is very hard to move on, but from this tragedy we know that not moving on will lead to your demise. Another thing to keep in mind is that your mistake is probably not as catastrophic as Lady Macbeth’s, so you can definitely get through it. Also always remember that “Fair is foul, and foul is fair”, which means that while things may seem bad they could turn out good and, unfortunately, vice versa. In conclusion move on and learn from your mistakes and try to look on the brightside.
3.) Nelly in Wuthering Heights - “I got a book, and pretended to read”
ReplyDeleteThis quote is something that is just so relatable. Nelly was in an uncomfortable position. Cathy and her, who just had a confrontation with Heathcliff, who told them that Linton misses Cathy, are in a room together and Cathy, who tells Nelly not to speak, is crying on the ground. So Nelly decides to fake read a book to escape the uncomfortability until she finally comes up with something to say to Cathy. This is something that everyone can relate to and that everyone uses in their lives. However today it is likely a phone that we will rely on to get us out of those awkward situations. We stare at our phones, not really doing anything, until we come up with something to say to the people around us, if anything at all. So next time I am in an awkward position, what I have learned from Nelly is to just grab a book and pretend to read. I am sure that Lockwood would have liked to use this method when he was at Wuthering Heights stuck with Heathcliff and Hareton and he made the comment “ Mr. Heathcliff; yet, I'll venture to say, that, surrounded by your family, and with your amiable lady as the presiding genius over your home and heart -” to which Heathcliff responds with “ 'My amiable lady!' he interrupted, with an almost diabolical sneer on his face. 'Where is she - my amiable lady?'” and Lockwood says “ 'Mrs. Heathcliff, your wife, I mean.'”. This whole situation is very awkward and it just gets worse and worse. Lockwood mistakenly called Catherine, Heathcliff's wife which is a huge age difference, and also Heathcliff loved Catherine’s mother, AND what makes it even worse is that he says this infront of her actual husband. The situation is one that no one would want to be in, and Heathcliff responds in a nasty manner that makes Lockwood more uncomfortable. Poor Lockwood would have loved a book or phone to escape from this, but unfortunately he couldn’t do that. There are many other unpleasant situations in Wuthering Heights as well as most of the other books we read this year and these moments make the novels so much more relatable.
4.) Wiglaf in Beowulf - “Go on, dear Beowulf, do everything you said you would when you were still young and vowed you would never let your name and fame be dimmed while you lived.”
This quote is really inspiring and in the book it definitely helped Beowulf achieve what he did. It connects to everyone because when you are young you have so many dreams and aspirations. What Wiglaf is saying is never forget these dreams because one day, when you are older, you will be faced with a challenge or decision and you can remember your goals and what you said you were going to become as a kid and that will inspire you. When you are a kid you dream big, but what is stopping you from dreaming big as a teen or adult? Now in my life I am going to try to think back to this quote when I am getting down on myself or having a hard time achieving something. I need to think back to my young self and be as daring as that. Because when you are young you just go for it. After this speech by Wiglaf Beowulf defeated the dragon, however he too passed away. Although he was proud of what he accomplished and rightfully so. Some of his last words were, “No king of any neighbouring clan would dare face me with troops, none had the power to intimidate me. I took what came, cared for and stood by things in my keeping, never fermented quarrels, never swore to a lie. All this consoles me”. Beowulf, having done what he dreamed of, lived a happy life, which is what everyone wants. So I learned to be a little more like Beowulf, take risks and love yourself and your accomplishments.
5.) Lilian in Freaky Freedom - Don’t let anyone talk you out of what you deeply believe in. Influence the world. Don’t let the world influence you negatively.”
ReplyDeleteLilian is a very positive and strong character in this book. As a reader we trust Lilian because she is very wise and looks out for Keziah. She is always saying things that help Keziah find her way in this world that is new to her. This quote from Lilian is something that not just Keziah should find helpful, but that everyone should live by. We are in a society that is sometimes taken over by people with loud voices and big platforms. These people often influence others and make up lies to get them on their side. We need to always believe in what we want to. It is important to listen to others, but at the end of the day it is our choice and our voice and we can start making others listen to us. I am a quiet person that has a hard time getting my opinion and voice out, so I am going to use this motto from now on. This applies to the other novels we read this year too. In Pride and Prejudice I think Elizabeth does a good job at abiding by this. She always speaks her mind and doesn’t let people sway her into doing things, like marry Mr. Collins. To Mr. Collins she says “I am perfectly serious in my refusal. You could not make ME happy”. She tries to be nice in her refusal but when needed she puts her foot down and does not get persuaded by Mr. Collins, no matter how many times he tries. Elizabeth believes in love and that is exactly what she ended up getting at the end of the novel. This life lesson is important for everyone and I will definitely keep this in mind from now on.
Conclusion:
I think we can all agree that Mr. Pellerin made english class actually fun with his voice impressions, love of movies, acting, and taking the time to connect with each and every one of us. He came to class with energy every day and loved what he taught which made me actually look forward to english class . Every assignment was unique, except for blogs which we did throughout the whole year. The blogs were probably my favorite assignment because they did not have strict guidelines, I could write about what I wanted to. This freedom allowed everyone to write about something different. This made reading everyone else's responses a really cool experience because it gave me different perspectives and ideas. Another assignment I loved was the Jane Austen letter. It was fun to be creative and try to write a letter from a character's point of view, especially a character like Lydia who is very outgoing and careless. I think I also liked this assignment so much because this was my favorite book we read this year. Finally I also enjoyed watching a movie after reading or while we read the novel. It helped clear things up that I didn’t understand, or see, at first. It was also interesting to see what parts of the book the movie left out or what scenes they added. We would even sometimes compare two movies on the same book, which showed us how a directors take on the book can be so different from another director’s take on it. While this class was fun I also learned a lot and my writing has definitely improved. It also made me appreciate english a lot more, so thank you Mr. Pellerin for a great year!
My writing has improved as well.
DeletePride and Prejudice
ReplyDelete“What are young men to rocks and mountains?”
This quote is simple, yet meaningful statement to me. The independence and strive for forgetting about love and romance and just finding yourself is something I feel Elizabeth felt in this moment. She has gone through romantic debacles and horrors. She has to deal with her exaggerative mother and sisters and helping Jane that it couldn’t have been an easy situation to sit and simmer in. She needed out. She is trying to put her problems and worries aside for a while and just enjoy the moment and nature surrounding her, which is something I both understand and wish to do sometimes. There is nothing better than being far away to just forget for a while. Sometimes physically removing yourself helps you see and breathe a little easier for a second, and just not worry for a hot second. If anything, this reminds me of a call to adventure, but more miniature. The call to a journey, some self-discovery, is more necessary to a person’s path than some realize. I loved this novel for everything it is, but the path of Elizabeth is something phenomenal in its realism and simplicity. She had the stress of what her future may hold, like most of us do in this penultimate chapter in our lives, and she made mistakes and misjudged people and was misjudged by people. But she goes on as her best self, and apologizes and finds love with someone who deserves it. This journey was a turning point, and her saying “What are young men to rocks and mountains?” not only supports an independent standpoint, that no matter what she may be wholly herself and needs no man, but also is the beginning of this journey that changes her life eventually for the better. Jane Austen knew this sentiment, otherwise she would not have written the line, and her sharing this solidifies my confidence in her and in this quotation to live by. You need only yourself, a path of mystery, and a curious mind to follow, even if only temporarily. It will change you, and sometimes we need to be slapped with change. Otherwise, how would have Darcy and Elizabeth ended up together? ;)
Becoming Jane
Delete“But if our love destroys your family, it will destroy itself.”
This quote reflects that Austen realism we are all well and familiar with. Despite being a movie fictionally based off Jane Austen’s life, it is more than that. Jane and Lefroy just want to be together, but Jane knows that your choices are more than just the present, they are the future. And the choice that they make now might suffice for a time, but there is no trusting it will stay that way. The strong family culture and selflessness are what become values. Love is more than just two people. People are connected, and if you ruin those connections because of love, that love is ruined. Family is also something to place importance in. The love Lefroy’s mother held for her son, and gratitude for his actions is something anyone can see and relate to. But most importantly is the sacrifice. Jane sacrifices the love she has for Lefroy so that he might become more, to ensure that she does not ruin him. She would sacrifice the only man she would love, a sentiment she knew, so that he would flourish. She knew that she could only hold him back, despite his promise that he “will rise.” She could not risk the man she loved, so she ran away. Sometimes you sacrifice for the ones you love, because you love them. You acknowledge that love, and then you leave, because it’s what’s best for them.
Persuasion
Delete“They had no conversation together, no intercourse but what the commonest civility required. Once so much to each other! Now nothing! There had been a time, when of all the large party now filling the drawing-room at Uppercross, they would have found it most difficult to cease to speak to one another. With the exception, perhaps, of Admiral and Mrs Croft, who seemed particularly attached and happy, (Anne could allow no other exceptions even among the married couples), there could have been no two hearts so open, no tastes so similar, no feelings so in unison, no countenances so beloved. Now they were as strangers; nay, worse than strangers, for they could never become acquainted. It was a perpetual estrangement.”
This quote from Persuasion solidifies the loss of relationships in life. This describes the relationship between Anne Eliot and Captain Wentworth, who were once in love, but in this present time were acquaintances that knew too much about each other. The emphasis I would put on “Once so much to each other! Now nothing!” because of the simple severity of that statement. These two were connected at one time, but because of the falling out, are now people who are like strangers, but know more about each other than strangers should. If anyone has lost friends, they would understand this sentiment. And sometimes it’s not even because of a traumatic event like turning down an engagement, but just distance from age. Memories might flood but they are only memories. This quote does not evoke hope, but the flow of the story does. Because they had become these strangers, you would only see how awkward and pitiable the situation was. But strangers who meet again sometimes have too much history to ignore. Anne and Wentworth end up together in the end because they realized nothing had changed despite how much they had changed. What I would take from this quote is that there is more to the past than we believe. Give second chances to something, if it meant enough to you.
