Question pertaining to Great Expectations.

In chapter 37, I do not understand the deal Wemmick and Pip are making, and the deal with Clarriker's house. The passage- "At length, the thing being done, and he having that day entered Clarriker's house, and he having talked to me for a whole evening in a flush of pleasure and success, I did really cry in good earnest when I went to bed, to think that my great expectations had done some good to somebody." It seems as if the chapter was significant, and I guess my mind did some wondering while reading it. Anyone care to explain what's going on?

Great Expectations-photo

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The ladder is supposed to signify Pip's experience in society; he recognizes the fact that he has to "climb" up the social ladder to feel significant and worthy. The ladder represents once Pip arrives in London. He is thrust into high society and has difficulty trying to be proper and have manners, which Mr. Pocket kindly helps him correct. The ladder also shows his struggle: at the bottom (working with Joe) he was ashamed of who he was and was constantly striving to be at the top, where he could be respected and appreciated by Ms. Havisham and hopefully for Estella. At this point in the book, Pip would be somewhere in between on the ladder: not yet at the highest point in society but not at the bottom where Joe and Biddy would stand. We've seen Pip develop up to this point with education and manners. Overall, I think the ladder is a metaphor for Pip's struggle in the Victorian society.

Great Expectations: The First Stage

The last sentence in Chapter 9, I believe, is referring to when Pip lied to Joe and Mrs. Pumblechook. Pip was showered with guilt from his lying to Joe, because he realized how much Joe meant to him despite him being ignorant or common. Once he spilled the truth to Joe, he revealed his feelings of ignorance and being ashamed of who he is. While he gave him so words of encouragement ("If you can't get to be oncommon through going straight, you'll never get to do it through going crooked. So don't tell no more on 'em, Pip, and live well and die happy." ) he realized his experience at Miss Havisham's changed his view of everyone around him and most importantly, himself.
Ultimately, I think the quote means that the first link on a memorable day will blossom into your actions and shape and define you as a person. Therefore, I think the so called link refers to an experience we have as a child that will permanently define us in some sort.

Hmm. A memorable day in my life. I would say a memorable moment in my life was when I took my first baton lesson in 4th grade. I was extremely eager to twirl the shiny baton, and I remember coming home and showing my mom all the cool things I learned to do (and now when I look back I cringe at how bad I was when I started) I've realized how a simple hobby can develop into a passion and how sports and a strong work ethic can really shape your life.

Group Essay Collarboration

My topic is ironic lies, and while I don't have my full paragraph complete I have bits and pieces together. Mt topic sentence is: Ironic lies in The Importance of Beinf Earnest by Oscar Wilde show the motives of charscters and mocks the social ideals of the Victorian Era. My only concrete detail I have at the moment is how both Jack and Algernon go under the name of Earnest, which is ironic because the word ernest means sincerity and truth while in fact they are both lying to impress their peers.

Victorian Era Research

When we initially began studying the Victorian Era, I was actually a little happy because I love history; its my favorite subject besides English. Even though I got a little bored with the research, it developed my understanding of the social classes and marriage; especially the roles Victorian women played in society. The most significant topic I learned about was marriage, and I think without my prior knowledge before reading the play I wouldn't have understood alot of the humor. For example, Lady Bracknell said, ""I hadn't been there since her poor husband's death. She looks quite twenty years younger", it pointed out that Victorian marriage wasn't about love and she was actually happier being widowed.

While doing the Victorian Era research I was shocked to learn about the Industrial Revolution and its strong impact on society. With all of the labor needed the middle class grew dramatically in size, yet the people lived in poverty. Many children were forced to work in hazardous conditions, and the people lived in the slums and suffered from disease. Along with learning about class I also found out the wealthy did not have to work in this era and instead earned profit of their land and investments, which was slightly evident in the book. The ladies occupied their time with teaching and learning various things such as German, and the men spend a good amount of their time socializing amongst themselves and even shredding up bills. Learning about the Victorian era significantly helped me understand the class structure in the book as well as the satire of things like marriage.

Victorian Era Research

New Year's Resolution

To be honest, I've never been a firm believer in resolutions. It may be from lack of motivation, or the fact that I think people should set goals for themselves year-round. After some thinking into the topic, however, I have decided on a reasonable 2010 resolution: to become more responsible, which includes better time management. Since the school year's progressed, I felt I've become pretty lazy and sometimes don't complete easy homework or don't put full effort into assignments, which I now regret. As far as extracurricular activities, my injury has been the main problem. Being immobilized over the past couple months has been very frustrating since I haven't been able to dance or twirl, but now that I'm almost recovered I feel that I need to make some significant changes in my life.
I plan to follow my resolution mostly with planning: Once I'm back on track from my injury, I need to schedule going to the gym to practice and exercise, and dance practice twice a week. Responsibility sets in by making sure I'm organized; which means keeping all of my papers organized and to not procrastinate on assignments. Instead of cramming, I will set aside some time each to day to work on the project. School has always been important to me, and it's beginning to sink in that the choices I make now will heavily affect my future. Science and math have always been difficult classes for me, and I think that if I stick to my resolution school won't be a burden. With my dance and baton, I am serious about competing and I want to do my absolute best. I know I have a lot of time to make up for, but hopefully with a lot of hard work in the gym it will all pay off, especially with my goals intact.