To Walk Invisible
Delete“The whole of literary London - the whole of London - will fall over itself to spend a minute in the company of Currer Bell.”
This quote exemplifies the impact of someone. Throughout To Walk Invisible as the sisters eventually decide to publish and end up publishing and get amazing reviews, they don’t truly know their impact. They haven’t told anyone outside the sphere of their life. Even in telling their father, it’s someone they know too well, that knows them too well, knows their capabilities. And they live in such a small town that while they know they are making a difference, the impact of that difference isn’t truly felt until they walk into that London publishing house, and see the books on display, as well as meet the publisher and see his change in disposition upon finding out the truth. The magnitude someone can hold cannot truly be known by them until they see it, they do not know that people might fall over themselves for just a minute. It reminds me of the Butterfly Effect. You don’t know what could change with a single beat of a butterfly’s wings. Everything could change. Everything changed for the Brontes not when they wrote the novels, because they were unknown even then. Everything changed when they revealed themselves, and the mystery unraveled. Don’t doubt yourself, nor your impact, for you never know when all of London might fall over itself to spend a minute with you.
Thor: Ragnarok
Delete“See, Loki, life is about, it's about growth. It's about change. But you seem to just wanna stay the same. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you'll always be the God of Mischief, but you could be more.”
This quote is all about rock bottom for me. Thor saying Loki will “always be in the God of Mischief” is a truth no matter how harsh. You are who you are from the very beginning. The sentiment of the statement reminds me of Game of Thrones and the sentiment of “cripples, bastards, and broken things.” You cannot change who you are. It is what shapes you, makes you, shakes you, becomes you. But this cannot be something you use as an excuse or your actions, because everyone can act despite what they are, despite who they are. You will always be something, but that does not mean that is the only thing you could or will be. Loki will always be the God of Mischief, but he could be more is the important part. He is always betraying and working for his own good but that does not mean he cannot be more than that. It’s what especially makes the later scene where Loki comes back to help Asgard that important. He is becoming more, by thinking of more than himself, by not turning his back on his people and running away to save his own tail. Something that I mentioned in the “Who Am I?” blogpost was the struggle I felt about being mixed race. It’s hard to not let something like that limit you, despite how mundane it seems. I will always be mixed, that cannot be changed, but I should not let it limit my potential, let it stop me from becoming more. Never let what you are stop you from becoming more than that.
This class has nurtured my love for books, and reminded me that anything is possible. We all embark on our own hero’s journey, and we all find our own kind of freedom. I loved Jane Austen, my lord and savior. She is a woman I won’t forget for the rest of my life, and will forever influence my beliefs. Though Macbeth was a tedious unit at times, I am thankful so much time was spent on Shakespearean genius and prose. I find no poetry can compare to his witches except for Emily Bronte’s poems. Hearing the actress in To Walk Invisible speak such a poem so passionately was incandescent and provoking. I am so sad to see this class end, because of its openness. There is a relief in being able to openly discuss such stories and our own takes on occurrences, and having a voice in shaping someone else’s sight when looking at these stories. This has been an incredible experience, and I enjoyed every minute of it, just as I enjoyed Colin Firth in Pride and Prejudice (1995).
DeleteI love your quote from Pride and Prejudice. I did not even remember that quote, but it is so simple and meaningful. Your analysis about the journey of life and how we will get where we end up.
DeletePride and Prejudice by Jane Austen- Nobody’s Perfect, “...no one can be really esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, all the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved.” “All this she must possess,” added Darcy, “and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading.” “I am no longer surprised at your knowing only six accomplished women. I rather wonder now at your knowing any.”
ReplyDeleteDarcy states what his opinion of an “accomplished woman” should be and that is a mult-talented, intelligent woman who not only reads quite often but is also very attractive and sociable. This definition of what a woman should be is very unattainable and almost offensive. Elizabeth, who is in this moment sitting in a room full of people far wealthier than her, could easily have been made to feel insecure by this shocking statement. However, she is a strong and confidant character that isn’t easily intimidated. Elizabeth responds in her typical quick and witty fashion, rebuking Darcy’s statement. The lesson here is that not everybody has to be good at everything, this lesson is very relevant to many people my age who may be considering college. It seems as if you have to get good grades in every class, play sports, and participate in out-of-school activities in order to be accepted, young need to be reminded of this vital lesson from Austen’s novel to know that no one is perfect.
The Global Goals for Sustainable Development, Small acts of kindness is far greater than no action at all, “Eradicating poverty in all its forms remains one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. While the number of people living in extreme poverty dropped by more than half between 1990 and 2015, too many are still struggling for the most basic human needs.”
ReplyDeleteAround the beginning of the school year, we briefly touched on global goals. I chose to discuss the issue of poverty, I connected the information I read with my own experiences of witnessing large numbers of homeless people. Growing up and spending a lot of time in Boston and Salem it was very common and always hard for me to deal with. As of now, 10% of people in the world are living in extreme poverty, this number has declined since 1990, when it was at 36%, so it’s clear that things have improved since then, but we still have a long way to go. Reading all the numbers and facts of poverty in the world is shocking and heartbreaking and pushes me to want to do something to help, although issues of this proportion call for much more than individuals trying to take on the problem themselves, that shouldn’t stop people from performing small acts of kindness here and there. Something as easy as handing out blankets or gloves to people lacking shelter in the colder conditions makes an impact.
Petrarchean Sonnets, Some people are much better at covering their true self than others, “I have not seen you, lady, leave off your veil in sun or shadow, since you knew that great desire in myself that all other wishes in the heart desert me.”
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed peeling through the layers of the Petrarchean sonnets and uncovering the true meaning. For my sonnet I picked, “Lassaree il velo o per sole o per ombra”, it told of a girl who covered her face with a veil. It was told from the perspective of a person who was deeply in love with this girl, yet didn’t share a true connection with her because of the fact she always covered her face. In covering her face she also covered her feelings and emotions, just because the love that the narrator felt for her wasn’t visibly reciprocated does not mean it wasn’t there. She possibly could’ve had very strong emotions towards them, however she deliberately keeps this all to herself. I found this sonnet to be very beautiful and I believe it is very telling of people, even today. Not everybody is an open book and people need to understand this.
Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Avoid greedy behaviours, “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, Shakes so my single state of man that function Is smother'd in surmise."
ReplyDeleteBoth Macbeth and his wife express their greedy desires throughout the story, Lady Macbeth initially is more intense than her husband and is quick to decide they will kill the King as soon as she learns of Macbeth’s prophecy. However she feels guilty sooner in the story than Macbeth does, in his case greed continues driving him further and further into madness. We learn from Macbeth that if he were patient and appreciative, his life not only would’ve lasted longer, but he would most likely have been happier. He would’ve gained respect from his people like King Duncan. I think it’s important for everybody to be thankful for what they’ve got.
Beowulf (Translated by Seamus Heaney), Selflessness goes a long way, “I have heard moreover that the monster scorns in his reckless way to use weapons; therefore, to heighten Hygelac's fame and gladden his heart, I hereby renounce sword and the shelter of the broad shield, the heavy war-board: hand-to-hand is how it will be, a life-and-death fight with the fiend."
DeleteThe character, Beowulf is a very selfless person, he travels all the way to the Dane’s in order to kill Grendel, and does not expect anything in return. His actions come from the good in his heart and his bravery. Even in his old age he goes to fight the dragon because he feels it is the right thing to do. It isn’t often we see characters this selfless, nowadays in literature, we’ve come to not trust the person who appears to be perfect right away. However in Beowulf, we learn that doing things without yourself in mind will let people see how caring you are, even if it isn’t taken to the extremes of Beowulf.
Conclusion- Mr. Pellerin’s Survey of British Literature was easily my favorite class this year. Through his readings of “poems of the day” to his acting out of scenes, it was obvious to see how much Mr. Pellerin really cares about this class and literature in general. This is important. There was rarely a boring day in class. This class helped me view literature in a new perspective. The essays we wrote were never merely a summary of what we read, we tried to get in the heads of the character and I found that really interesting. I will miss this class very much!
DeleteNot only were the Macbeths greedy, they also smeared blood all over the place.
DeletePride and Prejudice:
ReplyDelete“There certainly was some great mismanagement in the education of those two young men. One has got all the goodness, and the other all the appearance of it” (152).
In this quote, Lizzy has finally correctly recognized the difference between Darcy and Wickham. Darcy does not seem to have many social skills, but his good character becomes apparent to those close to him, especially in the way he treats his sister, friends, and other important people in his life. On the flip side, Wickham has the charm, the social skills, and the ability to talk in a very pretty and gentle manner to make people fall for his charade, despite him not being a good person in the slightest, very different from Darcy. Although it took some time, at last Lizzy has realized that Darcy is a good person, even though he may not seem that way at first, and that Wickham actually only seems good. At surface value, this quote seems to just talk about seeing who the good man is so Lizzy can figure out who she wants to marry. However, this idea of appearances versus reality was prevalent in society during Austen’s time and still is important in our society today. It is not necessary to actually be a good person in order to succeed in life, rather the appearance of it is far more important. The way in which people view you is always vital when it comes to a career or a love interest, since those views control how well either of those things will go. Even though this quote reminded me of the superficial ideas that hold high esteem in our society, it also reminded me about the importance of being good simply for the sake of being a good person and helping others, instead of just appearing to be. We should all strive to be like Darcy and have goodness, not just the appearance of it as is with Wickham.
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall:
DeleteIn the chess scene between Helen and Walter, it is clear that this was not only a game of chess between acquaintances; there was an underlying conversation taking place. In this scene, Walter begins by setting up the board and saying “‘You are a good player, but I am a better: we shall have a long game, and you will give me some trouble; but I can be as patient as you, and in the end I shall certainly win.’ He fixed his eyes upon me with a glance I did not like, keen, crafty, bold, and almost impudent.” There is meaning running through those words insinuating that Walter will beat Helen in the end, not necessarily just in chess, but perhaps by some other action, like marrying and claiming her from her abusive husband. At first glance, it seems as if Walter is a nice man who has strong feelings for Helen, yet he feelings entitled to her because of these feelings, and accept any refusals from Helen to spend time together. During this chess match, Walter’s true selfish, entitled, and odious personality somewhat come to light as Helen begins to see through his nice guy façade. When he beats Helen, since he is a superior chess player but a considerably worse person, he cries “‘Check,’… I sought in agony some means of escape. ‘Mate!’ he added, quietly, but with evident delight. He had suspended the utterance of that last fatal syllable the better to enjoy my dismay.” Walter wants to see Helen’s pain, to see how he beat her, how she could not control him. This scene was indicative of Walter’s later actions when he confesses his ‘love’ for Helen and tries to force himself upon her since he feels she should be with him instead of Arthur. This scene again shows the idea of appearance versus reality and how it is very necessary to decipher whether someone is being truthful or deceptive. The idea of men being superior to women is also depicted in this game of chess, an idea that is still deeply rooted in society today. Some men still feel like they have or should have control over women and this universal theme is illustrated in a novel from 150 years ago.
Macbeth: (Act II, scene iv)
DeleteROSS: 'Gainst nature still!
Thriftless ambition, that wilt ravin up
Thine own life's means! Then 'tis most like
The sovereignty will fall upon Macbeth.
MACDUFF: He is already named, and gone to Scone
To be invested.
ROSS : Where is Duncan's body?
MACDUFF: Carried to Colmekill,
The sacred storehouse of his predecessors,
And guardian of their bones.
ROSS: Will you to Scone?
MACDUFF: No, cousin, I'll to Fife.
ROSS: Well, I will thither.
MACDUFF: Well, may you see things well done there: adieu!
Lest our old robes sit easier than our new!
This dialogue takes place after Duncan is murdered and both of his sons flee suspiciously, leaving Macbeth the throne. This exchange starts with Ross exclaiming that Duncan’s sons murdering him is “against nature,” and so Macbeth will be the new king. Later, when saying where they will be heading, Ross to Scone and Macduff to Fife, Macduff says one of my favorite lines in this play, “Well, may you see things well done there: adieu! / Lest our old robes sit easier than our new!” I love this line because of how accurately it predicts the future of the play, where the reign of Macbeth will be nowhere near as peaceful and as good as Duncan’s. The guilt that wracks Macbeth will continue to influence his actions, turning him against those who were previously his friends, like Banquo. Also, the way he puts it, in terms of robes and the way they fit reminds me of what Macbeth said in Act I when speaking of the witches predictions. He said, “The thane of Cawdor lives: why do you dress me/ In borrow'd robes?” The fact that Shakespeare uses the same metaphor hear is quite ironic given in Act I, Macbeth did not seem to want to be thane of Cawdor at first, since it was not his worthy title. However, now that he has killed Duncan and successfully gotten the throne, bringing in the metaphor of the robes again not being for Macbeth and not fitting correctly is really interesting and I love it. It is clear that Macbeth will continue to devolve as a character after committing murder, since he is already ridden by guilt. This passage deals with a different theme of greed, ambition, and fate. Macbeth desperately wants the throne, which he believes he is fated for. But we don’t know if that would have happened if he had not killed Duncan in order to get the throne. He personally fulfilled the prophecy, so the idea of fate is questioned; would Macbeth have been king purely based on fate or did he have to make it happen?
Thor: Ragnarok:
DeleteTHOR: Hey, let's do 'Get Help'.
LOKI: What?
THOR: 'Get Help'.
LOKI: No.
THOR: Come on. You love it.
LOKI: I hate it.
THOR: It's great. It works every time.
LOKI: It's humiliating.
THOR: Do you have a better plan?
LOKI: No.
THOR: We're doing it.
LOKI: We are not doing 'Get Help'.
[Thor carries Loki out of the elevator in front of the guards]
THOR: Get help! Please! My brother is dying! Get help! Help him!
[as the guard approach them, Thor throws Loki at them, knocking them down]
THOR: A classic.
LOKI: [gets up] I still hate it. It's humiliating.
THOR: Not for me, it's not.
This is one of the funniest scenes in this movie, but it also has an important message in addition to the one providing comic relief. This shows a real sibling relationship, which sometimes are not shown accurately in films and novels. The deep bond between siblings and the shared moments of childhood are illustrated in their interactions, particularly before they even do ‘Get Help.’ The act of remembering something they used to do together as children reminds Loki, Thor, and the audience of a time when they used to be much closer. Familial relationships are some of the most important ones in your life, and this scene shows a good and realistic sibling interaction. The idea that family cannot not be forgotten is shown here as well with Thor wanting to continue to work with Loki in spite of everything that Loki has done in the past to hurt him somehow. Loki is Thor’s brother and Thor can never forget that, always wanting to believe the best about him. There is also the aspect of realism in the scene again in terms of the relationship between Loki and Thor since that is something I can easily picture many siblings doing. If my sister and I were somehow in a similar situation, I can honestly see us doing something similar. Relationships with family (whether it be your blood related family or the one you chose for yourself) are vital to life and ‘Get Help’ shows that bond.
Persuasion:
Delete“Captain Wentworth looked round at her instantly in a way in which shewed his noticing of it. He gave her a momentary glance,–a glance of brightness, which seemed to say, ‘That man is struck with you,–and even I, at this moment, see something like Anne Elliot again’” (77).
Anne and Wentworth take lengths to avoid seeing each other and talking to each other, but they still harbor those jealous feelings. When Anne was checked out by a gentleman while on a walk with the others, Wentworth lets her know that he noticed and even goes so far as to compliment her. Anne seemed to be happy again, showing signs of herself, and becoming the woman Wentworth used to know and love. Over the course of the novel, Anne changed significantly, from being much more subdued, to being bolder and visibly happier which appealed to Wentworth. She has become considerably more confident and is willing to stand up for herself now, whereas previously she was quite shy, timid, and let others walk all over her. The idea of transformation is one that is integral to humanity. We all want to believe that we have the ability to change so as to improve our lives or those of the people we care for. Anne morphed into a much happier person, something almost everyone would like to do, and this provides hope for anyone reading. This brings the readers’ spirits up since it shows that it is possible to change yourself and your life for the better.
Overall Conclusion:
DeleteI really enjoyed my time in this class. We always had fun discussions about the books that we were reading that helped me to really understand whatever we were reading. I also think that watching all the movies was very helpful. Since a lot of the things that we read used different language than we are generally used to, the movies helped to us to understand particularly when it came to the works of Shakespeare and Austen. My favorite books that I read were The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (I unexpected really loved this book) and Pride and Prejudice. I am still surprised at how much I loved reading Wildfell Hall; I genuinely enjoyed reading it and did not want to stop reading even once I had finished the assigned reading. Pride and Prejudice is such a classic that was fun to read and watch the various movie adaptations of, but my favorite book somehow was Wildfell Hall. I think that my favorite projects that we did this year were the letters that we wrote at the beginning for Pride and Prejudice from the viewpoint of one of the characters and the musical Macbeth project. I liked how creative these projects were and how they really made sure that you understood the book to complete them. I also like the blog responses for homework since they allow for you to write about whatever you would like for the reading and reminded me more of a discussion in a book club. Overall, I had a great time in this class and it was a really fun experience.
I really enjoyed your perspective on Pride and Prejudice. The difference in Darcy and Wickham shows that not everyone is as they seem, so be careful.
DeleteThat was me -Allison^
DeleteIn Macbeth, the basic thing is don’t succumb to peer pressure. Like, people that you think are your friends or somethin’ may make you do some stupid shit, like kill someone, which isn’t always a bad idea but usually is. You should listen to gut more than other people, unless your gut is obviously wrong, then that whole concept gets kinda murky. Mainly, just try to be yourself, but try not to make a fool of yourself or hurt someone just because you want to.
ReplyDelete“There are few people whom I really love, and still fewer of whom I think well. The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it; and every day confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human characters, and of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of merit or sense”(Pride and Prejudice). This quote from Mr. Darcy is somewhat relatable to me and I feel many others. People through time have had many experiences where someone that they know reveals that they truly don’t know them, feeling a sort of betrayal. For the first sentence, I know this feeling very well, being unable to say that I love someone, even my parents. There are going to be times where you may lose your trust in someone, but remember that there will always be at least one person whom you can somewhat trust.
“Flirting is a woman’s trade, one must keep in practice”(Jane Eyre). This is one of those quotes where, nowadays, if anyone said this, they’d probably be ridiculed or thought of as sexist. It is somewhat important to know how to flirt or to know when someone is flirting with you so you know you won’t make a fool of yourself in one way or another. Of course this isn’t the most important or prominent lesson from this text, but it still holds some importance for the majority of the human population. Flirty or just making yourself known to someone you want to start a relationship with, no matter if it’s romantic or not, is a very important and reliable skill that practically everyone should learn to do.
The whole TED Talk “Who Am I” is one big message that is very obviously slapped in your face; don’t listen to one side of the story. Just because someone said that a certain thing happened doesn’t mean that there isn’t more, like why is it happening or if there’s more going on behind the scenes. You can’t always trust the source of a story of any kind; even big news outlets lie or are lied to and spread false information. Dig deeper, look at different articles out the same event, make sure all their facts lineup with everyone else's, see if one article states something that another didn’t; you always need to double check information being given out as fact.
Though I didn't really learn anything, the class of British Literature was still very enjoyable and one of the most entertaining classes I've had in all my years of high school. Mr. Pellerin himself was a very giddy and enjoyable teacher, making every lesson fun and interesting and was able to get every student engaged. The other students made it much better as well, many actively participating, to the slight annoyance of our lovely teacher, and sharing much of their knowledge on subjects that deal with what we're learning class to things we don't need to know. I'm personally going to be very distraught once this school year ends since I won't be able to spend time with this same class, though there is a possibility of me being in a class with Mr. Pellerin next year, let's just hope it's as entertaining as this class.
When learning this in class, I didn’t think much of it back then because when teachers talk about these kinds of topics, they usually say the same thing, which is knowing how these ideas are important and having it still relevant in our everyday life. But as I reflect on this year and what I've done in this class, I think that every one of us were on the same boat of writing our own stories and not paying so much attention on one another's. At first, it seems like we’re doing alright on our own, but as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie said in her TED talk, “The consequence of the single story is this: it robs people of dignity. It makes our recognition of our equal humanity difficult. It emphasizes how we are different rather than how we are similar.” As I went through this class, I saw so many personalities shine through in many ways that I would’ve never expected. As a result, we became closer as a class and was able to hear each other’s stories through our class discussions and I began to realize that we’re all on the same boat. Sure we might be going through different obstacles in our lives, but we all struggle and make it through the same.
ReplyDeleteThis idea of hearing and relating other people’s stories also can relate to another topic we also covered during the beginning of our British literature class. This topic was something that many of us think about from time to time, but it’s not issued enough. That issue is the power and accessibility of education. As everyone may know, Mr. Pellerin has shown us the amazing projects he does, not only for the community in Andover and other neighboring towns but also for communities on a global scale. He has also talked about how he went to Indonesia and was excited about the english department there and how the children were able to read and write about literary works that we analyze here in the states. In the introduction of his homepage, he talks about how we should think of ourselves as Global Citizens and that “one must not only embrace the idea that we are members of a global community with the human race, but that we will take action in making this a reality in our day-to-day lives.” As many of us go through our years in education, we often tend to forget how having education is a privilege and it sometimes comes at a cost, financially and mentally. It's always amazing to see how children, with very little and couldn’t go to school for various reasons, can now go and fulfill their achievements by knowing more about the world around them and being able to make changes for the world in a positive light. We are all in this together and couldn’t be more happier to learn side-by-side with other students around the world.
You always have to think about how priveleged you are to live in american and even imn this time period conecting it to the other books with read. If I was in some of the character situation I would not have survived.
DeleteAlthough many of us receive the education and other necessities that help us grow in life, there is still quite a handful of children and other adolescents who don’t have that luxury. Some people, still to this day, don’t believe in equal opportunity for everybody, whether its based on one’s skin color, ability/disabilities, gender, sexuality, nationality, and other factors that make someone different from the norm or standards of society. In societal standards, because of unequal opportunity, many of us sometimes feel like our opinions and words don’t really matter, but they do matter. However, when people do tell us to speak up and do it, we are still told that “[we] don’t understand these things [and] children must be corrected for their faults.” (35 from Jane Eyre) Its aggravating sometimes to see people who don’t understand us and have initial biases towards us because of our age. Although this is true, it's also good to see the other person’s perspective on how and why they think this way, but to also keep in mind that sometimes they can’t see the bigger picture, so it's okay to have these kinds of conversations and to keep it going, otherwise it’ll be seen as a minor problem and not be able to see the full picture with them.
ReplyDeleteThis also falls into place about how we think that our life is as big as it is to us, but in reality, it falls into a bigger picture that we don’t see very easily. In the bigger picture, we also don’t realize how much of the world has influenced us. Shakespeare has written in his 13th sonnet about “When [we] consider everything that grows holds in perfection but a little moment, that this huge stage presenteth naught but shows where on the stars in secret influence comment.” When mentioning the stars, he uses it as a metaphor for the judgement of the world and how the huge stage is filled with little knowledge we know of and the remaining knowledge we don’t know yet, which is very vast. With not only looking from multiple stories, we also have to look at things from a wider perspective, in order to gain that unknown knowledge and learn more along the way.
As we go forth, knowing “now [we’ve] remembered that the real world [is] wide”, I can also say that it’s a privilege to know how big our world can be “and that a varied field of hopes and fears, of sensations and excitements, [awaits for] those who [have] the courage to go forth into its expanse, [and] to seek real knowledge of life amidst its perils.” (86, Jane Eyre) As Jane expressed herself, it’s important to not stop learning because of how little we know now, compared to the knowledge we will have in 5, 10, or even 15 years from now. I hope that reflects how we will grow as individuals and as a community in the future and I hope for the best of everyone.
ReplyDeleteOverall, the class experience this year was more than what I anticipated and I’m glad that it exceeded my expectations. My favorite book was Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre. My favorite units was the Jane Austen unit and the Bronte unit because I really liked the contrast between the two yet they both compliment each other. One of my favorite assignments that we did in class was The Who Am I? post we had to do; I think it really showed how unique everyone was and we were able to show our true colors towards one another. I also liked our Macbeth unit because we got to act out Macbeth in our own version and also our Jane and Bronte debate, which was really fun, especially since I’ve always wanted to try out acting but was always too nervous to go on stage and perform, but I loved how you gave me and many others the opportunity to do so and be able to be comfortable in our own skin. Thank you for being my English teacher this year and hope to see you for college recs :)))
1. “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were: any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”
ReplyDeleteThis quote is an excerpt from an example of metaphysical poetry written by John Donne. This quote speaks about how no person is alone in the world and how we are all connected in life through nature because we are all humans. In class we exercised this idea through the group projects that we participated in (Bronte vs. Austen & Macbeth play.) although the groups were forced upon us, they were enjoyable and valuable experience because we got to hear our groupmates’ ideas clearer in the smaller settings of our groups. Once we got our ideas together also, we became excited to present as well and everybody in the group made sure they contributed to the project with their unique voice. This connects back to the excerpt as in the quote, “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the man” because it emphasizes the idea that in class, nobody stood alone during the group projects. Even the people who seemed the shyest in class stood tall with their groups to contribute to the effort of the project. However, although this quote stresses that we are all connected, it is also important that we are aware and in control of who we surround ourselves with. Elizabeth Bennet aggressively exercises this right in Pride and Prejudice when she rejects Mr. Collins’ horrifying proposal and says, “Indeed, Mr. Collins, all praise of me will be unnecessary. You must give me leave to judge for myself, and pay me the compliment of believing what I say. I wish you very happy and very rich, and by refusing your hand, do all in my power to prevent your being otherwise. In making me the offer, you must have satisfied the delicacy of your feelings with regard to my family, and may take possession of Longbourn estate whenever it falls, without any self-reproach. This matter may be considered, therefore, as finally settled.” In her refusal, Elizabeth turns down Mr. Collins’ promise of eternal company and although - to him - his actions seemed sincere, Elizabeth knew herself well enough to know that she would never content with him. Elizabeth’s unconventional refusal was something I do not think I have ever wished to replicate in this class because unlike Mr. Collins -who was: unintelligent and indifferent to Elizabeth’s feelings - the people in brit lit are all equally unique, intelligent and understanding with one another, so we all feel safe to share our ideas and have no incentive to push each other way (like Elizabeth.) This feeling of belonging that was created in class brought people out of their shell in the safe environment of Brit lit where we can count on our peers to support us and push us to be better.
2. “My idea of good company...is the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company.' 'You are mistaken,' said he gently, 'that is not good company, that is the best.”
ReplyDeleteThis quote comes from a conversation between Anne and Captain Wentworth while they are talking to a group about what makes for good company. In the context of this quote, Anne’s opinion was not popular because the women during the 19th century (especially older unmarried women like herself) were perfectly happy to be in the company of any that would be willing to marry them and give them a comfortable life. Anne however, valued more than just comfort. She desired intelligence and good conversation to be embodied in her husband. I believe the students in this Brit Lit class share the same values as Anne did, in that we collectively agreed not to settle for simply just getting good grades on assignments and being silent. This class ran on student voices and I believe Anne would have been satisfied in this class for her desire to be surrounded by, “clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation.” I remember entire classes would be consumed by class discussions that wasted nobody’s time. The immersive concepts of this course also remind me of a feeling Elizabeth had in Pride and Prejudice when she and Darcy finally had connected and admitted their feelings for one another. Elizabeth said, “They walked on, without knowing in what direction. There was too much to be thought, and felt, and said, for attention to any other objects.” This quote reminded me of class because the excited anxiousness Elizabeth felt was similar to how I felt in class. I had to learn to accept -during discussions- that there would always be more things to talk about and the times that I would keep silent would often sometimes convince me to speak up because of butterflies building up in my stomach. Another thing Brit lit taught me was the value of speaking up. In the quote from an example of metaphysical poetry by John Donne, he says, “To know and feel all this and not have the words to express it makes a human a grave of his own thoughts.” This idea felt relatable during class discussions at times when I would decide not to speak up because I realized that nobody else would be able to phrase the idea I had in my head to my own voice and that makes it my duty to the world to speak up. Class discussions and brit lit felt like Elizabeth and Darcy when they found each other and I hope in the future when I get a job, I get the same feeling of immersive joy that I felt during brit lit.
3. “Id fallen into the limiting trap that the language of coming from countries sets, the privileging of a fiction, the singular country over reality: human experience”
ReplyDeleteDuring this course, we did more than simply analyze books. We also took extra steps in using language to correctly define ourselves and the authors whose novels we were reading. This quote by Taiye Selasi sums up the mistake that most people make when defining people based on their origins. The mistake is that the believed origin country or country does not simply define a person with the prejudices associated with that country. In fact, it barely scratches the surface of understanding any human’s personality. Another concept of self defining is touched on in the ted talk by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie about the danger of the single story. One quote from the talk that sums up her point is, “so that is how to create a single story, show a people as one thing, as only one thing, over and over again, and that is what they become.” This quote speaks to how single stories about people and places solidify their perceived identities. This concept was studying at the beginning of this course and used as we wrote about ourselves. This assignment accompanied by the fresh ideas of Selasi and Adichie made me feel very free to write how I truly saw myself and how I wanted others to see me as well. Also, besides using this concept to define ourselves, I noticed parallels between how characters in Pride and Prejudice defined each other. For example, Elizabeth sustained a strong prejudice against Mr. Darcy because of his wealth and initial rude comment about her. Even the people in the town shared her bad opinion because of his one unfriendly appearance at the dance they all attended. Even Elizabeth remarks, “ The general prejudice against Mr. Darcy is so violent, that it would be the death of half the good people in Meryton to attempt to place him in an amiable light.” However, the hostility that both Elizabeth and Meryton shared towards Darcy was their single story of him and if they had only made an effort to get to know him better, they would see that his countenance did not reflect his intentions and that he really did care deeply for Elizabeth after all. This lesson of identity and the danger of the single story is something that I will definitely carry with me in my life and it is something that I believe everybody should understand in order to be willing to make more connections with people in the world.
4. "Are you Thor, the God of Hammers, hmm?
ReplyDeleteIn the quote, “I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being, with an independent will; which I now exert to leave you.”Jane is making a scene before she leaves her aunt for good. It is in this scene that Jane finally condemns her aunt for the way that she treated her and she mocks her with the fact that her free will is hers alone and not in her aunts favor. Jane’s exercise of free will in the novel is limited until she becomes much older, so this scene illustrates that liberation Jane felt when she was permitted to so what she wanted to. In Brit lit, Janes situation at the point of this quote in the novel could not have been more foreign to us. In class we were permanently liberated the second we entered the classroom and were encouraged to use our creativity to make assignments our own. For example, when Mr. Pellerin gave us assignments on the blog there would often be questions numbered on the post before the blank text book stood on the page. Instead of these questions standing intimidatingly at us, I saw them as helpful tools that we could freely utilise to guide the topic of our blog posts. I believe this was extremely helpful because it was teaching us how to become better at analyzing texts by looking at sample questions and then weaving it into our blogs with our own unique voice. Of course my takeaway from this course was not that you never have to follow directions or fulfill the requirements of an assignment. Instead, this course taught me that there is more to our opinions than just the answers to the questions that are given. To compare this idea to the movie Thor Ragnarok, Odin asked Thor at his time of self doubt, “are you Thor the God of hammers hmm?” This question leads him to understand that his power did not rely on what was given to him (the hammer) , it relied on the powers already inside him and on what he could do with that power. This relates back to brit lit because like Thor’s hammer, Mr. P’s questions on the blog posts were not always there to restrain our writing and imagination. They were a tool we could use to focus our writing before it became time to unleash it (like Thor) all on our own and with accordance of our free will.
5. "I hated no one. I gazed and gazed, and everything was interesting, I was free, not yet in love, I did not belong to anyone, I had drunk no milk, yet - no one had my heart."
ReplyDeleteThis quote and the poem by Sharon Olds was extremely thought provoking for me. I knew there was pressure and influences that faced us in social situations, however I always imagined the people that fell into this kind of influence were weak in character. I never wanted to or did consider myself one to have fallen into any kind of pressure besides the ones I created for myself. However, this poem succeeded in convincing me that everyone is influenced, even from the moment we have our first human interaction. In brit lit class we were encouraged to write and to share ideas with the class through discussions and the opportunity to post on Mr. P’s blog, however, when the Who am I essay was assigned, I was surprised that nobody in the class would be reading it. At first I wondered, well if this won’t be looked at by my classmates, what incentive will people have to do it well? However, once I convinced myself to start writing, I was shocked at how different my voice became. I was writing straight from my mind and spitting everything I felt onto the paper without restrictions. Within the first paragraph I wasn’t writing for the grade anymore, I was writing for myself. That assignment showed me what writing is supposed to be, people telling a story in its purest most vulnerable state. That is what makes good writers so great, they are willing to get closer and closer to their un impressionable state, they are willing to go back to the mindset of their first hour.
Conclusion:
ReplyDeleteI loved this class! It not only talked about pieces of British Literature -that I have come to love- but it taught me how to become a better writer and how to rekindle my inspiration for writing. I always loved writing when I was younger. I would even write my own mini books just for fun. However, once writing in school became more and more stressful and about the grade we were receiving, I started to feel dread when writing assignments were given to us. This class took away some of that dread and reminded me what writing really is: just someone saying what’s on their mind. That is why the Who Am I Essay was one of my favorite assignments of the year. It was so enjoyable to write and I think that it was a perfect assignment to present to us during the stressful time of junior year where any schoolwork we do feels judged. I also loved this class because of the environment it created. I would never come to class feeling restrained or stressed. Instead, I would feel free when I entered the classroom. Free to talk about real issues and real things with each other and even though I wish I utilised this advantage to speak up more, I truly was still affected by it and how accepted everybody’s ideas were to each other. I also enjoyed brit lit because of the freedom we had. For example, when we were allowed to choose between which of the three Bronte books we wanted to read, I immediately became excited to explore. I believe one of the dangers of most english classes is that if the books and assignments are not assigned in a nurturing patient way, then the teacher has the danger of making his/her students associate badly with reading and writing as a whole. This class left me with the exact opposite feeling. The assignments were very much up to us and the process of choosing a book made me so excited to read that I felt as if I was doing the reading on my own, in the summer.I am so happy that I decided to take Brit Lit this year and I am so lucky to have met and worked with the people that I did throughout the year. It was one of those rare classes that not only taught me about the curriculum, but also about myself, and the important ideas we discussed like: the danger of a single story, the first hour, and the words of Introduction to poetry will forever stay with me and influence how I view pieces of literature and how I view the world. Thank you so much Mr.P this was my favorite class all year and I am so lucky to have had you as a teacher and to have been in your class as you made the transition into full out facial hair! Thank you for making me love to write again!
"In marrying your nephew, I should not consider myself as quitting that sphere. He is a gentleman; I am a gentleman's daughter; so far we are equal." This quote is from Pride and Prejudice. Elizabeth is telling Lady Catherine de Bourgh how she is fit to marry Mr. Darcy after she is told that Mr. Darcy is of too high class for her. This scene shows how Elizabeth is one of the new types of women of the time who would stand up for themselves and would express their feelings. After this, Elizabeth went on to marry Mr. Darcy and she had a great marriage with him. Jane Austen uses this scene to show people that they shouldn’t go for anything less than what they deserve. This book has shown me that I need to wait for what I actually want in life rather than go for something right away. In the book, Elizabeth had the chance of marrying Mr. Collins, but rejected it knowing that he was not meant for her at all. She waited longer for what she wanted and even rejected Mr. Darcy because she thought he wasn’t enough for her. Eventually, she realized what she wanted in her life which ended up being Mr. Darcy and when she knew it was what she wanted she didn’t stop at anything to get it.
ReplyDeleteThe second piece of literature I gained something from this year was Shakespeare’s 35th sonnet. “No more be grieved at that which thou hast done: Roses have thorns, and silver fountains mud: Clouds and eclipses stain both moon and sun,” These first few lines show the overall message of the sonnet. To me this sonnet means that as good as things may get, there is always a second side to it. This sonnet uses the example of a rose. When someone thinks of a rose they think of a pretty flower which is good to give to someone. What is not always thought of is the thorns on the stem of the flower. This sonnet has taught me that I need to look at all sides of something because something I might not notice at first might come up once I look deeper into it.
I enjoyed doing the “Who am I?” I assignment. Learning about the assignment in class made me think that it was one of those things that teachers usually ask us and doesn’t have any impact on me. But once I went home to work on it, I realized it was a lot more than just a regular assignment. I had to look back into my life and try to assign myself roles and classify myself which usually isn’t something I do. However, once I did it I felt rather refreshed from the experience. It allowed me to look at my past self and be able to correct for my future. In my blog I talked about me being Russian and how at one point in time that had a negative connotation with it. However I understood that I should not take it as a personal attack because it wasn’t talking about me specifically and that it wasn’t even talking about my generation. This specific part of the assignment let me know that I should not take things as a personal attack. If someone does criticize me, then I should use it as a reason to grow rather than get down about it. The assignment as a whole had taught me that I should look back at myself to improve myself for the future and to have things turn out in a better way.
“I have given suck, and know How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me. I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you Have done to this.” This quote is from Lady Macbeth. She is saying this to Macbeth to show how much she keeps her promises. She said she would even kill a child in order to keep one of her promises. Considering she was unable to have a child with Macbeth, this shows how dedicated she would be. This scene is showing that if you want something, then you should stop at nothing to get it. It shows that sometimes the ultimate sacrifice is needed and you have to be willing to do it in order to be successful with your task. The whole book has taught me that you need to figure out what your limit on something is. Macbeth kept trying to get more and in the end it cost him. This made me understand that I need to keep myself grounded with certain things in life.
Delete"I want you to be aware that I know you have treated me infernally—infernally! Do you hear? And if you flatter yourself that I don't perceive it, you are a fool; and if you think I can be consoled by sweet words, you are an idiot." This quote is from Wuthering Heights. In this quote Heathcliff is talking with Catherine Earnshaw. Catherine had cruelly treated him and pretended nothing had happened. While Heathcliff knows that he was treated poorly, that doesn’t stop his love for her. However, he does make sure that she understands that what she had done to him was not something that’s considered a good thing. This scene has shown me that even if you do love someone, you need to tell them the wrong which they have committed against you. Heathcliff loved Catherine more than anything in the world. However, he still told her what she had done wrong with him. Most likely, after he had said this to her, Heathcliff didn’t feel particularly proud of this moment because the last thing you want to do to someone who you have feelings for is to make them feel bad about something they have done. This section showed me that some actions are necessary in order to prevent a person doing something wrong against you a continuous amount of times.
Title: "We're watching the film adaptation of (insert book title) with (Inert name of British actor/actress), one of the 3 actors in England." - Mr. P
ReplyDeletePride and Prejudice:
"How despicably I have acted!" she cried; "I, who have prided myself on my discernment! I, who have valued myself on my abilities! who have often disdained the generous candour of my sister, and gratified my vanity in useless or blameable mistrust! How humiliating is this discovery! Yet, how just a humiliation! Had I been in love, I could not have been more wretchedly blind! But vanity, not love, has been my folly. Pleased with the preference of one, and offended by the neglect of the other, on the very beginning of our acquaintance, I have courted prepossession and ignorance, and driven reason away, where either were concerned. Till this moment I never knew myself."
Analysis: A very long quote indeed. But the message is very deep. We all go through the same thing Lizzy Bennett goes through in this quote. We all experience a moment where we finally know ourselves and who we really are. Lizzy realizes just how prideful she has been and how much her prejudices have clouded her judgement of herself and others. The haze of prejudice and potential hubris (excessive pride) will come as a shock, but it helps us discover who we really are.
Next, Thor Ragnarok
THOR: Hey, let's do 'Get Help'.
LOKI: What?
THOR: 'Get Help'.
LOKI: No.
THOR: Come on. You love it.
LOKI: I hate it.
THOR: It's great. It works every time.
LOKI: It's humiliating.
THOR: Do you have a better plan?
LOKI: No.
THOR: We're doing it.
LOKI: We are not doing 'Get Help'.
[Thor carries Loki out of the elevator in front of the guards]
THOR: Get help! Please! My brother is dying! Get help! Help him!
[as the guard approach them, Thor throws Loki at them, knocking them down]
THOR: A classic.
LOKI: [gets up] I still hate it. It's humiliating.
THOR: Not for me, it's not.
Analysis: This scene genuinely made me laugh because of how relatable it is. These two show a genuine sibling relationship. You may not like them ALL the time, but deep down you love them dearly. They're your flesh and blood, after all. I can't count all the times I've been tackled and throw around (playfully) by my two older brothers and then a few minutes later, we're laugh till we can't breathe out of how silly we are. Its these types of bonds that matter the most in this world. No relationship ever comes close to the genuineness and closeness of family and brotherhood (siblinghood). As they say, "blood runs thicker than water."
Then comes Beowulf
When Beowulf goes to fight the dragon he gets “no help or backing was to be had then from high-born comrades."
Analysis: Beowulf gets no real help with this fight and Beowulf essentially does a 1v1 with a dragon (this guy is an animal!) The point of this quote is to show that despite how high the odds were stacked against him, he didn't back down. He knew the dragon had the potential to kill him and that this fight could be his last one, but he fought anyways, content with those facts. Point being: even if the odds are stacked against you, don't give up and back down. Push through and push forward!
Arise, and show us what you've got!
DeleteWe can all kick butt somehow.
DeleteNow we move to Macbeth
ReplyDelete“Out, damned spot! out, I say!” (Lady Macbeth)
Analysis: A short quote, but a meaningful one nonetheless. For context, Lady Macbeth is trying all she can to wipe away the atrocities her and her husband have committed. She is doing the exact opposite of what you should do. Everyone makes mistakes (some bigger and worse than others). But we're all human. You should learn from it, accept it, and move on, rather than trying to scratch it from the records like it never happened. The mistakes you make make you who you are. Remember: "to err is human, to forgive is divine."
Lastly, we have the black sheep of the Jane Austen community: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
“I shall never relinquish my sword for a ring. The right man would never ask me to.”
Analysis: Alternate Lizzy is basically saying that her preferred man wouldn't ask her to change. And that goes well in real life too. No one should tell you that you should change who you are (there are a few exceptions). You are you. Nobody else. Just be you, dude!
Conclusion:
This was by far my favorite class. It makes me sad knowing that this will be the last day in this class. I've never had a teacher quite like Mr. Pellerin. I've never had a teacher so open, caring and very into metal music. I enjoyed every moment in this class and I will miss all my classmates dearly. If I could take this class again, I would in a heartbeat. I felt as if that in that classroom, we have a family more than just a group of students. I don't know if I'll ever feel that way again. But who knows *shrug emoji*. My favorite books were definitely Pride and Prejudice and Beowulf. Lastly, I'd just like to say thank you to Mr. P for being such an amazing teacher and I'm so glad you listen to metal music and enjoyed my musical suggestions. Thanks, Mr. P.
Rating of the class: Darcy's Salary/10
It's been real bro. Too bad I'm never going to see you again ever at all. Sad but the times were good. I rate this friendship: Bingley's Salary/Darcy's Salary 😎
DeleteIntro
ReplyDeleteWhen I first walked into this class I was fairly nervous because I’ve never really been good at english classes. I am glad that this class wasn’t like the usual english class and that it quickly turned into one of my favorite classes ever. Walking into this class is practically the same as walking into a world with no stress and where you could learn about amazing literature from a teacher who is very passionate about the subject and the books we read. If I say that I’ve learnt nothing from this class I would be officially marked as a liar and an idiot because I have learned so much that it’s crazy. I want to start by addressing the poems of the day and the first blog post which was simply titled “Introduction to Poetry”. I was never a big fan of poetry, I saw it as overly complicated and I didn’t like that. Though I saw these poems as a source of calm and peace that made me think and got me into a mindset of learning more about poetry and other literature I normally wouldn’t give any attention to.
Pride and Prejudice
One of the biggest examples of literature that I normally wouldn’t indulge in was “Pride and Prejudice”. I’m not a big fan of romance novels as I normally see them as boring and predictable but P and P was different. I really enjoyed how it intentionally, or unintentionally, parodied itself and had fun with a story I would normally disregard. The life lesson I took away from this was that not everything is as it seems. One of the major themes in the book is the presence of prejudice and how it can hinder human experiences. This is primarily shown between the relationship of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. This is shown with Darcy’s introduction with the quote, “Mr. Darcy soon drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien, and the report which was in general circulation within five minutes after his entrance, of his having ten thousand a year. The gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man, the ladies declared he was much handsomer than Mr. Bingley, and he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening, till his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity; for he was discovered to be proud; to be above his company, and above being pleased; and not all his large estate in Derbyshire could then save him from having a most forbidding, disagreeable countenance, and being unworthy to be compared with his friend.”. Mr. Darcy is dismissed by the partygoers due to his poor attitude and so is the reader upon first impressions. However, later on we see that he is a very good person that goes out of his way to help the Bennets when Wickham runs off with Lydia. He finds them and has them get married so that the Bennets wouldn’t have the shame of a runaway daughter.
Metaphysical Poetry
DeleteThe next piece I want to look at is the metaphysical poetry and John Donne. This was very interesting to me because the poetry that dealt with death and other heavy topics really interest me. The lesson that I took away was that the end is ok most of they time and that the end doesn’t always mean the end. Let me explain, in the “Holy Sonnet VI” it mentions death a lot and ends with a powerful “Death thou shalt Die”. The quote “From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be, Much pleasure, then from thee much more must flow, And soonest our best men with thee do go” is one I want to highlight because it highlights how even though someone or something is gone “which but thy pictures be, Much pleasure,” meaning that there is still pleasure found in the memories of the things that have ended.
Macbeth
I think the message I took away from Macbeth didn’t directly have to do with the actual text but instead with the musical project. I want to preface this by saying that I have no theatrical or singing talent so this project made me kinda nervous. Luckily, I got paired with Matt and since we have a similar taste in music it worked out well. I guess the lesson was to step outside your comfort zone one in a while and to not worry so much what others think. This isn’t really exhibited in Macbeth so I don’t have a quote to go along with it but I feel like this is the lesson I learned from this unit and will gladly lose points for not having a quote in this section.
Beowulf
DeleteBeowulf was a very interesting read for me because I saw a lot of media that I enjoy today was inspired by it. The entire book felt like one dungeons and dragons campaign with an overpowered barbarian as the lead character. The message I took from this is that no matter how hard you try and no matter how well you do, fate will come. This comes in the form of the dragon for Beowulf and it relates to life because as I mentioned in the metaphysical poetry section, everything comes to an end and Beowulf backs this up with the inevitability of the dragon and it’s destruction. “When the dragon awoke, trouble flared again. He rippled down the rock, writhing with anger When he saw the footprints of the prowler who had stolen Too close to his dreaming head. So may a man not marked by fate Easily escape exile and woe By the grace of God.”, the line “So may a man not marked by fate / Easily escape exile and woe/ By the grace of God” is saying how even though Beowulf is a man who isn’t marked by fate still can’t easily escape the exile and destruction the dragon brings. This relates to life because the inevitability of the end is a very scary reality that everyone needs to come to terms with if it’s as large as death or as small as the ending of your favorite english class taught by the best english teacher, Mr. Pellerin.
Thor: Ragnarok
This movie was such an awesome note to end the class on, the humor of the film and the themes that correlate with Beowulf made it an excellent conclusion. Thor is great at life lessons, the entire film discusses the prophecy of ragnarok that Thor has to prevent to save Asgard. The message I took from this was that with friends then any situation, no matter how dim, can be achievable. The simple quote “We’re the revengers” signifies that Thor can’t beat Hela alone and that he needs help from his “trustworthy” brother, a friend from work, and a drunken ex warrior who has fought Hela before. Eventually he can’t even beat Hela he summons Surtr to take her out and the entirety of Asgard.
Conclusion
This was the best english class I’ve taken and all the stuff I learned was all thanks to Mr. Pellerin and the amazing friends I’ve had in this class. I wish you all the best for the future and I hope to see y’all later.
I was much like you when I first entered the class. I did not know what I would expect, how I would be seen, how I may help in the class etc. But as everything goes, through more experience in the class I knew more people, provided more input, and became more social. I was also not the best at English classes, but I definitely learned more than I could in any other classes here with Mr. P.
DeleteMy team for M**beth: the Musical was called the 'Vengers.
DeleteAll I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Survey of British Literature
ReplyDeletePride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
“Angry people are not always wise.”
This could not be more simple yet true. When Miss Bingley was angry with Elizabeth, she wasn’t just unwise, she was a fool and her actions backfired. From my own experiences I can attest to this statement because I’ve made bad decisions when I’m angry and I’ve seen my parents make irrational demands when they are mad. I believe that when someone is angry, they aren't their best selves and have lost their reasoning abilities.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
“A beauty neither of fine colour nor long eyelash, nor penciled brow, but of meaning, of movement, of radiance.”
The essence of self image and confidence. In my opinion you can have all the designer expensive lines of clothing, makeup, and shoes but if you don’t show confidence in yourself, no amount of money spent will make you radiate beauty. I have witnessed this self esteem issue in Andover; where someone’s outfit is on point and chic, but they don't carry themselves with any confidence which makes them perceived as “less beautiful” because they don’t believe they are! Personally, I would like to have more self confidence so when I enter a room where I don’t know anyone, I can radiate my true self.
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
“Things without all remedy should be without regard: what’s done, is done.”
Although in context Lady Macbeth is telling Macbeth to stop feeling guilty and fear because he just murdered someone and instead forget about it because there’s nothing he can do to change the past. However... if you take the quote out of context, some might say it’s a good way to look at life. I personally think this when I realize that a situation is out of my control and there’s nothing I could do. BUT... dwelling versus reflecting on the past are completely different. When you start to dwell on something, having the mindset of “what’s done is done” will prevent you from going into that rabbit hole of your thoughts, which we all do as humans. Personally I have found it can be difficult to get out of those feelings of fear and guilt. On the other hand, if “what’s done is done” was your mindset 100% of the time and you never took the time to reflect, your mind, heart and soul would not grow and you will become like the Grinch.
Beowulf (Translated by Seamus Heaney)
“Endure your troubles to-day. Bear up and be the man I expect you to be.”
When faced with troubles, get up and try to be the best person you can be. We all endure tough times, but if we let them keep us down, we’ll never have the successes that we are capable of. I’ve learned I can’t just lie down when the going gets tough.My parents expect more from me than I can bear at times, but I know it’s making me a better person to aim for my goals and reach for my dreams.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017) by Stan Lee
Thor: She’s too strong. Without my hammer, I can't...
Odin: Are you Thor, the god of hammers?
This snippet of conversation means that no one should be connected to an object if it prevents them from moving forward. Thor thought less of himself without his hammer because his mindset is that the hammer makes him strong, but his strength actually comes from within. I used to be connected to my stuffed animal Polie the Bear and thought I couldn't sleep without him, but I learned to move on, even though he comforted me throughout my elementary years.
I think I’ve learned more about emotions in Brit Lit than I expected to. I’ve seen how good storytelling is the base of all themes of the classic books we read. And human emotions are at the root of every theme. Emotions like love (Pride & Prejudice), regret (Macbeth), courage (Beowulf) and how confidence (Jane Eyre) and strength (Thor) comes from within.
DeleteMy favorite book was probably Beowulf because it was easy to understand and I just found it interesting. I liked the unit that compared Pride & Prejudice theme of love and brought in zombies to prove that love always wins and I learned I would “do anything rather than marry without affection.” I felt in my element with the Shakespeare group project because acting out Macbeth was the best.
"You can sign up for me, no one signs up for me, I'm not a math teacher, there's plenty of room!"
Delete~Mr. P
Nobody:
Mr. P: quotes a movie then proceeds to laughing with himself
Mr. P: starts talking
Ethan: "BOOOOOO"
I don't know if you know this show because I'm middle aged. It reminds me of myself and my wife in all the bad ways.
DeleteDon’t judge anything based on a single story. - Danger Of A Single Story
ReplyDeleteA: People and places are what they are based on how they carry themselves, and the intent behind their actions. Often, it is easy to develop stereotypes and prejudice against people based on where they are from or what they come from. This is a very big mistake in one’s evaluation of others. Anybody can come from anything, and anyone can come from anywhere. It is important to recognize people as individuals: not part of some greater demographic. It would be unfair of anyone to say that you are just like anyone from your hometown, so it would be equally unfair to say that anyone else is just like the people in their hometown, city, village or any other type of settlement. In the Ted Talk we watched in class, the woman talked about how her conceptions of people in England was just like in the books she read, but that was an unfair assessment because the people of England are individuals, not a general flock of people that all act and think nearly the same.
People become who they are based on their experiences, not their circumstances. - The First Hour
A: Nobody is born as who they are now. People become the way they are through their actions of their life, and their contacts with other people. In the first moments, we are the most like we are than in any given point in time. Some people are born evil, and some people are born good; who they are at any age after their birth is not the purest example of that person. The true examples of who someone is can be found in the undertones of their long term interactions. Someone may seem compulsive and dangerous, but they may have a compassionate and solemn outlook on their life and other people’s. Someone may seem very unintelligent by the way they interact socially and carry themselves, but could be observed to have quite cunning academic skills. Unfortunately, there are many intelligent people that are disregarded based on their circumstances. People in areas of poverty and war could have the most brilliant minds of our generation, but are suppressed by what they were born into. Because of their unfortunate circumstances, people don’t consider them academically or socially. Certainly, if these people were given the same regard as those fortunate, they would prove just as academically capable and compassionate.
Everyone requires love and friendship, no one can do without it. - Jane Eyre
DeleteA: Jane Eyre lived the first part of her life under the constant scrutiny of her aunt and the fury of her cousins. Although Jane was a girl of high sophistication, the first major quarrel of the novel sprouts from the unfair and positively inhumane treatment of Jane. As the titular character explains it in the novel, Aunt Reed thinks that Jane can live without an ounce of love given to her, but this is untrue. Jane proves to herself that even though someone can be perceived as a deceptive being or a devil’s child, they still need love. To delve deeper into this point: people are often misunderstood. We could have the impression that someone is the worst and most evil person on Earth, but perhaps it is their lack of love that makes them so full of hatred and evil? An often overlooked analogy is that love is to hatred as light is to darkness; perhaps hatred stems from a lack of love as darkness stems from a lack of light? This point provides an argument in which love becomes the most valuable commodity (in which it can be given/received) because it is a commodity that all people need.
It is important to fight for what is right rather than what will elevate oneself. - Macbeth and Beowulf
A: It is easy to become blinded by ambition and what we think should be ours, rather than what really is ours. Two pieces of literature touch on this quite nicely, Beowulf and Macbeth. Beowulf and Macbeth are almost foil characters from different stories. Macbeth is an evil man that was cherished when he fought selflessly, but lost the respect of his peers as his motives and actions became much more selfish. Beowulf is contrary to this, as Beowulf would always act in favor of what other people need, not what he wanted. When Beowulf didn’t want to face the dragon, he did it anyway. When there was a giant beast that was threatening Hrothgar and his kingdom, Beowulf stood up and took a stand for Hrothgar in his time of need. These are the actions that made Beowulf into the beloved king that he was. Contrary to this, however, are the actions of Macbeth. Macbeth would often wallow in the fact that the crown upon his head was hollow, because the people he was king over did not respect him. Macbeth’s actions of selfishness, such as his numerous ordered assassinations and murdering Duncan, are what destroyed his image and made him a hated image among the people. The cherry on top of this juxtaposition is the comparison of their deaths. Macbeth died disgraced; hated among his people. He died with scorpions in his mind and a hollow crown upon his head. Beowulf’s death was evidence of a true hero of the people. There was a country of supporters behind him, as well as inspired warriors and a legacy of heroic efforts. Beowulf and Macbeth demonstrate very well that acting selflessly will always pay off better than acting selfishly.
Marriage should be a union of people who understand each other personally rather than a joining of people who enjoy each other materially. - Pride and Prejudice & Persuasion
DeleteA: This lesson is more of a guide to future happiness. Often, people jump into marriages based off of looks, income, or assets. Hardly is it ever recognized how important it is to have a deep emotional connection and an understanding of one’s partner. Jane Austen has produced two specific novels that address this problem very well. Pride and Prejudice is one example, in which the character Mr. Darcy is in love with the character Elizabeth Bennet. Darcy proposes twice in the novel. The first time is because Darcy thinks Elizabeth is pretty and of a reasonable intelligence, but Elizabeth rejects him initially. As the novel progresses, Darcy and Elizabeth become better acquainted and eventually fall in love mutually with each other. This time, however, they are in love with each others’ personalities and understandings of each other rather than looks. Pride and Prejudice also presents the reader with a similar scenario in the same book. The couple of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are prime examples of people who married without having a full understanding of each other. Mr. Bennet acknowledges this, and spends most of his days taunting his wife and heckling like a comedian. In this novel Persuasion, also by Jane Austen, the story presents another take on this problem. The main character, Anne, rejects her love interest, Captain Wentworth because there was no promise of financial stability. She regrets this decision deeply every day, and later finds that she wished she said yes all along because she knew she could find a true understanding in Wentworth as a partner. These stories examples are what help define what could be the most important events in our romantic lives as humans, which puts a lot of weight on them, and a lot of worth in their studying in order to help ourselves.
Conclusion: This class was the highlight of my Junior year. Every day that I had this class, it was what I looked forward to all day. This class was like a book club, and the amount of independence that it provided for the students that partook in it was indescribably liberating. I learned so much, socially and academically. I feel bad for anyone that ever skipped over reading Jane Austen or Charlotte Brontё; the lessons that those novels gave to me are what taught me how to behave socially and respectfully. The epic of Beowulf encouraged me to fight for what other people need, rather than what I want. The best part of this course though, by far, had to be the poem of the day. Mr. Pellerin would ring us in, admittedly like cattle, and tell us a poem from his book comprised by Billy Collins. This was the part of the day that I liked most of all. It was a time of silence, introspection; where we could just sit and contemplate the dark, bright, or otherwise hysterical works. This was what made the course for me. Of course, it is all thanks to the unrelenting genius and enthusiasm of Mr. Pellerin. Mr. Pellerin is truly the Tom Brady of all teachers. This man dedicates his life to the happiness and well being of other people; whether it be helping out at Cor Unum or throwing us a third extension for an assignment, this man is not only one of the greatest teachers of all time, he is just one of the greatest humans of all time.
Never base it on money; it's disgraceful.
DeleteBattle for sport, not for conflict!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna miss this class :(
ReplyDeletePride & Prejudice by Jane Austen:
ReplyDelete“Mr. Wickham is blessed with such happy manners as may ensure his making friends - whether he may be equally capable of retaining them is less certain.” This quote from Mr. Darcy about Wickham reveals his true character to the audience. Darcy is saying that Mr. Wickham comes off as a gentleman but once you really get to know him he is completely different. In Pride and Prejudice, it is quite ironic that Elizabeth thinks of Darcy as the bad guy when it is truly Wickham, who Lizzy actually trusted. I can relate to Darcy in this case since I have also had a fake friend who used me for something. In both of our cases, we were used for money. I learned a lot from Pride and Prejudice about society and now I know that you can never know someone’s true intentions.
Macbeth by William Shakespeare:
“Cure her of that! Canst thou not minister to a mind diseased, pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow, raze out the written troubles of the brain, and with some sweet oblivious antidote cleanse the stuffed bosom of that perilous stuff which weighs upon her heart.” After reading the profound Macbeth, I have come to understand that bad deeds can come back to haunt you in the future. Also, karma is a b***h. Lady Macbeth was the one who convinced Macbeth to commit the atrocious act of killing the beloved King Duncan. In the end, however, the Lady is haunted by her actions and cannot wash the “blood” off her hands. In this quote, Macbeth is asking the doctor to cleanse her of her misdoings “which weigh upon her heart,” but this can’t be done. For both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, karma is a b***h since they paid the ultimate price for their actions, their lives. Lady Macbeth goes insane and takes her own life towards the end of the novel. Macbeth is also killed by Macduff when all of his people abandon him and turn against him. I can’t sympathize for Macbeth because he made the choice to kill Duncan and he has to deal with the consequences. Macbeth has taught me that you and only you decide your fate; it can’t be blamed on supernatural witches;) or peer pressure.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
“I wish I had light hair and a fair skin, and was dressed, and behaved as well, and had a chance of being as rich as he will be!”Jealousy is one of the main themes in Wuthering Heights and Heathcliff Earnshaw is a perfect example of someone who can never accept himself. Because he has lost so much, he is envious of those who have gained such as when Edgar Linton “stole” Catherine Earnshaw away from him. I can relate to Heathcliff because I too have had my fair share of insecurities which can change how you act and treat others. This quote from Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights taught me to always be myself and not to be envious of others.
Beowulf (Translated by Seamus Heaney):
ReplyDelete“And a young prince must be prudent like that, giving freely while his father lives so that afterwards in age when fighting starts steadfast companions will stand by him and hold the line. Behaviour that's admired is the path to power among people everywhere.” The mighty warrior Beowulf always fought for the little guy but never asked anything in return. He risked his life countless times for clans in need of help. Even though we DID learn this in Kindergarten, Beowulf taught me to treat others how you want to be treated and with respect. This quote also states that “Behaviour that's admired is the path to power among people everywhere.”This means that people who make the right choices and have good values eventually rise to power. However, I don’t think this is the case with many of our leading politicians currently in office. There is much debate over whether our President, Donald Trump, is suited to be in office with all of the debates about him being a sexist and a racist. Our world has definitely changed since the time of the Geats and their morals, but I still firmly believe that people of power should behave admirably.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017):
Thor: “She’s too powerful, without my hammer I can’t.” Odin: “Are you Thor, the God of Hammers… That hammer was to help control your power, to focus it, it was never your source of strength.” Thor: “I am not as strong as you.” Odin: “No… You’re stronger.” This scene in Thor Ragnarok taught me to never underestimate your strength/power. In Thor Ragnarok, Thor endures many difficult tests and trials which prove his worthiness of the throne. After reading Beowulf, I have noticed the undeniable correlation to my favorite superhero and the shared use of Joseph Campbell’s 17 stages of the Monomyth. In this scene, Thor is on the verge of the defeat by his sister Hela and has an apparition of his late father. Odin inspires Thor to be his true self and to find his true power, which actually comes from within. He had always been held back by his hammer and thought less of himself when it was destroyed, even though he is stronger without it. This dialogue is very inspirational to me because it comes to show that you are stronger than you might think.
Conclusion:
This was undoubtedly one of the greatest classes I have had in Andover High School. I thought the environment and community were super chill and laid back, and it felt as if we were not in school at all. Something unique I found about this class was that it had a minimal amount of stress and anxiety. I had a great time every class, and some were super fun! I thank Mr. Pellerin for being the CHILLEST teacher in Andover and I am so grateful to have been a part of his class. I think Beowulf was probably my favorite lesson this year just because it is somewhat of a superhero poem and I love superheroes. I loved the heroism and bravery of fighting for the little guys and how it relates to many of our superhero movies today.
“Angry people are not always wise.” PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
ReplyDeleteI think that this is the quote that speaks the most to me out of any words that I have read in a book from this class. I often get mad, and as I have been going through a very difficult time for the past two months, I have found myself getting mad, sad, or anxious much more often than usual. I always tell people when I feel one of these emotions, and this is because I know that I am not myself when I am going through these feelings. I need the people that I love to know that I am not the one they are talking to, and if they have the time that they need to help me with what I am going through so I can come out of it feeling like myself again. I feel as if this could possibly connect to Macbeth, but Lady Macbeth was not exactly angry, but more so evil when she did what she did.
“Life ... is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” MACBETH
DeleteI chose this quote because I believe that life has so much more meaning put to it than there actually should be. Everyone wants to worry about what they will be remembered for, when it’s really more important that they live their own life the way they want to. This could be chasing all the money in the world for some, this could be living on an island alone for some, and this could be having a job that they love for others. No matter what, I think that the meaning of life is that there is no meaning and you should do what you think you were meant to do.
“I would always rather be happy than dignified.” Jayne Eyre
I think that this quote is very interesting to say the very least. I believe that there are some situations in which I would rather be happy than dignified, but in others it would probably make me more happy to be dignified than to do what I believed would have made me happy at that very moment. For example, if I am at a family outing with my loved ones and I want to make an inappropriate joke, that joke would probably make me very happy for the time being, but being dignified would definitely make me more happy overall.
“Fate will unwind as it must!” Beowulf
I chose this quote because I believe in fate. I think that everything that happens is meant to be, and that fate will definitely unwind as it will. I think that if something were meant to be, life could play out a million different ways and it would still happen. This I think is usually true in finding an equivalent other, but also true in the deaths of people. I think that it would be very hard to apply this quote to any of the novels, because you don't exactly know what is going to happen in the book before it happens. I do think, though, that if these stories were being told in real life, all of the marriages would have been the exact same, no matter how it played out.
“If he loved with all the powers of his puny being, he couldn’t love as much in eighty years as I could in a day.” Wuthering Heights
I chose this quote because I have felt this way a few times. There are some times that you put an unbelievable amount of effort into another person and then feel like you are not getting it back from them. Sometimes I overthink things, but other times it feels as if you could love someone such an unbelievable amount and just not get the same love back. This is painful, because when you put that much love and effort into someone you really expect nothing less than more back from them, and that sometimes just isn't how it is, and you must learn to deal with it.
On again and off again I have gotten really depressed because of some of the stuff that I have been going through lately, and this class has been the place that will always put a smile on my face. Early in the year, I got in a bit of an altercation with two classmates that both ended up being friends with me that I really like, and I don’t think there is any other teacher in the school that could have taken the situation that we were in and turned it into a good relationship. Some of these quotes don’t show lessons that I learned in this class and were ones that I already knew, but others, like “Angry people are not always wise.” and “I would always rather be happy than dignified.” were definitely developed while I spent time in British Literature. It has been a tough year for me, but this class has truly and always be my Asgard.